Stimulating students' creativity in mtm and eltm classes: content choice and teacher creativity

• Author: A. Nechifor/M.A.P. Purcaru
• Position: Faculty of Letters, Transilvania University of Brasov/Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics, Transilvania University of Brasov
• Pages: 17-26

Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov

Series VII: Social Sciences • Law • Vol. 9 (58) No. 2 - 2016

STIMULATING STUDENTS’ CREATIVITY

IN MTM AND ELTM CLASSES: CONTENT

CHOICE AND TEACHER CREATIVITY

A. NECHIFOR1 M.A.P. PURCARU 2

Abstract: The aim of the present paper is to highlight different means of

stimulating creativity with students attending English Language Teaching

and Mathematics Teaching Methodology courses and seminars. What is

primarily analysed, exemplified and compared is the cultivation of creativity

relative to the scientific content taught in the classes under discussion, by

means of the creativity of the teacher seen as a key factor to stimulating

students’ creativity in nowadays challenging teaching context. The

conclusions invite to perspectivization and broaden the view over such a

complex concept such as student creativity.

Key words: student creativity, flexibility, fluidity, originality, content choice.

1. Introduction

Generated by a long-term collaboration between the authors, as a result of a common

interest in the area of teaching methodology, the present paper can be enlisted in a series

of previous articles published on related topics from Mathematics Teaching Methodology

(MTM) and English Language Teaching Methodology (ELTM) classes and based on

research extracted from the first-hand experience had, as tutors of these classes, by the

authors.

This particular paper is focused on creativity, as a key concept, and is interested in

analysing the most efficient modalities by means of which the creativity of the students

can be revealed and stimulated and in opening a line of further investigations in the field;

the chapters comprised by this paper will deal with the choice of scientific content that

any teacher has at hand to choose from when it comes to making decisions related to her

subject, as well as on the way in which she can do this, based on personal creativity and

talent, while a further study will deal with the way in which student creativy can be

enhanced according to the methods used for the teaching process, in all its aspects:

teaching, learning and assessing. This topic-area is wide and deserves attention to detail,

considering the fruitfulness of the data gathered and of the class material, as well as the

time span of almost 2 years dedicated to this close observation in class and literature

reading.

1 Faculty of Letters, Transilvania University of Braşov, andreeabratan@unitbv.ro

2 Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics, Transilvania University of Braşov, mpurcaru@unitbv.ro