Developing Creativity in the Classroom

While I suspected that students conducting creative activities in the classroom improved learning, I had no hard evidence. Through the “Approaches to Educational Research” course at the MAET program, I conducted a study testing whether student learning improved more through traditional means or through creative work on a standardized AP Essay Exam. I was shocked to find that students did creative work to learn, improved dramatically more than those who learned through traditional means. Since then, I have embraced creativity in nearly every way that I can in my instruction and assessment. Instead of taking traditional notes, I began giving students choices on taking sketchnotes or video creations.