The educational system has primarily focused on making core subjects like math and science part of the curriculum, with lectures and textbooks serving as the primary teaching tools. In recent years, educators and parents have realized the value of encouraging students’ creativity and incorporating it into their academic studies. There are a number of creative content indicators to look for whether you’re looking for creative curriculum to home school your children with or looking for the best creative curriculum at a school. The textbooks, projects, activities, classes offered, and grading methods in a curriculum can all reveal whether or not it includes creativity.
A textbook or workbook that supports a creative curriculum should have content that aims to engage students on a variety of levels. Students who learn on a visual level will be drawn to a textbook with lots of photos, illustrations, and other interesting images, while students who enjoy reading will be drawn to its conversational text. Another sign of a creative curriculum is a multimedia approach to teaching, which could include using videos, games, and other audio and visual tools to supplement standard textbook material.
Projects and other assignments that give students a variety of options both encourage and reflect creativity. If students are studying outer space and must complete an assignment on the subject, they may be given the option of writing a report, building planet models, or creating their own educational game about space. Another sign of a creative curriculum is the wide range of classes offered in some schools today. Private schools that specialize in the arts provide an especially creative curriculum that may include classes in dance, art, music, and theater.
The manner in which a student’s performance is assessed also reflects a creative curriculum. Along with a student’s test scores, grades that consider a student’s attitude, problem-solving abilities, and overall approach to a subject can be assessed. As a result, a richer, broader curriculum emerges, one that values a student’s approach to learning rather than just his or her test scores.