Essential Creativity in the Classroom
Course Outline

Course Fee: $270
Course Numbers: EED x701 24116, SED x701 24161
Standard Course Time: 45 hours
Semester Credits: Three (3) academic credits at the post-baccalaureate level (available for an additional fee)
Credit Issued by: Cal Poly Humboldt (refer to our Graduate Credit page for credit pricing and details)
Subject Area: Special Topics

This course has been developed and optimized for online delivery using the licensed title Essential Creativity in the Classroom, published by Routledge and authored by Kaye Thorne.

Introduction/Course Description:

This course is not about lesson plans and how you teach creativity, but it is about how you create an environment where creativity can thrive and how you can work in a creative way to unleash the potential of your learners and yourself. It is also about connectivity, connecting parents to schools, schools to industry, schools and industry to community and one nation to another. That might seem a huge ambition, but without connectivity all we have is isolated initiatives, single stones dropped into the pool of humanity, but taken together they can create a real wave of hope and optimism.

Essential Creativity in the Classroom is unashamedly committed to the fulfillment of creative potential. Imagine if everyone was encouraged to develop their full potential, to explore the ‘what ifs’ in their lives, to dream the impossible dreams and, having dreamt them, to seek to achieve them. Imagine if individuals and organizations, parents and children, friends and colleagues encouraged each other and took real pleasure in each other’s success. What if, instead of negative messages, we gave others and ourselves the positive messages of encouragement and success? What could the impact be on our centers of learning?

Course Objectives/Program Outline

Module One: Daring to Be Different

Students will examine:

• The key to creativity and innovation
• Supporting creativity and innovation
• How schools sponsor innovation and creativity

Quiz: Multiple-choice questions that pertain to objectives above.

Module Two: What's It Like to Be Creative?

Students will define:

• What is creativity?
• What is the hardest part of being creative?
• What is the most rewarding part of being creative?
• What do you do to make the most of students and your creativity?

Quiz: Multiple-choice questions that pertain to objectives above.

Module Three: The Creativity Powerhouse

Students will learn that developing creativity takes:

• Making learning a real experience
• Knowing how children prefer to learn
• Using the whole brain
• Multiple intelligences
• Seven Da Vincian Principles
• Encouraging curiosity
• Emotional intelligences

Project 1: Be like Da Vinci
Quiz: Multiple-choice questions that pertain to objectives above.

Module Four: Unlocking the Windows of the Mind

Students will become familiar with:

• How to create an inspiring learning environment
• Why creativity is important
• How creativity can be applied in the classroom
• Tools and techniques
• What teachers can do in the classroom to stimulate children’s creativity

Quiz: Multiple-choice questions that pertain to objectives above.

Module Five: Coaching Conversations

Students will recognize:

• Everyone is different
• Coaching techniques
• The teacher as coach
• Key stages of coaching and profile

Quiz: Multiple-choice questions that pertain to objectives above.

Module Six: Rage to Learn - Supporting Gifted Children

Students will investigate:

• Supporting gifted children
• Being original
• How to create an environment to support individuals and giftedness
• Transitional stages
• Discretionary contributions

Quiz: Multiple-choice questions that pertain to objectives above.

Module Seven: Building Self-Esteem

Students will explore:

• Building self-esteem
• Paradigm shifts
• Helping individuals believe in themselves
• How to develop others

Project 2: Feeling RRREEEEAAALLL Good!
Quiz: Multiple-choice questions that pertain to objectives above.

Module Eight: Creativity and Blended Learning

Students will investigate:

• Blended learning and why is it important
• Ways of Identifying online learning

Quiz: Multiple-choice questions that pertain to objectives above.

Module Nine: Creativity and Employment

Students will become familiar with:

• Career advice
• Supporting a young person in making career choices
• Creating the Brand ME©
• What are the motivations for young people seeking work?
• Enterprise and entrepreneurship

Project 3: You’re HIRED!
Quiz: Multiple-choice questions that pertain to objectives above.

Module Ten: Fulfilling Your Creative Potential

Students will demonstrate:

• What are the best conditions that help you to be creative and innovative?
• Identifying Sources of inspiration
• Idea generation
• Putting some magic into creativity

Quiz: Multiple-choice questions that pertain to objectives above.

Module Eleven: Doing it Differently

Students will recognize:

• Self-Knowledge
• How do you put self-knowledge into practice?
• Achieving a balance
• How to enrich your life

Project 4: I AM...
Project 5: Enriching my LIFE!
Quiz: Multiple-choice questions that pertain to objectives above.

Final Exam

Multiple choice questions taken from each module

Final Learning Statement

Learning statements should be in a narrative format – as opposed to an outline format. Depending on individual writing styles Learning statements should be 2-3 pages. The learning statement can vary according to individual style. Your learning statement should answer the broad question of "what did you learn?". To help get you thinking, here are some suggested questions:

• What are the major concepts of the course that you have learned?
• What new professional language have you acquired relating to the topic?
• What teaching techniques for implementing new strategies in the classroom did you come away with?
• Thinking back to your project reflections, were you surprised at the outcomes?
• What new resources did you find in the study of the content?
• As an educator, what new concepts will you now integrate into your teaching?
• Are there any ideas that presented themselves as enlightening and useful?

---

--- Sample Course Project ---

Project #4 Overview: I AM...

In module 11 you learned about the importance of learning about yourself.

For this project:

Take a moment to answer these questions:

• What do I really know about me?
• What do I do really well?
• What would I like to do better?
• How do I react under pressure?
• What will prompt me into taking action?
• What is really important in my life?
• Who do I trust to give me feedback?

For Your Written Project Reflection Submission

After taking some time to answer the questions outlined above for this project, reflect on your findings using the following bullet points as a guide:

• Do you feel you know yourself well enough? How?
• Do you make it a priority to grow yourself? How? Or are you comfortable? How?
• Would you want your students, own children or loved ones to take your same path of self-awareness? Why?
• What actions will you take away from this activity?
• What awareness will you take away from this exercise?

Visit the Module Projects section located within the Course Dashboard, and take a moment to share your findings by submitting your written project reflection.

---

Cal Poly Humboldt Credit Specifics

• Academic Credit through Cal Poly Humboldt (CPH) is offered after successful completion of each course.
• The 700 series semester credit is post-baccalaureate level appropriate for credentialed teachers which do not require admission to a graduate program.
• Courses are letter graded on official transcripts from CPH.
• CPH is the northernmost and westernmost institution in the 23-campus California State University (CSU) system.
• CPH is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), a regional accrediting agency serving a diverse membership of public and private higher education institutions.

---

Summer Option

If you are not currently teaching (ie. Summer break, you are a substitute teacher, etc.), each class offers you the ability to complete coursework independent of a classroom assignment.