Creativity in the English

language classroom
Edited by Alan Maley and Nik Peachey

Mat Wright

www.teachingenglish.org.uk
Outside the Box
Being inside the box
was comfortable
warm and cosy.
We curled up
with cushions of routine,
wadded with words,
blanketed by books,
swaddled in certainties.
A bit stuffy perhaps,
and we sometimes felt cramped,
but never mind,
we were so used to it
that it felt normal
and, as I said,
comfortable.

Out here we are exposed,

and cold winds blow.
We need to hold on tight,
keep our eyes open
for sudden snow squalls,
hidden crevasses.
Its a precarious existence now
but here we can move and breathe,
see clear to the far horizon.

And if we come to a cliff,

we know we can step off it
into empty air,
trusting it to bear us up.
We have no fear
of
falling.
Alan Maley
Nagoya, November 2010
Creativity in the English
language classroom
Edited by Alan Maley and Nik Peachey
ISBN 978-0-86355-767-5

British Council 2015 Brand and Design/F004

10 Spring Gardens
London SW1A 2BN, UK
www.britishcouncil.org

 Contents
Foreword: Chris Kennedy............................................................................................................................................................................... 3

Introduction: Alan Maley and Nik Peachey............................................................................................................................................. 4

About the editors............................................................................................................................................................................................... 5

Overview: Creativity the what, the why and the how

Alan Maley............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 6

1 Medium: companion or slave?............................................................................................................................................................14

Andrew Wright
This chapter focuses on the idea that a sensitive awareness of the characteristics and potential of the
media and materials available to the teacher can lead to ideas which are fresh, relevant and efficient.

2 Challenging teachers to use their coursebook creatively....................................................................................................24

Brian Tomlinson
This chapter looks at how teachers can open up the often closed activities to be found within coursebooks.

3 Seven pillars of creativity in primary ELT......................................................................................................................................29

Carol Read
This chapter looks at children learning English as a foreign language at primary schools and how by using seven
pillars of creativity teachers can help students with limited language skills exploit their creative potential.

4 Making thinking visible in the English classroom: nurturing a creative mind-set.......................................................37

Chrysa Papalazarou
This chapter looks at how we can encourage creative thinking in the English classroom by using artful visual
stimuli and the Visible Thinking approach.

5 Personal and creative storytelling: telling our stories............................................................................................................44

David Heathfield
This chapter looks at the role of storytelling in the classroom and shows how the language classroom is a
perfect environment for teachers and students to tell stories about their own lives and experiences.

6 Teaching grammar creatively.............................................................................................................................................................51

Jill and Charlie Hadfield
This chapter looks at how applying creative techniques to grammar practice can motivate students by
making what could be a routine and repetitious activity into something novel and exciting.

7 From everyday activities to creative tasks..................................................................................................................................64

Judit Fehr
This chapter provides a range of tips for teachers to help them integrate creativity into their everyday classroom
practice and typical language-learning activities and exercises.

8 Fostering and building upon oral creativity in the EFL classroom....................................................................................73

Jrgen Kurtz
This chapter looks at how placing strong emphasis on communication as participation and on learning as
transformation of participatory competence and skill, we can engage foreign language learners in increasingly
self-regulated improvised oral interaction in the target language.

9 Old wine in new bottles: solving language teaching problems creatively.....................................................................84

Kathleen M Bailey and Anita Krishnan
This chapter documents a number of creative uses of images and objects by English language teachers who
have worked in under-resourced areas in several different countries around the world and describes creative
activities and tools that these teachers have developed, working entirely with free or very inexpensive materials.

Contents | 1
 10 A creative approach to language teaching: a way to recognise, encourage
and appreciate students contributions to language classes.............................................................................................98
Libor Stepanek
This chapter offers a practical insight into a creative approach to language teaching which has been
developed as a reaction to recent changes in, and the growing demand for, creativity, flexibility and
advanced communication skills in the current knowledge and communication society.

11 Teaching children with mascot-inspired projects.................................................................................................................. 104

Malu Sciamarelli
This chapter explores some basic features of project-based learning, then shows five examples of mascot-
inspired projects with the fluffy toy Brownie the Bear and its friends. Based on these projects, teachers will
be able to create and elaborate their own original and creative projects with a mascot of their choice.

12 Creating creative teachers...............................................................................................................................................................115

Marisa Constantinides
This chapter looks at the role of teacher training courses in supporting the development of teacher creativity
and helping new teachers to understand the importance of approaching course materials in a creative way.

13 The learner as a creativity resource............................................................................................................................................ 123

Marjorie Rosenberg
This chapter looks at how we can exploit our students experiences and use them as the basis for creative
language tasks.

14 Practising creative writing in high school foreign language classes............................................................................ 134

Peter Lutzker
This chapter looks at how story writing techniques can be applied within the younger learner classroom and
how this creative writing process can help to aid the development of language and thought and shape the
imaginative and emotional life of a child.

15 Fostering learners voices in literature classes in an Asian context............................................................................. 142

Phuong thi Anh Le
This chapter looks at the role of creativity within the context of a graduate level American literature
course being taught to EFL students in Vietnam. The activities focus on a reader-response approach to
exploring the literary texts.

16 A framework for learning creativity............................................................................................................................................. 150

Tessa Woodward
This chapter looks at the established stereotype of the creative individual and provides a more inclusive
framework for developing our students creativity.

17 Drama and creative writing: a blended tool............................................................................................................................. 158

Victoria Hlenschi-Stroie
This chapter looks at activities and techniques that can be used to encourage younger learners to engage
in drama and creative writing activities that will lead to greater linguistic, personal and social development.

18 A journey towards creativity: a case study of three primary classes in a Bulgarian state school................... 165
Zarina Markova
This chapter looks at various ELT techniques for leading young learners step-by-step into a more creative
process, which would support a more product-orientated approach to creative writing.

2 | Contents
 Foreword
It is worrying in our market-driven world that, Developing creativity is not an easy option and
in domains such as politics, business, and poses future challenges. It has been compared
education, certain concepts, and the words used to a muscle that needs the constant constraining
to express them, lose their value through over-use discipline of exercise to strengthen individuals
or ill-definition. We can all think of such items and innovative thinking and problem-solving. There is
we have our pet hates. The danger is that such a tendency to devote time to its development with
terms may be hijacked by public bodies and private children and young learners, when it is as important
institutions which employ them as convenient but to extend its use to give positive satisfaction to all
opaque policy pegs on which practitioners, including ages. Finally, we need to consider ways of diffusing
educators, are expected to hang their approaches good practice, and perhaps most important of
and behaviours. Creativity is one such term, and all, ways of integrating approaches across the
UK government reports on the subject in the last few curriculum and across institutions so that the
years show the concept of creativity being used to professional innovations represented in this
support a particular instrumental political view as volume can influence not only ELT situations
a means of promoting the economy, rather than as but other, more general educational contexts.
a focus for developing individual skills and talents.
I would like to end with an amusing but revealing
It is refreshing therefore to see Nik Peachey and anecdote from one of Sir Ken Robinsons talks
Alan Maley, the editors of this volume of articles on creativity with which readers may be familiar.
on creativity in ELT, adopting the latter focus on A six-year old pupil in a drawing class said she was
individual development. They are not especially going to draw a picture of God. The teacher said:
concerned with defining terms, avoiding a narrow But nobody knows what God looks like. They will,
definition of creativity which would be open to in a minute, the child replied.
contested interpretations. They prefer to present
Chris Kennedy
a kaleidoscope of practical case studies to illustrate
March 2015, Birmingham
what practitioners regard as creative. Readers may
then work bottom-up towards their own meaning,
though the writers of the case studies do almost give
an implicit definition in their description of varied
activities that stimulate the imagination and result
in something new and of value to the individuals
and groups concerned.

Foreword | 3
 Introduction
This collection of chapters on various aspects of This volume mixes contributions from a wide range of
creativity in language learning and teaching arose authors, from those with many years experience and
partly from discussions at the IATEFL (International previous publications to those who have just started
Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign their journey. We feel that this demonstrates that
Language) Conference in Harrogate in 2014, in the creativity in the language classroom isnt limited to
context of the newly formed C Group (Creativity for the gifted and talented but is something that any
Change in Language Education). A majority of the teacher can try to apply.
contributors to the volume are, in fact, members
Creativity is an endangered species in the current
of the C Group.
model of education, which is increasingly subject to
The call for papers attracted over 200 proposals, institutional, curricular and assessment constraints.
from which we had the unenviable task of selecting We hope that this collection will serve to encourage
just 18. and inspire teachers to allow their creativity to
flourish, and to foster it in others.
It was the aim of the editors in sorting and selecting
these chapters to show that creativity isnt something For more information on the C Group, see:
which is reserved for a specific part of a course or a http://thecreativitygroup.weebly.com
lesson, but that it is something which can and should
Alan Maley and Nik Peachey
be integrated into every aspect of our classroom
practice and at every level of our learners
experience.

The final selection comprises chapters which cover

a range of levels from young learners, through
secondary school, to adult and tertiary settings; a
number of geographical contexts worldwide from
Brazil and Vietnam to Greece and Bulgaria; and a
number of different perspectives from focus on
learner creativity, to focus on teacher creativity, and
on the contributions which materials and teacher
training can make.

4 | Introduction
 About the editors
Alan Maley has been involved with English language
teaching for over 50 years. He worked with the
British Council in Yugoslavia, Ghana, Italy, France,
China and India (196288) before taking over as
Director-General of the Bell Educational Trust,
Cambridge (198893). He then worked in university
posts in Singapore (199398), Thailand (19992004),
Malaysia and Vietnam (200411). He is now a
freelance consultant and writer. He has published
over 50 books and numerous articles. He is a past
President of IATEFL, and recipient of the ELTons
Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. He is a co-
founder of The C Group.

Nik Peachey is an author, blogger, teacher trainer

and educational technology expert. He has worked
as editor and consultant on many major web-based
language learning initiatives around the world and
has more than 20 years experience in the field of
ELT. At present he works as Head of Learning for
a web-based language school and is a frequent
presenter at ELT conferences.

About the editors | 5

 Overview: Creativity the what,
the why and the how
Alan Maley

Introductory chapters to collections like this usually c creativity, which is inherent in language itself.
offer some kind of summary of the content of the The chapters also demonstrate how creativity
following chapters. I have decided against this. extends right across all age ranges, all levels
Instead, I shall attempt to trace common threads of competence, all teaching contexts and all
running through the chapters in this book. Many of geographical regions. And it applies equally to
these threads then feed through into the second part teachers as well as learners. Creativity is universal,
of this chapter, where I shall try to clarify what we though its manifestations may be specific and local.
mean when we talk about creativity, to explain why
Creativity is widely believed to be about letting
I think creativity is important in language teaching,
the imagination loose in an orgy of totally free
and to offer some generic ideas for implementing
self-expression. It is, of course, no such thing.
creative ideas within our practice as teachers.
Creativity is born of discipline and thrives in a
context of constraints. It is therefore reassuring to
Some common threads find this view repeatedly expressed throughout the
There are quite a number of themes and beliefs collection. The issue of the value of constraints both
which recur right across this collection. I shall as a stimulus and as a support for creativity will be
take up most of these issues in the second part addressed again later in this chapter.
of this chapter.
Related to the issue of constraints is the frequency
Unsurprisingly, virtually all the chapters subscribe to with which low-resource teaching environments
the view that creativity is really important both in life are cited. Many of the chapters amply demonstrate
and in teaching and learning a language. Creativity that we have no need of expensive and elaborate
is widely believed to be a good thing, enriching the equipment and technological gizmos to stimulate
quality of life and of learning but these chapters the latent creativity of our students. In a sense,
offer a practical demonstration of how this belief the less we have, the more we make of it. And no
can be realised. classroom lacks the single most important resource
the human beings who make it up, with their richly
There is also a good measure of agreement that the
varied personalities, preferences and experience
current educational ethos is damaging to creativity.
(Maley, 1983; Campbell and Kryszewska, 1992). It is
This is largely due to the increasingly tight curricular
also clear that creativity in the classroom does not
constraints, the obsessive concern with objectives
have to involve epochal changes. Even very small
to the exclusion of broader educational aims, the
changes can bring about disproportionately large
intense focus on testing and measurement, and the
creative benefits.
love-affair with efficiency expressed in statistical
terms and quick results all of which characterise There is also broad agreement that creating the
so much of what currently passes for education right atmosphere is central to fostering creativity.
(Robinson, 2001). The following chapters, directly Encouraging an environment of trust between
or indirectly, all propose ideas which seek to restore teacher and class and among class members is
a balance, so that creative teaching can find its absolutely crucial. Among other things, this implies
place in this otherwise hostile and increasingly curbing the teachers impulse to constantly intervene
sterile environment. and over-correct. There is an acceptance that
creative effort and communicative intent trump
Many of the chapters do not seek to define the nature
accuracy and correction in this situation. Creative
of creativity, assuming perhaps that we all know it
thinking cannot be purchased, downloaded or
when we see it. Those which do attempt to define it,
guaranteed but it can be fostered with the right
admit the difficulty of finding an inclusive definition.
environment. Developing individual conceptual
Many of the chapters subscribe explicitly to the belief frameworks for understanding and interpreting
that everyone has the capacity to exercise creativity, the world also means encouraging individuals to
that it is not the preserve of a privileged elite. While have the confidence to question and deconstruct
not everyone will have the big C creative genius of dogma and traditional views, to possess the
an Einstein, a Picasso, a Mozart or a Dostoevsky, courage to make new associations without fear of
everyone can exercise what some have called little the opinions or cynicism of others (Greenfield, 2014).

6 | Overview: Creativity the what, the why and the how

 Over time a learning community can come into The what
being, where co-operation, sharing and the valuing Creativity is a quality which manifests itself in many
of others contributions become a natural part of the different ways, and this is one of the reasons it has
way things are done what Wajnryb (2003) calls a proved so difficult to define. As Amabile (1996) points
storied class. out, a clear and sufficiently detailed articulation
There is a consensus too that teachers need to act of the creative process is not yet possible. Yet we
as role models. It is no good preaching creativity to readily recognise creativity when we meet it, even
our students unless we also practise it ourselves. if we cannot define it precisely. For all practical
If we want our students to sing, we must sing too. purposes this is enough, and we do not need to
If we want them to act and mime, we must act and spend too much time agonising over a definition.
mime too. If we want them to write poems or stories, There are of course, some features which are almost
or to draw and paint, then we must engage in the always present in a creative act. The core idea of
same activities as they do. If we want the bread to making something new is at the heart of creativity.
rise, we need to provide the yeast. In order to do But novelty is not alone sufficient for something to
this, we need to relinquish our excessively teacher- be recognised as creative. We could, for example,
control persona, and become part of the group, wear a clowns red nose to class. This would certainly
not someone who is above it or outside it. Stevicks be doing something new and unusual but it would
words are relevant here too: we should judge only count as creative if we then did something with
creativity in the classroom by what the teacher it, like creating a new persona. It is also necessary
makes it possible for the student to do, not just for creative acts to be recognised and accepted
by what the teacher does (Stevick, 1980: 20). within the domain in which they occur. They need
Another thing to emerge from these chapters is to be relevant and practicable not just novel.
the need for teachers to develop a creative attitude Sometimes creative ideas are ahead of their time and
of mind which permeates everything they do have to wait for technology to catch up. Leonardo da
not to regard creativity as something reserved for Vinci designed an aeroplane in the 15th century, but
special occasions. This also requires of teachers an before aeroplanes could become a reality, materials
unusual degree of awareness of what is happening and fuels had to be available.
both on and under the surface, and an ability to Among the earliest modern attempts to understand
respond in the moment to the unpredictability creativity were Wallas (1926, 2014) ideas. He outlined
as the action unfolds (Underhill and Maley, 2012; a four-stage process: Preparation, Incubation,
Underhill, 2014). This kind of reactive creativity Illumination, Verification. Given a problem, puzzle or
complements the proactive creativity of the conceptual space, the creative mind first prepares
activities the teacher offers. itself by soaking up all the information available.
Clearly too, creativity is facilitated by a wide variety Following this first preparation stage, there is
of inputs, processes and outputs (Maley, 2011). a stage of incubation, in which the conscious
This implies that teachers need to be open to such mind stops thinking about the problem, leaving
variety, and willing to let go, and to have a go the unconscious to take over. In the third stage,
by trying things they have never done before. iIlumination, a solution suddenly presents itself
A playful attitude and atmosphere seems to be (if youre lucky!). In the final verification stage, the
a key ingredient for creativity (Cook, 2000). The conscious mind needs to check, clarify, elaborate
notion of varied outputs reminds us that creativity on and present the insights gained.
encourages and facilitates divergent thinking, and
frees us of the idea that questions always have a Koestler, in The Act of Creation (1989), suggests
single, right answer. that the creative process operates through the
bisociation of two conceptual matrices, not normally
found together. He believed that putting together two
(or more) things that do not normally belong together
can facilitate a sudden new insight. This is another
idea that we can put to use in the classroom through

Overview: Creativity the what, the why and the how | 7

 applying the random principle (see below) to create based on attitudes, intrinsic motivation, extrinsic
new and unexpected associations. constraints and rewards, etc. The social and
environmental factors she discusses include peer
Bisociation was also one of the key principles of the
influence, the teachers character and behaviour, the
Surrealist movement in art, photography, music, film,
classroom climate, family influence, life stress, the
theatre and literature which flourished mainly in Paris
physical environment, degree of choice offered, time,
in the 1920s and 30s. But they also emphasised the
the presence of positive role models and the scope
importance of the unconscious mind, especially
for play in the environment. These factors clearly
dreams, of playing around and experimenting, and of
have relevance for learning and can be blended into
seeing ordinary things from unusual viewpoints. They
an approach which seeks to promote creativity.
also explored the creative potential of constraints:
one novelist (Perec, 1969) wrote an entire novel There is sometimes a confusion in the relationship
without using the letter e, for example. There are between creativity on the one hand and discovery
lessons we can learn from the Surrealists too. and invention on the other. Discovery is about finding
something that has always been there but was until
By contrast, Boden (1990) takes an AI (artificial
then unnoticed. For example, the phenomenon of
intelligence) approach to investigating creativity.
gravity was not created or invented by Newton: he
She asks what a computer would need to do to
discovered it. By contrast, invention means bringing
replicate human thought processes. This leads to
something into being which had not until then
a consideration of the self-organising properties
existed. A new poem or a picture would be instances
of complex, generative systems through processes
of this but it could also be extended to creating
such as parallel distributed processing. For her,
a new recipe, or a new game, or a new way of
creativity arises from the systematic exploration
using paper Is discovery an instance of genuine
of a conceptual space or domain (mathematical,
creativity? Perhaps it is simply a different aspect of
musical or linguistic). She draws attention to the
creativity from invention: the outcome is not a new
importance of constraints in this process. Far from
product but a creative solution to a problem never
being the antithesis of creativity, constraints on
solved before.
thinking are what make it possible (p. 82). Chaos
theory (Gleick, 1987) tends to support her ideas. This is related to the tendency to regard problem-
Bodens approach is richly suggestive for language solving and critical thinking as integral to creativity.
acquisition, materials writing and for teaching, in that There is a good deal of overlap but before we treat
all are rooted in complex, self-organising systems. them as equivalent, we should be aware of the
differences. Problem-solving may indeed involve
Csikszentmihalyi (1988) takes a multidimensional
students in experimenting with multiple possible
view of creativity as an interaction between
solutions, in making unusual connections, acting
individual talent, operating in a particular domain
on a hunch, engaging with the Wallas model above,
or discipline, and judged by experts in that field.
and so on. But it may also be conducted in a purely
He also has interesting observations about the role
logical, rational way which has little in common with
of flow in creativity: the state of effortless effort
creative processes. In problem-solving, we are given
in which everything seems to come together in a
someone elses problem to solve. In problem-finding,
flow of seamless creative energy (Csikszentmihalyi,
we need to make an imaginative leap to perceive that
1990). He further explores creativity by analysing
a problem might be there to solve.
interviews with 91 exceptional individuals, and
isolates ten characteristics of creative individuals One issue frequently raised is whether creativity
(Csikszentmihalyi, 1996). can be taught. There are many, such as de Bono
(1969) and Seelig (2012), who believe that it can.
Amabile (1996) approaches creativity from a social
And there are shelves full of self-help books claiming
and environmental viewpoint. She claims that
to teach us how to be creative in our lives and in
previous theories have tended to neglect the power
our work. What is certain is that creativity can be
of such factors to shape creative effort. Her theory
tacitly learned even if it cannot be explicitly taught.
rests on three main factors: domain-relevant skills
But unless we as teachers demonstrate our own
(i.e. familiarity with a given domain of knowledge),
commitment to creativity, and unless we offer our
creativity-relevant skills (e.g. the ability to break
students a richly varied diet of creative practices,
free of performance scripts established routines,
they are unlikely to learn it.
to see new connections, etc.) and task motivation,

8 | Overview: Creativity the what, the why and the how

 The why General factors
We cannot avoid it. The human species seems to Establish a relaxed, non-judgemental atmosphere,
be hard-wired for creativity. Humans are innately where students feel confident enough to let go
curious about their environment, which they explore and not to worry that their every move is being
tirelessly. Put in a maze, we will find our way out, but scrutinised for errors. This means attending to what
unlike rats, we are also capable of forming the they are trying to express rather than concentrating
concept of a maze, and of designing one. on the imperfect way they may express it.

Creativity is also necessary for survival. The history Frame activities by creating constraints.
of our species can be mapped with reference to key Paradoxically, the constraints also act as
creative breakthroughs: agriculture, the wheel, supportive scaffolding for students. In this way
writing systems, printing a cumulative and both the scope of the content and the language
constantly proliferating series of discoveries and required are both restricted. By limiting what they
inventions. Without this creative capacity, we would are asked to write, for example, students are
still be living in caves. Creativity helps us to deal relieved of the pressure to write about everything.
with change, and as the world changes ceaselessly, Ensure that the students work is published in
so will more creative solutions be needed. some way. This could be by simply keeping a large
noticeboard for displaying students work. Other
Linguistic creativity in particular is so much part of
ways would include giving students a project for
learning and using a language that we tend to take
publishing work in a simple ring binder, or as part
it for granted. Yet from the ability to formulate new
of a class magazine. Almost certainly, there will be
utterances, to the way a child tells a story, to the
students able and willing to set up a class website
skill of a stand-up comedian, to the genius of a
where work can be published. Performances,
Shakespeare, linguistic creativity is at work. In
where students read or perform their work for
Carters words, linguistic creativity is not simply
other classes or even the whole school, are
a property of exceptional people but an exceptional
another way of making public what they have
property of all people (Carter, 2004: 13).
done. The effects on students confidence of
In the learning context, creativity also seems to making public what they have written is of
stimulate, to engage, to motivate and to satisfy in a inestimable value.
deep sense. Many of the chapters in this book testify Encourage students to discuss their work together
to the motivational power which is released when in a frank but friendly manner. We get good ideas
we allow students to express themselves creatively. by bouncing them off other people (Johnson,
Likewise, creativity tends to improve student 2010). Help them establish an atmosphere where
self-esteem, confidence and self-awareness. criticism is possible without causing offence. This
This enhanced sense of self-worth also feeds into implies creating a storied class (Wajnryb, 2003)
more committed and more effective learning. a co-operative learning community.
When we are exercising our creative capacities Explain regularly how important accurate
we tend to feel more ourselves, and more alive. observation is, and encourage noticing things.
Encourage them to collect data which may be
The how used later: pictures, games, DVDs, videos,
I will first of all suggest some ways in which we websites, books and magazines Students also
can lay the foundations for a more creative climate. need to be encouraged to be curious and to follow
These are important because creativity in teaching up with research looking for more information,
does not simply happen in a vacuum. We need to whether in books, on the internet or by asking
create favourable conditions for it. other people.
Do not try to do too much. Take it easy. And be
I will then suggest some generic ways in which we
kind to yourself (Casanave and Sosa, 2007). Try
can develop creative activities for students, for
introducing small changes over a period of time.
teachers, for the classroom and for materials.
And allow time for activities and for talking about
them. Johnson (2010) among many others talks
about the need for the slow burn of hunches
and ideas.

Overview: Creativity the what, the why and the how | 9

 Make it clear that what they do in the classroom A heuristic is a kind of rule of thumb. Rather than
is only the tip of the iceberg. To get real benefit applying a formula with a pre-determined outcome
from these activities, they need to do a lot of (an algorithm), heuristics work by trying things to see
work outside class hours. Most of what we learn, how they work out. The suck it and see principle.
we do not learn in class. Here are some examples of heuristics to try:
Do the activities regularly in order to get the Do the opposite. This has been extensively
best effects. Maybe once a week is a sensible described by John Fanselow (1987, 2010).
frequency. If you leave too long between sessions, Essentially, it involves observing the routines and
you have to keep going back to square one. That is activities we consciously or unconsciously follow,
a waste of time and energy. doing the opposite and then observing what
Be a role model. This means working with the happens. Examples would be: if you always stand
students, not simply telling them to do things. up to teach, sit down; if you teach from the front
This is especially true for reading and writing of the class, teach from the back; if you usually
activities. If they see you are reading, or writing, talk a lot, try silence.
they will be more likely to engage in these Reverse the order. Here you would do things
activities themselves. backwards. For example: in dictation, instead of
Never underestimate your students. Their capacity giving out the text at the end, you would give it
for creativity will astound you, if you can help them out at the beginning, allow students to read it then
unlock it. take it away, then give the dictation; if you normally
read texts from beginning to end, try reading them
Make sure you offer a varied diet of inputs, of
starting at the end; if you normally set homework
processes and of products (Maley, 1999). This
after a lesson, try setting it before; if you usually
diversity helps to promote an atmosphere of
give a grammar rule, asking them to find examples,
expectancy (I wonder what will happen today?),
try giving examples and asking them to derive
rather than the feeling of expectation (Here we
the rule.
go again. Unit 4).
Expand (or reduce) something. For example,
As a teacher, apply the four golden principles:
increase (or decrease) the length of a text in
acknowledge, listen, challenge, support.
various ways; increase (or decrease) the time
Acknowledge the individuality of students who
allotted to a task; increase the number of
make up the class group by showing that you
questions on a text; increase (or decrease) the
value what they bring to the group. Learn to listen
number of times you do a particular activity.
carefully and without pre-judgements to what they
(Maleys books, Short and Sweet [1994, 1996]
say or try to say. Make sure that you provide the
suggest 12 different generic procedures,
right level of challenge in what you ask them to do.
including this one, to develop more interesting
And offer support to them while they struggle to
activities/materials.)
meet that challenge. It sounds easy but of course,
it is not. Use the constraints principle
The idea here is to impose tight constraints on
Some generic principles for developing whatever activity is involved. For example:
more creativity
Limit the number of words students have to write
My intention here is not to provide a set of oven- as in mini-sagas, where a story has to be told in
ready activities but rather to suggest some principles just 50 words.
which can be used to develop various forms of
Limit the amount of time allowed to complete
creativity.
a task as when students are given exactly
Use heuristics at all levels one minute to give instructions.
By all levels I mean that many of these heuristics Limit the amount of materials as in a construction
(and others not mentioned here for reasons of space) task where each group is given just four file cards,
can be used for teacher decisions, for developing ten paperclips and two elastic bands with which to
materials, for varying classroom routines, and for build a structure and write instructions on how to
devising student activities. It will be for the teacher construct it.
to decide exactly how a given heuristic is applied.

10 | Overview: Creativity the what, the why and the how

 Use the random principle Students find as many uses for a common object
This is essentially using bisociation putting two or (e.g. a comb) as possible.
more things together that do not belong together Students have to find as many different ways
and finding connections. For example: of spending a given sum of money as possible.
Students work in pairs all the As write ten
Use feeder fields
adjectives each on slips of paper, all the Bs write
ten nouns. The slips are put in two boxes. Students Feeder fields are domains outside the limited field
take turns to draw a slip from each box, making an of ELT but which may offer insights of use in ELT
unusual combination, e.g. a broken birthday. When (Maley, 2006). Examples would be:
they have ten new phrases they combine them Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP) (Baker and
into a text. Rinvolucri, 2005).
Students are given pictures of five people taken Multiple Intelligences (Gardner, 1985; Puchta and
at random from magazines. They then have to Rinvolucri, 2005).
write a story involving all five characters. Literature (Maley and Duff, 2007).
Use the association principle The Arts (Maley 2009, 2010) Music (Paterson
This involves using evocative stimuli for students to and Willis, 2008), Art (Grundy et al., 2011; Keddie,
react to. For example: 2009), Drama (Maley and Duff, 2005; Wilson, 2008),
Clowning (Lutzker, 2007), Story-telling (Heathfield,
Students listen to a sequence of sounds, then
2014; Wright, 2008), Creative Writing (Spiro, 2004,
describe their feelings or tell a story suggested
2006; Wright and Hill, 2008), Improvisation
by the sounds.
(Nachmanovitch, 1990).
Students are given a set of character descriptions
Technology (Dudeney and Hockly, 2007;
and a set of fragments of dialogue they match
Stannard see web reference below).
the characters with what they might have said.
Students are all given a natural object (a stone, Use the full range of materials available
a leaf, etc.). They then write a text as if they were All the above principles can be used to devise new
their object. and interesting ways of doing things. However, there
Drawing on their own experience, students already exist a wide range of resource materials
choose a taste, a smell, or a sound which brings which teachers can draw upon to augment their
back particular memories. own creativity. The list below offers a necessarily
incomplete sample of such resources. Some have
Use the withholding-information principle been referred to above, others have not.
This involves only offering part of the information
Arnold, J, Puchta, H and Rinvolucri, M (2007)
needed to complete a task. Jigsaw listening/reading
Imagine That!: Mental Imagery in the EFL Classroom.
are examples of this. Other examples would be:
Innsbruck: Helbling.
A text is cut up into short fragments. Each student
has one fragment. They have to reconstitute the Baker, J and Rinvolucri, M (2005) Unlocking
text without showing their fragments to others. Self-expression through NLP. London: Delta.
(The same can be done with a picture.) Bilbrough, N (2011) Memory Activities for Language
A picture is flashed on the screen for just Learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
a second. Students must try to recall it.
Campbell, C and Kryszewska, H (1992) Learner-based
Use the divergent thinking principle Teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
The core idea here is to find as many different uses Clandfield, L and Meddings, L (2015) 52: A Year of
as possible for a particular thing or ways of carrying Subversive Activity for the Language Teacher. London:
out a task. For example: The Round.
Teachers find alternative ways to do some of their Davis, P and Rinvolucri, R (1988) Dictation.
routine tasks: set homework (Painter, 2003), take Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
the register, give instructions, arrange the seating,
do dictations (Davis and Rinvolucri, 1988), etc.

Overview: Creativity the what, the why and the how | 11

 Deller, S and Price, C (2007) Teaching Other Subjects Rodari, G (1973) Una Grammatica della Fantasia.
Through English. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Torino: Einaudi.

Dudeney, G and Hockly, N (2007) How to Teach Spiro, J (2004) Creative Poetry Writing. Oxford:
English with Technology. Harlow: Pearson. Oxford University Press.

Duff, A and Maley, A (2007, second edition) Literature. Spiro, J (2006) Storybuilding. Oxford: Oxford
Oxford: Oxford University Press. University Press.

Goldberg, M (2006, third edition) Integrating the Arts: Stannard, R. Available online at:
An Approach to Teaching and Learning in Multicultural www.teachertrainingvideos.com
and Multilingual Settings. New York: Pearson.
Underhill, A (1994) Sound Foundations. Oxford:
Graham, C (2006) Creating Songs and Chants. Oxford: Macmillan Heinemann.
Oxford University Press.
Wajnryb, R (2003) Stories. Cambridge: Cambridge
Grundy, P, Bociek, H and Parker K (2011) English University Press.
Through Art. Innsbruck: Helbling Languages.
Wilson, K (2008) Drama and Improvisation. Oxford:
Hadfield, J (1990) Classroom Dynamics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Oxford University Press.
Wright, A (2008, second edition) Storytelling with
Heathfield, D (2014) Storytelling with our Students. Children. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
London: Delta.
Wright, A (2014) Creativity in the Classroom. Godollo:
Helgesen, M. Available online at: International Languages Institute.
http://helgesenhandouts.terapod.com
Wright, A and Hill, D (2008) Writing Stories. Innsbruck:
Helgesen, M. Available online at: Helbling Languages.
www.ELTandHappiness.com
Wright, J (1998) Dictionaries. Oxford: Oxford
Keddie, J (2009) Images. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
University Press.

Maley, A (1994, 1996) Short and Sweet 1 & 2. Conclusion

London: Penguin. This book is intended to add to the growing demand
for more creative approaches to the teaching of
Maley, A (2000) The Language Teachers Voice.
languages. The variety and stimulating content of the
Oxford: Macmillan Heinemann.
chapters which follow are testimony to the interest in
Maley, A and Duff, A (2005, third edition) Drama this direction in language education. It is our sincere
Techniques. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. wish that teachers everywhere will find inspiration
and encouragement to experiment for themselves.
Meddings, L and Thornbury, S (2009) Teaching
Unplugged. London: Delta.
References
Morgan, L and Rinvolucri, M (1983) Once Upon a Time.
Amabile, M (1996) Creativity in Context. Boulder,
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Co: Westview Press.
Painter L (2003) Homework. Oxford: Oxford
Boden, M (1990) The Creative Mind. London: Abacus.
University Press.
Carter, R (2004) Language and Creativity: The art of
Paterson, A and Willis, J (2008) English Through
common talk. London: Routledge.
Music. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Casanave, C and Sosa, M (2007) Respite for Teachers:
Puchta, H and Rinvolucri, M (2005) Multiple
Reflection and Renewal in the Teaching Life. Ann
Intelligences in EFL. Innsbruck: Helbling Languages.
Arbor: The University of Michigan Press.
Pugliese, C (2010) Being Creative: The challenge
Cook, G (2000) Language Play, Language Learning.
of change in the classroom. London: Delta.
Oxford: Oxford University Press.

12 | Overview: Creativity the what, the why and the how

 Csikszentimihalyi, M (1988) Society, culture and Maley, A (2011) Squaring the circle: reconciling
person: a systems view of creativity, in Sternberg, LJ materials as constraint with materials as
(ed) The Nature of Creativity. New York: Cambridge empowerment, in Tomlinson, B (ed) (2011) Materials
University Press. Development for Language Teaching (second edition).
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Csikszentimihalyi, M (1990) Flow: The Psychology of
Optimal Experience. New York: Harper and Row. Nachmanovitch, S (1990) Free Play: Improvisation in
Art and Life. New York: Tarcher/Putnam.
Csikszentimihalyi, M (1996) Creativity: The Work and
Lives of 91 Eminent People. London: Harper Collins. Perec, G (1969, 1990) La Disparition. Paris: Denoel
and Gallimard.
Csikszentmihalyi, M (1997) Creativity: Flow and the
Psychology of Discovery and Invention. New York: Robinson, K (2001) Out of Our Minds: Learning to be
Harper Perennial. creative. Chichester: Capstone.

de Bono, E (1969) The Five Day Course in Thinking. Seelig, T (2012) inGenius: A Crash Course in Creativity.
London: Penguin. London: Hay House.

Fanselow, J (1987) Breaking Rules. London/New York: Stevick, E (1980) A Way and Ways. Rowley, MA:
Longman. Newbury House.

Fanselow, J (2010) Try the Opposite. Charleston, S. Underhill, A (2014) Training for the unpredictable.
Carolina: Booksurge Pubs. TESOL Teacher Education and Development: Special
number of EJALELT 3/2: 5969.
Gardner, H (1985) Frames of Mind: The Theory of
Multiple Intelligences. London: Paladin/Granada Underhill, A and Maley, A (2012) Expect the
Publishers. unexpected. English Teaching Professional. Issue 82,
September 2012: 47.
Gleick, J (1987) Chaos. London: Sphere Books.
Wallas, G (1926, 2014) The Art of Thought. London:
Greenfield, S (2014) Mind Change. London:
Solis Press.
Rider/Ebury.

Johnson, S (2010) Where Good Ideas Come From.

London: Allen Lane/Penguin.

Koestler, A (1989) The Act of Creation. London:

Arkana/Penguin.

Lutzker, P (2007) The Art of Foreign Language

Teaching: Improvisation and Drama in Teacher
Development. Tubingen and Basel: Francke Verlag.

Maley, A (1983) A Roomful of Human Beings.

Guidelines, 5/2. Singapore: RELC.

Maley, A (1999) The dividends from diversity. Paper

given at Congres de lAPLIUT, Angers, France.

Maley, A (2006) Where do new ideas come from?,

in Mukundan, J (ed), Readings on ELT Materials II.
Petaling Jaya: Pearson Malaysia.

Maley, A (2009) Towards an Aesthetics of ELT Part 1.

Folio Vol. 13.2, December 2009.

Maley, A (2010) Towards an Aesthetics of ELT Part 2.

Folio Vol. 14.1, September 2010.

Overview: Creativity the what, the why and the how | 13

 1
Medium: companion or slave?
Andrew Wright

a relationship between humans and the things Some authors have described how they conceive
they create which is both a love affair and a the nature of their protagonists and then begin the
dependency. story and the protagonists almost write it for them.
Media and materials can be like living companions
(MacGregor, 2012)
for the teacher, creating new ideas and new ways
of doing things.
Introduction
I submit that most people use media and materials
This chapter focuses on the idea that a sensitive
in the way that they have been used to. Sometimes,
awareness of the characteristics and potential of
aspects of a materials character are regarded as
the media and materials available to the teacher can
a nuisance (like a rock bouncing down a hillside
lead to ideas which are fresh, relevant and efficient.
or having a very large class of students). It takes a
Examples in the chapter are limited to those media
creative person to see that a nuisance might be a
which are probably available to the teacher even in
potential for doing something never done before.
financially deprived areas.

The language teacher must help the students to use Language teaching methodology
the target language for purposes which they care
My chief focus is on revealing the normally untapped
about. In this way, the students experience English
potential of common media and materials available
rather than merely studying it, and this helps to make
to the teacher. For this reason I am not giving many
the language meaningful and memorable. With this
details of classroom organisation. However, it is
aim, the language teacher must first of all be an
important to stress that we must maximise the
event maker: events which the students want to
chance of every student, even in a large class, taking
be part of.
part. For this reason, pair and group work are very
Examples of the creative use of media and materials important. For example: when you ask a question of
in order to contribute to this event making are the class, normally say Please tell your neighbour
described and discussed. what you think the answer is. Only when this has
happened, ask someone to call out their idea.
Historically: a creative response Methodologically, it is important to note that an
to materials ingenious use of the media or materials is normally
From the beginnings of time inventions have arisen not enough. We have to combine this with ways of
because someone has observed the potential of engaging the students. Broadly, ways of engaging
a material which may have been considered the students can be summarised by:
irrelevant or even inconvenient at the time. Only after challenging them (to identify something difficult to
thousands of years was the sharpness of broken flint identify; match things objectively or subjectively,
noticed and its potential for cutting realised. It was group, order, sequence and remember things)
only realised in about 3500 BC that solidified drops
inviting them (to hypothesise, create and share)
of copper in the charred remains of a fire might offer
the potential for casting metal tools and weapons. showing you care about the content of their
In some societies the wheel was never invented contribution more than the language forms.
even though people had to dodge rocks spinning For more on ways of creating engaging events in the
like wheels down hillsides! classroom, see Ur and Wright (1992); Wright et al.
(2006); and Wright (2014).

14 | Medium: companion or slave?

 In the remaining part of the chapter, ideas for using Be driven, above all, by using your voice to
commonly occurring media and materials in a fresh help the listeners to hear the words you are
way are combined with ways of challenging or saying and to understand them and to understand
inviting students to respond. The media and the added feeling implied by the way you use
materials are in five sections: your voice. Some people are driven by the wish
the language teacher as a resource to sound authoritative and they tend to bark their
words, and let their intonation fall at the end of
the students
every sentence. Others want to sound light and
the classroom interesting and speak in a lighter voice, using a
the school lilting pattern of rise and fall. Others just articulate
the neighbourhood. the words and hope the listeners will understand.
I believe we should use the potential of our voice
to articulate clearly and expressively, each part
The language teacher as a resource
of every sentence.
The first medium and resource is the teacher!
Speaking in sense chunks/related to the content/
I fully appreciate and respect that there are special
but also to the ability of the listeners/to grasp the
conventions of behaviour and of relationships in
content/is the most important skill/in my
the classroom in each culture. Furthermore, there
opinion.//Sense chunking/does not necessarily
is the question of the teachers own nature and
follow/written punctuation.//The length of the
personality. Each reader must, of course, find their
pause/between each sense chunk/can be shown/
own way related to their own nature and to their local
with an oblique stroke/as in this paragraph.
conventions. At the same time, I think it is reasonable
to say that creativity, by definition, means new ideas Stress and pitch, volume and pace each have
and a fresh way of doing things! their important part to play.
The quality of ones voice, whether it is hard
Voice or soft, positive or uncertain, is important.
We all recognise the heartfelt complaint of the And, of course, how your voice works in harmony
person who says, Its not what she said that hurt with your body is important.
me! Its the way she said it! Central to our daily A sensitive and appropriate use of the character
experience though this experience is, little attention of the voice can transform a communication from
is given to the use of the voice in language teacher the plain to the memorable. A great example?
training. The focus for language teachers is on the The speech by Martin Luther King, I have a
words themselves, not on the way they are spoken. dream! (Luther King, 1963).
The teacher can significantly increase For more on the use of the voice in language
communicative clarity and expressiveness by giving teaching, see Maley (2000).
more value to the characteristics of the voice as a
rich medium rather than a mere articulating device Body
for words. For an actor the voice is subject to a Just as actors study and develop the use of their
lifetime of training. Here are just a few indications voices over their lifetime so do actors, clowns, opera
of what a teacher can do in order to use his or her singers and mime artists work on the communicative
voice more effectively: power of their bodies. There are some things we
teachers can do in order to make more effective
communicative use of our bodies.

Medium: companion or slave? | 15

 For a number of years I toured as a storyteller in What a way of making language meaningful and
schools in about 30 countries. Working in Europe, memorable! These are rich assets in materially
I did six lessons a day in every school and in the impoverished classrooms and as rich and important
evenings drove to the next school to be ready for as any in materially fortunate classrooms! If you
the next day. I became very used to walking into a have not used this immense resource yourself,
classroom with two or three classes waiting for me then here are a few tips:
60 to 90 children sometimes more and sometimes Dont feel you have to have climbed Mount
less. I learned that my job started the moment the Everest in order to have a story to share! Losing
children saw me. How I walked into the classroom your house keys, having a snake come into your
affected them. Any hesitancy, any tension, any house, having a bad dream and worrying about
self-doubt would be picked up within an instant your grandmother are perfect subjects,
(Gladwell, 2006). depending on the age and concerns of your
The old fashioned idea of a good posture certainly students, of course.
affects people, positively. Walking firmly, but not What is a good story? Above all the story needs
showing any sign of pressure no uncertainty. Being someone for the students to identify with, then a
firm with how I want the children to be arranged, problem that person has, and then the struggles
being firm without tension, good-naturedly conveying to overcome that problem and then a happy or
that I know what I want: slow, slightly heightened an unhappy end. Details are important so the
gestures indicating, Settle down, Stop speaking, students can see, hear and sense the people
Can I help you? etc. and place you are talking about. Stories can be
based on fact or be fiction.
Slowing down and slightly simplifying and
heightening movement seems to have a powerful Perhaps finish the story with a question not
effect and creates acceptance of your leadership, a comprehension question, but a real question
readiness to be involved, to give and to share as about what the students think about what
well as to listen. happened, what you did and thought, and if
anything like that ever happened to them.
Body language is also a powerful communicator of
In my, very strongly held, opinion, it is wrong to
meaning and expression while you explain things or
follow up a real story which you care about with
while you tell stories. Small movements allow me, as
old-fashioned, sterile comprehension questions.
an old man, to represent a young woman, a baby or
Work of this kind immediately devalues your
an elephant or a butterfly. Awareness of the medium
perceived intention of human sharing.
of my body creates a vividness of experience in my
listeners (and viewers) imaginations. Body language
is, of course, a traditional part of an actors and a Pets
mimes expressive form of communication. Here is an unusual example in order to demonstrate
that any medium or material is potentially useful in
Just as the voice can be used to increase the clarity
the classroom!
of our speaking and the expressiveness of what we
are saying, so can the body support the grasping of Recently, a teacher in my school was unable to
meaning and add qualities of association, making the take her lesson with a class of five- to six-year-olds.
impact richer and more meaningful and memorable. They had been doing prepositions in the last lesson.
What could I do to make prepositions come alive
The body is a largely untapped medium in the
and without any time for preparation? Toffee, one
classroom. Lutzker (2007) among others has drawn
of our dogs, is small with white curly hair. He loves
attention to the effects of incorporating clowning in
children and children love him. I left him outside the
training programmes.
classroom door. I told the children that the classroom
was a giants house and I acted out a giant to teach
Life experiences them the word. I showed them my table and chair.
I do understand that some teachers, in some This is the giants chair and this is the giants table.
contexts, might feel reticent about sharing stories Where is the giant? Is he in the room? No, he isnt.
from their life experiences with their students. Hes walking in the garden. I pointed through the
However, doing so can be extremely powerful and window and acted out the giant.
can lead to the students being willing to reciprocate.

16 | Medium: companion or slave?

 Then, I told them that Toffee was outside and Drama, stories, music, song, chants, poetry
wanted to come in. Call, Toffee! Toffee! Come in! and dance
The children called, Toffee! Toffee! Come in! Toffee
How deep the expressive arts go, in our beings, as
came in, wagging his tail. The children had made a
humans! And, in some societies, these expressive
delightful dog come into the room by using English!
arts are central to the nature of daily life, outside the
Then I said, Toffee is walking towards the giants school. In some visits to countries in Africa I have
table. Say, Toffee! Walk towards the giants table! seen prime ministers and archbishops start to dance!
So the children all called to Toffee to walk towards On one outing, with a coachload of teachers in Sierra
the table. Leone, we came to a village which was celebrating.
Then, I learned that every single teacher among my
In the sequence, Toffee came into the classroom,
colleagues was a drummer, as well as a dancer! What
walked towards the table, walked under the table,
a resource! But there is no mention of this resource
between the legs of the table, around the chair and
in normal language teacher training!
onto the chair. He then fell asleep, on the chair. When
he didnt do these things immediately it was perfect Not to use this deep, rich, relevant and free resource
for classroom drilling of the appropriate forms! in language teaching is a tragic waste! I once had
about 150 students. I divided them into two groups:
Then, I said, Oh! The giants coming! And I got all the
one group said Good and the other group said
children to stamp their feet in unison. For a giant you
morning and then the whole group chanted
need as many feet as possible that is when big
Good morning to you, with rhythm and goodwill.
classes are better than small classes (a class, like a
What power! What working together! What a
dog, is a medium; a characteristic of a big class is the
memorable sound! What a positive start to the
potential for a lot of noise which can be bad or good,
lesson! Cost? Nothing!
and a characteristic of a small dog is delight).
Jazz chants, most notably pioneered and developed
Toffee was tired by this time so I asked a child to act
by Carolyn Graham, take the idea further than
out his part in the story and we re-enacted it. Some
Good morning! Her chants embody functions and
parents came and we re-enacted it again and Toffee
grammatical items galore: perfect for large classes
was the star. He had been just a dog but now he was
and especially for classes in cultural areas where
a medium or material which made language live,
song, chant and dance are central to their way of life
meaningfully and memorably.
(Graham, 1978, 2006).
We also used Toffee in a class of 20- to 30-year-olds,
at elementary level. The students had spent a large Writing poetry
part of the lesson interviewing each other, and at the Poetry means a heightened use of language in
end of the lesson my wife, Julia, told the class that describing ideas and feelings. The easiest and most
they could interview Toffee. She put him on a chair rewarding writing of poetry is based on the simple
and he looked at the class with interest, head on one repetition of sentence patterns. You give them the
side and smiling. The class asked him questions and patterns and they compose their poems and then
Julia interpreted for him! walk around and tell them to at least 20 other
Seeing the potential in a dog is seeing the potential students: speaking and listening: intense, meaningful
in any medium or material which is around you and and memorable!
perhaps, unused, not even considered. Every day
Every day, I get up at 6 oclock.
The students I get dressed and eat my breakfast.
Yes, a big class has its problems. Yes, its difficult I walk to school.
to help each individual student and to give them I work and talk to my friends.
the focused attention they each need. At the same Today!
time, a large class offers some possibilities a smaller Today is Saturday!
class cannot. In the media selected in this section I am lying in bed!
the size of the class is seen as a potential strength. I am listening to music!
When singing, how much more powerful, moving For more on writing poetry see Maley (1989).
and memorable 100 students are than 15! Carrying
out surveys has far more significance with large
numbers!

Medium: companion or slave? | 17

 Hypnogogic imagery, seeing in Drama and mime
the imagination Acting out dialogues, given in a students book,
The majority of people have the ability to see is a well-established language classroom activity.
pictures in their imagination, usually with their eyes However, creative acting and creative mime is not
closed. Some can see their inner images even with so common and represents a huge potential for
their eyes open. William Blake, the English writer emotional involvement that is a meaningful and
and artist, saw angels sitting in a tree. Hypnogogic memorable use of language.
imagery is a rich resource, rarely tapped into in the
English lesson. Here are a few summaries of activities Miming animals, emotions, objects, jobs
which you might try out. Students take it in turns to act out an animal,
You hold up or describe an old key. The students an emotion, an object or a job, etc. The other
close their eyes. You ask questions about what they students call out their ideas. Vocabulary practice!
can see and later hear and smell. They dont call
out their answers but just look in their imaginations. Miming tense forms
Here are some of the questions you might ask: Students, by themselves, or in pairs, take it in
This key is for a door. Is it an old door or a turns to act out particular tense forms. The
new door? other students call out their interpretations. A
meaningful and memorable focus on tense forms!
Is it big or normal in size or small?
What is the door made of? For more on the vast area of drama in language
development, see Susan Hillyard (susanhillyard.
What does the wall around the door look like?
blogspot.com.ar). Also see the classic book in this
What is it made of? area (Maley and Duff, 2005).
You put the key in the lock and open the door.
What can you see? What can you hear? Stories, legends, and proverbs and personal
Now close the door and when you are ready, open and family anecdotes
your eyes. Ask your neighbour what he or she saw It is often the case that financially deprived parts
and heard, etc. of the world are rich in traditional stories, legends
Then, you might question some individual students and proverbs. And every family is rich in personal
in the class. Push them with your questions to anecdotes. Stories are a huge potential for language
describe what they saw and heard, in great detail. use in the classroom and then in future life when
For example: English is used as an international language. People
must not only transact with English but represent
You saw a table in the room. Tell me about it.
themselves as characterful human beings. What
Was it a big or a small table? What was it made
better way than telling stories? This is a free
out of? What colour was it? Was there anything on
resource, which the students care about, providing
the table?
teachers dont dominate it, with a concern for
accuracy!
Writing or just inventing an imaginary
situation or journey For more on stories and storytelling and story
writing, see Heathfield (2014); Wright (1997);
Launch this activity by preparing an imaginary
Wright (2008); Wright and Hill (2008).
situation or journey yourself.

Ask the students to close their eyes. Read your Stories from imagination
description slowly and clearly.
The students can create an imaginary soap opera
Now ask the students to each prepare a short text with locality and people who live there. Once
which they can then read out to their neighbour invented, the information cannot change except
or group member, who listens with their eyes shut. through dramatic events. The people can be drawn,
If the students enjoy this then their texts cannot or be made out of clay or wood. During the first few
be thrown away! They must be kept and published weeks of learning the people can be named, given
or made available for use in another class. And if ages, jobs, likes and dislikes, etc. At higher language
you tell them this is going to happen, there is a proficiency levels they can have more subtle
reason for getting the grammar and punctuation relationships and take part in more complicated
and spelling perfect! situations.

18 | Medium: companion or slave?

 The community can be realistic or fantasy or a What can you see through the window?
mixture. Imagine a swarm of strange monsters The teacher (or a student) stands by a window in the
invading the community. Students can describe classroom. If the students cannot see through the
the colours, shapes, features, numbers, and window from their sitting position, the teacher asks
characteristics and behaviour of them! And what questions. If the students cant see, then it is a
they did and what the community did! Such an challenge to their memories.
imaginary community can be created in the first
few weeks of learning. Teacher: If you stand by the window and look
through it, what can you see? You walk on that
The classroom street everyday: what is there?
Students: A street. Shops.
Noises
Teacher: What sort of shops?
Ask the students to make themselves comfortable
Students: There is a grocery shop.
and to close their eyes. Ask them to listen and
to try to identify all the noises they can hear. Teacher: And next to the grocery shop?
After a few minutes, tell them to open their Students: I think theres a greengrocers shop.
eyes and to share with their neighbour what
they heard, and then to another pair of students Hiding somewhere through the window
and do the same. Then, have a class sharing. The teacher or a student says I am hiding in the
This activity is peaceful and calming but it also school/town. Where do you think I am hiding? Youve
provides a natural context for the use of simple and got twenty questions. This provides good practice
continuous past forms of actions, e.g.: Somebody for asking questions and for the use of prepositions
dropped a book. Somebody was whispering. A car and places. (The hiding person should write down
drove past the school. A bird was singing. where they are hiding before starting the game.)

Are you in the town hall?

Walls No, Im not.
If you use the same classroom for every lesson then Etc.
the walls become very important. You can build up
on them a vast picture dictionary of words and
Using the windows for shadow theatre
phrases related to the events you have been creating
with the students during your lessons. The pictures If you cover the window with paper or with a white
can be on paper, of course, but they can also be sheet, you can then use it as a shadow theatre if the
drawn directly on the wall. Re-assure the school students can safely stand outside the window for
director. The wall can be whitewashed at the end of example, the ground floor or a balcony. Small groups
the year! I have drawn and painted pictures on mud of students work out a play and then perform it
walls in Nubia. The pigment I used was made from outside the window, the sun casting their shadows
grinding local, soft stones and mixing it with water, on the paper or sheet. The students can make and
but egg yolk would have been better. No evidence use card puppets held and moved on sticks.
of this enterprise is left, I am sorry to say: it is now Benefits from the activity:
under the Aswan Dam.
engaging
Reading from left to right: actions in the past can be fun
on the wall on your left, in the present on the back
using English for real purposes in creating the
wall of the class and in the future on the right. Points
story, rehearsing and performing.
in time are no longer an abstract and immaterial
concept but physically there. A time line can be
drawn around the room.

Medium: companion or slave? | 19

 A cotton sheet fixed to a wooden frame can also be Paper is happy to be folded!
used for shadow theatre: it is more convenient than Here is one of my favourite examples, created by
the window! a teacher in Germany. He is going to make himself
invisible. He is making himself invisible. Hes made
Clouds seen through the window himself invisible. You can show all three pictures
Finding pictures in clouds, fire or patches on walls is together or fold them to show just one picture.
an old idea.

I think its a dragon. Thats its head. These are its

legs etc.

You can also make Rorschach inkblots and ask

students to interpret them.

Materials
Paper and card
In most parts of the world paper is supplied in the
international paper sizes. We normally use A4 paper
in computer printouts and in photocopying. When we Illustrations in this paper are by Andrew Wright

use A4 paper for making notes we normally start

The students make these tense form cards and
writing at the top and work to the bottom. Nothing
take it in turns to show them to the class. What a
wrong with that!
concentrated grammar focus practice! Time-
However, the nature of paper is that we can do other consuming? Meaningful and memorable!
things with it. We can turn it round and write on it
And the idea comes out of the character of paper
horizontally.
it likes to be folded! Of course, this can be done
Here is an extreme idea, invented by a student aged on a computer but the paper is tactile, not elusive
14 in one of my classes: on a screen.
He wrote a story on a piece of A4 paper and then Dont forget paper aeroplanes: making them, flying
crumpled it into a ball. Bits of the writing could them, competing for distance, measuring, numbers,
be seen. comparative forms!
He then said the challenge was to read the
complete story without uncrumpling it! The classroom: paper is translucent!
How? He said you must look at it and write down Usually, the translucency of paper is a nuisance!
the words and phrases that you see. Then, you Here is an idea for pair testing using the
put it behind your back and you re-crumple the translucency. Draw a picture on one side of a
paper, look at it again and once more write down piece of paper, for example, a face.
all the words you can see.
Put the paper against a window with the drawing
You keep on doing this until you are sure you have of the face against the glass. You will see the face
seen all the words. Then, you arrange them so that perfectly because the light is coming through
they tell the story so you can read it. the paper.
Only then can you uncrumple the paper fully
Now write the words for the features of the face,
and compare the original with your own.
for example, eyebrow, nose, etc. next to the feature
Time-consuming? Unforgettable! I have remembered in the drawing (but on the back of the paper).
this for twenty years! Most activities in the classroom
are forgotten after twenty minutes!

20 | Medium: companion or slave?

 Hopscotch in the playground
The game of hopscotch is played all over the world:
chalked on the path or yard or scratched in the bare
earth. This, particularly for children, is a perfect way
of practising sentence patterns!

Pairs sit facing each other. A sits with his back to

the light and looking at the face. He cannot see the
words written on the other side of the paper because
the light is behind him. He points to each feature on
the face and says the word for it in English. B sits on In this example, the child hops onto square 1 saying,
the other side of the paper and sees the face through I, then onto square 2 saying, like, then onto square
the paper and the words on his side of the paper. 3 or 4 or 5 choosing his or her favourite drink or food
He also sees the shadow of As finger touch a feature or animal, etc.
and he can then check the accuracy of the word The child can hop a negative sentence by hopping
which A says. onto square 1, I, and then jumping down with both
Paper can be folded, torn, cut and crumpled. Play feet on either side of square 2, dont, and then back
with paper, see what it likes to do and then perhaps with one foot onto square 2, like and then onto the
you will get an idea for how each bit of playfulness third square, for example, coffee.
can be used in language teaching.

For more on using paper creatively, see

Wright (1989).

Other materials?
The chalkboard, the floorboards, tiles or earth
floor, furniture, boxes, cardboard rolls, bags, string,
washing lines and pegs: each has its own character
and with empathetic appreciation can offer all kinds
of events for language use. The ceiling? How about
a mobile slowly swinging round with different word
cards slowly spinning round?

The school
Corridors invite time lines illustrating events for
storytelling and for the use of tense forms. Stairs
invite words or phrases to be written on each step:
a story, a dialogue, proverbs, jokes!

Medium: companion or slave? | 21

 Instead of chalked hopscotch, use a tiled floor The students can work in groups in order to make
or corridor with pictures and words on each tile. a class collection of a wide variety of wildlife in the
Tiled floors can also be used as giant language area of the school. An exhibition can be held in the
game boards. local community centre using real objects, posters,
diagrams and stories.
Other things
The life of the school, for describing everyday Conclusion
activities and for special events; a school One way of being able to create fresh activities which
newspaper. engage the students so that the language associated
Growing plants and keeping school pets: recording with the classroom activities is experienced rather
their lives, care, problems, rates of growth, etc. than only studied is for the teacher to have an
empathetic awareness of the character of media
Making a sundial for telling the time.
and materials available. Openness to potential is a
Using a mirror to reflect the light onto everything
fundamental characteristic of creativity, hence, the
which can be seen; naming places and using
title of my chapter, Medium: companion or slave?.
prepositions.
Trees or high buildings and working out their References
height by using the triangulation method:
Gladwell, M (2006) Blink. London: Penguin.
measuring the distance to the base of the tree
and measuring the angle from the beginning Graham, C (1978) Jazz Chants. Oxford: Oxford
of the base line. University Press.
Making a pile of stones and guessing how Graham, C (2006) Creating Chants and Songs.
many there are. Choosing stones to represent Oxford: Oxford University Press.
characters in a story: creating the story and
telling it using the stones. A class of 100 students, Heathfield, D (2014) Storytelling with Our Students.
working in groups of five, would mean 20 stories Peaslake: Delta.
from 20 different collections of stones. Having Hillyard, S. Available online at: http://susanhillyard.
invented the story, every student in each group blogspot.com.ar
must try telling it to his or her group and then
when everybody can tell their story, every student Luther King, M (1963) The I have a dream speech
must retell their story, at least five times, to by Martin Luther King, made in Washington, on
students from other groups. August 28 1963.
Collect a large number of stones and write a Lutzker, P (2007) The Art of Foreign Language
word on each one make sentences, tell stories. Teaching. Tubingen und Basel: Francke Verlag.
Clay, for making people and objects which can MacGregor, N (2012) A History of the World in
be used to illustrate situations and stories. 100 Objects. London: Penguin Books.

The neighbourhood Maley, A and Duff, A (2005, third edition) Drama

Techniques. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Nature
Maley, A (2000) The Language Teachers Voice.
Nature is all around even in poor areas of the world Oxford: Macmillan.
and even in the centre of every city. Nature is
material plentifully available to the teacher and is Maley, A and Duff, A (1989) The Inward Ear.
usually not even noticed, let alone used as a medium, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
topic or material. For example, the present habitual Ur, P and Wright, A (1992) Five Minute Activities.
tense is useful in describing the repeated actions of Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
insects, animals, birds and plants. Migrating birds can
lead to a study of maps, countries, distances and Wright, A (1989) Pictures for Language Learning.
months of the year. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

22 | Medium: companion or slave?

 Wright, A (1997) Creating Stories with Children.
Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Wright, A (2008, second edition) Storytelling with

Children. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Wright, A (2014) Creativity in the Classroom. Godollo:

International Languages Institute.

Wright, A, Betteridge, D and Buckby, M (2006, third

edition) Games for Language Learning. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.

Wright, A and Hill, D (2008) Writing Stories. Rum:

Helbling Languages.

Andrew Wright studied painting at the Slade School

of Fine Art, University College London, and he
studied the history of art under Professor EH
Gombrich. He is an author, illustrator, teacher trainer,
storyteller and teacher. As an author and illustrator
he has published with Oxford University Press, for
example, Storytelling with Children, with Cambridge
University Press, for example, Five Minute Activities,
and with Helbling Languages, Writing Stories. As an
author and illustrator he has also worked for BBC TV,
ITV and WDR, in Germany. As a teacher trainer and
storyteller he has worked in over 40 countries.
As a teacher he is currently working in Budapest.

Medium: companion or slave? | 23

 2
Challenging teachers to use their
coursebook creatively
Brian Tomlinson

Introduction activities are completely closed in that they require

the one and only correct answer, two of them are
For me, fostering learner creativity is a vital role
semi-open in that the topic and structure of the
for any teacher, as doing so can help learners to
learner utterance is prescribed but slots are left
develop predictive, analytical, critical and problem-
open, and one is almost open in that learners are
solving skills, to develop confidence and to develop
invited to Tell other students your ideas. When
self-esteem. Fostering creativity is even more
writing textbooks myself I have tried to provide a
important for a teacher of a second or foreign
lot of open-ended activities but have nearly always
language as it can help to achieve the affective
been prevented by my editor, who has usually told
and cognitive engagement vital for language
me that teachers want closed questions because
acquisition as well as helping learners to understand
they can use them as tests. If you have experienced
language used for natural communication and to use
the many education systems and institutions around
language for effective communication themselves.
the world which demand regular testing of their
Teachers of EFL therefore need to be creative in
students, you will understand the teachers needs
order to encourage their learners to be creative too.
and the publishers reasons for catering for them.
I have been involved in teacher training/teacher
But this does not mean that every teacher has to be
development for over 50 years in many different
ruled by assessment. The teacher can very easily
countries and I have yet to work on or visit a course
open up the closed activities which they are not
where developing teacher creativity is an objective
using for testing and in so doing can increase their
or is even encouraged.
enjoyment of teaching and their students chances
Most language teachers still rely on coursebooks to of acquiring language and developing skills.
provide the activities they will use in the classroom
The numerous ways of opening up closed activities
and most coursebooks do not typically provide
is the focus of this chapter, and I am going to discuss
activities which foster creativity (Tomlinson and
and exemplify them by reporting a mini-case study
Masuhara, 2013). It is therefore important that
I conducted in Bogot, Colombia.
teachers make use of their coursebook as a resource
rather than follow it as a script and that they develop
the confidence, awareness and creativity to adapt The case study
coursebook activities in ways which can foster Prior to a workshop session on adapting the
creativity. One way of adapting coursebooks so that coursebook for English teachers at Universidad
they foster creativity is by opening up their closed Javeriana in Bogot in May 2014, I asked the
activities so that they invite a variety of personal participants by email to form pairs and then in each
responses instead of requiring all the learners to pair to suggest adaptations for using a page from
give the same correct answer. If you open any global a global coursebook which I provided (selected
EFL coursebook at a random page you will find that at random from a recent coursebook on my study
most of the activities on that (and every other) page shelf). I suggested they spend only 1530 minutes on
are closed. I have just opened an intermediate level the task and I gave them a table to use in noting and
global coursebook published in 2012 and picked at explaining their adaptations. I did not ask them to be
random from my shelf. I have turned to page 72 and I creative or to foster creativity in their learners.
have counted ten student activities. Seven of these

24 | Challenging teachers to use their coursebook creatively

 When I met this group of teachers in Bogot I Ways of opening up closed activities
thanked them for doing the task and I collected in
These are the ways of opening up closed activities
their task sheets. Then I led a two-hour workshop
which I demonstrated in my workshop in Bogot.
during which we discussed the value of creative
They are creative ways of adapting prosaic
language teaching and what this involves. I then
coursebooks which I have been using in my teaching
demonstrated how the use of coursebooks could
for many years, some of which I also advocated and
become more creative by replacing or modifying
demonstrated in a symposium with the Creativity
closed activities with open activities which
Group on Creative Use of the Coursebook at the
encourage:
IATEFL Conference in Harrogate in 2014 (Maley, 2014)
personal response to meaning and all of which I would recommend teachers to
language discovery by the learners use in order to open up their coursebooks for
authentic communication their students.

the taking of risks

Lead-in texts
affective engagement
The teacher tells a relevant and ideally bizarre
cognitive engagement personal story before asking the students to
being different. read a rather dull text in the coursebook. For
example, the teacher tells the following story
My demonstration included 11 different types
before asking the students to read a passage
of adaptation of closed activities from currently
about the advantages and disadvantages of
popular British coursebooks, each one being
modern technology.
exemplified by me acting as the teacher and the
course participants being the students. The Being pretty ancient, Im not great with computers.
workshop was interactive, with the participants Last week I printed something out and the type was
discussing the activities and evaluating their likely very faint. So I phoned my local computer repair
effect with their students. In every case they were shop and asked them what I should do. The guy on
optimistic about the potential effect of enlivening the phone said, Your printer probably just needs
and engaging their students, who they disclosed cleaning. If you bring it in itll cost you 50. You
were usually bored and demotivated by all the could easily do it yourself though. Just read the
closed activities in their coursebooks. instruction book which comes with the printer.

In the last 15 minutes of the workshop I asked the Thanks very much, I said. But does your boss
participants to sit in the same pairs they had done know youre helping people like this?
the pre-workshop task in and I gave them a new task Oh yes, he said. Its his idea. We find we can
in which they had to come up with ideas for adapting charge even more if customers try to fix things
a different page from the same global coursebook themselves first.
for use with a class of learners of English in Colombia.
The teacher tells humorous stories before asking
I did not ask them to be creative or to foster
the students to read an uninspiring story in their
creativity in their learners.
coursebook. For example, the teacher tells these
After the workshop I compared the adaptations stories about misunderstandings before the
suggested by each pair in the pre-workshop task students read a story about a misunderstanding
with those they suggested in the post-workshop task in their coursebook.
(13 pairs gave me a pre-workshop adaptation and
15 pairs handed in a post-workshop adaptation).

Challenging teachers to use their coursebook creatively | 25

 In life we often listen to one story and hear another. Example:
Here are two examples: What are the comparatives and superlatives
I saw a man at the beach yelling Help, shark! Help! of the adjectives in the table? changes to:
I just laughed, I knew that shark wasnt going to 1. In pairs find examples of words which are
help him. comparing things in the passage on p. 52 and
What would you like? says the barman. in the transcripts of 2.13 and 2.14 on p. 148.

What would I like? says Bob. A bigger house, 2. Use the examples to write about the different ways
more money and a more attractive wife. of forming the comparative, e.g. Hes taller than
me and the superlative Hes the tallest player
No, says the barman, patiently. I meant what
in the team.
do you want?
3. For homework, find other examples of the
To win the lottery, for my mother-in-law to
comparative and superlative. Use them to
disappear and for my child to be born healthy!
check and revise your discoveries in 2 above.
Whats it to be? says the barman, less patiently.
A boy or a girl, I dont care. Peer activities
You misunderstand me, says the barman, The students develop activities for their peers to do
impatiently, I only asked what you want to drink. in relation to a text in the passage. They are told to
Oh, says Bob, I see. Why didnt you say so? What make their activities challenging and interesting. For
have you got? example, one group asked another group to turn the
description in the coursebook of a robbery in a mall
Nothing at all, says the barman. Im perfectly
in New York into a scene from a film set in their town.
healthy.
One creative teacher I observed in Jakarta got her
And some people look at one event and see another.
12-year-old students to decide which activities they
Heres an example:
wanted to use with texts from their coursebook. Each
I was out having a meal last night with my long-term Friday one group would meet the teacher and give
girlfriend when, all of a sudden, I got out of my chair her the activities they wanted her to use in class on
and slowly got down on one knee. Oh my god, my the following Monday.
girlfriend shrieked, let me get my phone so I can
show my mum and remember the moment for the
Examples of modifications
rest of my life. OK, I replied, but Im sure theyve
of coursebook activities
seen somebody tie their shoelace before.
The following examples of coursebook modifications
What are all these examples of? Its a word are those I demonstrated with the teachers in the
beginning with M. workshop in Bogot.

The teacher acts out a text from the coursebook.

Readiness activities
For example, when reading a passage about
These are activities which get students to think about a park in China which activates spikes when
their own experiences so as to activate their minds somebody sits on a bench for too long, the
in relation to the theme, topic or location of a text in teacher actually acts out going to the park, being
the coursebook they are going to be asked to read tired, sitting down on a bench, falling asleep, being
(Tomlinson, 2013). For example, before getting woken up by spikes, screaming with pain, jumping
students to read a text about the advantages and up and running away.
disadvantages of modern technology tell students to:
The students act out a text from the coursebook
See a picture in your mind of you using technology. as the teacher reads it aloud as dramatically as
Is the technology working well? Are you happy possible. For example, before reading aloud a
with it? Korean folk tale about a hard-working but poor
Tell a partner about this experience with farmer and his lazy, greedy and rich brother, the
technology. teacher divides the class into two halves and tells
one half to act out what the hard-working brother
Discovery activities does and the other half to act out what the lazy
These are activities which help students to discover brother does.
things for themselves about language features After this dramatisation of the text the teacher
highlighted in their coursebook. They modify, come asks the yes/no questions from the coursebook,
before or replace the closed testing or teaching as personal questions to the brothers. For
activities in the coursebook.

26 | Challenging teachers to use their coursebook creatively

 example, instead of asking Was X lazy?, the Other creative adaptations I have made to
teacher asks Were you lazy? Why? coursebooks include:

Then, instead of asking the question from the the students drawing their interpretation of a
coursebook about the lessons to be learned text rather than answering questions about it
from the story, the teacher asks the students in the students interviewing characters from a text
character to think about what they have learned, the students developing a text by, for example,
if anything, from what happened to them. These continuing it, re-writing it from a different
small changes are easy to make and, in my perspective or in a different culture or location,
experience, bring the story to memorable life. responding to it with a letter or email
The teacher writes and performs a bizarre the teacher turning a closed activity into a
story using the words of a coursebook drill. competition by getting each group to develop
The students in groups then write and perform an extra question to challenge their peers with
another bizarre story using the same words. This the teacher giving the students the
way the students hear and pronounce the target comprehension questions and getting them
sounds many times in ways more engaging and to create the text
memorable than repeating them without context
groups of students chanting out a drill in different
in a drill. For example, the teacher performs the
voices (e.g. a very young child; a headmaster;
story below, which makes use of these words
a very old person).
from a drill:
Cycle; cyclist; cycling; thunderstorm; bike; tornado; The pre-workshop suggestions
gym; dog; vacuum; chores; clouds; rainbow. for adaptation
Its not been a great week to be a cyclist. On When asked before the workshop to adapt a page
Monday I went cycling in a thunderstorm and was from a global coursebook to make it more suitable
blown off my bike. On Tuesday I went cycling in a for Colombian students, the teachers in Bogot
tornado and was lifted off my bike. On Wednesday came up with an average of 3.5 adaptations per
I went cycling in the gym and was knocked off my pair. Of their 45 suggestions, 16 would add open-
bike by a dog who was vacuuming the floor. On ended activities and ten would be likely to stimulate
Thursday, after doing my household chores, I went student creativity. Twenty-five of the additions
cycling in the clouds and was washed off my bike involved student activity and 12 provided extra help
by a lion who was cleaning a rainbow. to the students. It was noticeable that only three
deletions were suggested and that most of the pairs
The students perform dialogues in character. For
intended to retain all the coursebook activities but
example, in a dialogue in which A is a salesman in
add more activities to them.
a shoe shop and B is the customer, A is told that he
is the ex-husband of B and has not seen her since
the divorce. Or in a dialogue in which A asks B how The post-workshop suggestions
to operate her new office computer, B is told that for adaptation
he is in love with A but she doesnt know this. When given 15 minutes at the end of the workshop
The students find ways in which wrong answers to adapt a different page from the same global
could become right. Example: coursebook to make it more suitable for Colombian
students, the teachers in Bogot came up with an
In pairs, decide on the rules for a library.
average of 5.5 adaptations per pair. Of their 101
Complete the sentences with: can, cant, have
suggestions 99 would add open-ended activities
to or dont have to.
and all 99 would be likely to stimulate student
You keep quiet in the library. creativity. All 99 of the additions involved student
Changes to: activity and six of them involved the teacher being
creative too. It was noticeable that only two deletions
Use cant and because to complete each of
were suggested and that most of the pairs intended
the sentences.
to retain all the coursebook activities but add
You keep quiet in the library. more activities to them. Many of the additions and
The examples above of additions and modifications modifications were driven by the principles I had
are easy to think of and to apply and yet they make applied in my workshop demonstrations, but not
the experience of using a coursebook much more many were direct imitations of my procedures.
creative and potentially much more enjoyable and
rewarding for both the teacher and the students.

Challenging teachers to use their coursebook creatively | 27

 Some of the suggested procedures did, however, participant adaptation and justification of materials
resemble some of those I had demonstrated in other provided by the trainer
workshops in the same university in the same week, post-workshop participant adaptation of materials
but interestingly with different groups of teachers they are using with their students
and student teachers. I had not referred to these
while-use and post-use evaluations of the adapted
procedures in my creative adaptation workshop and
materials developed above
they had featured in demonstrations of original units
of material rather than adaptations of material. revision of the adapted materials.

Including such sessions can help the participants to

Conclusion achieve more understanding and more awareness
The effect of my workshop demonstrations exceeded as well as develop more creativity, confidence and
all my expectations. I expected an increase in self-esteem than they would from months of lectures
teacher creativity between the pre-workshop (Tomlinson, 2013).
adaptation task and the end of the workshop
adaptation task but I was delighted just how large References
the increase was and how rich the adaptations were Maley, A (2014) Creativity for a change, in Pattison, T
both in variety and in quality. But then I should have (ed) IATEFL 2014 Harrogate Conference Selections.
learned by now not to underestimate teachers. I Faversham: IATEFL.
knew this already from workshops and projects with
such different groups of teachers as rural Botswana Tomlinson, B (2013) Materials development courses,
primary teachers, Indonesian junior high school in Tomlinson, B (ed) Developing Materials for
teachers, Namibian senior high school teachers, Language Teaching. London: Bloomsbury.
Turkish EAP teachers, Ni-Vanuatu remote island Tomlinson, B (2014) Teacher growth through
primary teachers and Vietnamese university materials development. The European Journal
teachers. All you need is to provide teachers with of Applied Linguistics and TEFL 3/2: 89106.
new learning experiences, get them to reflect on the
principles driving those experiences and stimulate Tomlinson, B and Masuhara, H (2013) Adult
them to design principled learning experiences for coursebooks. ELT Journal 67/2: 233249.
their students, and they will be creative in providing
opportunities for their students to be profitably Brian Tomlinson has worked as a teacher, teacher
creative too (see Tomlinson, 2014, for further trainer, curriculum developer, football coach and
discussion of the value of materials development university academic in Indonesia, Japan, Nigeria,
workshops for teacher development). Most of the Oman, Singapore, UK, Vanuatu and Zambia as well
other workshops and projects I have listed above as giving presentations in over 70 countries. He is
involved teachers developing new materials. What Founder and President of MATSDA (the international
was so remarkable about the Bogot workshop was Materials Development Association), a Visiting
that the teachers were able to dramatically improve Professor at the University of Liverpool and at Leeds
activities from a global coursebook in just 15 minutes Metropolitan University, and a TESOL Professor at
and in ways which did not involve cutting and pasting Anaheim University. He has over 100 publications
or other time-consuming preparations. on materials development, language through
literature, the teaching of reading, language
Recommendations awareness and teacher development, including
I would strongly recommend that sessions on Discover English (with Rod Bolitho), Openings,
creative adaptation of coursebook material be Materials Development in Language Teaching,
included in all teacher training, teacher education Developing Materials for Language Teaching,
and teacher development workshops and courses, Research for Materials Development in Language
whether they be for aspiring, inexperienced or Learning (with Hitomi Masuhara) and Applied
experienced teachers. I would also recommend the Linguistics and Materials Development.
following workshop structure:
trainer demonstration of creatively adapted
materials
participant discussion of the principles and
procedures which drove the adapted materials
trainer presentation of other principles and
procedures of creative adaptation with
exemplification of each one

28 | Challenging teachers to use their coursebook creatively

 3
Seven pillars of creativity in primary ELT
Carol Read

Introduction Foundations of creativity in primary ELT

Creativity is often described as thinking out of the When laying the foundations for developing
box, coming up with fresh, divergent responses, childrens creativity in the primary foreign language
original ideas and objects, new solutions to classroom, there are a number of general factors to
problems, or ways of looking at problems. keep in mind:
Children who learn English as a foreign language Creativity doesnt happen in a vacuum. There is
at primary school may have limited language skills always something that stimulates and underpins
but they come to class full of creative potential. the generation of childrens original thinking, such
By establishing a classroom environment in which as an idea, picture, text, story, object, question
the development of creativity is fostered from the or problem, or some combination of these.
start, the experience of learning another language
Creative thinking arises from the emotional
is considerably enhanced. Through the integration
quality of childrens engagement and involvement
of creative thinking in English lessons, children
in an activity. This leads to a state of flow
develop relevant cognitive skills, such as observing,
(Csikszentmihalyi, 1996) in which childrens
questioning, comparing, contrasting, imagining and
attention is positively focused on a personalised
hypothesising, that they need in all areas of the
goal and they feel motivated to achieve a
curriculum. They also develop metacognitive skills,
particular creative outcome.
such as an ability to evaluate and reflect critically
on their own performance and learning outcomes. Children need a framework in which to develop
In addition, the development of creativity in the creative thinking skills, and it is usually helpful to
primary ELT classroom: provide a model or build up an example outcome
with the whole class first. The framework delimits
increases childrens engagement and motivation
the scope of an activity and allows children to
in studying a foreign language
focus on their ideas. The model or example
makes language learning enjoyable and memorable provides necessary language support.
gives children a sense of ownership and a feeling Creativity involves the opportunity to play with
of success ideas freely and spontaneously. At the same time,
allows for divergent responses and, for children it involves disciplined thinking, curiosity, and
who may be strong in other areas of the attention to detail and effort. It also needs to be
curriculum, e.g. art, music or dance, to use these underpinned by the development of specific
to support their learning strategies and skills.
promotes childrens ability to think in a flexible way Creativity is best fostered by the development
provides a personalised challenge of a growth mind-set (Dweck, 2006) in which
children are encouraged to believe that they can
develops qualities such as patience, persistence
improve their performance and achieve better
and resourcefulness
outcomes through their own effort, persistence
provides a basis for the development of more and hard work. One way this can be achieved is
sophisticated, conceptual and abstract creative through constructive feedback and praise, which
thinking in future. focuses on the effort children make to be creative
rather than on their innate talents (ibid.).

Seven pillars of creativity in primary ELT | 29

 Big C and little c creativity By using English as the main language of
communication in the classroom, you will naturally
There are two types of creativity that have been
provide opportunities for little c creativity. It is also
identified in an educational context: big C and little
worth systematically planning for little c creativity
c creativity (Craft, 2005). In the primary ELT
in lessons at appropriate moments, such as when
classroom, big C creativity refers to learning
you brainstorm what children know about a topic,
outcomes, which are new and original for a child in
find out their opinions, or ask for their personal
terms of their current age, stage of development
response to a story. By responding to childrens
and level of English, and are valued as such by the
meanings, and using techniques such as remodelling
teacher. An example of big C creativity in a primary
and recasting, rather than insisting on language
ELT classroom is the following poem about a conker
accuracy and correcting every mistake, you will
by two 11-year-old boys (Read, 2007: 83):
encourage children to use and acquire language
Conker in a natural, creative and memorable way.
From a chestnut tree
In autumn Seven pillars of creativity
On the ground The establishment of a classroom learning
environment, in which both types of creativity
Round and brown
flourish, needs careful nurturing and doesnt just
Hard and shiny happen by itself. The seven pillars of creativity
The winter is coming are a series of generic considerations, which enable
I feel cold and sad. you to develop creativity in your classroom whatever
age and level of children you teach, and whether
Little c creativity refers to the process of children or not you are using a coursebook and digitally
creatively constructing and communicating meaning sophisticated materials or no technology at all. The
in the everyday, interactional context of the seven pillars are rooted in educational literature on
classroom using the foreign language repertoire creativity (Craft, 2005; Fisher, 2005a; Fisher, 2005b)
that they currently have available. This kind of but above all based on many years of classroom
creativity involves children in predicting, guessing, experience. The section on each pillar contains a
hypothesising and risk-taking as well as using non- rationale for its inclusion followed by practical ideas
verbal communication, such as mime and gesture. and activities for immediate classroom use.
In order to establish a classroom environment
where creativity thrives, it is important to provide Pillar one: build up positive self-esteem
opportunities for both kinds of creativity. In the Self-esteem is characterised by five components:
case of big C creativity, this means planning and a sense of security, a sense of identity, a sense
structuring lessons in ways that systematically equip of belonging, a sense of purpose and a sense of
children with the skills and strategies they need in personal competence (Reasoner, 1982). If children
order to be able to achieve a creative outcome in feel threatened or insecure and lack a sense of
relation to the topic and their current language level. personal competence, this acts as a barrier to
This may be expressed through writing, acting, creativity. By building up childrens positive self-
music, art, dance, multimedia, or any combination esteem through recognising their individual
of these, and the outputs may take a wide variety strengths, valuing their contributions, respecting
of forms such as poetry, riddles, stories, role plays, divergent views and establishing a classroom
sketches, dances, posters, paintings, videos or community in which collaboration and interaction
multimedia project presentations. In the case of are the norm, children are more likely to engage in
little c creativity, it is important to provide frequent the kind of fluent and flexible thinking, as well as the
opportunities where you loosen the reins in terms willingness to take risks, that characterise creativity.
of language practice and children experience
You can build up childrens positive self-esteem in
using any and all the language they currently have
ways that permeate your whole teaching approach
available in real communicative situations in a variety
and transmit to children that you care about them
of contexts. When given regular opportunities to
and value them as members of the class. You can
construct and communicate their own personal
also use a range of specific activities and procedures
meanings, children usually prove creative and
to build up different aspects of self-esteem. Three
resourceful, and this helps to develop their
examples are:
fluency and self-confidence.

30 | Seven pillars of creativity in primary ELT

 Self-esteem fan One child pretends to serve and says, e.g. Im good
Use this activity to help children to develop a positive at swimming. Their partner pretends to hit the ball
sense of identity. back and says, e.g. Im good at dancing. The pairs
continue taking turns to say sentences about what
Give each child a sheet of A4 or A5 paper. theyre good at in the same way and make their
Ask children to fold the paper concertina-style rally as long as possible.
to make a fan and demonstrate this. They should
At the end, children report back to their partner
have as many folds as letters in their first name.
to check they can remember, e.g. Youre good at.
Children write the letters of their name at the top They can also tell the class, e.g. Marco is good at/
of each section of the fan. They think of a positive Were both good at
adjective about themselves, which starts with
each letter, and write this vertically on the fan, Pillar two: model creativity yourself
e.g. Helena Hardworking, Enthusiastic, Lively,
An essential rule-of-thumb for developing any skill or
Energetic, Nice, Active.
quality in others is to model it yourself. For example,
Children compare their fans and say why they have if you want children to be polite and show respect,
chosen the adjectives, e.g. I think Im hardworking then you need to be polite and show them respect
because I always do my homework. too. By the same token, in order to encourage
Children illustrate and colour their fans. The fans children to see things in new ways, explore ideas
can be displayed and also used or referred to and come up with original outcomes, it also helps if
whenever children need reminding of their you model creative processes in the way you teach.
positive characteristics. These can be reflected in many ways, for example,
how you motivate and engage children, the kinds
Circle time of tasks and activities you offer, how you cater for
Use circle time to personalise learning, foster a individual differences and diversity, and the way you
sense of security and belonging, and encourage manage and organise your class. It is often useful to
social skills such as listening to others, turn-taking, think about how you can be creative in small ways in
cooperating and showing respect for views which the routine aspects of teaching. Here are some ideas:
are different from your own.
Lining up
Children sit or stand in a circle. Have a soft ball
This can typically waste time and be dull. So why
or other item ready to pass round the circle.
not think of little challenges to make it more creative,
Children take turns to pass the ball or other item e.g. lining up in alphabetical order of first names or
round the circle and complete a sentence. This surnames, either forwards or backwards, lining up
can relate to a text, topic, story or personal in order of height or age or month of birthday. Once
feelings and be graded appropriately to the age children have got the idea, they will almost certainly
and level of the children, e.g. I like, I feel happy/ suggest other ideas as well.
sad/angry when, I think the story/video/poem is,
I think wild animals are in danger/we need to save Taking the register
water/global warming is worrying because Rules This can be made more creative by relating it to
of circle time are that you only speak when it is vocabulary that children are learning. As you go
your turn, you can say Pass if you have nothing through the register, children respond by naming
to say, or use your mother tongue if you need to. e.g. an animal. Children need to listen to what others
When the focus of circle time is on a particular say, as no repetitions are allowed. By varying the
topic or issue, such as the latter examples above, order in which you call the names on the register,
you may like to note childrens responses on the this allows you to make it easier for some children
board in a mind map (see Pillar six) and use this and more challenging for others. Alternatively,
afterwards to get children to write about the topic. you can pre-assign an animal to each child in the
register. When you call out the name of their animal,
Word tennis
children respond by naming its baby, e.g. Dog!
Use a version of this game to reinforce childrens Puppy!/Tiger!/Cub! You can also do this with, e.g.
sense of personal competence as well as listening names of countries and languages or capital cities,
and turn-taking skills. e.g. France French! or Paris!; Argentina Spanish!
Divide children into pairs. or Buenos Aires!

Seven pillars of creativity in primary ELT | 31

 Learning routines Pillar three: offer children choice
Learning routines make children feel secure as By offering them choice, children learn to take
well as provide opportunities for personalisation responsibility for their decisions. They also begin to
and natural acquisition of language. You can vary develop autonomy and have control of their learning.
learning routines appropriately with different ages This leads to a sense of ownership and motivation
and levels. For example, with younger children an to go the extra mile to produce creative work.
enjoyable opening lesson routine is a rhythmic gym Exercising choice also helps to make learning more
sequence in which you cumulatively add different personalised and memorable. You can offer children
actions. With older children an opening lesson choice in a range of ways from micro-decisions,
routine such as News of the Day gives different such as who to work with, to macro-decisions such
children in each lesson an opportunity to share as choosing topics to study. Offering choice can
their personal news with the class. be a powerful tool in behaviour management too.
Some examples for offering choice are as follows:
Classroom management
You may like to think about creative techniques to Friendship groupings
manage your classes effectively, for example, the Although not always desirable, it is beneficial to
signal you use to get attention, e.g. a tambourine, a allow children to choose the friends they work with
bell, a special gesture, or counting down to zero from at times, e.g. for projects (at the same time making
five. Other examples of creative ideas for managing sure that no child ever feels left out). By choosing
behaviour include a yellow and red card system as in whom to work with, children generally feel more
football, or a noisometer based on traffic lights: red motivated. They also have an emotional investment
= Too loud!, orange = Turn the volume down!, green = in making the collaboration work successfully.
Our quiet voices!
Lesson menu
It is also useful to have up your sleeve simple,
Write a list of, e.g. five activities to do in the lesson
creative ideas that need no materials or preparation
on the board. Ask children to choose, e.g. three of
and use these to change the mood or as a warmer,
them and explain that they can do them in any order.
closing or revision activity. Two of my favourites are:
By giving children choice, you will find that they
Spelling gym usually work in a more motivated and attentive way
than if you impose a lockstep progression through
This activity helps children associate the shape
activities. Children also often voluntarily choose to
of lower-case letters in the alphabet with physical
do the most challenging activities.
actions and is an active and enjoyable way to
practise spelling. Children start with their hands on Format freedom
their shoulders. This represents the line on the page.
Whenever possible, allow children to choose the
For vowels or consonants like m or n, children cross
format for their work. This encourages both creativity
their hands to the other shoulder. For consonants
and effort. For example, for group projects, children
with a stalk above the line, e.g. d, t, or h, children
can choose the format in which to present their
raise their arms in the air. For consonants with a
work, e.g. a poster, a digital presentation or a video.
stalk below the line, e.g. j, p, or q, children stretch
Similarly, when giving a personal response to a story,
their arms down to the floor. Either you spell words
it may be appropriate to ask children to choose
children know in chorus, e.g. apple, and children
whether to, e.g. write a letter to, or from, one of the
do the actions for each letter or, once children are
characters, or a newspaper report, a dialogue, a
familiar with the activity, they take turns to spell
poem or a story review. Children usually find having
and guess words in pairs or groups.
the choice energising, and put greater effort and
Red or blue creative thinking into their work as a result.
This activity allows for a personal response to familiar Behaviour choices
vocabulary. Children stand in the middle of the
Offering choice helps children to take responsibility
classroom. Say two words from the same category
for their decisions and to regulate their own
or lexical set, e.g. red blue... and point to either
behaviour. For example, in the case of a child who
side of the room. Children go to the side of the room
is not settling down to work, instead of telling him or
of the colour they prefer. Children then talk to each
her off, you might say, e.g. I see you havent started
other and explain the reasons, e.g. Ive got a blue
the activity yet. What would you prefer to do? Would
bike./My favourite T-shirt is red. Repeat with other
you like to do the activity now in our lesson? Or would
vocabulary, e.g. dog/cat, hot, cold/milk, fruit juice/
you prefer to stay behind and do it at break time? The
sweet, salty/swimming, cycling/seaside, countryside.

32 | Seven pillars of creativity in primary ELT

 child will almost certainly choose to get the activity In order to differentiate, grade and sequence
done in the lesson and comply with what you want. In questions from easier to more challenging, it is
this way, you avoid potential conflict and there is no helpful to use Blooms revised taxonomy of thinking
loss of face for the child, as the outcome is a choice skills (Anderson and Krathwohl, 2001). This is divided
rather than an obligation that has been imposed. into lower order thinking skills (LOTS) identified as
remembering, understanding and applying, and
Pillar four: use questions effectively higher order thinking skills (HOTS), which are
The way you use questions to engage children and identified as analysing, evaluating and creating
lead them to think creatively is an essential skill. (ibid.). LOTS are essentially to do with recall,
The stereotypical initiation-response-feedback (IRF) identification and basic comprehension. HOTS
pattern of questions, e.g. T: What colour is the car? are more complex and demand greater cognitive
P: Its red. T: Yes, very good, is often prevalent in effort. Developing LOTS is vital for foreign language
primary ELT lessons but has limited value. Although it learning especially in the early stages. However,
can encourage participation, especially with younger if lessons never move beyond LOTS, this can lead
children, if its the only question type used, it can to boredom and demotivation. Lessons that include
close down thinking. It is important to ask questions HOTS make learning more engaging and memorable.
which interest children and open up, probe and They also develop thinking skills that are transferable
extend their thinking. You also need to give children across the curriculum and can lead to flow
sufficient thinking time to answer questions and (Csikszentmihalyi, 1996) and creative thinking.
provide opportunities for them to construct and ask Below is an example of how you can use Blooms
interesting and challenging questions themselves. revised taxonomy to plan questions and scaffold
thinking skills based on a story.

Question staircase
OR in another form,
e.g. a role play.

OR tell or rewrite from a

different point of view.

Create: Invent a new ending.

Evaluate: Which part do you like/

dont you like? Why/Why not?

Analyse: Classify the characters./Explain how

different parts of the story relate to each other.

Apply: What would you do in the same

situation? How would you feel?

Understand: Why? How? Whats the main

idea? Sequence, Order Match Describe

Remember: Who? What? When?

Where? Identify, Name

Seven pillars of creativity in primary ELT | 33

 Question dice e.g. peach, strawberry, melon, pineapple and grapes.
The ability to ask questions is an effective way of Children take turns to identify an odd one out, e.g. I
learning and also helps children think creatively. think its peach because peaches have a stone./I think
Question dice can be a useful and enjoyable activity its strawberry because the seeds are on the outside.
to practise this. Children make dice out of paper or
Comparative moments
card and write a Wh-question word on each face:
What, Why, When, Where, How, Who. Children work Playing with the use of simile develops flexible
in pairs and take turns to roll the dice and ask their thinking skills and often produces creative and
partner questions using the question word on the amusing outcomes. Give children sentences to
face where the dice lands. This activity is suitable complete, e.g. A lesson is like a sandwich because /
to do e.g. after a story or topic-based work, or as A school is like a funfair because Alternatively
a way to get children to talk about and share children choose words and create their own
personal information. similes, e.g. Homework is like a dessert when
you arent hungry.
Pillar five: make connections How many ways?
Making connections and seeing relationships This activity develops flexible, inventive thinking and
between things generates ideas and underpins can be used to extend childrens vocabulary in an
creative thinking. It is helpful to encourage children enjoyable way. Choose an everyday object such as
to make connections between home and school a paperclip, plastic cup, metal coat hanger, peg or
as well as between subjects across the curriculum. ruler. Children work in pairs and brainstorm all the
Similarly, children can be encouraged to make different things you can use the object for, e.g. You
connections between present and previous learning, can use a ruler as a sword. If they dont know words
between experiences inside and outside the in English, they use a dictionary to find them. They
classroom, and between ideas learned from different can also draw pictures to illustrate their ideas.
sources such as books and the internet. They can
also make connections between English and their
Pillar six: explore ideas
own language and culture, and between skills, which
may be developed in one context or subject and In order to foster an open, creative mind-set, you
transferred and used in another. The awareness of need to regularly provide frameworks and stimuli
connections between different areas of their lives that encourage learners to explore, experiment and
helps to build childrens confidence and provides play with ideas. This needs to be in an atmosphere
the foundations for them to become increasingly of mutual respect where divergent views are
adventurous and creative in work they produce. valued and judgement is withheld. Brainstorming
techniques, problem-solving tasks and activities in
There are also specific activities that you can use which learners consider issues from different points
to develop childrens ability to make connections of view all encourage exploration and lead to
between ideas and objects and to think in divergent creative thinking. Some examples of these are:
and creative ways. Some examples are:
Mind maps
Random association Mind mapping, based on the work of Tony Buzan
This activity encourages children to make (2003), allows children to explore their thinking on a
connections between things that dont have an topic in a visually appealing way. Mind maps can be
obvious connection. Write words that children know useful to build up ideas collaboratively with the whole
on small pieces of card and put them in a bag or hat. class. Write the name of the topic in the centre of the
Children take turns to take three cards at random board, e.g. Elephants, and three initial headings to
and make a sentence or invent a story that connects guide the childrens thinking, e.g. appearance, where/
them. You can also do the same activity using small how they live, why they are in danger. Choose one
objects, rather than word cards. heading at a time, listen to the childrens ideas and
add them to the map. Use different colour pens and
Odd one out
add sub-headings as appropriate, e.g. colour, size,
This activity typically has one right answer. In this African, Asian etc. Children can then use the mind
version, children identify an odd one out according map to write a description of elephants or make their
to any criteria they can think of. For example, if own mind map about another animal of their choice.
children have been learning about how fruit grows,
the activity can be done using five flashcards,

34 | Seven pillars of creativity in primary ELT

 Wh-question web Reflective continuum
Write the topic in a circle, e.g. Rainforests/The water Give children a sheet with four to six areas for
cycle. Draw lines and write question words around reflection and self-assessment on a continuum, e.g.
the circle: What? Why? When? How? Where? Who? I didnt make an I did my best.
Children work in pairs and write questions they are effort
interested in, beginning with each word. They then
I didnt use I used interesting
do research using suitable websites you have
interesting words words
previously identified, and note and compare their
questions and answers with the class. They use Children reflect on the work they have produced and
this as preparation for writing about the topic. mark where they think they are on the continuum for
each area.
Five senses web
This is a variation of the above activity. Write the Self-assessment dictation
topic in a circle, e.g. The playground. Draw lines Ask children to make three columns in their
from the circle and write: see, hear, smell, touch, notebooks and write yes, so-so and no at the top
taste. Children note their ideas, either individually of each one. Use gesture to explain the meaning
or collectively, and use the results to write a poem of so-so. Dictate sentences, e.g. I worked hard./I
or description. co-operated. Children listen and write the sentences
in the column they think applies to their work. They
Imagine that!
then compare and talk about the results. How many
Use this activity to explore hypothetical possibilities sentences in the so-so column can they move to the
and elicit creative ideas, e.g. Imagine that animals yes column next time?
can talk/we dont need to sleep/children rule the
world/we live on Mars. What happens?
Conclusion
Creative observation This chapter outlines the benefits of developing
Use images to encourage creative thinking and an creative thinking skills in primary ELT. It looks at
awareness of how images, particularly in advertising, general factors to bear in mind when laying the
influence our feelings. Ask, e.g. What does the image foundations of creativity in the classroom and the
make you think of? How does it make you feel? Why? difference between big C and little c creativity
As a follow-up activity, children take digital photos (Craft, op. cit.). Although there are often barriers to
designed to encourage a particular response, developing creativity in primary ELT, such as a rigid
e.g. to make you feel hungry, or that a toy or game syllabus, a dull coursebook, a lack of time, and the
is fun. Children take turns to share their images and washback effect of external exams, developing
invite responses and compare if these are the same childrens creativity has many benefits for language
or different to the ones they intended. learning and for developing broader educational
objectives, attitudes and values. Whatever the age
Pillar seven: encourage critical reflection and level of children you work with, the seven pillars
are designed to help you establish a classroom
Finally, as part of promoting creativity, we need to
learning environment in which creativity flourishes,
train children to evaluate and reflect critically on
and to provide you with realistic and practical ideas
their own ideas, performance, actions and outcomes.
for how to go about it.
As well as being an integral part of developing
learner autonomy, it is only through critical reflection
that children can assess the validity and value
of their own creative work. This forms part of a
reflective learning cycle and over time leads to the
development of enhanced creative thinking. You
can do this by reviewing learning outcomes against
success criteria at the end of activity cycles and
lessons, and through the regular use of learner
diaries or self-assessment sheets. Two examples of
other activities that encourage critical reflection are:

Seven pillars of creativity in primary ELT | 35

 References
Anderson, L and Krathwohl, D (eds) (2001) A
Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching and Assessing:
A revision of Blooms Taxonomy of Educational
Objectives. New York: Longman.

Buzan, T (2003) Mind Maps for Kids. London:

HarperCollins.

Craft, A (2005) Creativity in Schools: Tensions and

Dilemmas. London: Routledge.

Csikszentmihalyi, M (1996) Creativity: Flow and the

Psychology of Discovery and Invention. London:
HarperCollins.

Dweck, C (2006) Mindset. New York: Random House.

Fisher, R (2005a, second edition) Teaching Children

to Learn. London: Nelson Thornes.

Fisher, R (2005b, second edition) Teaching Children

to Think. London: Nelson Thornes.

Read, C (2007) 500 Activities in the Primary

Classroom. Oxford: Macmillan Education.

Reasoner, R (1982) Building Self-Esteem:

A Comprehensive Program. Palo Alto:
Consulting Psychologists Press.

Carol Read has over 30 years experience in ELT

as a teacher, teacher educator, academic manager,
materials writer and consultant. She has taught
students of all ages and levels, from very young
children to adults. Carol has published extensively
in the field of teaching English to young learners,
including coursebooks, supplementary materials,
online storytelling and CLIL projects, as well as many
articles on primary ELT. Carols award-winning titles
include Bugs, which won a British Council ELTon,
and 500 Activities for the Primary Classroom,
which was Highly Commended in the ESU Duke of
Edinburgh Awards. Carols most recent publications
are Footprints and Tiger Time. Carol is currently
President of IATEFL.

36 | Seven pillars of creativity in primary ELT

 4
Making thinking visible in the English classroom:
nurturing a creative mind-set
Chrysa Papalazarou

Introduction Visible Thinking has a double goal: it deepens

content learning and it fosters thinking skills
By integrating creative activities in English language
and dispositions. These are dispositions such as
teaching, we encourage learners to practise an
curiosity, concern for truth and understanding,
important element in language learning which also
a creative mind-set, not just being skilled but also
lies behind personal growth and the development
alert to thinking and learning opportunities and
of culture and society: thinking creatively. Creative
eager to take them (Visible Thinking website:
thinking involves a focus on exploring ideas,
www.visiblethinkingpz.org). Thinking dispositions,
generating possibilities, looking for many right
or alternatively habits of mind, that nurture a
answers rather than just one, and sharing of results.
creative mind-set (Ritchhart et al., ibid.; Tishman,
Creativity, then, is present not only in terms of a
2000) involve elements such as:
product, but in a process that promotes a more
open, curious and questioning relationship to others wondering and asking questions
and to the world. In this chapter I will be dealing observing closely and describing
with how we can encourage creative thinking in the building explanations and interpretations
English classroom by using artful/visual stimuli and
reasoning with evidence
the visible thinking approach. First, I will briefly
describe Visible Thinking and its link to creative making connections
thinking. Then, a more practical part will follow with capturing the heart and forming conclusions
suggestions on how the approach can be useful in looking for many possible answers rather
the English classroom. This part draws on classroom than one
experience from working on a project with sixth
not jumping into judgment quickly
grade primary school students (11 years old) in a
state school in Greece. making mistakes
sharing thinking with others
What is Visible Thinking? thinking about thinking (metacognition).
Visible Thinking is a research-based approach
that looks into how we can encourage learners Why make thinking visible?
engagement, independence and understanding. Thinking is largely an internal process. We are
The underlying idea is to nurture students thinking so used to most of it staying out of sight that we
by externalising it when they engage with content, dont notice its invisibility (Perkins, 2003). Making
by making it visible. The approach stems from students thinking visible is about getting an insight
Project Zero, an educational research group at into what and how they understand something.
the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Three When we do so, we are giving them more to build
principal ideas are important here: a) learning is on and learn from.
the outcome of thinking, b) thinking is intricately
connected to content and c) thinking does not
happen in a linear manner (Ritchhart et al., 2011).

Making thinking visible in the English classroom: nurturing a creative mind-set | 37

 How do we make thinking visible? Journal writing is a powerful tool. When students
enter the process of reconstructing classroom
Visibility of students thinking rests upon three
experience in writing it helps them become more
elements: questioning, listening and documenting.
attentive and concentrated. Their commitment
Questioning levels grow and their note-taking skills too;
This is where thinking routines come into play. they become more actively involved. Active
Thinking routines are at the heart of the visible involvement fosters their motivation, self-
thinking programme. They are short, flexible confidence and responsibility. Students monitor
structures like a short sequence of steps or a set their progress better, there is a deepening of
of questions questions which promote curiosity self-understanding and awareness of group
and discovery, ask students to observe, make dynamics. They feel they write with a purpose.
interpretations, make connections, and build
on ideas. They are easy to learn and teach, and Visible Thinking put into practice
within the classroom students can work on them In this section I will be dealing with a selected
individually, in pairs or in groups. When these number of thinking routines and how I applied them
routines are used systematically in this case in in the classroom. Ideas, suggestions and examples
combination with the use of artful/visual learning will be discussed. Description of the routines draws
stimuli and made relevant to specific content, on Making Thinking Visible (Ritchhart et al., ibid.) and
they are instrumental in stimulating student the Visible Thinking website.
curiosity and imagination, and in nurturing a
creative mind-set. During a project that explored how artful/visual
stimuli and the visible thinking approach can be
Listening integrated in the English classroom, we worked on
Listening is understood as active sharing. It five themes. This was done bearing in mind that a)
involves both the extent to which we sincerely thinking cannot be nurtured without content and
listen to and value individual students thoughts b) I wanted to include the wide use of artful/visual
and ideas, as well as our ability to listen and stimuli (paintings, images, short videos and animation
respond to one anothers ideas. We learn from films). Some of the themes we dealt with were:
those around us and our interaction with them. bullying, war/peace, Aspergers and autism, and
This is a view of thinking as a social endeavour. school. Each theme lasted about eight 40-minute
It involves a constant interplay between the teaching sessions. Students thinking was revealed
group and the individual that allows for a better and promoted through sticky notes, construction
relationship between teachers and learners, while paper on the walls, taking notes in class, a class
at the same time encouraging community building. blog, and through writing learning journals.

Documenting I should add that for every theme, apart from

Documentation of thinking may include: the thinking routines, activities that focused on
vocabulary and grammar were also developed.
keeping blogs
Evaluation was continuous through the students
use of sticky notes where students responses notes and learning journals. No tests were given.
are recorded Project time was coursebook-free, since the one
sheets of construction papers on the walls available had little to offer in terms of triggering
taking notes students interest and providing content
opportunities for thinking beyond the surface to
writing learning journals.
occur. The two groups I worked with each consisted
of 21 mixed-ability students aged 11, their level of
English ranging from pre-intermediate to upper-
intermediate. They were 6th grade state primary
school students.

38 | Making thinking visible in the English classroom: nurturing a creative mind-set

 Below are the descriptions of the thinking routines I perceive I shouldnt play with them I believe
that were used in the project. they might hurt me I care about my family.
I perceive I have no future I believe my end
has come I care about escaping.
Step inside: perceive-believe-
care about I perceive I am frightened I believe I am in
danger I care about myself.
This routine asks students to step inside a character,
and deepen their understanding of the others Its not fair because everyone makes mistakes.
perspective. Its not fair even if he had done something
because they are six and he is one.
Aim In my opinion, the children are cruel. Theyre
It helps stimulate empathy. six against one.

Materials
What makes you say that?
An event portrayed in a work of art, a photograph,
This routine asks students to observe, describe
a story the class has read, a video.
and interpret.
Note: events having to do with issues of social justice
and fairness (racism, bullying, a historical event, Aim
slavery) can evoke an emotional response and lead Students have to share their ideas about what
to more creative understanding. they see, read or hear. They have to back them
with evidence. It encourages them to understand
Procedure alternatives.
Introduce the source material. Ask students to
step inside, place themselves within the situation Materials
and imagine they are a person from the source Works of art, photographs, poetry, readings that
material. From this perspective ask them: invite making predictions.
What do you perceive?
What might you believe? Procedure
What might you care about? Introduce the source material. Ask students
to reflect on the questions:
Note: perceive here can be replaced by see,
Whats going on?
observe or understand. Likewise, believe can be
replaced by know or think. Generally, the visible What makes you say that?
thinking approach invites teachers to adapt the
The question What makes you say that? should
wording of routines as they see fit.
convey a genuine interest in how the students
Students can work individually, in pairs or in understand something. It should not sound like a
groups. It depends on how many ideas you want challenge or test. Students can work individually,
to generate. in pairs or in groups depending on how many ideas
you want to generate.
Classroom experience
I used this routine when introducing the theme of
Classroom experience
bullying. The source material used was a detail from One of the occasions I used this routine was again
the painting Childrens Games by Pieter Bruegel the on the theme of bullying. The source material used
Elder. The detail showed six boys holding another was the painting Bullying by the American painter,
boy by feet and hands. It was the bump bouncing illustrator and filmmaker Matt Mahurin. The painting
game which involved bouncing someones buttocks shows an older girl with clenched fists and an
on a wooden plank as a form of punishment. I asked aggressive stance leaning over a younger one, at
students to step inside and imagine they were the the edge of a cliff. Some dark and gloomy shadows
boy in the middle of the picture. Here are some of are at the back of the painting. Here are some of the
the students ideas: students ideas:
I perceive that they are playing a game I believe An older girl is threatening a younger one
they might make fun of me I care about my because some other people told her to do it.
physical wellbeing. I say that because the little girl is at the edge
of a cliff. Some shadows are behind the girls.

Making thinking visible in the English classroom: nurturing a creative mind-set | 39

 The older girl is threatening the younger girl. Classroom experience
I say that because the older girl has tight fists.
I used this routine when introducing students to the
I can see an older girl who is threatening a theme of war/peace. The source material used was
younger girl and I understand it because the Picassos Guernica. Students responses were made
young girl is at the edge of a cliff. I think that visible through the use of a concept map, a circle
someone told the older girl to do it, because map. Red colour is used for the phase when we
I can see some shadows behind them. repeated steps one and two.
In the painting I can see two girls and six shadows.
The older girl is laughing at the little girl and says
words that hurt it. She is very threatening because
she has tight fists. If I were the little girl I would be
very afraid and frightened. I think it is an argument
or something like that. I am sure the little girl is
in danger.
The title of the painting is Bullying and it is
symbolic. We can see two girls, an older and a
younger. The younger is at the edge of a cliff.
There are some shadows, too. Theyre witnesses.
Sometimes witnesses dont know what to do.

Looking ten times two

This is a routine from Artful Thinking (another Project
Zero programme). It also aims at developing thinking
dispositions that support thoughtful learning.

Aim Here are some of the students ideas:

This routine asks students to slow down, observe I saw in Guernica animals, people and destruction.
and think about words or phrases to describe I think this amazing painting depicts a frightening
what they see. It encourages them to go beyond event, a war. Lost dreams and lost lives travel fast
obvious descriptions. in the painting.
then of course we shared our ideas with each
Materials other. We did that for two times and every time
Any kind of artwork, especially visual art. we found new incredible words and phrases.
We call that a thinking routine.
Procedure It is a black world with a lot of sadness and
Introduce the source material. Ask students screaming. It is a war that never stops and
to take the following steps: keeps you thinking. Is that real life? Or just
look at the image quietly for thirty seconds an imaginary room?
make a list of ten words or phrases about any
aspect of what they see. Share them with the See think wonder
rest of the class
This routine asks students to observe carefully, then
repeat steps one and two. Look again and try think and ask questions. It emphasises how important
to make a list of ten more words or phrases. it is to observe closely as the basis for the thinking
Share them. and wondering steps that follow.
The Looking Ten Times Two routine is useful in
generating descriptive language before a writing Aim
activity. Be flexible with the number of words and It stimulates students interest and curiosity.
phrases students can come up with, depending on
their language level. The routine works best as a Materials
whole-class brainstorming activity.
A painting, photo, object, video or excerpt of text.
Almost anything that can encourage observation,
interpretation, and wondering. It is critical, however,
to use a powerful stimulus.

40 | Making thinking visible in the English classroom: nurturing a creative mind-set

 Procedure Out of this we must say that peace is more
Introduce the source material. Ask students to important than war. Because Guernica I believe
reflect on the questions: was painted about the wrongs of the people and
one of these is war.
What can you see?
what made Picasso draw like that. Its because
What do you think about it?
the Nazis bombed the ancient capital of the
What does it make you wonder? Basque Country, Guernica, and many people died.
If students begin by providing a response only That event shocked Picasso so much so he painted
to I see, ask the follow-up question (i.e. What do Guernica.
you think about it?) to prompt the next response.
Students can work individually, in pairs or in Colour symbol image
groups. They can first take notes of their ideas
This routine helps students capture the essence of
before sharing them.
ideas they explore in the selected source materials.
They express themselves creatively in both verbal
Classroom experience and non-verbal ways.
One of the occasions I used the see, think, wonder
routine was in the theme of war/peace, again with Aim
Picassos Guernica. It was the follow-up to the
They make connections and develop their
looking ten times two routine. The painting is
metaphoric thinking.
complex and the students I worked with were quite
young, so I wanted to encourage more careful Materials
observations and deepen their understanding.
A story, a poem, a song, a short video.
Out of the childrens wonderings I developed the
next activity, which was a text about the historical
facts behind Guernica.
Procedure
Ask students to take the following steps:
Here are some of the students ideas:
Choose a colour that you feel represents
I see dead people, sad faces, lots of animals
the ideas we have discussed. Explain why
fighting with humans I think it is a fantastic
you chose it.
painting, extraordinary I wonder what was
Choose a symbol. Explain why you chose it.
happening when Picasso was painting Guernica?
Choose an image. Explain why you chose it.
I see a war of shapes, frightened faces, a huge
dinosaur who eats a man, and a dying horse The routine works well as a small group activity.
I think it is a strange painting, but a fantastic Ideas can rush in and members of the group can
painting, too I wonder is this painting from contribute in diverse ways. Some may offer the
real life? verbal part, others the more creative drawing part.
I see a fight where many people lost their lives Some groups may find it easier to start with the
and then they became ghosts and monsters I other parts of the routine first, i.e. symbol or image.
think people are drowning in chaos I wonder The order is not binding. Use the student-made
what does the painting symbolise? output as a teaching input. Have groups present
their work and co-ordinate a plenary discussion.
I see many people and animals. Many people have
cut their hands maybe in a fight, and two ghosts
are looking at them. Someone holding a broken Classroom experience
knife or a broken sword I think there are animals This routine was the last activity in the theme of war/
and people that escaped from a fight I wonder peace. Students organised themselves in groups and
what Picasso wanted to show with this painting? chose what they wished to represent war or peace.
Whats the true meaning of Guernica?
Here are some of the students ideas:
I think that the violence or sadness are strong,
Colour: we chose red and black because black
but when people fight for their freedom or peace,
symbolises death and red symbolises blood.
the violence and sadness become weak.
Symbol: we chose the cross on a tomb because
many people die in a war. The spirit symbolises
the lost souls like in Picassos painting.
Image: we chose the bare tree because it
symbolises sadness and no life.

Making thinking visible in the English classroom: nurturing a creative mind-set | 41

 be exceptionally clever and that autism cant
stop life for anyone. I think we learned to
respect difference.
I used to think that autism is always a bad thing.
That they are not (so) normal people. Now, I think
that Aspergers or autistic people can be smarter
than the non-autistic people. I also think now that
they are normal.
I used to think nothing about Aspergers and
autism because I didnt know anything. Now, I think
people with autism are normal people. They can
go to school, they have families, jobs, and they
can do what we do, just differently.
I didnt use to think anything about autism.
I used to think... Now I think... Now, I think that they are very normal people
and that I want to have an autistic friend.
Aim
This routine helps students reflect on how their
thinking and ideas might have changed over Chalk talk
time as they have developed their understanding This routine asks students to think and respond
of an issue. silently a) to a prompt and b) to the thoughts of others.

Materials Aim
After reading or discussing new information, It helps them read others points of view and
watching a short film, completing a unit of study. comment on them or ask questions. It helps them
build understanding collaboratively. It is actually
Procedure a silent conversation on paper.
Ask students what they used to think about the
topic when you started and what they think about Materials
it now by using: A single word, a phrase, a question relevant to a topic
I used to think... of study. Questions generally trigger more thoughts
Now I think... and comments.

By reflecting on what they used to think about a Procedure

topic before, and what they think about it after
When starting a topic, give students a relevant
a period of instruction, students have the chance
prompt to reflect upon.
to think about thinking itself, and develop their
metacognitive skills. Students work individually Ask them to write their thoughts, ideas and
in this routine. questions about that theme on a big piece
of paper.
Classroom experience Invite them to comment on their classmates
thoughts, ideas or questions.
This was the routine I used when we finished the
theme of Aspergers and autism. The artful stimuli Tell them that this has to be done in silence.
that had been used during the theme included They can stand up, and move freely, but they
a painting by an artist with Aspergers, a short cannot talk.
animation film, and relevant short videos. Chalk talk works best when done in two rounds.
One at the beginning of a topic, and one at the
Here are some of the students ideas:
end after more aspects of the issue have been
I used to think people with autism werent normal. explored.
Now, I think that with our support, love, faith...
While working on the routine the flow of ideas is
we can make people with autism feel better
more important. In the end students can work
in our world.
in groups and focus on the accuracy of the
I used to think, what is autism? I believed people sentences they have written.
with autism arent so clever. Now, I think they can

42 | Making thinking visible in the English classroom: nurturing a creative mind-set

 Classroom experience that the thinking routines are not used just once
or occasionally and that they are attached to
The primary school students I worked with liked the
meaningful content. They need time, careful choice,
fact that they could stand up and move freely around
and systematic use to bear fruit. My aim during the
the classroom in a circular way, reading and writing.
project was to teach English in a way that would
They found the silent element of the routine game-
encourage my students to unleash their creative
like and responded warmly to it.
thinking, improve their self-esteem and motivation,
I tried chalk talk when we worked on the theme and have a more memorable learning experience in
of school. We first looked at some paintings with their English class. I also wanted the approach to be
diverse school settings, observed and described associated with values, and a sense of community,
them. Then, I wrote on the board: What ideas, respect and trust. Through an ongoing, exploratory
feelings or wonderings do you have about school? effort visible thinking has been of considerable help
to that end.
After the first round of chalk talk we elaborated
more on the theme of school. At the end of the
theme we had the second round of chalk talk. References
Art in the English Class Project Website. Available
This gives an idea of what finished chalk talk papers
online at: http://1stchaidarienglish.blogspot.gr/
look like:
Last accessed 30/11/2014.

Artful Thinking Website. Available online at:

www.pzartfulthinking.org/index.php
Last accessed 30/11/2014.

Perkins, D (2003) Making Thinking Visible.

John Hopkins School of Education, John Hopkins
University. Available online at: http://education.jhu.
edu/PD/newhorizons/strategies/topics/thinking-
skills/visible/ Last accessed 30/11/2014.

Ritchhart, R, Church, M and Morrison, K (2011) Making

Thinking Visible: How to Promote Engagement,
Understanding, and Independence for All Learners.
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Tishman, S (2000) Why teach habits of mind?,

in Costa, A and Kallick, B (eds) Discovering and
Exploring Habits of Mind. ASCD: 4152.

Visible Thinking Website. Available online at:

www.visiblethinkingpz.org/VisibleThinking_html_
files/VisibleThinking1.html Last accessed 30/11/2014.

Chrysa Papalazarou teaches English in a state

primary school in Greece. She likes to encourage
students creative thinking through the integrated
use of artful stimuli and thinking routines in
classroom projects that deal with topics on human
values and social justice. She shares her lesson
proposals in her personal blog Art Least, and her
Conclusion
classroom practice in her class blog Art in the English
Visible Thinking has been developed within the Class Project. She holds a BA in English Literature
context of the American education system. A mixture with a minor in Greek Studies from the University
of professional curiosity and interest in the potentials of Athens and a joint MA in Comparative Education
it could have in ELT has led the author of this chapter and Human Rights from the Institute of Education
to start exploring it and experimenting with its (University of London) and the University of Athens.
transferability in her English classroom. The
approach can have rewarding effects, provided

Making thinking visible in the English classroom: nurturing a creative mind-set | 43

 5
Personal and creative storytelling:
telling our stories
David Heathfield

Introduction Storytelling is not a one-way process. Face-to-face

storytelling is a co-creative act in that the listeners
Storytelling is a deeply creative part of being human.
brain activity mirrors the brain activity of the
We learn about ourselves from the stories we are told
storyteller. This neural coupling (Stephens et al.,
and the stories we tell. This chapter shows that the
2010) means that the listener tells and anticipates
language classroom is a perfect environment for
the story along with the storyteller and influences
teachers and students to tell stories about our own
the course of the story. Our imagination is stimulated
lives and experiences. The practical and enjoyable
when listening to someones story: experimental
activities are designed to build confidence and
psychologist Stephen Pinker writes A recent brain-
fluency in personal storytelling, so that our students
imaging study reported in Psychological Science
get a clear sense of themselves as creators of their
reveals that the regions of the brain that process
own stories and, at the same time, they learn to
the sights, sounds, tastes and movement of real
communicate more creatively in English.
life are activated when we are engrossed in a
This chapter offers nine activities: compelling narrative.
for large and small classes Students bring their lifetime of stories with them
for pre-intermediate to advanced level and into the classroom and these stories are our richest
mixed-ability classes resource. We simply need to provide activities which
for students aged ten to 100 give students opportunities to develop as co-creative
storytellers and story-listeners in English. The ideal
which involve face-to-face communication
source of listening material to start off a storytelling
where the creative content comes from the activity is of course you, the teacher. You provide
students and teacher an ideal model for your students because they
which provide clear frameworks within which can aspire to speak English as well as you one day.
students share their personal stories Some teachers have reservations about doing more
which promote speaking and listening skills teacher talk in class, but it is important to value the
personal and interactive live storytelling you can
which require no written prompts.
offer above pre-recorded listening materials. Your
personal presence as the live storyteller is worth
Personal storytelling any amount of new technology.
Humans are narrative beings. We filter the data
we are constantly exposed to and make stories Creative tasks
to tell our lives. A huge proportion of our daily
A challenge for many teachers is to get their students
conversation is made up of personal stories, most
listening closely to each other in the language
of them featuring some kind of problem that needs
classroom. But it is only when students do genuinely
resolving. As narrative beings, we aspire to be fluent
listen that they can build up their own speaking skills.
and confident when telling our stories in our mother
To develop as personal storytellers, we can give
tongue. So when language learners say that they
students creative peer listening tasks which involve
would like to speak English better, what they are
predicting, finding out, remembering, discerning
often imagining is being able to take part in social
between truth and lies, acting out scenes and making
conversation more fluently and confidently. In other
connections with their own experiences. These tasks
words, speaking English better often means being
encourage students not only to pay close attention
able to share personal stories in a fluent and
to each other, but to build on each others responses
engaging way.

44 | Personal and creative storytelling: telling our stories

 and develop as a community of learners. We can You can finely adjust the vocabulary you use
encourage students to do the following as according to your students ability. It is important
suggested by Alida Gersie in Earthtales (1992): to challenge your students; they do not need to
encourage a free flow of ideas and value understand every word in order to understand the
every contribution story. But remember that, in the case of the activities
presented in this chapter, you are providing a model
enjoy and recognise different ways of doing a task
for your students to aim for. This subtle tuning in
allow for and acknowledge different and to what your students need comes naturally with
unexpected responses experience. The same story can be adapted and
show genuine interest in one anothers told with students at very different stages of their
contributions English learning. With monolingual classes of
make sure all the group members have students starting out with English, it may be entirely
an equal share of time and attention. appropriate to do mixed-language storytelling, to
instantly translate key vocabulary or even to tell the
Nothing comes more naturally to students than whole story in the students mother tongue before
listening to their English teacher or to each other telling it in English. As Shakespeare himself put it:
telling a personal story, and then to reciprocate with An honest tale speeds best being plainly told.
another story on a connected theme. Becoming
English language storytellers leads to improved When students themselves start to tell their stories,
memory, language development, fluency and it is very often the longest piece of uninterrupted
confidence in public speaking. speaking they have ever done in English. The
activities offered here involve students conversing
in pairs or small groups, so it is not possible for the
Personal and creative communication
teacher to hear everyone. Encourage students to
When storytelling with you and with each other, focus on fluency and clarity and not to be overly
students are responding to a live and present concerned with accuracy. The main thing is that
person and using non-verbal language. As teacher, students closely listen to and understand each
it is important to be aware of your posture, facial other. If they do not know how to say a particular
expressions, gestures and the other subtleties of word or phrase in English, they can say it in their
interpersonal communication so that you make your mother tongue the first time they tell the story.
story engaging for your students and provide a They can then find out (from you, from other
useful model. Equally important is the way you use students or from a dictionary) how to say it
your voice: the changes in rhythm, tempo, volume, in English before they tell the story again.
pitch and emotion all convey meaning. Students learn
a great deal about pronunciation when listening This extended interpersonal storytelling is hugely
attentively to and looking at the face of their satisfying and boosts their confidence as English
storytelling teacher. Generally, the best idea is to speakers. When evaluating their own English
keep the storytelling simple and articulate words learning, students comment that regularly doing
clearly, but avoid slowing down too much or you these kinds of personal storytelling activities
might lose the energy and impact of the story. in class develops their confidence, fluency,
pronunciation, use of vocabulary and their
ability to communicate creatively.

Personal and creative storytelling: telling our stories | 45

 Listening and remembering Put each A student with a B partner. B listens to A
tell the story causing their problem, ending with
The first two activities focus on attentive listening
What should I do? and then summarises the story
and remembering fundamental in a class where
back to A to check they have understood and
creative storytelling is valued.
remembered correctly.

I tell your story Every B student finds a new A partner and tells
them the problem story they learned from their
Procedure former A partner. The new A partner responds
Ask who has a good memory and invite this to the story with a piece of advice.
student to stand face-to-face with you. Every B student returns to their initial A partner
Explain that you are going to tell this student a and gives them the advice.
short one-minute personal story about something Invite the A students to comment on the advice
that happened since you last met. they have received to the whole class and whether
As soon as you finish, challenge the student to tell they will follow it.
it back to you in exactly the same way as if they
This is adapted from an activity I did in a personal
were you, using the first person I: same emotions,
storytelling workshop led by Dr Alida Gersie. It is best
same energy, same pace, same gestures, same
used where an atmosphere of mutual respect and
facial expressions, same voice, same words.
trust is already established among members of the
The other students will listen and notice similarities group and can be a genuinely effective way of
and differences but must remain silent until sharing advice with peers.
the end.
Once the student has retold the story, find out Truth or lie
similarities and differences the other students
The next three activities involve students guessing
noticed in terms of emotions, energy, pace,
how much of their partners stories is true. Theres no
gestures, facial expressions, voice and words and
more effective technique for encouraging students
then ask them light-heartedly to award the student
to listen to each other than challenging them to work
a percentage grade according to how similar their
out whether their classmates are telling the truth
storytelling was, e.g. 76 per cent.
or not. One reason for this is that its just as much
In groups of three, students do the same. A listens fun to guess lies as it is to get away with telling them.
to and then repeats Bs story and is then given As well as this, the listening students focus not only
feedback and a grade by C. B listens to C, and on the content but also on their partners body
finally C listens to A. language and voice. This attentive listening supports
the speakers and gives them more confidence in
Problem stories their ability to communicate creatively. In fact most
students find it surprisingly easy to invent a
Procedure
believable lie.
Tell students the story behind a problem that is on
your mind and finish by asking What should I do?
Whats the lie?
For example, today I might tell them the story
about my car needing repairs three times in the Procedure
last three weeks and each repair being more Let students know that you are going to tell a short
serious than the one before. true personal story but that one detail will be a lie.
In pairs, students have one minute to listen to and Tell the story of something that happened since
remember the advice their partner would give. you last met the students and do your best to hide
As a whole class students report their partners the lie among the true details.
advice to you.
After listening to you, students in pairs guess
Ask students to think of a current problem they the lie.
feel happy to talk about in class and which they
Find out students guesses without letting them
would like advice about, e.g. a sick animal,
know if theyre right or wrong. When all the
equipment thats not working, something they
guesses have been made, reveal the lie.
have lost, or forgetting someones name. When
half the students have indicated that they want Students in groups of three take it in turns to tell
advice, tell them that they are all A. their recent story, while the other two listen and
afterwards guess the lie.

46 | Personal and creative storytelling: telling our stories

 Find out which students proved to be the best Why?
liars and who told the most interesting stories. What was the lie?
This activity has become a favourite among How did you feel?
students I teach and they enjoy repeating it at Did you believe the lie?
regular intervals. They become increasingly astute
What were the consequences?
at disguising their own lies while picking out
each others. Students stand in pairs ready to tell their stories.
Remind them that after each story the listener
Tell a lie should quiz the storytelling student who should
answer but should not reveal whether their story
Procedure is about a real lie or a made-up lie (of course they
In this activity you are going to play a gentle trick will all be made up, but you are the only one
on your students so that they all spontaneously who knows this). As each pair finishes, they split
create a believable story. In advance of the class, and form new pairs and tell their stories again.
you need to prepare enough small pieces of paper Retelling the same story a few times helps them
marked only with a cross so that there is one for to improve their made-up story and develop their
each student and one for you. Fold them up and storytelling skills.
put them in a box. Fold just one piece of paper Once every student has told their story at least
marked with a tick. three times, bring all the students together and let
In front of the students unfold the one piece of them discuss and guess whose stories were real.
paper with a tick and take out and unfold another After they give their reasons for believing a story,
one with a cross from the box and show them both the storytelling student reveals their paper which,
to the students. of course, will show a cross.
Tell them that each piece of paper has either a When students finally realise that none of the
tick signifying real story or a cross signifying stories are real, let them all show their crosses
made-up story. Fold the two pieces again and and then reveal your cross too. Students can say
secretly discard the piece of paper with a tick. how they feel about the fact that you didnt tell
Take another one (which of course has a cross) them the whole truth about the ticks and crosses.
from the box, look at it secretly and tell a personal You can justify this by pointing out that by having
story about a lie someone once told you. to tell a believable lie, they had to use creative
Your story must be completely made up. thinking skills.
In your story include answers to the prompt
questions below. Whose loss?
Give students a minute to quiz you about the story Procedure
and then guess in pairs if it is a real lie someone Choose a theme and prepare to tell a short true
told you. Then they say in open class why they anecdote. For example if you choose the theme
believe or disbelieve your story. Do not reveal that of losing things, elicit and write up some suitable
your story is made up yet. common collocations to complete a phrase
Tell students that they are going to tell their own starting with I lost , for example, some money,
story about a lie someone told them to at least a book, my pet, my phone, my glasses, my pen,
three different students. Invite each student to my way, or my heart to somebody. Tell the
take out and unfold a piece of paper from the students a short true anecdote about something
box, making sure nobody shows their paper you once lost, using the prompt questions in the
to anyone else. stage below to guide you.
Remind them that if they have a tick they must Ask the students to sit with a partner they dont
tell a real story and if they have a cross the story know very well. Say: In a moment youre going to
must be completely made up, but they must make tell your partner a true story about something
other students believe them so the story should you once lost. Before you start, think about your
be realistic (of course they will all have crosses). answers to these questions:
Ask them to hide away their piece of paper. Tell What did you lose?
students that their stories should include answers
When did this happen?
to the following prompt questions and read them
out slowly, allowing time for students to imagine: Where were you?

When and where did it happen? Who were you with?

Who lied to you? What was happening at the time?

Personal and creative storytelling: telling our stories | 47

 How did you lose it? Let students know that they are going to finish the
When did you realise you had lost it? story, so theyll need to listen closely. Tell the story,
establishing clearly who was involved and where
How did you feel?
and when it happened and then stop and say,
What did you do? Guess what happened in the end!
Did you find it again? Put the students in pairs and ask them to guess
If you did, how did you find it? If you didnt, two different endings to your story.
when did you stop looking? Invite one willing student to tell their ending to
How do you feel now when you remember your story to the whole class. Then invite students
this experience? with very different endings to tell theirs. Next, tell
Then tell them to listen to their partners story them the actual ending.
to remember the details. Set a time limit of five Ask the students to think of a short personal
minutes for both partners to tell their stories. story with an unpredictable ending on the
When the pairs have finished, say: In a moment same theme. They should raise a hand only
youre going to choose one of those two stories. when theyve thought of one. Make equal-sized
Both of you are going to tell the same story to groups of between three and five students with
other students as if it happened to you. You want one storytelling student in each group.
to make them believe you. They are going to guess Remind the storytellers to stop and say,
whose story it is. One of you will be telling your Guess what happened in the end! and remind
own true story. If youre telling your partners the others to guess and tell at least two different
story, youll probably need to change a few things endings. Finally, the storytelling students tell
to make us believe it could have happened to you. their true endings.
OK, youve got three minutes to decide which
story to tell and to learn it from your partner. Personal story questions
When they are ready, ask each pair to sit facing Procedure
another pair. Say: Listen to the same story told
Choose a topic and announce the title of a two-
by two different people and then you can ask
minute personal story you are happy to tell within
them both a few questions before you guess
that topic. For example, if the topic is the weather,
whose story it is that youve just heard.
my story could be The day our house flooded.
As each group finishes, ask the pairs to form new
Before they listen, ask students to fire you with
groups. Give students the opportunity to practise
questions about your story for one minute.
telling the same story at least three times and to
Mentally note the questions but dont answer
embellish it a little more each time. Finally, invite
them yet. This will focus their attention.
the whole class to say how they managed to
identify the students who were lying and who After a minute, immediately tell your two-minute
the most successful liars were. story incorporating answers to as many of your
students questions as you can. After finishing,
Finding out point out that you didnt answer the questions
Knowing that it is up to them to find out what as a list but integrated the answers into the story.
happens in their partners story before they listen Students each decide their own topic-related story
develops students creative thinking and prediction title and form groups of three. A announces their
skills, builds anticipation and focuses attention when title and B and C fire questions for one minute,
they then listen. followed immediately by As story. The same
process is repeated for B and C.
Guess what happened in the end
Act it out
Procedure
Physically acting out events in a story together
Choose a topic and prepare to tell a two-minute promotes expressive storytelling and use of gesture
true personal story with an unpredictable ending. and enables students to connect closely with their
For example, if the topic is travel, I might tell the partners experiences.
story of when a friend and I were involved in a car
crash while hitch-hiking from Italy to France.

48 | Personal and creative storytelling: telling our stories

 Celebration An act of kindness
Procedure Procedure
Tell students the story of a celebration you Learn and tell this short tale to your students. An
remember well. Use the prompt questions below Iraqi student called Jalil Kwad told me this story.
in the fourth stage to guide you, for example I
might tell the story of the night I went to a carnival The pigeon and the ant
rehearsal with Brazilian friends in So Paulo,
A pigeon was thirsty and flew down to a pool
when I tried to do the samba in the summer heat
of water to drink. There in the water the pigeon
among incredibly vibrant dancers and drummers.
saw an ant. The ant was drowning in the water
Use mime to bring the experience to life and
and the pigeon felt sorry for the ant. The pigeon
engage with the students as if theyre there at
found a dry leaf and dropped it into the water.
the celebration with you. For example, you say:
The ant climbed onto the leaf and was safe.
Its so hot in this warehouse, isnt it? Look over
there! Can you see the way that couple are moving Some time later the ant saw a hunter. The
their hips so quickly to the rhythm? Look how hunter was going to shoot the pigeon. The ant
their costumes are shimmering silver and gold. remembered the pigeons kindness and the ant
Have you ever seen anything like it? Listen to that bit the hunter on the foot. The hunter cried out
deafening samba rhythm there must be at least in pain. The pigeon heard and flew away, safe.
a hundred drummers. Lets get out there and join
in the dance procession are you ready? Tell students a personal story that The pigeon
and the ant reminds you of an occasion when
Encourage students to ask you questions along
someones act of kindness helped you out of a
the way.
difficult situation. Start the story by giving them
Say, In a minute youre going to tell the story some background information about the situation;
of a celebration it could be a ceremony, be clear about your relationship with the person
a festival, a party or another kind of special who helped you and describe what happened and
occasion. It could be something really big or what was said.
a small family celebration.
Ask a confident student to stand with you and play
Ask students to close their eyes. Read, slowly the role of the person who helped you and act out
pausing between questions: Breathe in and out the story physically and verbally in front of the
As you breathe, feel your body relax Youre class. Invite the other students to watch and listen
going to remember the celebration and Im going closely. It is not important if this conversation is a
to ask you some questions Please answer them little different from the original interaction.
in your head so you dont need to speak yet
Ask students to think of a personal story
Where are you at the start of the celebration?
which The pigeon and the ant reminds them of.
Who are you with? ... What kind of place are you in?
It should be a difficult situation when they helped
What time of day is it? ... Look, what do you see
someone out or were helped out by someone not
around you? Look at the people, the movement,
in the class, e.g. by giving something, by lending
the colours, the light and shade, all the things you
something, by carrying something, by explaining
see What sounds do you hear? What do you
something, by giving directions, by looking after
smell and what do you taste? How do you feel?
someone or something. When half the class are
Whats the best thing about the celebration? ... Is
ready with a story to tell, ask them to pair with
there any kind of problem? Now its coming to
ones who havent and to tell them the story.
the end One final question how do you feel
when you remember this celebration? ... Now listen After a couple of minutes invite all the pairs to
to your breathing, youre back in the classroom stand and act out the scene in English.
you can open your eyes. Ask for pairs who are willing to show their
In groups of three to four, students stand scene to the rest. The others watch and listen
and, in turn, invite their classmates to their in order to work out which students story it is,
celebration. Before they begin, remind them the details of the relationship, the situation and
to use present tenses, gesture and mime and the act of kindness.
to ask and answer questions.

Personal and creative storytelling: telling our stories | 49

 Each of these activities can be extended very Stephens, G, Silbert, L and Hasson, U (2010) Speaker-
effectively with a writing stage or can easily be listener neural coupling underlies successful
adapted for use as an interpersonal creative communication. Proceedings of the National
writing activity. Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
107 (32). Available online at: www.pnas.org/
Conclusion content/107/32/14425.full?sid=c8205d6a-08c1-
463f-9e38-b496c4da
By bringing creative personal storytelling activities,
such as the ones outlined in this chapter, into your
teaching, you are sowing seeds on fertile soil. With David Heathfield combines teaching English in
your gentle nurturing, students stories grow and Exeter with being an international storyteller
flourish and bring colour to the learning in your and teacher trainer. He tells stories with adults,
classroom in ways that cannot be foreseen. One teenagers and children in an array of settings:
student responds to a classmates story by telling festivals, museums, forests, care homes and all
another, deepening their appreciation of each kinds of educational institutions. His books
others thoughts, feelings, experiences and Storytelling With Our Students and Spontaneous
differences. The reciprocal nature of storytelling Speaking (DELTA Publishing) offer teachers practical
means that students begin to share their stories ways of putting creativity at the heart of language
spontaneously with minimal teaching input. The learning. His work revolves around celebrating
content is rich and meaningful so students become cultural diversity, and he learns stories by listening
increasingly involved in each others life stories and to people from all around the world.
their learning environment evolves into a self-
Davids website: https://sites.google.com/site/
sustaining community.
davidheathfield2/home
You can find examples of most of the story
activities included in this chapter on Davids
YouTube Channel at: www.youtube.com/channel/
UCscW6lz3okT_y_69SsY0LGw

References
Gersie, A (1992) Earthtales: Storytelling in Times
of Change. Green Print London (no longer in print).

Heathfield, D (2005) Spontaneous Speaking.

Peaslake: Delta Publishing.

Heathfield, D (2014) Storytelling With Our Students.

Peaslake: Delta Publishing.

Pinker, S (1999) How the Mind Works. London:

Penguin.

50 | Personal and creative storytelling: telling our stories

 6
Teaching grammar creatively
Jill and Charlie Hadfield

Introduction Finally, creativity plays an important part in L2

identity building (Hadfield and Hadfield, 1990; Maley,
Four main reasons have been advanced for using
2012; Norton, 1995; Tin, 2007). Tan Bee Tin (2007)
creative activities with students. The first is that
finds that through creativity learners become
they are motivational, leading to positive affect.
themselves in the foreign language, and Hadfield
Creativity stimulates and motivates. Students and Hadfield (1990) explain that:
given the opportunity to exercise their own By thinking up new ideas of their own in the foreign
creativity tend to respond positively. Language language, students begin to make a personal
use and language learning are inherently creative investment in the language and culture. In a way
processes. I would argue that these features should they begin to own part of it, so they are no longer
at least be given some space in teaching materials. foreigners and outsiders.
(Tomlinson, 2003: 187). Similarly Hadfield and
Hadfield find that creative writing activities often Using creative techniques for grammar practice
demonstrate to students how powerful they can be will thus motivate students, by making what could
in the foreign language, even at a fairly elementary be a routine and repetitious activity into something
level. Every new discovery they make in the foreign novel and exciting. It will increase their self-esteem
language is in a sense an act of creation, but by proving to them that they can use the new
when they produce words on paper which are grammar patterns in an original and entertaining
original and creative, they see written proof of the way. And it can increase retention of the grammar
process. This is a great encouragement to them for items by leading to deeper processing of the
further learning. (Hadfield and Hadfield, 1990: viii) language. Finally, through the identity-building
function of L2 creativity, it can give them a sense
Other writers find creative activities encourage of ownership of the new language.
learners to take risks, engage more deeply with the
language and exceed their current language abilities.
Combining grammar and creativity:
Tan Bee Tin (2007) finds that creative activities
enable learners to push past their current language constraints and freedom
abilities. Murugiah (2013), citing Craik and Lockhart There may be compelling reasons for using
(1972) in turn, states that as learners manipulate creativity in the classroom, but at first sight,
the language in interesting and demanding ways, grammar practice and creativity do not seem
attempting to express uniquely personal meanings compatible. Practising grammar involves following
(as they do in creative writing), they necessarily rules, writing to prescribed patterns, following
engage with the language at a deeper level of established connections and repetition all ideas
processing than with expository text. which seem antithetical to creativity, which is
associated with the freedom of breaking rules
A third reason is that such deeper processing of
and making new connections.
language also acts as a memory aid (Nematis, 2009;
Schmitt, 2000). Schmitt finds that the creative However, creativity, paradoxically, thrives within
techniques of mental linkage and imaging improve constraints: the adherence to rules, or following
retrieval of language items, and Nematis explains of a pattern, as in a limerick or a sonnet, both of
that the more cognitive energy a person exerts which have tightly prescribed forms. Additionally,
when manipulating and thinking about a word, the many poems, stories and songs gain their effect
more likely it is that they will be able to recall and through use of repetition. This paradox can be
use it later (2009: 14). exploited to provide opportunities for grammar
practice in creative activities by the provision of
tightly controlled frameworks within which to
write. The activities provided in this chapter will
demonstrate these frameworks: pattern poems,
and listing activities.

Teaching grammar creatively | 51

 Helping students with what to say seemingly unconnected, and in more modern
and how to say it times, Koestler took up this theme in The Act
of Creation (1964), finding that the basis of all
Providing constraints will also help students with the
creativity is bisociative thinking the creative
what and how of creative expression. The activities
leap which connects two previously unconnected
in this chapter demonstrate two other ways in which
frames of reference. It is of course difficult to think
students can be scaffolded into thinking of and
of unconnected ideas that might be creatively
expressing creative ideas: providing an imaginative
connected, so scaffolding has been provided for
trigger and providing an audience.
students in two ways: Idea Collision, where two
normally unconnected ideas are provided for the
Imaginative trigger student, for example providing instructions for
The activities in this chapter have three kinds of eating spaghetti or falling in love activities which
imaginative trigger designed to engender ideas. do not normally come with instructions and
The simplest is a concrete stimulus: pictures, Making the Familiar Strange, where students are
visualisations, texts, objects, music. These can asked to take an unusual viewpoint on the world,
help students by providing something for them to for example writing about a days events from the
describe, an example of ideas or style of writing, point of view of a toy rather than from the child
or by setting a mood. Guiding questions can be who played with it.
provided to help the students exploit the stimulus.
The second trigger involves activities which group Providing an audience
students in pairs and asking them to brainstorm a One of the difficulties of writing is caused by the
large number of ideas, from which a selection can absence of audience. A speaker has an interlocutor
be made for the creative product (poem, story, who can react to what is said or ask for clarification.
etc.). Several writers on the creative process have Whereas a writer is communicating with a void. It can
seen this process as crucial to creativity. Campbell help students immensely with the organisation and
(1960) for example proposes a three-stage model: expression of their thoughts if they have an
the blind generation of large numbers of ideas audience. In these activities, students act as both
blind because it is not known in advance which writer and audience. Two techniques are used,
ideas will be selected and finally retained then Chain Writing and Read and....
the selection of certain of these ideas for further
In Chain Writing, the students are simultaneously
elaboration, and finally the retention of those
writer and audience. In Overheard in a Caf, for
most useful. Simonton (2003) elaborates on this
example, students work in pairs, writing a line of an
theory, seeing creativity as beginning with chance
overheard conversation at a time, then passing it to
combinations of ideas which are then subject to
their partner who writes the next line, thus mimicking
a selection process to determine which will finally
spoken interaction.
be retained. Smith et al. (1995) have a similar
theory in their Geneplore model which consists In Read and students write first, then become each
of a two-stage process: the generation of large others audience. They not only read each others
numbers of ideas which are then explored to find work, but have a task to complete, for example to
which are most productive. read and guess what is being described, and to read
The third kind of imaginative trigger also derives and match descriptions and pictures. This ensures
from writers observations on creativity, suggesting that students have an audience in mind while writing
that creativity involves somehow connecting two and are suiting their writing to the task their audience
apparently unrelated ideas. Heraclitus wrote that must perform.
a wonderful harmony arises from connecting the

52 | Teaching grammar creatively

 The table below shows how each activity we have
described uses constraints, imaginative triggers
and audience.

Imaginative
Activity Target language Genre Constraint trigger Audience

Mystery object Place Place description Pattern poem Picture stimulus Read and guess
prepositions

My day so far Simple past Narrative Listing Object stimulus Read and identify
Brainstorming
Making the
familiar strange

Platform 17 Present Description Pattern poem Picture stimulus Read and identify
continuous of a scene Brainstorming

How its done Imperatives Instructions Listing Idea collision Read and match
Brainstorming

Emotive objects Adjective order Object Pattern poem Visualisation Read and give an
description Brainstorming explanation
Chain writing

Maternal advice Constructions Advice/rules Listing Text stimulus Read and guess
with gerund Idea collision
and infinitive
Brainstorming

Overheard Reported speech Dialogue Listing Picture stimulus Chain writing

in a caf Making the Read and identify
familiar strange

Teaching grammar creatively | 53

 Mystery object
Aim
For students to write a poem describing a scene.

Level
Elementary and higher.

Language practised
Place prepositions.

Preparation
Find a picture of a scene from Creative Commons: (http://creativecommons.org).
The scene can be indoors or outdoors but should have various objects, for
example a table, chair, bench, tree or umbrella that objects can be beside,
next to, under, etc.

Prepare the bubble table like the one below. Adapt it to cover prepositions/lexis
that your students know or that you want them to practise.

table
chair
sofa
lies a
bookshelf
In is a
window
On
a fireplace
Near
the tree
Beside
lake

Procedure

Show students your picture from Creative Commons.

Create a poem like the one below and read it to them and ask them to guess
the final object at the end of the poem.

On a bench
Next to a tree
Beside a lake
Beneath the mountains
Under a deep blue sky
Lies a.

Ask them to think a bit about the story behind the book what kind of book?
Why is it there? Where is the owner/reader?
Ask them to close their eyes and imagine a scene. It can be indoors or
outdoors. There should be a special object somewhere in the room. What is it?
Who owns it? Why is it there?

54 | Teaching grammar creatively

 Put up the bubble table to help them with vocabulary and structure and ask
them to write a poem like the example above. You can specify a number of
lines or give them the pattern:
(preposition) a /the (noun)
(preposition) a /the (noun)
(preposition) a /the (noun)
(preposition) a /the (noun)
(preposition) a /the (noun)
lies/is a

When they have finished, put them in groups of four or five and ask them
to read each other their poems, but without saying what the object is.
The others should try to guess the object, and work out its story.
Round off the activity by asking for feedback from each group. They should
read one poem and tell the story.

My day so far
Aim
For students to write a short narrative about the days events.

Level
Pre-intermediate and higher.

Language practised
Past simple (plus other narrative tenses if at higher level).

Preparation
Source a number of pictures of objects from Creative Commons for display
in class, or bring in a number of different objects, for example, pen, computer,
mobile phone, camera/CCTV camera, glass or balloon.

Procedure
Display the pictures or objects.
Ask students to work in pairs and choose one object.
Then ask them to work individually. They should think of all the things that
the object might have done during one day. Give them a time limit of around
five minutes to write as many things as they can think of, for example:
for a pen: lay on the desk, wrote a love letter, drew a picture, scribbled
on the wall, ran out of ink, ended up in the wastepaper bin.
They should compare lists in pairs and then use the ideas to write a short
narrative of the objects day.
Pairs can read their narratives out and the others should guess the object.

Teaching grammar creatively | 55

 Platform 17
Aim
For students to write a collaborative pattern poem describing people waiting
on a station platform.

Level
Elementary or higher.

Language practised
Present continuous.

Preparation
Find an atmospheric picture of people waiting on a station platform. You can
do this by searching Google Images (www.google.com/imghp) or Creative
Commons (http://creativecommons.org).

Prepare the questions and the poem pattern in the second and third sections of
the procedure for display on the board/screen.

Poem pattern
Line 1: Where are they?
Line 2: An (adjective) (woman/man) with (clothes or physical features)
Line 3: What are they doing?
Line 4: And thinking of

Procedure
Project the picture or give it out to the students. Ask them a few questions to
familiarise them with the picture.
Example:
Can you find someone who is texting?
Can you find someone who is sitting on a bench?
Can you find someone who is reading?
Can you find someone who is looking at the clock?
Can you find someone who is watching out for the train?
Can you find someone near the clock/by the stairs/by the lamppost, etc.?
Ask students to work in pairs and choose one of the people on the platform.
Ask them to discuss the following questions:
Who are they what job do they do?
What do they look like?
Are they happy?
Where are they standing/sitting?
What are they doing?
Are they catching a train or waiting for someone?
Who are they going to see/who are they waiting for?
What is on their mind at the moment?

56 | Teaching grammar creatively

 Give the students the poem pattern.
Each pair should use ideas from their discussion to write the verse.
Example:
sitting on the bench
a sad woman with a long nose
staring into space
thinking of wasted time.
When the pairs have finished, get them to read out their verse. The other
students should try to guess who they are describing.
Finally you can put all the verses together to form a poem called Travellers
or Platform 17.

How its done

Aim
For students to write a set of instructions for common actions.

Level
Pre-intermediate or higher.

Language practised
Imperatives, sequencing words.

Preparation
Prepare enough making tea instructions for each pair of students to have a set.
Cut them up.

How to make a cup of tea

First, boil some water in a kettle.

When it is hot, pour a little in the teapot to warm it.

Then throw out the water and put in two spoons full of tea leaves.

Bring the water back to the boil.

Pour the boiling water on the tea leaves in the pot.

Leave the tea for two minutes.

Serve in cups with milk or lemon.

Add sugar if required.

Prepare enough of the lucky-dip slips for each pair of students to have one each.
Cut them up and put them in a hat.

Teaching grammar creatively | 57

 Lucky-dip slips
Eating spaghetti
Falling in love
Getting a promotion
Having a relaxing evening
Bathing a dog
Going to a wedding
Looking after a two-year-old
Taking an exam

Also prepare the activities list, for each pair to have one copy.

Activity Number
Eating spaghetti

Falling in love

Getting a promotion

Having a relaxing evening

Bathing a dog

Going to a wedding

Looking after a two-year-old

Taking an exam

Procedure
Put students in pairs and give them each a list of the making tea instructions.
Ask them what language helped them to sequence the instructions.
Then ask each pair to take a slip from the hat. Explain that these are common
activities that do not normally come with instructions, but that they are going
to write a set of instructions for their activity.
When they have finished, collect the slips in. Give each a number and pin them
round the walls.
Give each pair an activity list. Get them to walk around the room, reading the
instructions and matching them to the activities on their list. They should write
a number by each activity. When they have found one set of instructions for
each activity, they can sit down.
Go through the answers.

58 | Teaching grammar creatively

 Emotive objects
Aim
For students to write a collaborative description of an object.

Level
Pre-intermediate or higher.

Language practised
Adjective order.

Preparation
Prepare a set of adjective strips for each group of five or six students in your class.

A/n box

A/n necklace

A/n pair of shoes

A/n photo frame

A/n notebook

A/n vase

A/n clock

Prepare a poem framework for display.

She/he (action) the

.. Adjective 1

.. Adjective 2

.. Adjective 3

.. Adjective 4

.. Adjective 5

.. Adjective 6

Noun

That (more information about the object)

And (action)

Teaching grammar creatively | 59

 Procedure
Put students in groups of five or six, sitting round a table. Give each group
a set of adjective strips. Each student should take one.
Each student in the group should look at the noun (for example, necklace)
and write one adjective describing it. They should leave space either side
of the adjective for other students to add adjectives.
They should then pass the strip to their right, and the next student should
add an adjective. Remind them to leave space between each adjective for
other adjectives to be added in the correct order.
When the strips have been right round the group, they can look at and
read the finished results. Each group should choose one to read out for
the other groups.
They should read it out, but without saying the name of the object, e.g. A small,
round, red, lacquered, Japanese wooden The other students should guess
the object.
Ask the students to work in pairs and imagine:
more information: about/history of the object, for example, how did the
owner get it? (bought it on holiday/inherited it from an aunt/was given it
by a girlfriend etc.)
action: a situation where the owner does something to the object, puts it
on/opens it/takes something out/destroys it, etc. (work out a reason why).
Put up the poem frame. Students should put the ideas they discussed into the
poem frame. Example:
She took the:
delicate
antique
Spanish
silver
ring
that he had given her for their engagement
and threw it into the river.
They should then read out their poems. Others can try to deduce the reason
behind the action.

Maternal advice
Aim
For students to imagine giving advice from an animal to its young.

Level
Intermediate and higher.

Language practised
Imperatives, infinitives and gerunds:
should, must + bare infinitive
remember, try, take care, dont forget, be careful + full infinitive
avoid, beware of, forget about, refrain from, resist+ing.

60 | Teaching grammar creatively

 Preparation
Copy the Motherly Advice text for each student, if you want to use it.

Advice
In this extract advice is being given to someone younger and less
experienced. Read the extract and decide who is speaking.

Motherly Advice
If anyone scolds you wash, she was saying. If you slip and fall off
something and somebody laughs at you wash . Whatever difficulty you
may be in, you cant go wrong if you wash. If you come into a room full of
people you do not know, and who are confusing to you, sit right down in the
midst of them and start washing. Theyll end up by quieting down and
watching you. Some noise frightens you into a jump, and somebody you
know saw you were frightened begin washing immediately.
If somebody calls you and you dont care to come and still you dont wish to
make it a direct insult wash
And, concluded Jennie, drawing a long breath, of course you also wash to
get clean and to keep clean.
Goodness! said Peter, quite worried, I dont see how I could possibly
remember it all.

From Jennie, by Paul Gallico

Procedure
Give out the Motherly Advice text. Get students to read it and discuss in pairs
who is speaking (a cat).
Brainstorm with the class what other advice a mother cat might give to a
young cat.
Ask students to give you names of different animals (bird, dolphin, dog, etc.).
Put these up on the board as they offer them.
Get students in pairs to choose an animal and write some maternal advice
from that animal to a younger animal. For example, Remember to watch out
for cats; Try to avoid fishing nets; Be careful not to come in the house with
muddy paws.
Students read their advice to each other in small groups or to the class.
The others try to guess the animal.

Teaching grammar creatively | 61

 Overheard in a caf
Aim
For students to report overheard dialogues.

Level
Pre-intermediate and higher.

Language practised
Reported speech, said, replied, asked, denied etc.

Preparation
Display around eight art portraits of men and women so that students can see
them all, or make one copy for each pair. The portraits should be numbered.

Write the numbers one to eight on small pieces of paper. Make enough for
everyone in the class to have one. Put them in a hat.

Procedure
Display the portraits or hand out copies. Tell the students they are in a caf
and these are the people they can see around them.
Pass around the hat and get each student to take a number. Make sure each
member of the pairs has a different number.
Ask the students to look at the picture with that number.
Ask them to imagine:
who is their character? (Name, job, married, town/country they live in)
think of three adjectives to describe them.
what are their hopes and fears?
what do they worry about?
what is on their mind at the moment?
Put students in pairs. Ask them to imagine they are sitting in the caf and can
overhear a conversation between their two characters.
Ask them to take a piece of paper and write a report of the conversation.
Student A should begin, for example, writing at the top of the paper: She said
that she wasnt very happy. Student B should write the next line, for example:
He asked her why she felt like that.
When they have finished, get the pairs to swap the conversations with another
pair. They should try to identify the two characters.

62 | Teaching grammar creatively

 Conclusion Tin, T (2007) A Report on a Collaborative
Creative Writing Endeavour: Spreading the Spirit
This chapter has demonstrated a number of
of Creativity through Creative Writing Workshops
techniques for generating creativity often thought
in the Asia-Pacific Region. Humanising Language
of as the breaking of rules in order to practise
Teaching. Available online at: www.hltmag.co.uk/
grammatical pattern, and the application of rules.
mar07/mart05.htm.
We believe that such activities will prove more
motivational to learners, cause them to process Tomlinson, B (2003) Developing Materials for
language more deeply, and to engage with the Language Teaching. London: Continuum.
language more personally than traditional grammar
activities, and in doing so will enable them to take
Charles Hadfield teaches on the postgraduate
possession of the language, making it their own
TESOL courses at Exeter University Graduate School
and so develop an L2 identity.
of Education, after a decade at Auckland University,
and a previous career in many different countries.
References He has always had a great interest in teaching
Campbell, D (1960) Blind variation and selective English in difficult circumstances, spending many
retention in creative thought as in other knowledge years working in developing countries in Asia and
processes. Psychological Review 67: 380400. Africa. As a poet published in Europe, the USA, New
Zealand and Britain, with four collections to date, he
Craik, F and Lockhart R (1972) Levels of Processing:
has always emphasised creativity in his teaching
A Framework for Memory Research. Journal for
and training. He is the author of several ELT books
Verbal Learning and Verbal Behaviour II: 61784.
including Writing Games, Reading Games, Introduction
Hadfield, J and Hadfield, C (1990) Writing Games. to Teaching English and the Oxford Basics series.
Harlow: Pearson.
Jill Hadfield has worked as a teacher trainer in
Koestler, A (1964) The Act of Creation. New York: Britain, France and New Zealand and worked on
Macmillan. development projects with ministries of education
and aid agencies in China, Tibet and Madagascar.
Maley, A (2012) Creative Writing for Students
She has also conducted short courses, seminars
and Teachers Humanising Language Teaching.
and workshops for teachers in many other countries.
Available online at: www.hltmag.co.uk/jun12/
She is currently Associate Professor on the Language
mart01.htm
Teacher Education team in the Department of
Murugiah, M (2013) Improving the 5th formers Language Studies at Unitec, New Zealand and
continuous writing skills through the creative writing has been appointed International Ambassador for
module. Advances in Language and Literature Studies IATEFL. She has written over 30 books, including
4/2 2 July 2013. Available online at: http://journals. the Communication Games series (Pearson),
aiac.org.au/index.php/alls/article/viewFile/83/79 Excellent!, a three level primary course (Pearson),
the Oxford Basics series, Classroom Dynamics and
Nemati, A (2009) Memory, vocabulary learning
An Introduction to Teaching English (OUP). Her latest
strategies and long-term retention. International
book, Motivating Learning, co-authored with Zoltan
Journal of Vocational and Technical Education
Dornyei, was published in 2013 by Routledge in the
1/2: 1424.
Research and Resources in Language Teaching series,
Norton Peirce, B (1995) Social Identity, Investment, of which she is also series editor.
and Language Learning. TESOL Quarterly 29: 931.

Schmitt, N (2000) Vocabulary in language teaching.

New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Simonton, D (2003) Creativity as variation and

selection: some critical constraints, in M Runco (ed)
2003, Critical Creative Processes. NJ: Hampton Press,
Cresskill.

Smith, S, Ward T and Finke R (1995) The Creative

Cognition Approach. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Teaching grammar creatively | 63

 7
From everyday activities to creative tasks
Judit Fehr

Introduction With each typical classroom/coursebook activity

discussed, I will use the following format:
Creativity is not for special days and not for a
select few; it is a life skill we use on a daily basis. How is the activity normally done?
We combine elements of a language in a way that we What alternative do I suggest?
have never heard before and express thoughts that How does the proposed change affect teacher
are truly ours. We make decisions in situations we and learner creativity?
have never been in before, form our opinions on
Adaptation, variation, extension how can the
things we never knew of before. We improvise food
idea be used in different ways?
we never ate before, find ways of using faulty objects
we cannot replace, or use tools differently from their
Background to the activities
designated use. We are humans and we simply
cannot help but be creative. This is how we survive. The activities in this chapter were designed with
Why do we then think that creativity is something secondary and adult classes in mind and they
extra in our classrooms and not an integral part of are informed by a variety of current approaches
what we do? Couldnt we integrate creativity into the including learner-centredness, holistic learning,
everyday practice of our teaching? multiple intelligences, neuro-linguistic programming,
humanistic teaching and task-based learning.
In this chapter, I aim to give tips to teachers on doing
just that: to integrate creativity into everyday
Presenting and practising vocabulary
classroom practice and typical language learning
activities and exercises. I will use a framework of When teaching vocabulary, we normally aim to help
thinking that is used by many teachers around the our students to connect the form of a word with its
world to think about and plan their lessons, namely: meaning so that they can get to the meaning if they
come across the form (they see or hear the word)
working with the language system: and that they can come up with the form (say it or
presenting and practising vocabulary write it) when they have the meaning in mind. When
presenting and practising grammar we present vocabulary, we provide the form, spoken
and/or written, and give some guide to the meaning
improving pronunciation.
through a context, images, objects, mime, sounds
working with skills: and verbal clues or by creating a situation in which
developing speaking the meaning is clarified. This often calls for a lot of
developing writing teacher creativity, as they try to find ways to clarify
meaning without using the mother tongue, but the
developing listening and reading.
students can do some of this creative work.
While sticking to this familiar framework, I would like
to show that small changes introduced step-by-step
From meanings to words
at different levels of teaching can gradually lead to a
richer and more motivational, more creative learning Students present meanings of words they dont
environment for the learners and a more fulfilling, know in English.
more rewarding teaching experience for the teachers.
Procedure
Give students an example of what we mean by
different clues for the meaning of words. For
example, if your topic is travelling by train, choose
the word train, give a simple definition, imitate the
movement and sound of a train and show students
a simple drawing of a train.

64 | From everyday activities to creative tasks

 Ask groups of four to six students to write down in Lessons from the box
their mother tongue five words on your topic that
Student-generated vocabulary games, activities
they do not know in English but they think would
and exercises.
be useful to know, e.g. station, ticket office, seat
reservation, timetable, platform, written in the Michael McCarthy claims that seven repetitions seem
students mother tongue. to be enough for most people to be able to memorise
Ask groups to provide clues to the words they a word (McCarthy, 1990: 117). Whether it is more
have chosen. They can use drama, mime, sounds, or fewer depends on many factors, such as the
drawings, gapped texts, paraphrasing anything number of new words, the quality of repetitions
but the mother-tongue word. and the lapses of time between the repetitions.
For a word presented to a student to become a
Ask groups to give their clues, one at a time.
part of their active vocabulary, we need to create
For example, students in a group pretend to be
opportunities for them to experience and use the
trains while some students make sounds like a
word in a memorable way soon after the first
loudspeaker and they sing the tune you hear
encounter, and then at longer and longer intervals.
before railway announcements in your country
Thus to keep a record of the new words is an
for the meaning of station.
important aspect of effective teaching. The easiest
Ask if another group thinks they have a clue for the way is to have a word box in your classroom and ask
same meaning. If there is a group with the same a student every lesson to make word cards for the
meaning, get them to give their clue, for example, new words and put them in the box. The box then
You can get on and off trains here, or they show a becomes the classs word bank, where you find the
picture they drew. Check with the first group if it is words that need to be recycled. Apart from using the
the same meaning. words in skills work, recycling can be done at three
Ask students if any of them know the English word, different levels of creativity.
and ask them to say the word. If not, provide the
word yourself. Get them to repeat the word and The teacher makes the game/exercise
write it on the board.
Every now and then you can use the word cards to
Continue like this, asking groups to repeat their devise games and exercises. These may include:
clues from time to time and say the word, to recap.
matching and dominoes, e.g. matching word to
definition, word to picture, word to phonetic sign,
Variation
two parts of a word, collocations, etc.
If you have a specific list of words you need to
pelmanism
teach, make a big poster/slide of the words in
the students mother tongue and ask groups snap
to choose the five they want to learn the most. miming competition
This technique can be used with any topic crossword puzzles
which students have some experience of word search
and knowledge about.
word jumbles
snakes and ladders
gap-filling
multiple choice.

See the links at the end of this chapter to sites that

give you rules, tools and ready-made word games.

From everyday activities to creative tasks | 65

 Students make a game/exercise using From blues to bliss
a familiar framework/rules Presenting and practising the different uses
Once your students are familiar with a game of the past simple and past continuous with
or activity, they can provide the cards, boards, a personalised story.
dominoes and the necessary task sheets for
each other. Procedure
Choose a game/activity your students know well, Ask students to remember their previous day
and get them to revise how it goes. and find a time when they were a bit bored, tired,
unhappy, etc. Ask them to write down this time of
Put them into small groups of about four to six.
day on a sticky note and wear it, e.g. around six
Give them a selection of word cards from the box.
in the evening.
Tell them that their task is to make the game/
activity using these words. Give groups the Get students to line up from the earliest to the
necessary art supplies (paper, cards, coloured latest time of day. Then make small groups of
pencils, etc.). students who chose similar times. Ask students to
share what they were doing at the time they chose
When the games/activities are ready, get
and demonstrate it saying I was correcting tests
the groups to swap games and play each
around six yesterday evening. What were you
others games.
doing around six?
Ask groups to give feedback to each other
Get groups to report to the whole class, e.g. Sue
on the games/activities they made.
and Peter were revising the physics homework and
I was washing up around six yesterday evening.
Students invent a new game
Ask groups to find a person or a group of people
This can be a class or school project/competition. they think could have changed that time of day
Teams of about six students work together to invent for the better for them, and write this name down,
a vocabulary game. Tell students that: e.g. Superman.
the games have to be original Ask pairs to imagine that the person(s) really
teams need to write up the rules and make all arrived and the changes their arrival caused.
the tools (board, cards, dominoes, etc.) Ask them to write this down as a short story.
there is a deadline Write the starting sentence on the board: J J
were ___ing and J was ___ing when ___ arrived.
they can organise a games session where they
can play each others games. As groups are writing their stories, monitor and
help as needed. An example of a possible story:
Sue and Peter were revising the physics
Presenting and practising grammar
homework and John was washing up when
Typically, grammar structures are presented to Superman arrived. First he did the washing-up for
learners in texts written by a third party, most John in twenty seconds and then we did a lot of
often the coursebook writer. The involvement interesting physics experiments. We laughed a lot
in the procedure for the learner is limited to: and we understood and learned everything easily.
understanding the use and the meaning We were looking at some Superman comic books
of the structure when we heard Help! Help!. Superman said
identifying it in the text goodbye and left at once.
generalising rules
Follow-up
applying rules.
Get students to write them/part of them on
This procedure engages the learners linguistically the board and use them to explain the grammar,
and logically, which is a rather limited engagement ask concept questions, represent them on a
given that our learners have a variety of skills, a timeline, etc.
wide range of experiences, and their own unique
Collect and redistribute them, making sure pairs
imagination and preferences for learning. The
do not get their own story back. Ask pairs to mime
alternative suggested below results in a more
the story as other students tell the story.
complex engagement of the learner thus a more
memorable learning experience for most.

66 | From everyday activities to creative tasks

 Collect them and make a grammar exercise using Put students into groups of four and tell them to
students stories, e.g. put the verb into the right choose one of the sheets. Ask the groups to write
tense. Or ask the creators of the stories to make as many sentences as possible using words with
up the exercises themselves and then swap with the sounds on their sheet. They can use any of the
another pair. words on the sheets or other words that come to
Get students to combine all the stories into one them with the same two sounds. They can also add
adventure story. grammar words as needed, e.g. The three silly
Smith sisters think that the maths class on
Variation Thursday is awesome. All the students should
make a copy of the sentences.
You need to find the appropriate context that
relates students lives and/or their imagination Ask students to decide who is A, B, C and D in
to the grammar point, e.g. a dream holiday for their groups. Ask students with the same letter to
future continuous, or a report about arriving sit together, taking the sentences they wrote with
on a faraway planet for present continuous. them. Youll have four groups (A, B, C, D) this way.
If groups have more than eight members,
subdivide them. This will mean that youll have
Improving pronunciation
groups A1 and A2, groups B1 and B2, etc.
Pronunciation is most often improved by recognition
Ask groups to put their lines together to make a
repetition activities. Some form of this can be very
tongue twister. They need to find the best order
playful, like using tongue twisters, which gave me the
for their lines, and they can add to and take away
idea for this activity.
from any line as they think best. They will all need
a copy of the tongue twister they make.
Ill twist your tongue
Ask them to write the groups letter sign on their
Students write tongue twisters collectively.
copy of the tongue twister and return with it to
their original groups.
Procedure
In their original groups, they then read out
Choose some tongue twisters for your class their tongue twisters and get each other to
(see the sites below). Cut them into smaller parts. repeat them.
Give each student a part of one of the tongue Ask groups to vote for the tongue twister that they
twisters. find the most challenging. Tally the votes and do
Get them to mingle and keep repeating their lines, the winning tongue twister with the whole class.
and find other students with the same tongue
twister and sit down together. Follow-up
Ask groups to put the parts in order, and then You can use these new tongue twisters in many ways:
perform the tongue twister.
to raise students awareness of different sounds:
Ask them which English sounds they find hard to give (groups of) students cards with one of the
pronounce and elicit the ones that are typically phonetic symbols in the tongue twisters. Read out
difficult for people in your students country. the tongue twisters. (Groups of) students stand up
Write the phonetic symbols of these on one and sit down quickly every time they hear the
A3 sheet each with an example of a word that sound on their card
contains this sound, e.g. // think. To the same
run a tongue-twister competition
sheet, add a sound that is in contrast with the
use them as a warm-up activity before
first sound and an example, e.g. /s/sink.
a speaking task.
Put the sheets on the walls/floor/desks or pass
them around and ask students to write more
Variation
words on the sheets with the same sounds. Add
some yourself as you walk around and monitor. To practise the stress-timed rhythm of English, you
can use jazz chants in a similar way. After teaching
some to your students, they can write their own.

From everyday activities to creative tasks | 67

 Developing speaking Example:
Typically, speaking activities fall into three Judit: Hello, Im Judits bathing suit.
categories: You are Joes trumpet, arent you?
Students talk about themselves. They are asked to Joe: Thats right. Nice to meet you.
share facts about themselves, their feelings, ideas, Judit: And you. How are you?
opinions, etc. Joe: Im a little tired.
Students talk as someone else. They act and speak Judit: Does Joe often play on you?
in a role. They receive some information about a
Joe: Yes, every day for several hours.
situation, a problem, the character they are, etc.
and they pretend to be that person in the given Judit: Good for you! Judit only takes me
situation. to the swimming pool once a week.
Students talk about someone or something Joe: How long have you been with Judit?
else. They talk about a situation/story they Judit: Ages! etc.
are not part of. After the demonstration, ask students what
adjectives could describe the objects (Judits
Students talk about themselves bathing suit: bored, neglected, old; Joes trumpet:
tired, busy).
Telltale objects
Give students a time limit of about ten minutes to
They identify with one of their own objects and talk mingle and ask them to take notes. You may want
about themselves in this role at a party. to play some party music in the background.
When time is up, ask students which objects they
Procedure
found happy, sad, clean, dirty, busy, relaxed,
Ask students what objects they use regularly at bored, old, new etc., and why.
home, at school and in their free time. Write the
objects students mention on the board, e.g. plate, Variations
fork, school bag, maths book, mobile phone, In lower-level classes, only use two objects,
computer, television, bicycle, toothbrush, ball, which all your students have, e.g. half of the
armchair, etc. students become their schoolbag and the other
Ask students to choose an object they have, half become their shoes. Students talk to each
e.g. they can choose computer if they have one. other in different object pairs.
Check who chose which object and make sure The basic idea of this activity is to aid students
you have a good variety. with, and give them an aim for, talking about
Give students a sticky note/card each and ask themselves. This can be done in many different
them to write the object they have chosen on ways, e.g. through asking them to choose some
their sticky note/card and wear it. coloured paper to represent an experience they
Explain that they are to become the object on had or through asking them to compare
their sticky note/card, i.e. they become their themselves to different objects, etc.
own plate, fork, school bag, etc. Give them a
minute to imagine what it might feel like to be that Students talk as someone else
object, e.g. their own plate, fork, school bag, etc.
Prompts for roles
Are they a happy object? Sad? Clean? Dirty? Busy?
Relaxed? Bored? Old? New? Write these adjectives When we would like our students to act and speak
on the board. as a different person, we need to communicate to
them who this person is and what the situation is.
Ask students to imagine that this is a party of their
This can be done using different prompts.
chosen objects. They will mingle and meet each
other and chat with each other as these objects.
Role cards exchange
They need to find out if the objects they talk to
are happy, sad, clean, dirty, busy, relaxed, bored, When students speak in role as a different person,
old, new, etc. (refer to the adjectives on the board), the question is: to what extent can I rely on my
and they will need to explain why they think so. students knowledge about the world, their
To be able to do this, they will need to have a chat experience and their imagination to be able to act
and ask each other questions. Demonstrate this in this role? If the situation is familiar to them, a short
with a student. scenario may be enough. If it is something that the

68 | From everyday activities to creative tasks

 students have little experience of, we tend to give Describe the situation to your learners and give
them information on how to act and what to say, too. everyone a feelings card. Tell them not to show
This, however, can be done by the students. it to anybody. Explain that as they act out the
situation, they need to start talking with the first
Procedure emotion on their card. They change to the second
Explain the situation you want students to write emotion when their partner uses the first one
role cards for, e.g. We are in a shop. The customer in a sentence about them, e.g. Oh, you are so
bought a T-shirt yesterday and at home they friendly!, or Why are you so reserved? Adjectives
realised it was torn. The customer is now talking to with similar meanings are OK, e.g. kind/nice or
the shop assistant that sold the T-shirt to him/her. unfriendly. They finish when both of them have
Have a chat about students experiences in similar named both of the feelings, or when the time you
real-life situations. set is over.

Put students into pairs and give them two blank Demonstrate how this works with a student.
cards. Ask them to write one of the characters on Then set a time limit of about three minutes.
top of one of the cards and the other character on After the role plays, ask students if they managed
the other card. Ask them to divide the cards into to get the emotions and how they worked out how
two columns and then write prompts in the two the other student was feeling.
columns, like this:
Variations
Customer
In lower-level classes, give students only
Do this Say this one emotion.
Show the hole in the T-shirt I bought it from you Some other creativity-triggering limitations
yesterday. include:
When I got home, I showed
start your reply with the last word your
it to my mother and this
partner says
hole was there.
one of the pair can only speak using questions
Give each pair a paperclip and ask them to clip
one of the pair cannot say Yes or No
the two cards together. Collect the cards and
redistribute them. Make sure pairs do not get the speakers have to start their utterances
their own cards back. with a word starting with the next letter of the
alphabet, e.g.
Pairs act out the situation using the cards
as a rehearsal. A: Are you Peter?

Pairs perform their dialogues as others listen B: Be sure I am.

and say if they think the dialogue was acted A: Can you dance with me?
out using the role cards they made. B: Do me a favour. Ask someone else.

Change of feelings scenarios Find my picture home!

Short scenarios often work better if we impose Students describe their life in a picture, while the
some kind of limitation, as this gives a direction others select the picture. Visual cues can make a
to students thoughts, and triggers their problem- situation clear at a glance while leaving it open for
solving thinking. Here the limitation is the emotions personal interpretations.
they need to express.
Procedure
Procedure
Select about five or six landscapes and put them
Choose a situation students are familiar with, e.g. on the walls so that everyone can see them. Youll
A: You are at the disco. You are sitting at a table need to have at least A3 sizes. Alternatively, make
alone. B: You are at the disco. You see Student A a slide-show and project them. Assign a letter to
at a table alone. Ask him/her to dance. each picture.
Prepare cards with two different feelings written Ask students to mentally choose one of the
on them, e.g.: friendly impatient, reserved landscapes and imagine that they live in that
infatuated, etc. Have two extra cards for picture. Who are they? What is their life like? What
demonstration. do they do? Are they lonely or do they live in a
family? Are they rich or poor? etc.

From everyday activities to creative tasks | 69

 Ask them to mingle and chat about their lives in Play the pieces again, and then ask pairs to
the role of the person they imagined. They must perform their dialogues. The class guesses
not say which picture they are from. As they talk to which music inspired the performers.
each other, they try to match the people they talk
to with the pictures and write down the persons Students talk about a third person
real name with the letter sign of their picture. As with speaking in role, students will also need
Check with the class how they matched people prompts to talk about a third person.
to pictures. Ask them if they liked their life in the
picture and why/why not. Tell me my story!

Variation Procedure
You can ask students to identify with characters Put students into small groups and ask them
or objects in a picture: to decide about a story they would like to hear.
choose a picture with quite a few objects and What kind of story should it be? A fairy tale, an
people in it adventure story, a science fiction story, a romantic
story, etc.
project it, and ask them to choose a person or an
object in the picture and speak about their life as Who are the main characters?
that person or object. The others guess who/what What is the storyline?
they are What is the title?
the student who makes the correct guess first is Ask students to draw an illustration related to this
the next person to talk. story on a sheet of A4 paper. Ask them to write the
title on it, too.
Musical dialogues Ask two groups to exchange drawings. Give
Students make up a dialogue prompted by music. groups about five minutes to prepare to tell the
story of the other group based on the drawing.
Procedure All the students in a group must take part in the
Play four or five short instrumental pieces of music story-telling.
that suggest different moods. Ask students to Put the two groups that exchanged drawings
listen to the pieces and imagine two people together and ask them to tell each other
talking. They should then think about: the stories.
Who is talking? Get different groups to exchange drawings two
What are they talking about? or three more times, and repeat the second and
third steps each time.
What is their mood?
Ask original groups to discuss which story
Is there a conflict?
based on their drawing they liked the most.
Do they agree or disagree? They may decide to give their drawing to that
Is there a change of topic/feelings? particular group.
Before playing an extract, announce the number
Variations
you have assigned to it.
Instead of drawing, groups can write key words
Stop after each extract and give students a minute
to prompt the story they would like to hear.
to jot ideas down.
You can use music to trigger students
Play all the pieces again in the same order with the
imagination. Play some extracts for characters,
same numbers announced.
the place and the problem.
After each piece of music, give students one or
two minutes to compare in pairs what situations, Developing writing
people and dialogues they imagined.
We often ask students to write something similar to
Play the pieces again and ask students to jot what they have read and/or we give them a scenario
down what people in their imagined situations and some prompts on what to write about and what
may be saying. language to use. A lot of what has been said about
Ask pairs to compare notes and then choose one developing speaking applies to developing writing,
of the imagined dialogues and get prepared to too. Creative speaking activities can often be run as
perform it. creative writing activities and/or followed up by a

70 | From everyday activities to creative tasks

 writing activity. You need to make sure, however, that Comprehension tasks fall into two main categories:
your students are familiar with the genre you want Hard listening/reading tasks
them to write, e.g. they are familiar with letter formats These allow for one interpretation and one correct
if you want them to write a letter. answer. If you misinterpret this kind of factual text
in real life, you are in trouble. You miss the bus or
Telltale objects sign a contract that goes against your interests.
Students write a letter to themselves in the role
Soft listening/reading tasks
of the object they identified with.
These allow for many interpretations. They rely on
the readers/listeners imagination and personal
Role-cards exchange judgement. How you imagine a character in a story
Pairs describe a scenario in which someone and what your opinion is of their actions does not
returns an object to a shop: fall into the categories of right or wrong. This
What is the object and what is wrong with it? open-endedness, which establishes a very
intimate, personal relationship between the
When and where was it bought?
reader/listener and the text, is an essential
What does the customer want? element of stories.
Pairs exchange scenarios and write an email/letter
Our comprehension tasks need to reflect the
of complaint using the prompts.
nature of the different texts. Both text types
Pairs read each others letters and comment may allow for some learner creativity, but more
on them/reply to them. so with the soft ones.

Change of feelings scenarios Hard listening/reading tasks

Instant messaging like real or simulated online chats/
Pre-reading/listening questions and
text messages work best. If students cannot do the
predictions
real thing, they can send a sheet of paper back
and forth. Ask students to predict information they will get
from a text, or get them to write questions they
Find a scenario that works for instant messages, would like to be answered. Discuss these after the
e.g. making an arrangement or appointment or listening/reading.
discussing what happened at school. Engage each
student in two chats at a time to keep them busy. Comprehension exercises from the students

Find my picture home! Procedure

Students write about their life in the picture. Divide the class into two groups. Ask groups to
This can be done as diary entries, blog/Facebook read/listen to different texts, parts of the same
posts or tweets. Then they match each others text, or ask them to focus on different aspects of
texts to the pictures. the same text. Ask them to make comprehension
exercises for each other. It also works if they get
Musical dialogues the same text and the two groups need to make
Ask students to write up their dialogue with stage two different types of exercise. It is also possible
instructions and give it to another pair to perform to ask students to make a summary of the text and
it. They could also write a letter as one of the make some factual mistakes in it, which another
characters to the other character in the dialogue. student will have to find and correct.
In different groups they swap and do each
Tell me my story! others exercises.
Students write the stories instead of telling them. They then get the solutions for the tasks they have
done and check them.
Developing listening and reading Those who have done each others exercises
When we want our students to practise their discuss questions and solutions in pairs or groups.
receptive skills, we want some evidence of what Discuss any issues in plenary.
they understand and how they interpret what they
have read or heard. We usually get this evidence
through comprehension questions, like open-ended
questions, true or false questions, completion,
ordering, or multiple-choice exercises.

From everyday activities to creative tasks | 71

 Soft listening/reading tasks Conclusion
These tasks invite students to share how they In this chapter, we have seen a number of more
imagine or interpret the text. They can also be invited creative alternatives to typical, everyday classroom
to elaborate on details or influence the developments exercises and procedures. They included activities
in a story. in which students create exercises and games for
each other that they normally get ready-made in
Ask students to draw an illustration or a
books or from their teachers. With others, students
cartoon strip after listening to or reading a story.
have a chance to tap into their own experience and
Then get them to compare with each other. It is
imagination, reflect on their own life, act in roles,
also possible to ask them to make some mistakes
animate objects or use their artistic, dramatic and
with the illustrations, which other students then
musical skills. The beauty of engaging our learners
need to find.
in a creative process instead of keeping them in a
Stop the recording or students reading at a point more passive and receptive role is that this decision
where a description of a character, their feelings automatically takes care of a lot of other
or a scene can logically fit. Ask students to considerations such as:
imagine it and write it down or talk about it in
How is the topic/text going to be relevant and
groups or pairs.
motivating?
Stop the recording or students reading at a point
How am I going to keep my learners busy?
where there is a decisive moment in the story. (If
they are reading, make sure you ask them before How are the learners going to be able to rely
they start reading to cover the part of the text on their other skills and knowledge?
you dont want them to read.) Get them to imagine How are they going to use the language
what happens next and share it through talking, instrumentally, i.e. to achieve an aim?
mime, drama or drawing. Then they compare How are the learners going to derive pleasure
these with what really happens. If you tell them from what they have done and achieved?
the story orally, you can stop at any point and
ask them to decide how the story goes on and Through their creativity and the freedom creative
continue the story the way students suggest. thinking gives to them, students get involved more
If there is more than one suggestion, take a deeply and in more ways than with activities that
vote or you can make the rule that you always do not call for the use of their creativity. The result
take the first suggestion you get. of their work is more characteristic of them as
individuals and expresses more who they are and
Give the descriptions of the main characters in a
where they are at the moment. Taken together, this
story to different groups of students. Ask them to
tends to lead to a richer, more memorable, more
make a drawing of their character. Then groups
enjoyable and more motivational learning
swap drawings and describe the character based
experience.
on the drawing. Groups return the drawings with
the descriptions they wrote on them. Groups
compare the description the other group made References
with the original description, and they give each McCarthy, M (1990) Vocabulary. Oxford: Oxford
other feedback. University Press.
Ask students to choose pieces of music to
represent different characters in a story. Ask Judit Fehr is a freelance teacher, teacher trainer
them to play the pieces and explain their choices. and materials writer. Her students age has ranged
Ask students to sit facing each other as you play from five-day-old to 60+, and their levels from total
a dialogue/story with several different emotions/ beginner to advanced. As a trainer, Judit works for
events. Get them to show each other through Pilgrims and the British Council, running courses and
gestures and facial expressions how people in workshops mainly in Hungary and the UK. Most of the
the story feel. Then discuss. teaching materials she has written target secondary
students. These include: Language Activities for
Teenagers (CUP) (contributor); Your Exam Success
and the Bloggers series (NTK), which are courses
developed for Hungary; and Creative Communication,
which is a collection of skills-based, task-based
modular online materials. She is a co-author of
Creative Resources with Bonnie Tsai
(IAL, Atlanta).

72 | From everyday activities to creative tasks

 8
Fostering and building upon oral creativity
in the EFL classroom
Jrgen Kurtz

Introduction communicative creativity and oral spontaneity in

foreign language learning is this utterance by Lucy,
Creativity is a fascinating phenomenon. We typically
aged 13, who tried to express the notion of living
view it in terms of thinking outside the box, in this
upstairs in the target language, coming up with
way generating partly unexpected, unconventional,
In our house, my grandparents live over me.
or novel ideas. Creativity is inventing, experimenting,
growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making I would argue that this kind of improvised speaking
mistakes, and having fun (Mary Lou Cook, attrib.). or spontaneous communicative creativity in
When we think of it in this way, we are inclined to performance is vital to target language development
associate it with a high degree of mental agility, and growth, mainly because of its inherent potential
flexibility and, ultimately perhaps, exceptional for failing forward. Good teachers are alert to
intelligence. So when we think of creativity as an and pay close attention to all kinds of little c
outstanding product or an expressive outcome, communicative creativity occurring in class and
we commonly think of great pieces of art, literature, are prepared to respond adequately, on the spur
drama or music. This tends to make us consider of the moment. However, in order to enhance
creativity as a special, very personal gift, and many target language communicative competence in
of us admire creative people for their talent and their systematic ways, foreign language teachers also
extraordinary achievements. In academia, this kind need to be able to create windows of opportunity for
of creativity has been referred to as big C creativity. flexible, creative, and partially learner-regulated and
However, we can also observe a lot of creative improvised target language use on a regular basis.
processes and acts in everyday life. These are less Waiting for little c communicative creativity and oral
spectacular, but nevertheless equally remarkable spontaneity to emerge in the EFL classroom is simply
instances of creative thought, expression, and not effective and efficient enough, given the limited
behaviour, referred to as little c creativity in amount of class time and the number of learners in
scholarly discussions (Sawyer, 2012). a typical class. Ultimately, teachers should have the
necessary know-how to design attractive learning
Everyday cooking is a good example of creativity
environments that can help nurture little c oral
with a little c. We often start off with an idea or
creativity in EFL classroom interaction.
immediate desire, and proceed with a memorised
recipe or written script we find in a cookery book. This chapter begins by briefly looking at typical
But sometimes we suddenly decide, or are forced patterns of interaction in EFL classrooms worldwide
to decide, to change or add a few ingredients, and and at potential threats to creativity in language
this can result in a unique, tasty meal (in the best education in the current age of competency-based
case). But usually, we are not aware of the creative standards, testing and outcome-oriented
character or potential of daily cooking and all the accountability, underlining the pressing need for
other things we do in daily life. flexible, more process-sensitive instruction. Placing
strong emphasis on communication as participation
When we learn a foreign language, we also engage
and on learning as transformation of participatory
in multiple instances of little c creativity. I remember
competency and skill, it presents a small selection of
little Jenny, aged ten, who tried to ask for the rubbish
task-driven, learner-centred communicative activities
bin in one of my primary EFL classes in Germany a
designed to engage foreign language learners in
few years ago. Herr Kurtz, where is the dirty basket?
increasingly self-regulated oral interaction in the
she said in a shaky, uncertain voice. This was a pretty
target language. The activities are henceforth
clever guess, because she managed to get her
referred to as improvisations.
message across, stretching her word knowledge to
its limits. An equally remarkable example of little c

Fostering and building upon oral creativity in the EFL classroom | 73

 Oral interaction in EFL classrooms learners. By analogy to the English word suicide,
around the globe Berliner (2012) warns against creaticide by design
in this context.
In many foreign language classrooms worldwide,
there is often very little room for learners to voice
their own thoughts and ideas and, furthermore,
Avoiding creaticide by design
experiment with the target language in meaningful in the EFL classroom
contexts and ways. As a considerable body of In current international second language acquisition
research shows, instruction in many EFL classrooms (SLA) and TEFL research, there is growing evidence
is usually largely pre-planned and scripted, that thinking of classroom instruction and interaction
predominantly organised in terms of (teacher) in terms of a dynamic interplay of routine and
initiation, (learner) response and (teacher) feedback novelty, planning and improvisation, and
sequences (IRF). More generally speaking, foreign predictability and unpredictability appears to be
language instruction is all too often viewed in terms highly important for promoting creative and flexible
of implementing a carefully structured curriculum, language use and, ultimately, for successful learning
attending to a particular approach or methodology, and teaching (van Lier, 2007). However, conceiving
following a specific procedure, actuating a fixed of learning and teaching in terms of disciplined
lesson plan, and interacting in pre-arranged, often improvisational practice is by no means new.
teacher-led ways. However, as already mentioned Johann Friedrich Herbart (1964) referred to this
above, in contexts like these there is usually very fundamental issue as pedagogical tact or tactfulness.
little communicative space for learners to participate In his inaugural lecture at Gttingen University, he
spontaneously from peripheral to central in originally framed learning in schools in terms of
an experimental, experiential and improvised cultivating the voice of the learner, placing strong
manner (Legutke and Thomas, 1999). emphasis on teaching as theory-informed, quick-
witted professional decision-making in the here-and-
Current education reforms initiated and
now of the classroom. Viewed from this perspective,
implemented in many countries in recent years
promoting learner-centred, spontaneous
seem to exacerbate this problem by placing primary
interactional flexibility within a supportive,
emphasis on the ability to perform to fine-graded
thoroughly planned, but not entirely scripted learning
standards of competency and skill. Imagination,
environment is a key to orchestrating lively and
creativity and flexibility are chiefly viewed from
fruitful EFL classroom interaction. In sum, it appears
this restrictive perspective. Moreover, creativity
to be important that teachers distance themselves
is typically thought of as an individual process
from what Sawyer (2001) refers to as educational
or product, not as a co-operative endeavour. In
script-think. Underhill and Maley (2012) and Underhill
general, current reform initiatives focus much more
(2014) address this issue in terms of expecting the
on accelerating measurable individual progress in
unexpected in class.
discrete areas of language learning than on fostering
mental agility, communicative flexibility, resourceful
spontaneity and a commitment to lifelong foreign Fostering little c oral creativity
language learning. through improvisational practice
In order to avoid educational script-think and,
Looking at recent education reforms in the United
ultimately, creaticide by design, teachers need to
States, Berliner (2012) cautions against placing too
question their individual beliefs about, and their role
many expectations on standards-based reforms,
in, developing oral proficiency in the EFL classroom.
on thinning down school curricula, and ultimately, on
It is essential that they reflect upon their personal
conceptualising education in terms of testing and
repertoire of teaching strategies and techniques,
measurable outcome primarily. In his view, reducing
including the ways they use EFL or ESL textbooks
education to competency-based instruction and the
and materials in class. Last but not least, they have
demonstration of knowledge and skills in centralised
to be honest with themselves about their own level
performance tests may eventually have some
of English proficiency and, if they feel it is necessary,
undesirable backwash effects. Sooner or later,
they need to invest extra time to improve it.
instructors might adopt a teaching to the test
They should then consider the following, very
mentality which in turn could contribute to a
broad guidelines for orchestrating flexible,
classroom learning atmosphere overshadowed
instantaneous interaction in class.
by fear of failure and speaking inhibitions among

74 | Fostering and building upon oral creativity in the EFL classroom

 Listening carefully to what learners say is of utmost conditions for learning to happen, and in the actual
importance to fostering learning. This may sound teaching process modify these settings flexibly,
obvious, but is complex and demanding, because simply because learners do not always learn what
teaching a foreign language encompasses paying they are taught.
attention to meaning (what do learners want to say?)
Viewed from this perspective, lesson planning
and form (how do they say it?) simultaneously. In
and improvisation are equally central to instruction.
many classrooms around the globe, teachers seem
It is perfectly clear that teachers cannot and should
to focus overmuch on forms, especially on formal
not be expected to fully anticipate what is going
mistakes or errors in pronunciation, grammar and
to happen in a lesson. Thus, unanticipated and
vocabulary. Tolerance of error is usually low. In
sometimes erroneous learner utterances are not to
addition, teachers frequently do not make it clear
be viewed as an undesirable result of poor planning
whether their focus of attention is on formal aspects
in the first place. Rather, they should be welcomed
of language or on the messages learners are
as valuable learning opportunities. We do not learn
trying to convey. In consequence, learners are
from getting things right all the time; it is mistakes
very hesitant to respond to questions related to
which fuel learning.
what they did over the weekend, if teachers react
only to the linguistic mistakes and errors they In sum, in order to promote oral proficiency in
produce, disregarding the content of the message. the target language, it is essential to create
In the long run, interactional routines like these can attractive environments for more adventurous,
severely hinder learning because they undermine partly self-regulated classroom interaction within
learners willingness to take risks and speak an error-tolerant, but not error-insensitive classroom
spontaneously and freely. setting. Making good use of improvisations is of
course only one of many teaching options, as this
Being tactful means acting mindfully with learners
publication shows.
and respecting their dignity. Viewing learners as
deficient communicators who produce lots of errors
when given the opportunity to speak freely is a highly Improvisations in the EFL classroom
questionable instructional approach. Rather, learners Improvisations are task-driven opportunities
should be seen as increasingly successful and for flexible communicative interaction in the
effective communicators who can participate classroom, primarily designed to promote
productively in many different ways in the classroom, spontaneous, increasingly complex, fluent,
if confronted with do-able demands, that is, with accurate and contextually appropriate language use
meaningful questions, cues, tasks and activities between learners. The overall focus is on promoting
which are just within their reach (Underhill and experimental oral practice in carefully planned, but
Scrivener, 2012; Scrivener, 2014). partially unpredictable situations in which learners
are allowed and encouraged to get their individual
Nevertheless, the importance of IRF sequences
ideas and messages across in many different ways,
is not to be underestimated in this context. Good
both verbally and non-verbally, activating and
questions and cues are those that facilitate learning,
stretching their entire communicative repertoire.
including simple display questions, but these should
only be used when appropriate and necessary, and As communicative journeys into the unknown,
certainly not exclusively. Ultimately, the traditional improvisations offer EFL learners a carefully
IRF pattern of interaction remains as an important designed communicative framework for context-
part of promoting learning, depending on the and culture-sensitive talk-in-interaction. In this way,
specific goals and objectives to be attained they are intended to bring together two fundamental
(Kirchhoff and Klippel, 2013). aspects of natural face-to-face exchanges outside
of the classroom:
In general, it does not make sense to think of
successful instruction in terms of an either-or logic. the predictability of everyday communicative
Teaching needs to be approached in terms of a events and social scripts as well as behavioural
more-or-less logic, depending on the specific patterns and routines
instructional contexts, goals and learners. This calls the unpredictability of spontaneous ideas
for tact or intuitive tactfulness which cannot be and thematic shifts within a given socio-
planned in advance. After all, teachers can only set communicative framework.

Fostering and building upon oral creativity in the EFL classroom | 75

 However, in order to enhance target language neglected, but it needs to be integrated in a way
learning and learning awareness systematically, that is not threatening the learners willingness
improvisations consist of two parts: an to speak. If, and only if, the reflective part of an
improvisational framework for increasingly self- improvisation is approached and conducted this
directed peer-to-peer communication, followed by way, it can serve as a fruitful basis for subsequent
teacher-guided or teacher-supported whole-class or enactments, reflections and, ultimately, participatory
group reflection, conducted in the target language empowerment in the target language.
as well. Here, teachers ought to avoid focusing
All in all, improvisations are complex learning
primarily on learners communicative problems
activities that seek to combine experientially
and target language deficits. Since nothing succeeds
grounded learner action with teacher-guided
like success, enhancing and adjusting learners
communicative reflection in a cyclical, rather
communicative contributions have to go hand
than a linear way. The following diagram sums
in hand. This does not mean that explicit error
up the underlying instructional concept:
treatment (attention to language form) is to be

Form Form Form

Meaning Meaning Meaning Meaning

Next improvised action (focus on communicative

interaction on a slightly higher level of target
language fluency, complexity, accuracy and
appropriateness)

Reflection (focus on enriching and/or adjusting

language and necessary world knowledge in terms
of promoting culture-sensitive learning; systematic
error treatment and language work if necessary)

Improvised action (focus on partly

scripted and unscripted, spontaneous
meaning-making and intention-reading in
the target language)

76 | Fostering and building upon oral creativity in the EFL classroom

 The complex architecture of an improvisation The suggested situational contexts bear
requires teachers to adopt different roles in the resemblance to real-world settings and
EFL classroom, ranging from role model (the sage communicative encounters. They vary in terms of
on the stage) to facilitator (the guide on the side). (imagined) location, number of participants involved,
In general, good communicative timing is essential level of thematic and linguistic challenge, and, last
throughout the whole instructional process. but not least, creative demand. Roughly arranged
in terms of required/targeted proficiency level
A few sample improvisations (as outlined in the Common European Framework
for Languages; see: Council of Europe 2011), they
Geared towards intermediate, upper-intermediate,
range from A1/A2 (beginning) to B2/C1 (upper-
and more advanced learners, the interactional
intermediate and advanced), but, in principle,
formats presented in the following were examined
teachers can adapt each of the suggested activities
thoroughly in terms of goal-specific design and
to the specific needs and interests of their learners
potential effects, but due to the highly contextualised
as well as to the special communicative goals and
nature of the research project in which they were
objectives sought to be attained.
developed and evaluated in Germany, they should
not be approached and misinterpreted as rigid
procedural scripts or recipes for instruction.
Rather, they should be seen as flexible instructional
frameworks or classroom scenarios that need to
be brought to life by adapting them to the specific
social and cultural contexts in which teachers wish
to use them.

Each of the exemplary improvisations outlined

below is designed to provide learners with a flexible,
situated dialogical framework that consists of:
a brief opening sequence (a scripted opening
part or lead-in intended to break the ice and to
reduce speaking inhibitions among learners)
an unscripted middle part with a few
communicative cues or incentives that leave
enough space for a wide range of spontaneous
ideas, interpretations and learner-learner
exchanges, based on prior knowledge and skill
in contrast to the traditional role plays of the
early 1970s, a communicative emergency exit
sequence (a scripted final part with which the
improvised dialogue can be brought to an end
once the participants feel that they cannot or
do not want to go any further).

Fostering and building upon oral creativity in the EFL classroom | 77

 London Zoo, Regents Park, London, UK
Level
Beginning EFL learners, proficiency levels A1/A2.

Preparation
This is for a group of two learners. The learners roles need to be defined or
negotiated beforehand.

Materials
You can download materials about London Zoo from:
www.zsl.org/zsl-london-zoo

Procedure
Opening sequence (scripted and needs to be introduced, contextualised
and practised in advance).

L1: Im so excited about our school visit to the London Zoo next week.

L2: Me too! I bet theres a lot to see and learn.

L1: My mum says the zoo has over 700 different kinds of animals.

L2: I hope they have lions and tigers, too.

Middle sequence (unscripted and spontaneous, based on communicative cues

drawn from a box).

What animals do you hope to see there?

Do you think we can touch and stroke the tiger cubs?

Id love to feed the [monkeys] and [giraffes]. What do they eat?

Id like to be a junior zoo keeper for a day. My favourite animals are

[elephants]

What do you think the Friendly Spider Programme is all about?

I would like to take some pictures, but I dont have a camera

Exit sequence (scripted, memorised through repeated practice).

L1: Well, OK then, Ive got to go home now. Im late already. See you
tomorrow?

L2: See you tomorrow. Take care.

78 | Fostering and building upon oral creativity in the EFL classroom

 La Jolla Shores, San Diego, California, USA
Level
Intermediate EFL learners, proficiency levels A2/B1.

Preparation
This is a group activity for up to four learners. The learners roles need to be
defined or negotiated beforehand.

Materials
Recommended internet search for: dog sitters San Diego, dog training San
Diego, dog day-care centers San Diego, The Original Dog Beach San Diego.

Procedure
Opening sequence (scripted, needs to be contextualised and practised
in advance).

L1: Lets go to the beach tomorrow. The weather report says its going
to be very sunny and warm.

L2: Great idea! Where to?

L3: Del Mar beach is nice. I love it. Nice waves over there.

L4: Too many surfers. What about La Jolla Shores?

L1: Cool, but lots of tourists. If we get up early we should find plenty
of space for all of us.

L2: Can I take Murphy with me?

L4: I dont know. Lets ask Mom or Dad if we can take him with us.

L3: Thats not necessary. We were there a few weeks ago. Dogs are
definitely not permitted.

L2: So what do I do with Murphy? I cant leave him alone at home all day.

Middle sequence (unscripted and spontaneous, based on communicative

cues drawn from a box).

Why not? Give him a bone and leave him in the dog kennel in the garden.

Leave Murphy in the car, air-conditioning on, while we are on the beach.

Arrange for a dog sitter (quite expensive).

Murphy jumps up on every person he meets; one-day dog training.

Drop Murphy off for dog day-care (trim nails, clean ears, shampoo fur, etc.).

Find a nice dog beach in the area.

Exit sequence (scripted, memorised through repeated practice).

Oh look, theres Mrs Miller from next door. Shes just coming back
from walking Pluto. He is such a nice dog. Lets ask her if she can take
Murphy tomorrow.

Fostering and building upon oral creativity in the EFL classroom | 79

 Flinders Street Station, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Level
Intermediate to upper-intermediate EFL learners, proficiency levels B1/B2.

Preparation
This is a pair-work activity for two learners in role. The learners roles need
to be defined or negotiated beforehand.

Materials
You can find visuals and other context-related materials at: http://ptv.vic.gov.au
and www.melbourne.vic.gov.au

Procedure
Opening sequence (scripted, to be contextualised and practised in advance,
V = visitor; R = resident).

V: Excuse me is this the tram to catch to Flemington Road?

R: No, Glen Huntly Road, you want a 19 or a 64.

V: Where do they go from?

R: Well, the 19 stops right here, but for Flemington you must change
to the 59 at Elizabeth Street.

V: OK, what about the other one you mentioned?

R: The 64? It doesnt stop here. Walk up to Bourke Street right around
the corner.

V: Thank you, but I think I better wait for the 19 right here.

R: OK. The 19 runs every ten minutes. You just missed it. Are you new
in town or just visiting?

Middle sequence (unscripted and spontaneous, based on communicative

cues drawn from a box).

V: Im a backpacker from Germany. I have only just arrived and

V: Im a travel writer and Im looking for some genuine Aussie food

V: Im just visiting family, but they dont know Im coming

V: Yes, Im new here. Im trying to find [a job; love ]

V: Im a professional photographer travelling around the world

V: Im just staying a few days. Do you know if I can use cash to pay
for the tram?

V: I wont be staying long. Does Worldwide Bank still have an office

on Flemington?

80 | Fostering and building upon oral creativity in the EFL classroom

 Exit sequence (scripted, memorised through repeated practice).
Either:

R: This is my tram. Sorry, I got to hop on now. Nice talking to you.

Enjoy your stay. Bye.

V: Many thanks again.

R: No worries.

Or:

V: Look, the tram behind this one is a 37. Thank you very much again.
Nice talking to you.

R: No worries.

Pier 21 National Immigration Museum, Halifax,

Nova Scotia, Canada
Level
Upper-intermediate to advanced.

Preparation
This is a pair work activity for two learners in role. The learners roles need
to be defined or negotiated beforehand.

Materials
You can download context related materials from: www.pier21.ca

Procedure
Opening sequence (scripted, to be contextualised and practised in advance).

L1: What a great exhibit, L2 [name; real or imaginary]. Take a look at this
poster. It says It was hard to leave our friends, but it was impossible to
stay. These must have been very difficult times, forcing people to leave
their country, their loved ones, everything they knew, and a home they
might never see again.

L2: Waiting here to be let in must have been equally difficult: People were
talking in different languages, hands and arms gesturing wildly as they
tried to make themselves understood, this woman writes.

Middle sequence (unscripted and spontaneous, based on communicative

cues drawn from a box).

Fostering and building upon oral creativity in the EFL classroom | 81

 This person says they were given cornflakes to eat when they came here.
Because of this, some felt unwelcome. They believed the idea of eating
corn was ridiculous to them it was cattle feed, or food for chickens.
What do you think of this?

This poster is about language problems: How grateful we were for those
kind souls who, speaking our language, were on hand to ease complete
strangers through the formalities of officialdom. What languages do
you speak?

Just imagine we were forced to emigrate. What would make you leave
Germany forever? [push and pull factors?]

Canada is a huge country. Where would you go to live? In one of the

big cities, perhaps?

How do you think immigration has shaped Canada?

Many people say that Canada is a nation of immigrants. What about

Germany today?

Exit sequence (scripted, memorised through repeated practice).

L1: Im so glad that Im not forced to emigrate and leave everything behind.

L2: Yes, but the good thing is, you could go, if you really wanted to. Lets
find out more about immigration to Canada today and talk about all this
later again.

82 | Fostering and building upon oral creativity in the EFL classroom

 Conclusion Kurtz, J (2011) Breaking through the communicative
cocoon, in Sawyer, RK (ed), Structure and
Empowering foreign language learners to
Improvisation in Creative Teaching. Cambridge:
communicate increasingly freely takes time and
Cambridge University Press.
patience. As case-study research carried out in
various EFL classrooms in Germany indicates (Kurtz, Legutke, M and Thomas, H (1999) Process and
2011), learners are more likely to participate actively, Experience in the Language Classroom. London/New
creatively and autonomously, if teachers offer York: Longman.
appealing communicative scenarios or frameworks
Lier, L van (2007) Action-based teaching, autonomy
for partly self-directed target language use, and,
and identity. Innovation in Language Learning and
furthermore, orchestrate oral classroom interaction
Teaching 1: 4665.
tactfully, as it emerges. This entails being prepared
for and accepting errors and mistakes as a natural Sawyer, R (2001) Creating Conversations.
part of the overall learning process. Interrupting and Improvisation in Everyday Discourse. Cresskill,
explicitly correcting learners while they are trying to N.J.: Hampton.
get a message across will almost certainly reduce
Sawyer, R (2012) Explaining Creativity: The Science
their willingness to improvise and take
of Human Innovation. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
communicative risks.
Scrivener, J (2014) Demand-high Teaching. The
The exemplary improvisational activities presented
European Journal of Applied Linguistics and TEFL 3/2.
in this chapter are intended to function as stepping
stones towards establishing a learning culture in Underhill, A (2014) Training for the unpredictable.
the EFL classroom which is less mechanical, less The European Journal of Applied Linguistics and
scripted and less teacher-dominated. Ultimately, TEFL 3/2.
however, creativity will only flourish if teachers
Underhill, A and Maley, A (2012) Expect the
break old patterns and embrace spontaneity and
unexpected. English Teaching Professional 82: 47.
unpredictability as essential parts of everyday
classroom interaction. Underhill, A and Scrivener, J (2012) Demand high
ELT. A Discussion about re-inventing our profession.
References Available online at: http://demandhighelt.wordpress.
com/
Berliner, D (2012) Narrowing Curriculum,
Assessments, and Conceptions of What It Means to
Be Smart in the US Schools: Creaticide by Design, Jrgen Kurtz is Professor of English/Teaching
in Ambrose D and Sternberg, RJ (eds) How Dogmatic English as a Foreign Language at Justus Liebig
Beliefs Harm Creativity and Higher-Level Thinking. University (JLU) Giessen, Germany. He previously
New York: Routledge. taught at the University of Dortmund (TU), at
Karlsruhe University of Education, and at Saint Marys
Council of Europe (2011) Common European
University, Halifax, Canada. His current research
Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning,
focuses on the role of improvisation and creativity
Teaching, Assessment. Council of Europe. Available
in enhancing oral proficiency in EFL classrooms, on
online at: www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/Source/
EFL textbook analysis, use and development, and
Framework_EN.pdf
on culture-sensitive foreign language education.
Herbart, J (1964) Vorlesungen ber Pdagogik.
[Lectures on Pedagogy, JK]. Heidelberg: Quelle
& Meyer.

Kirchhoff, P and Klippel, F (2013) On the role of

teacher questions in EFL classrooms: Analyzing
lesson videos, in Pawlak, M, Bielak, J and
Mystkowska-Wiertelak, A (eds) Classroom-Oriented
Research: Achievements and Challenges. Berlin:
Springer.

Fostering and building upon oral creativity in the EFL classroom | 83

 9
Old wine in new bottles: solving language
teaching problems creatively
Kathleen M Bailey and Anita Krishnan

Introduction Brief background

The editors of this volume shared with us the The concept of multiple intelligences has been
following definition of creativity: the ability to used widely in general education, and in recent years
produce something new from imaginative skill, it has been applied in language education as well
whether a new solution to a problem, a new method (Puchta and Rinvolucri, 2005). Multiple intelligence
or device, or a new artistic object or form. They theory, in essence, is the idea that everyone has
also note as applied to education, we may see this various kinds of intelligence, and that these
broadly as the developing of creativity in teachers, intelligences influence the ways in which we learn.
and the developing of their skills in developing the The theory posits eight types of intelligence (see,
creativity of learners. e.g. Armstrong, 2000; Gardner, 1983, 1999, 2011):

But as teachers, we do not think that creativity visual-spatial intelligence

should be limited to a new method or device, or a The ability to create visual images of a project
new artistic object or form. Indeed, the possibility or idea, and to act on such visualisation
that creativity can be manifested in a new solution bodily-kinaesthetic intelligence
to a problem is the aspect of creativity which is Using ones own body for expression or to
most closely related to the daily work of teachers. solve problems
From our perspective, creativity can also involve musical-rhythmic intelligence
using existing materials in novel ways to address The ability to perform musically or to compose
problems in language teaching. In fact, we agree music, to think in musical patterns, or to see and
with Andreasen (2014) that the essence of creativity hear musical patterns and manipulate them
is making connections and solving puzzles.
verbal-linguistic intelligence
This chapter documents a number of creative uses The use of language; the ability to read, write,
of images and objects by English language teachers or talk to others
who have worked in under-resourced areas. We logical-mathematical intelligence
gathered these ideas from email correspondence Using numbers, understanding patterns,
with teachers working in several different countries and exhibiting logical reasoning skills
around the world. We describe creative activities and
naturalist intelligence
tools that these teachers have developed, working
Being in tune with nature; being interested
entirely with free or very inexpensive materials.
in living things; understanding features of
We begin by summarising some information the natural world
about Gardners theory of multiple intelligences. interpersonal intelligence
We use that framework to explore several low-cost Sensitivity towards others; the ability to work
strategies that English language teachers use to well with other people, understand others,
generate creative new solutions to problems. We and assume leadership roles
will provide examples of how teachers have helped
intrapersonal intelligence
to prepare their own students to be creative learners
Being self-aware; understanding personal
and users of English.
wants and abilities, and acting according
to this knowledge (Gardner, 1983, 1999).

84 | Old wine in new bottles: solving language teaching problems creatively

 Driscoll and Nagel (2010) cite the work of Armstrong
(2000), who claimed that people possess all of the
multiple intelligences and that these intelligences
can work together to promote learning. We believe
that while learners may have varying levels of ability
in the different intelligences, most people have the
potential to develop each one further.

Teachers who are aware of, and intentionally work

with, these kinds of intelligences can draw upon
students existing strengths. While it can be assumed
that most activities in language classes involve
verbal-linguistic intelligence, teachers can help
learners develop their other intelligences as well.
In this chapter, several of the creative ideas teachers
shared with us exemplify activities or resources
that cater to various intelligences, in order to
enhance learning.

Old wine in new bottles: solving language teaching problems creatively | 85

 Practical suggestions from teachers
In this section we will share several creative ideas we gathered from experienced
English language teachers who have worked in under-resourced contexts around
the world. Much of their creativity involved generating innovative solutions to
problems, particularly the problem of having limited materials. The teachers gave
us permission to share their ideas in this chapter.

Creating postcards
By Kait Decker

Level
Secondary school students, lower-level learners.

Intelligences
Visual-spatial and verbal-linguistic intelligences.

Materials
Paper, colour pencils/markers, and tourism brochures (or other sources
of information about the local area).

Procedure
Have your students read the brochure information about the local area and
copy down different parts of the text.
Ask them to each create a postcard with the information by drawing a picture
to accompany the written text.
Have students share their postcards either with a partner, a group, or with the
whole class.

Variation
If you are working with more proficient learners, you can adapt the activity so
that students have to write their own original texts rather than copying them
from brochures.

To give the activity a real-life context, you can also match your class with another
English class (either from your school or another school), and have students from
the different classes exchange postcards like pen-pals.

Name placards
By Kait Decker

Level
Secondary school students.

Intelligence
Visual-spatial, verbal-linguistic and bodily-kinaesthetic intelligences, with
elements of intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligences.

Materials
Paper and colour pencils/markers.

86 | Old wine in new bottles: solving language teaching problems creatively

 Procedure
Ask your students to make signs with their names on them.
Instruct students to illustrate the signs with drawings that represent
information about themselves.
Have students present their placards to their classmates by describing their
drawings and sharing information about themselves.
Encourage students to be as creative as possible with both the writing and
illustrating steps.

Variation
Instead of drawing, students can cut out and paste images from magazines
or brochures on their name placards.

Guided drawing
By Kait Decker

Level
Secondary school students/adults.

Intelligence
Visual-spatial, verbal-linguistic, and bodily-kinaesthetic intelligences; the variation
adds an interpersonal element.

Materials
Paper and a writing instrument (e.g. pencil, pen, marker).

Procedure
Draw an image constructed of simple geometric shapes (e.g. a house
consisting of a large square, two smaller squares for windows, a rectangle
for the door, a triangle for the roof).
Describe the image to your students and ask them to listen to your directions
and to attempt to recreate the image.
Show students the original drawing and ask them to compare the pictures they
have created with it.
Ask students to draw their own simple figure using similar geometric forms.
Put students into pairs and have them take turns describing to their classmate
how to draw their particular image.

Variation
Once students are creating and describing their own images in partners
(steps four and five), you can vary this activity by using tango seating.
In this seating arrangement, paired students sit side-by-side facing opposite
directions, so that their right shoulders are nearly touching. Tango seating
is a useful variation because when the two learners can neither see each
other nor see the original drawing, they are forced to express themselves
verbally, to produce the target language, and to listen closely to their
partners descriptions.

Old wine in new bottles: solving language teaching problems creatively | 87

 Grocery store flyers
By Kait Decker

Level
Secondary school students.

Intelligence
Bodily-kinaesthetic, mathematical-logical, verbal-linguistic, and interpersonal
intelligences.

Materials
Paper (construction paper, when available), scissors, glue, colour pencils/markers
and grocery store flyers.

Procedure
Ask your students to look through grocery store flyers and to cut out pictures
of food items.
Have them paste the cut-out pictures on a sheet of paper.
Instruct students to make up their own prices for each item. You can allow
students to arrange the images into categories if they wish (e.g. dairy products,
meat, vegetables, fruit).
Ask your students to invent original names for their stores, and to write the
names decoratively on their flyers.

Variations
Students can use these flyers to enact role plays in English in which some
students play the role of shopkeeper while others act as customers.

The materials created from this activity help students engage in target language
practice and can be used to focus on different features of English. For example,
you can use this activity to draw students attention to grammar points (e.g. count
and non-count nouns); for vocabulary practice (the names of foods); to practise
mathematical functions and numbers; to teach common phrases used while
grocery shopping.

Other kinds of two-dimensional images that can be used creatively in language

teaching include maps, timelines, mind maps, charts and graphs. In addition to
working with existing resources like these, students can create their own graphic
organisers. For instance, students can draw timelines representing important
events in their own lives or the history of their country. These timelines can be
illustrated with drawings or photographs or cut-outs from old magazines.

Simple objects can also be used productively in language lessons to activate

students various intelligences. Household items or available school supplies
(pencils, paperclips, scissors, etc.) can be used creatively to generate language
practice for vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation lessons, as illustrated below.
None of these activities require expensive materials.

Guess the item

By Keri-Ann Moore

Level
Beginner level, including children.

88 | Old wine in new bottles: solving language teaching problems creatively

 Intelligence
Bodily-kinaesthetic, verbal-linguistic, and visual-spatial intelligences; the variation
may activate naturalist intelligence.

Materials
A box (or any kind of large container), and several household items or school
supplies that are available locally.

Procedure
Collect several items and place them in the box. Show your students all of
the items before turning away from them to remove one item from the box.
Show your students the contents of the box once again and ask them to guess
the missing item.
Let the students lead the activity by giving each one a turn to remove an item
and having the other students guess the missing item.

Variation
You can fill the box with rocks, shells, leaves, twigs, feathers and other natural
items from the surrounding environment.

This simple game focuses the students attention and provides an engaging way
to reinforce vocabulary learning. Items should be selected based on the target
vocabulary aims you have for your students. For example, these items could
include familiar foods such as fruits or vegetables, or other common items like
combs, brushes, pencils, keys or spoons.

Pronunciation awareness raising

By Aya Matsuda

Level
This procedure is probably best used with teenagers and adults rather than children.

Intelligence
Bodily-kinaesthetic and verbal-linguistic intelligences.

Materials
Flat lollipops, one per student.

Procedure
Have the students say words with different vowel sounds while the lollipops
are in their mouths.
Have the students describe the tongue movement involved in producing
each vowel.

Variations
For lower-level learners, students can mark tongue placement on a vowel chart
instead of describing the tongue movements verbally. If lollipops are not available,
you can use spoons or tongue depressors.

The use of lollipops in this activity helps learners understand the somewhat
abstract concept of tongue placement in English production in a more concrete
and physical way.

Old wine in new bottles: solving language teaching problems creatively | 89

 Total physical response (TPR) with paper shapes
By Kathi Bailey

Level
Any age; any level.

Intelligence
Visual-spatial, bodily-kinaesthetic, verbal-linguistic and logical-mathematical
intelligences.

Materials
Colour paper, scissors; variations require building blocks or several sets
of playing cards.

Procedure
Cut out basic geometric shapes (squares, circles, triangles, rectangles)
of varying sizes from the colour paper.
Distribute a set of shapes to each student.
Give your students instructions like these: Put the small red circle on top
of the large blue square. Put the large green triangle under the small red
circle. (You can make your instructions as simple or complicated as you
would like, depending on the level of students.)

Variations
You can do a similar activity using either a set of building blocks or by stacking
playing cards in a particular sequence. If you use playing cards, for example, start
by giving each student just one suit (such as clubs). If there are desks or tables,
you can give commands such as Put the three on the desk. Put the seven to the
right of the three. Put the two between the seven and the three.

These TPR activities provide good practice with numbers, prepositions and
directions. In addition, students get listening practice while simultaneously
handling objects, which can facilitate learning and memory of the target language.

If colour paper is not readily available, you can substitute plain white paper by
simply eliminating the colour from the commands. If paper is not an available
resource, you can use local objects, such as leaves, seedpods or shells. In fact,
teachers can use any materials that are locally available for this activity. Using
Cuisenaire rods, from the silent way method, is also an option for teachers who
have access to them.

Games are yet another creative way to engage learners in memorable and
motivational activities in the language classroom. The following games all use
inexpensive or free items in a fun and engaging way, promoting communicative
language use and evoking a range of intelligences in language learners.

90 | Old wine in new bottles: solving language teaching problems creatively

 Fluency relay
By Doug Brown

Level
Most effective with teenagers and adults.

Intelligence
Visual-spatial, bodily-kinaesthetic, verbal-linguistic, interpersonal and logical-
mathematical intelligences.

Materials
This game is most effectively played with building blocks, but playing cards can
be used if blocks are not available.

Procedure
Divide your students into groups of four.
Assign each team an observer, a watcher, a communicator and a builder.
Explain the roles to your students: the observer watches the entire process of
the game and takes notes on the language being used, but cannot speak until
the game is over; the watcher sees the teachers original structure as it is being
built and relays the information to the communicator; the communicator hears
the watchers description of the structure and tells it to the builder; the builder
must attempt to recreate the teachers structure from the information they
have received.
Build a structure out of blocks or arrange the playing cards in a particular pattern
and only allow the watchers to see the structure. (You can hide it behind a book
or cardboard folder, or simply build it while facing away from your students.)
The watchers observe the original structure being built.
The watchers describe the structure to the communicators.
The communicators instruct the builders how to recreate the structures,
without having seen the structure themselves.
Following the communicators instructions, the builder is charged with
recreating the hidden structure from second-hand directions alone. (Note:
throughout steps five to eight, the observers are watching and listening to the
entire process, noting down the language and communication strategies used
by their teammates.)
When the game is over, the teams get to see the original structure that you
built and discuss why their structure may differ from the model.

Variations
If the builder has questions for the communicator, it is up to the teacher to decide
whether the students can speak to each other multiple times for clarification,
or if they only have one chance to deliver the information.

The student teams must all have the same set of blocks as the teacher, as their
goal is to replicate what the teacher has built by communicating with each other
about the structure. The first team to correctly recreate the teachers original
structure wins the game.

This game is a more complex variation of the previous TPR activity. By adding
in a co-operative-competitive element, the simple activity becomes more fun
and challenging. Fluency relay also requires learners to produce different kinds
of language in the classroom, based on the varied nature of each role, while
simultaneously increasing their language awareness.

Old wine in new bottles: solving language teaching problems creatively | 91

 Personal event timeline
By Christina Baldarelli

Level
Adults/teenagers; appropriate for all levels.

Intelligence
Verbal-linguistic, visual-spatial, bodily-kinaesthetic, interpersonal intelligences,
and to a certain extent, mathematical-logical intelligence.

Materials
Strips of paper and pairs of dice.

Procedure
Give each learner three slips of paper, instructing them to write the following
two things on each one: a) the date of a significant event in their lives; b)
a sentence describing the event.
Divide the class into groups of three to five students each.
In their groups, ask students to arrange the slips of paper chronologically
on a flat surface.
Have each student select an individual marker (any small item that is locally
available, e.g. a shell or a rock) as their playing piece.
One person in every group rolls the dice and moves their marker to the
corresponding slip of paper, reading the date and event aloud.
The student who wrote the chosen date and event is then required to speak
for approximately one minute, describing the event and why it is significant
to them.

Variations
Include a specific grammar focus (e.g. past tense), or require the student who
had the previous turn to ask a question to the student whos just told a story.

A creative variation of this game is based on the ice-breaker two truths and a lie.
In this version, students must write two true statements and one false one.
Christina felt that this added twist required the students to listen very carefully
so they could decide which statement was false.

These kinds of small group activities are very effective in large classroom settings
because they allow for all students to be engaged at the same time. Christina
shared the following comment: This activity struck me as so fundamentally
accessible for any student, and in repeating it for various classes in the years
since, I still have yet to find a student who hasnt been engaged by it.

92 | Old wine in new bottles: solving language teaching problems creatively

 Vocabulary flip cup
By Jeramie Heflin

Level
Teenagers/adults; suitable for all levels.

Intelligence
Visual-spatial, bodily-kinaesthetic, verbal-linguistic and interpersonal
intelligences.

Materials
Cut-up bits of paper, paper or plastic cups, a long table or flat surface.

Procedure
Write new vocabulary words on strips of paper.
Cut up the words into individual letters.
Put the cut-up letters of each word into different cups (each word gets
its own cup).
Line up the cups on opposite sides of the table.
Divide students into two teams.
In a relay style, the students compete against each other by trying to flip
the cup over, then arranging the letters to form the vocabulary word.
(Note: Students flip cups by placing them on the edge of the table and using
their fingers to toss the cup up so that it lands upside-down on the table).
Once a student has correctly arranged the letters, the next student on the
team can begin their turn. The first team to finish wins the game.

Variations
This spelling game could also be expanded to having the students use the
vocabulary in sentences. They could even challenge the other team to make
up sentences using particular vocabulary items.

As English does not always have a strong phoneme-grapheme correspondence,

spelling in English can be very challenging. This is particularly the case for
students whose first language spelling system closely matches the sound system
of that language. This game allows students who are not normally good at English
spelling an opportunity to succeed, as their ability to spell English words may be
scaffolded by seeing the cut-up letters.

When Christina Baldarelli was teaching in Kazakhstan, she had very limited
access to teaching materials. Fortunately, the US Embassy sponsored an
American corner in the local library with a shelf that offered simple free
materials for teachers to use. It often had several copies of National Geographic.
Christina wrote, Since there were not many other resources available, I tried
to make use of these in any way possible to break up the monotony of our
mandated textbooks (or sometimes lack thereof!). The following activity is
based on this context.

Old wine in new bottles: solving language teaching problems creatively | 93

 Narrating photos
By Christina Baldarelli

Level
Low-level learners; variations make the activity suitable for any level.

Intelligence
Visual-spatial, verbal-linguistic and interpersonal intelligences.

Materials
Old magazines with photos (National Geographic works well), scissors, tape, paper.

Procedure
Give each student a photo of a single person performing some kind of action.
(You can either cut these out ahead of time or instruct students to find their
own photos and cut them out during class.)
Ask students to write three sentences describing the physical appearance
of the person in the photo.
Collect all of the photos and post them in the front of the room.
Collect all of the students descriptions, redistribute them and ask students
to read the description they were given and to identify which photo matches
the description.
Instruct students to post the description alongside the appropriate photo
on the wall.
Have students return to the photo that they started with and read the
description to confirm whether it was the one they had written originally.

Variations
For higher-level learners, you can creatively adapt this activity in a number
of ways, by asking students to:

generate three sentences describing the people in the pictures without

using any colours
make predictions about the photos
write a haiku poem from the perspective of the person in the photo
speculate about the people in the photo, asking them what challenges the
person may face and what might contribute to these challenges.
In the original activity, Christina found that her students engaged in interesting
discussions after matching the photos with their descriptions, depending on
whether the matches were correct or incorrect. Regarding the creative variations,
she commented, As the task became more abstract, the students showed
creativity and stretched the assignment to connect with the issues that meant
something to them, whether political, global or personal.

Christinas lack of materials is a situation commonly faced by teachers working in

under-resourced areas. Her use of photographs from old magazines influenced
the culture of her school and attracted the attention of other teachers. The
students began to use what they had done in her course in their other classes.
For example, some of the people in the photos evolved into characters in the
students creative writing projects. Christina shared that the reaction of teachers
in her department was rather surprising: My local colleagues were always keen to
borrow the books I had lent their students, which they believed to be the source

94 | Old wine in new bottles: solving language teaching problems creatively

 of the characters that were surfacing in assignments or stories in their own
classes. They were always disappointed that the only materials I had to share
were my tattered photos. They may have been a bit suspicious that I had a cache
of special literature somewhere that I was keeping secret and lending out to my
favourite students.

Christinas story demonstrates both her own and her students creativity,
and illustrates how visual images can be used in a variety of ways to promote
language learning and target language use.

Teachers in under-resourced areas have also come up with numerous creative

ways to solve problems. Some of these solutions have resulted in inexpensive
tools that can be used and re-used in language lessons.

Mini-whiteboards
By Sarah Hoch and Keri-Ann Moore

Level
Any age/any level.

Intelligence
Intrapersonal, verbal-linguistic, visual-spatial and bodily-kinaesthetic
intelligences.

Materials
White paper, plastic page-protectors, washable markers, damp cloth/paper towel
or whiteboard erasers.

Procedure
To create their whiteboards, instruct your students to insert a plain piece
of paper into a plastic page-protector.
Students can write on the whiteboards with the washable markers and use
a damp towel or whiteboard eraser to erase the writing.

Variations
Mini-whiteboards are creative, inexpensive and versatile learning tools that are
particularly effective in large classes. For instance, Sarah Hoch asked students
to respond to a listening prompt by drawing a picture or writing a word or a
sentence. She noted that these mini-whiteboards are especially useful for
teenagers, who co-operate better in class if they are engaged in activities
that involve competition rather than grammar exercises.

There is no limit to how teachers can use these mini-whiteboards in their

classrooms. By enabling students to respond individually, the use of mini-
whiteboards allows each student to engage with the task at hand to the best of
their abilities. In addition, teachers can also use mini-whiteboards for assessment
purposes by monitoring students answers in class and using them to gauge the
individual progress of many students at once. Keri-Ann commented, Sometimes
I ask a question and have each student write it and display their board so that I
can know that each student is understanding. It also helps me as a teacher because
Im easily able to see when a majority of the class is not understanding something.

Old wine in new bottles: solving language teaching problems creatively | 95

 Conclusion Some readers may feel that the activities described
above are simply fun and games. However, in our
In this chapter, we have described several examples
experience, and in the experience of the teachers
of creative activities that teachers in under-
who so graciously shared their ideas with us, there
resourced areas have shared with us. A parable in
is a point to using images, objects and interactive
the New Testament advises people not to put new
games creatively in the language classroom.
wine into old bottles, because doing so would break
We believe that engaging learners in language
the bottles. We have flipped the saying around in our
practice that is simultaneously challenging and
title to suggest that old or commonplace materials
rewarding leads to communicative interaction
can indeed be used in novel ways, as the activities
and creates contexts that facilitate language
clearly show.
acquisition. In addition, we believe that these
The suggestions we have described here, however, activities activate and may even develop students
only provide a glimpse into the many ways teachers various intelligences. In the words of Mary Ann
solve problems creatively, using simple images or Christison, a recognised expert on multiple
objects that are readily available in their local intelligences and language learning, Intelligences
environment. Countless activities, tools and games work together in complex ways. Because no
can be adapted to promote language learning, intelligence exists by itself, language learning
which allows students to tap into several kinds activities may be successful because they actively
of intelligence at once. encourage the use of several intelligences
(199596: 10).
There are many creative solutions to ongoing
problems (e.g. limited materials, large classes)
which we have not discussed in this chapter. Crafting References
activities around the arts is one way to achieve this Andreasen, N (2014) Secrets of the creative brain.
goal. For example, music can be introduced into the The Atlantic. Available online at: www.theatlantic.
classroom by having students write and sing their com/features/archive/2014/06/secrets-of-the-
own songs, draw pictures to illustrate songs or act creative-brain/372299/
out different songs. These activities would obviously
Armstrong, T (2000) In their own way: Discovering
stimulate musical-rhythmic intelligence as well as
and encouraging your childs multiple intelligences.
several of the other intelligences discussed above.
New York, NY: Penguin.
Learners who are more dramatically inclined can be
Christison, M (199596) Multiple intelligences and
asked to create skits, improvisations and role plays,
second language learners. The Journal of the
or to write and perform their own original plays. As
Imagination in Language Learning 3: 813.
Christina Baldarellis use of haiku poems illustrates,
creative writing is another way for teachers to elicit Driscoll, A, and Nagel, N (2010) The eight
and assess their students production of the target intelligences. Available online at: www.education.
language. Other creative writing activities for com/reference/article/eight-intelligences/
language learners include writing autobiographies,
Gardner, H (1983) Frames of mind: The theory of
poetry, biographies, short stories, and radio or
multiple intelligences. New York, NY: Basic Books.
television shows. As many of these activities
encourage group work, they allow students to Gardner, H (1999) Intelligence reframed. New York,
develop their communication and language skills NY: Basic Books.
within a realistic social context, thus engaging their
Gardner, H (2011) Frames of mind: The theory of
interpersonal intelligence.
multiple intelligences (second edition). New York, NY:
Basic Books.

Puchta, H and Rinvolucri, M (2005) Multiple

Intelligences in EFL. Innsbruck, Austria: Helbling
Languages.

96 | Old wine in new bottles: solving language teaching problems creatively

 Dr Kathleen M Bailey received her MA in TESL and
her PhD in Applied Linguistics from the University
of California at Los Angeles. She now works at the
Monterey Institute of International Studies in
California, where she teaches graduate courses
in language assessment, research methods and
language teacher education. Her research interests
include teacher development and supervision,
language assessment, classroom research and the
teaching of speaking. She served as the President
of TESOL from 1998 to 1999 and is the President
of TIRF, The International Research Foundation for
English Language Education, and the Vice President
of the American Association for Applied Linguistics.

Anita Krishnan is currently a graduate student at

the Monterey Institute of International Studies,
pursuing a masters degree in Teaching English to
Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). She holds a
BA in Journalism and Mass Communications, with a
minor in Linguistics, from New York University. In
2008, Anita earned an ESL teaching certificate
through a year-long programme at The New School.
She has since taught English in various contexts in
New York City, California, and in rural Paraguay,
where she served as a Peace Corps Volunteer for
two years.

Old wine in new bottles: solving language teaching problems creatively | 97

 10
A creative approach to language teaching:
a way to recognise, encourage and appreciate
students contributions to language classes
Libor Stepanek

Introduction Theoretical background

This chapter offers a practical insight into a Creativity is a complex field studied and discussed
creative approach to language teaching, which from many different perspectives. This is one of the
has been developed as a reaction to recent changes reasons why there is no generally accepted definition
in, and the growing demand for, creativity, flexibility and we always have to be aware of the point of view
and advanced communication skills in the current we take in defining creativity. A creative approach
knowledge and communication society. These social to language teaching is an approach that presents
and cultural changes influence all sectors of society creativity as one of our many innate skills, a talent
and have an enormous impact on the area of that every person and every language learner has.
education. As schools, universities and their This approach focuses on the idea that we all can
language centres across the world adopt new enjoy the potential to be creative under certain
pedagogies, methodologies and educational conditions; that we all abound with many different
styles, the roles of both teachers and learners forms and levels of creativity and that it is the
are beginning to change. Language learners tend teachers task to stimulate the creative potential
to be less and less seen as mere objects of teaching. in students.
Increasingly, they become active partners in
Language teachers have three advantages that
individualised and interactive learning processes.
can help stimulate creativity in students.
Similarly, language teachers tend to be less and
less seen as authoritative truth-tellers. Increasingly, First, language is creative by its very nature. We
they become guides, advisers and facilitators of can express or communicate one idea in many
those learning processes. different ways. Furthermore, every expressed or
communicated idea can provoke many different
Such significant changes in roles require higher
reactions. Every single sentence, phrase or word
levels of flexibility and creativity, and these areas
we say or write is created in a unique moment of
have become the focus of recent research at
communication and can be recreated, reformulated,
Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic. This
paraphrased or changed according to the goals of
chapter presents an approach which has been
the speaker or writer.
developed, tested and successfully implemented at
Masaryk University Language Centre. The approach Second, language classes are not limited by any
is primarily used by university teachers but it could specialised subject or knowledge. Language
also be used by teachers and teacher trainers in all teachers can, therefore, build their lessons on topics
types of schools for all levels of language learners. related to sport, management, law or philosophy and
Its main aim is to invite teachers to recognise and still focus on language. This is why a community-of-
value the existing knowledge and the diverse skills practice setting, where students and teachers share
language learners bring with them, and to encourage their individual types of expertise and knowledge,
learners contributions to language classes. can be more easily established.

98 | A creative approach to language teaching: students contributions

 Third, language classes can easily engage students situations outside of the class in which students
in creative situations. By creative situations we mean have to form opinions, make decisions, look for
close-to-reality situations in which students do not solutions and respond to authentic reactions from
use well-known and practised steps that can be their peers. Then, some writing activities are
applied almost automatically in order to achieve one presented. A song task suggests how to introduce
correct solution to a problem. In creative situations, writing from a different perspective, while a peer-
students have to produce one or more answers to review writing activity illustrates strategies that can
a series of inter-connected problems. They do not help learners recognise the absence of absolutely
know what steps can be used to solve a problem, correct/incorrect situations in writing and give them
they may not be sure if the problem has one solution, more confidence as authors. Similarly, a grammar
a wide range of possible solutions or if it has any activity is put forward in order to illustrate cases that
solution at all. Students simply do not encounter do not expose students to situations with wrong or
clear-cut situations that can result only in succeed- incorrect solutions. And finally, a vocabulary task is
fail or correct-incorrect solutions, rather they presented in order to show how learning can build
face unclear situations with unclear and tentative on students existing knowledge and language skills.
solutions. Sometimes, even the setting of a situation It also allows teachers to show students some
or instructions can require a certain level of possible barriers to creativity.
interpretation. Since language usage represents
a form of communication that can be used in near- Student-generated sources
reality situations can be created more easily than
Teachers often believe it is their duty to choose
in classes of chemistry or history, for example.
texts and activities for students, and are sometimes
To sum up, a creative approach to language teaching, surprised when students are not satisfied with their
which is based on the idea that any student can choice. In order to minimise the danger of spending
be creative when they are engaged in creative too much time on preparing materials our students
situations, shows students the complexity of a do not find engaging, we can use strategies of the
language by exposing them to close-to-real-life negotiated syllabus method and ask them to find
situations in a safe, flexible and dynamic environment useful materials and decide which activities they
by means of a class of learners constituted as a would like to try on their own. This activity can
community of practice. improve students autonomy and cater for individual
learning styles.
Practical suggestions and activities We can show the principles by using the example
The range of creative activities that have some of reading skills. We can ask students to:
potential to enhance language learning is relatively explore their fields of interest and find texts they
broad. The following section presents five examples consider both interesting and of high quality
of successfully used practical tasks relevant to whole
send samples of such texts to the course
courses, a series of activities and some individual
online space
assignments. First, an example of student-generated
sources is given in order to offer a range of internet- read the text samples before the following session.
search-based activities that focus on creative

A creative approach to language teaching: students contributions | 99

 At this point, we can choose to take control and writing, webquests and music, and its goal is to find
decide what activities we are going to do, based a song about writing (e.g. how to write an essay rap).
on the collected texts. In other words, we have
In this activity we ask students to:
saved our time when looking for texts that could
be interesting for the group, and our task then go to the internet and look for songs that are
is to find the appropriate sections of the collected related to writing in general or to any specific
samples that can suit our teaching purposes best. area we want them to focus on
Alternatively, we can ask students to identify choose one or two songs and share them with the
problematic issues or issues of interest and follow others. Students can post links to a discussion forum
their particular needs. In order to help them identify or to any other online space the group shares.
issues, we may proceed in different ways and ask
The internet offers some great songs and an
them to:
enormous number of terrible, weird and
compare their own texts with those of their embarrassing songs. Both types are equally useful
classmates and see what differences or for our purposes. Thanks to the song material they
similarities they find have found, students previously unaware of English
choose one text and paraphrase it in their writing style can get to know some basic rules and
own words principles outside of the class in a way that allows
identify the main ideas in each text them to accept writing more naturally. Songs sourced
by other students allow students to see the world of
identify the authors position
writing from a new, more humorous and enjoyable
discuss their internet search strategies perspective.
vote for the most interesting text, the least
Thanks to the flexibility of its outcomes, this activity
understandable text, a text with the highest
can also bring diverse benefits to teachers who may
level of past tense use, with widest range of
obtain a database of interesting materials without
vocabulary, or any other feature the class
any search, or they may avoid situations in which
would like to focus on.
they bring into class materials that are not appealing
This style of work offers several advantages for to their students.
both teachers and students. Teachers do not have
The activity can finish in class with a short discussion.
to look for the best material that would suit a
When students have not found any material the
particular group. Instead they obtain a database
teacher would like to use, we can discuss briefly,
of texts from their students. Teachers can also
for example, search skills or the quality of the songs
move away from their traditional positions of
collected. It can generate some in-class activities,
providers of one ultimate truth and can become
such as listening for the main idea or for details of
facilitators of complex processes that form part of
a particular song; or it can also continue with more
language learning. Students, on the other hand, are
instructions for more home activities, such as voting
more actively engaged in the search for the texts;
for the best, most useful or funniest song (depending
they have to create their own criteria for quality, and
on what collection of songs we have compiled) or for
they practise reading and critical thinking individually
a song that offers the most relevant information in
and intensively outside of the class. Each student
different areas. This voting task can also serve just to
also works in their own area of interest, so they can
make sure students watch/listen to most of the songs
develop both their language- and non-language-
and spend more time being exposed to the topic of
related skills at the same time. What is more, students
writing in this way.
are engaged in situations with unclear solutions: they
do not know whether they can find a suitable text;
they have to form their opinions, make decisions, Peer review
present their results to classmates and be ready This peer-review activity may help students practise
to respond to their reactions. writing in many different situations.

A writing song activity Procedure

Writing is a specific skill that some students Write a short piece of text (three to five sentences)
enjoy and others do not. In order to invite those on a given topic (a summary of a story, of a topic
who hate writing, who are afraid of it, or see no we have discussed in class, or of what we have
point in it, we can prepare activities that offer learned in the session, for example) on a sheet
different perspectives. This example combines of paper.

100 | A creative approach to language teaching: students contributions

 Pass the papers with their texts to the person Ask students to share the samples they have
sitting on their left (or right). found in their favourite films, videos, texts and
Read their classmates text and suggest two audio materials by posting them (or their links)
changes (we have to clearly explain that a change to the course online space.
does not always mean improvement. Students This activity engages students in a situation that
can write a synonym or different version of stimulates creativity. They are invited to work
something which is correct and clear already, autonomously, and preferably in the area of their
or they can correct a mistake if they spot one.) own interest. They are also asked to think critically
Students get some minutes for this step. Then, and decide which films or videos to watch, which
students send their papers in the same direction texts to choose or which audio materials to listen
two or three more times doing the same activity to. Moreover, there is no clear solution. They do
with only one new rule they cannot repeat the not know whether they can find such an example
changes their classmates have already come up or not. Similarly, there is no absolute correct or
with, they have to suggest new ones. incorrect answer to this task they can find exactly
Return papers to the authors of the original texts. the same example or a variation of a particular
The original authors read the suggested changes grammar feature. For example, in the case of
carefully (theoretically six to eight of them) and reported speech, they may not find an example of
decide whether they accept them or not. will-would change but do-did or was-had been;
Discuss what types of changes they have in the case of conditionals they may not find a third
accepted, and which they have not, or if the ideas conditional example, but a second conditional one.
of their peers have showed them some new point This activity is also beneficial to teachers. They can
of view. work with materials generated by students, which
This activity makes students realise that writing is a saves their time and expands their database of
part of language and, similarly to speaking, there are materials for possible future use. But what is more
no ideas that cannot be expressed in more than one important is that they do not expose students to
way. They should realise that the same idea can be situations with wrong or incorrect solutions:
written in many different ways and all those ways students who find some examples are successful.
can (but do not have to) be correct. They also learn However, those who do not find any examples but
that asking a classmate makes sense, because even show a list of films, videos, books or audio materials
if they cannot come up with any improvements, they have worked with are equally successful. The
sometimes their classmates can find different points reason for the success of everybody is the fact that
of view, thanks to which the original authors can its actual goal is not to produce several sentences
improve their texts on their own. or phrases with a correctly used grammar feature
(e.g. in tasks with instructions of the choose the best
sentence using the third conditional type) but to
Real-life grammar
make students spend some time thinking about and
Grammar is too often related to rules and drill focusing on a particular grammar feature in their own
exercises where students work in uncreative real-life preferred contexts. In other words, students
situations and where they can apply only one normally do not watch their favourite films and
strategy to solve the problem, and their answers videos focusing on grammar. This activity shows
are either correct or incorrect. They succeed or them that even videos and films of their choice
fail, in other words. The following activity shows a can become effective language learning tools.
possibility to engage students in creative situations
in which they can always succeed.
Vocabulary activities based on
students existing knowledge
Procedure
New vocabulary can be taught in many different
Show students some grammar feature in real-life
ways. Sometimes, we present it in class with no
use in a film, book, text or any audio material.
relation to students existing knowledge, and at other
Examples: The Hours film trailer for reported
times we present it in relevant contexts. When we
speech, or a section from The Curious Case of
are not sure what students already know or how they
Benjamin Button for third conditionals.
use their vocabulary and we want to see the range
Ask students to search the internet, or their film, of our students active vocabulary, we can use simple,
book and audio collections at home for similar repeatable and easily adaptable activities that can be
examples of the grammar feature they have just presented as a simple exercise or a competition of
seen or heard in your example. individuals, pairs or groups.

A creative approach to language teaching: students contributions | 101

 Here are four examples. discussion, we often hear various types of reasons for
not producing more sentences, such as: .it is just a
Letters and words game; it is not creative, I wanted to have every word
This activity may help students realise how many in each sentence completely different; I was not sure
words of a certain kind they already know. about spelling of some words; it is not good to use
informal words at school; my grammar is very bad.
Procedure If we hear similar explanations, we can challenge
Ask students (individually or divided into groups) students and ask questions, such as Did the
to write as many different words as possible that instructions say the sentences should be
start for example with L and end with D in two grammatically correct?; Did the instructions mention
minutes, e.g. lived. spelling?; Did they say each word should be always
Check the highest number of words produced. different? or even Did the instructions say you
should write the sentences in English? They did not.
Share some examples students have produced
Those questions should make the students realise
with the class.
that it was not the instructions that made the task
Discuss different types of words (e.g. nouns, complicated. It was rather their own thinking, the
verbs, adjectives). barriers they had built for themselves in their heads,
In this activity, it is important to realise that our which prevented them from getting better results.
choice of the letters is essential. It can influence the This type of discussion may be useful at the
success of the activity. It can make the task extremely beginning of a course. Later, when we deal with more
difficult or even inappropriate for teaching purposes. complex tasks, we can always remind our students of
For example, if we choose the combination of letters this activity and ask them whether they believe the
XY, it is extremely difficult to form a word. However, new task is really difficult to solve or if it is difficult
if we choose the LD combination, we can expect a because they make it difficult in their own heads.
number of past tense forms of verbs, and similarly, if
we choose any combination of letters with the letter
S at the end, we can expect a number of plurals. Synonyms
This activity may help students focus on synonyms
at any moment during sessions.
Letters and sentences
This activity may show students barriers that might Procedure
influence their learning.
Divide the class into groups.
Procedure Ask students in groups to write as many
synonyms for a particular word (e.g. say)
Ask students to write as many different sentences
as possible in two minutes.
as possible where given words start with the
letters I,S,A,W,R, in two minutes. I S A W R Check the highest number of synonyms produced.
(e.g. I started acting with Robert). Write all the synonyms students have produced
Check the highest number of sentences produced. on the board.
Ask students with the highest numbers of Discuss the differences between the synonyms,
sentences to share their examples with the rest their meaning and use.
of the class. Ask students to try to use the synonyms
Discuss the reasons that have prevented others in sentences.
from producing more sentences. This activity may be used when some students tend
In this activity, students usually produce three to five to repeat one word in their speaking or writing all
sentences on average. There are some who do not the time. It can show the class that as a group, they
come up with any and others who write as many as 22 can always generate some synonyms and help
sentences. Those who produce the highest numbers each other. The follow-up discussion can also help
of sentences are usually those who choose a strategy students understand that synonyms have meanings
of changing only one word in the sentence (e.g. I saw a that are similar, but not exactly the same, and that
wild rat/rabbit/Ralph/Rex/Richard). In the follow-up they can be used in different contexts differently.

102 | A creative approach to language teaching: students contributions

 Groups of words idea that a creative approach to teaching allows
students to notice and experience their own individual
This activity may help students focus on categories
learning processes and help them bring and share
of words.
their existing knowledge and skills to class.
Procedure
References
Ask students to write all words that refer to some
idea or concept in two minutes (e.g. name all the Clarke, M (2010) Creativity in Modern Languages
things that fly). Teaching and Learning. Available online at:
www.scribd.com/doc/1582 5890/Perspectives-on-
Check the highest number of words produced.
Creativity-in-Modern-Language-Learning
Ask students to form groups.
Csikszentmihalyi, M (2015) The Pursuit of Happiness.
Ask students in groups to divide words they have
Available online at: www.pursuit-of-happiness.org/
produced into different groups and categories.
teaching-resources
Let each group present their categories with
examples of words that belong to each category. English for Academic Purposes Creatively. Available
online at: http://eapcreatively.blogspot.cz
Discuss the criteria or systems students have
created in order to group words into categories. How to Write an Essay Rap. Available online at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRpPHylKFCQ
This activity can be used before we introduce
specific language functions, such as classification. Kryszewska, H and Campbell, C (1992) Learner-based
Students who first think about flying things and later Teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
classify them into groups may understand the idea of
Lady Grammar Sings Bad Syntax. Available online at:
classification easier and teachers can later fully focus
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DE4SUTlCzGE
on the language function without the need to explain
what classification is. Paragraph. Available online at: www.youtube.com/
watch?v=mbxKUBsTWF8#t=38
Another illustration comes from the field of language
styles, genres or registers. We can ask students to Paragraph Song: Intro to Writing Paragraphs.
write down, for example, all the words they would Available online at: www.youtube.com/
never use in an academic article. Then, by dividing watch?v=ivAvsXeJAqM
particular expressions into groups (e.g. vague words,
Sir Ken Robinson. Available online at:
colloquialisms, local expressions or spoken language
www.sirkenrobinson.com
fillers) students can find some rules or principles
on their own without being told by the teacher. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Available online
at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTDs0lvFuMc
A great advantage of all four examples is that students
share their vocabulary and enrich one another without The Hours. Available online at: www.youtube.com/
the necessity of any previous input from their teacher. watch?v=gbc7jtmuOJM

Conclusion Libor Stepanek is an Assistant Professor in

This chapter has addressed some aspects of a English at Masaryk University Language Centre,
creative approach to language teaching that Brno, Czech Republic. He is also a teacher trainer,
describes creativity as a natural skill all learners co-ordinator of language soft skills programmes
have, and creative teaching as an attempt to and author of teaching materials and publications.
engage students in close-to-real-life situations that His interdisciplinary and creative approach to
cannot be solved by one clear-cut, correct solution. language teaching is based on a combination of
his formal academic background (MA in English
The examples illustrate the potential that creativity
and American Studies; World History; PhD in
can have to improve and broaden personal teaching
Political Science), informal drama education (The
styles in the areas of methods, strategies and tools.
Bigy Theatre Workshop San Remo GEF 2006
They introduce situations in which teachers can invite
Special Committee Award Winner) and later intensive
students to become active and enthusiastic co-
training in ICT-enhanced teaching. His interests
authors of their own learning. They also show
include creativity, critical thinking, presentations,
possibilities as to how to make language learning
academic writing and videoconferencing.
more varied by means of a combination of in-class and
out-of-class activities. And finally, they emphasise the

A creative approach to language teaching: students contributions | 103

 11
Teaching children with mascot-inspired projects
Malu Sciamarelli

Introduction Real-world subject matter and topics of interest

to students can become central to projects.
Teachers like using projects with children in language
classes for good reasons. The benefits of project- Project-based learning is student-centred, though
based teaching with mascots are numerous: the teacher plays a major role in offering support
thematically organised materials are easier to and guidance throughout the process.
remember and learn (Singer, 1990) Project-based learning is co-operative rather
the presentation of coherent and meaningful than competitive. Students can work on their
information leads to deeper processing and own, in small groups, or as a class to complete
better learning (Anderson, 1990) a project, sharing resources and expertise along
the way.
there is a relationship between student motivation
and student interest, and a students ability to Project-based learning leads to authentic
process challenging materials, recall information integration of skills and processing of information
and elaborate (Alexander et al., 1994) from varied sources, mirroring real-life skills.

expertise in a topic develops when learners Project-based learning culminates in an end

reinvest their knowledge in a sequence of project that can be shared with others, giving the
progressively more complex tasks (Bereiter project a real purpose. However, the value of the
and Scardamalia, 1993) project lies not only in the final product, but also
in the process of working towards the end point.
creativity is essential for learning, and with
So, project-based learning has both a process and
mascot-inspired projects it is developed and
product orientation, and provides students with
not forced.
opportunities to focus on fluency and accuracy
In this chapter, I will outline some basic features of at different stages.
project-based learning, then show five examples of Project-based learning is potentially motivational,
mascot-inspired projects with the fluffy toy Brownie empowering and challenging, and stimulates
the Bear and its friends. Based on these projects, creativity. It usually results in building students
teachers will be able to create and elaborate their confidence, self-esteem and autonomy as well
own original and creative projects with a mascot as enhancing students language skills, content
of their choice. Inexpensive materials can be used, learning and cognitive skills.
such as cut-outs made from cardboard boxes, and
With project-based learning, students see work as
all the activities can be adapted to small or large
personally meaningful, boosting their creativity,
groups. Finally, I will conclude by identifying the
but it also fulfils an educational aim.
underlying principles of project-based learning within
the examples shown, and also share some tips, ideas
and suggestions that teachers can apply in their own
Practical projects
contexts, wherever they are. All the projects presented here can be carried out
intensively over a short period of time or extended
Project-based learning over some weeks, a full semester, or even a year;
they can be completed in small groups, or as a whole
Project-based learning has been described by a
class; and they can take place completely in the
large number of language educators and is widely
classroom or can be extended beyond its walls, with
used in classrooms around the world. Whatever the
other groups in the schools, or even in other schools
approach teachers choose to focus on, project-
via different forms of correspondence.
based learning shares some common features.
Project-based learning focuses on content
learning rather than on specific language targets.

104 | Teaching children with mascot-inspired projects

 Flat Brownie
This project is a variation of The Flat Stanley Project, which was started in 1995
by Dale Hubert, a third grade school teacher in London, Ontario, Canada. In the
Flat Stanley childrens books, Stanley travels the world in envelopes. Students who
read the books send the paper doll and written notes to students in other parts of
the world by conventional mail or email. Children exchange ideas, photographs,
questions and their culture with students overseas.

With Flat Brownie, students have the opportunity to make connections with
students of their own group, and also in their school, and to develop their reading
skills and facilitate writing.

Preparation
Choose a short story or book you want to use with a specific group of children.
The short story or book may focus on any kind of good teaching activities at this
stage: including geography, with locations of travels and destinations; maths, in
distances and times; and narrative and writing, with journal entries and
biographies.

Alternatively, you can write a story to use in the classroom. I wrote the example
below to use in this project. You can focus on the following activities by using
this story:
plants
fruits
colours
animals and insects
comparisons.

The little girl and the golden bird

Malu Sciamarelli

Among the many treasured trees in the little girls garden, the mulberry was
her favourite. She loved climbing the tallest trees from which she had a view
over the whole garden, and spending hours eating mulberries, talking to the
tree, flowers, birds, bees, ants and all the varied insects she could see.

What a joy it was to come back, with her lips all red from the berries,
contrasting with her pale skin and golden hair, and tell her dad she was full of
blood, make up horror stories just to get kisses and hugs, and laugh together!

Teaching children with mascot-inspired projects | 105

 The little girl and the golden bird (continued)
These lovely purple berries were her favourite fruit, and one day not
finding any in the lower boughs, she decided to climb higher and higher and
higher. When she finally found more berries, she saw a little door among the
branches. As it was open, she decided to go in. To her amazement, it was a
beautiful crystal dome, with tiny chairs all fringed with gold and when she
touched one of them, a little bird came through the door and started to talk
to her. The bird was astonishing! He was made of gold and moon dust, and
with a long thin beak of the clearest crystal. When he talked, the crystal
emitted the most beautiful and purest light.

Never having seen a talking bird before, in spite of talking to all living beings
herself, she could not contain herself and reached out her hand to touch him.
However, the moment she did this, his eyes turned black and his tiny body
started to disintegrate. The beak was the last part to vanish, and before he
crumbled into grey dust, he said: Take my beak it is magical and soon you
will know what to do with it, and then he was gone.

The little girl was devastated. She could not stop crying as she was climbing
down the tree. For several days, she stayed in her bedroom looking at the
crystal beak in her hands. Then one day, she decided to go back to the
garden clutching the crystal beak tightly in her hand. As soon as she started
to walk among the trees, she saw a bird with a broken wing lying on the grass.
She immediately took it in her hands, not knowing exactly what to do. To her
surprise, the crystal opened up and a strong golden ray of light blinded her.
The intense light seemed to flood her hands with a scorching energy and just
as she thought she could bear it no longer, the bird that was lying almost
dead flapped its wings tentatively at first then flew away. The wing had been
healed by the light in her hands!

And this was the secret the golden bird said the girl would find out. The
golden bird had been waiting for someone to come, to get his crystal beak
and, with its light, heal all the hurt animals in the garden! As soon as she
understood it, she was not sad any more. Since then, she has been walking in
all the gardens in her beautiful world, looking for wounded little creatures and
healing them with the magic golden light from the crystal beak in her hands.

Procedure
Read it to the group as a whole. If it is a short story, it can be done in one class.
If it is a book, select parts or chapters to read in each class.
Ask students to draw the mascot Brownie (or a mascot of their choice) and
make a paper doll.
If you are doing the project within your class, ask each student to write some
notes or questions based on the activities of the characters they remember or
like most about the short story or book they were reading, and that they would
like Brownie to tell other students.
Example:
Brownie is a bear and loves honey.
The bees in the garden produce honey.
Does Brownie the Bear eat berries?
Can Brownie the Bear climb high trees?

106 | Teaching children with mascot-inspired projects

 Put the paper doll and the notes in individual envelopes with the childs
name, and exchange the envelopes. If you are doing it within your school,
and more than one class is involved, exchange the envelopes with students
of other groups.
Each student or group should read the activities written on the notes, add a
question and return to the original student or group. In turn, they should then
answer the question and add another activity. You can continue this process
as long as you want to keep the project going.
Keep a journal in the form of a notebook, a poster in the classroom or a blog
to document all the activities in which Brownie, or the mascot of your choice,
is involved.
At the end of the project, read all the stories for the whole group.

Variation
You can arrange exchanges with other classrooms in other schools, or ask
students to get their parents permission to address an envelope and send
the paper doll to a friend in another state, or even another country.
You can publish the stories, describe local traditions and scenery,
and add photos.

Benefits
Writing and learning becomes easier, flows naturally and tends to be
more creative with this project. This is what teachers may call an authentic
literacy project, in that children are inspired to write of their own passion and
excitement about the project, and given the freedom to write about many
things through the catalyst of Brownie or a mascot of their choice.

Model building
Model building and construction foster spatial play and nurture a childs dexterity,
as well as other cognitive skills such as planning, problem-solving and logical
thinking. For younger children, they also provide opportunities for fine motor
development and for teaching interaction among peers and teachers.

A childs interest in model building will inevitably originate from construction,

as most children are brought up playing with colourful building blocks during
their early learning years. Building blocks stimulate reasoning and creativity while
teaching basic maths and literacy. Combined with language teaching, learning will
flow naturally and in a motivational way.

Preparation
Create a name for an imaginary city. For this project, use the same mascot for
the whole group it will live in this city.

Procedure
Divide the class into groups. Each group will be responsible for building
one part of the city, for example a school, a park, a hospital, a pharmacy,
a restaurant, a cinema, a petrol station, a museum, houses and shops.
Make sure it incorporates every amenity you would want in a city and, most
of all, what you want to teach your students.
Build the different parts of the city in groups using paper, cardboard cut-outs,
polystyrene, old newspaper, aluminium kitchen-wrap, or any other material.
While the groups are building, make sure you teach all the vocabulary that is

Teaching children with mascot-inspired projects | 107

 needed for each part to the group as a whole, for example, Could you pass
the scissors?; Can I have a red crayon?
When the models are ready, each group has to create a story called A happy
day in my life using the mascot in their part of the model.

The example below was written by a group of nine-year-old students.

Brownie lives in a cave in the forest. One day, he ran out of honey, and
decided to leave his cave in search for more. On his way, he met a small
bear called Dubi sitting under a tree. He was crying. Why are you crying?,
Brownie asked. I have no honey any more, and I am hungry, Dubi
answered. Come with me and we will find it together. They walked and
walked all around the forest, but could not find any honey. Suddenly, they
saw some bees flying away, and decided to follow them. The bees were
flying towards the village. They passed by the local school, the church, the
park, and went into a small market. Brownie and Dubi entered the market
too and were amazed at what they saw: piles of honey jars in shelves from
bottom to top on the walls. They could not believe their eyes! Suddenly, a
white bear came in. His name was Snow. When he saw Brownie and Dubi,
he said, I was waiting for you! Come and have some honey. Snow was
producing honey to give to all the bears who were hungry. On that day, the
three friends ate all they could and enjoyed themselves. It was the happiest
day in their lives. Since then, Brownie and Dubi visit Snow once a week, eat
honey and have a good laugh together.

Make them present their stories separately, but before the presentation,
model gestures, tone, volume, pace and facial expressions for the groups.
Then, assemble all the parts together and make them use all the parts
to create a single story.
Film the presentation and document it on a class blog.

Variation
Instead of a city, you can build a farm and teach them animals, and the
environment, and focus on the relationship of the mascot with the animals.
If you have a small group, you can build only one part of the city or farm,
and create a single story.
When the presentation is done and documented, you can make a storybook.
Make students draw the parts of the city or farm, and write the story they
created. It may also be used as a resource for future activities such as
storytelling and vocabulary learning.

Benefits
Model building provides opportunities to develop other skills by making use
of English.
Students will learn structures, mechanisms, control, and designing and
craftwork skills.
Maths: numbers, shapes, space and measuring skills.
It stimulates creativity and communication skills.
It is less stressful and more enjoyable.
Students will learn how to follow instructions.
Storytelling is highly social and each story told reminds students of their
experience which they can recount at school and at home several times,
increasing the language practice.

108 | Teaching children with mascot-inspired projects

 Storytelling and creative writing
An observation is something that you notice about the world around you.
We make observations using our five senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste and
smell. Our five senses are very important to us, helping to keep us safe, and
helping us experience the beauty and wonder of the world around us.

With this project, and the use of a mascot, students will use their five senses to
experience the natural world around them, write and tell stories, draw pictures
and write poems, using the vocabulary learned in the garden and from what is
around them. They will also learn the differences between the five senses and
how they are useful tools for experiencing the world, especially nature, thus
learning in a more efficient way, and enhancing their creativity.

Procedure
Ask students if they know their five senses, and have them demonstrate each
one. Ask them why we want to pay attention to our senses when we are out in
the garden.
Before going to the garden, each student should make a mascot with
cardboard cut-outs, colour it and give it a name.
In the garden, start with the sense of sight. Have children find different colours
in nature. Have them explore whether the objects that are the same colour
are the same thing, and compare them with their mascots. Also ask them if
anything they see reminds them of something they usually find inside.
Next, explore the sense of hearing. Tell children to close their eyes and ask
them what they hear. Are there birds singing? If so, is it just one kind of bird
song, or are there different ones? Can they hear leaves rustling? Can they tell
if the wind is blowing hard or soft by the sound of the leaves? What noises are
near them, and which are far away? Ask them to open their eyes, and also
describe the sound their mascots can make.
Explore the sense of touch next. Ask students to find a few different objects
with different textures. If there are flowers or plants nearby, have them
compare how different flowers of plants feel some are rough, while some
are smooth. Ask them to describe the texture of their mascots and what their
favourite taste is.
The sense of taste is difficult to explore in nature, because it can be dangerous
to eat things in the wild, unless you are with someone who knows how to
identify plants well, or you know all the plants in the garden. This is a good time
to explain this to the children. Bring some fruits and remind the children that
they come from nature. Then ask them to imagine what their mascot eats.
Next, have the children explore their sense of smell. Have them close their eyes
and smell the air. Do they smell flowers? Wet earth? Cut grass? When have they
smelled these things before? Ask them to imagine what their mascots could
smell since a dog can smell things that we can only imagine.
Then sit on a nice spot, on the grass or under a tree, and ask them to talk
about what they experienced before. Give them plenty of time to talk about
each sense, and help them write a story based on their experience, using
their mascots.
Back in the classroom, ask students to tell you the five different senses.
Ask them to name one thing they discovered using each.
Ask students why it is useful to have five senses, and name a situation
in their day when it is important to make use of each of the five senses.
Finally, ask them to tell their stories out loud, with their mascots.
Document all the stories in posters in the classroom, or on a blog.

Teaching children with mascot-inspired projects | 109

 Variation
Have students repeat the five senses activities inside the classroom.
How do things feel, look and smell inside compared to when they were outside?
Did they like exploring inside or outside more? Is a classroom a healthy place
for animals and plants to live? Why/why not?
Have students try to draw pictures of the five senses not just a picture of
an eye or a nose, but something that they noticed when studying each sense.
Ask students to write an acrostic poem using the five senses or the name
of their mascots.
Example:

Blue sky
Rough bark
Orange scent
Whistling wind
Nice soft grass
Itchy mosquito bite
Eating sweet raspberries

Benefits
Writing a story (or poem) based on their personal experiences, intuition, close
observation and imagination, combined with affective modes of thinking, will
flow naturally in this project. The use of a mascot of their own will add a playful
engagement to the project and with the language, and the students will work
in a fun-loving environment where risk is encouraged.

Comic book writing

Comic book writing is just as interesting and rewarding as a play, a poem, a novel
or a film. But just as those genres have certain rules that arise from their forms,
so do comic books.

When you practise comic book writing with your students, you will teach them to
think visually and then communicate those visuals in such a way that it will spark
their imagination and enhance their creativity. You will also teach them not to
write the whole story, but instead use language to convey the immediacy of a
moment, or the flow, in an instant.

Procedure
Divide the class in small groups of three or four children. Choose two or more
mascots for each group and give them names. Alternatively, use a well-known
mascot from your country or region.
Start the project by creating one strip. You can create as many strips as you
want later to form a whole comic book, depending on the length of the project.
Next, create a plan for the beginning, middle and end of the story. Let students
manipulate the mascots to let their imagination and creativity flow. They can
be made with paper or cardboard cut-outs, or they can be real fluffy toys.
After that, make them draw an emotion-graph for each mascot: draw a line,
write their names and their features (their appearance, emotion, and role in
the story).

110 | Teaching children with mascot-inspired projects

 Emotion Graph Brownie
10

0
08.00 Brownie: Bear,
small, friendly, funny
and happy

anymore: sad
and hungry

12.00 Met Dubai:

hungry and happy

14.00 Saw bees:

happy and hopeful

entered the market:

afraid and surprised

17.00 They are now

friends: the happiest
day of his life
10.00 No honey

14.30 Met Snow and

Before drawing and writing, make students tell the story they created to the
whole class, using the mascots.
Then, make them draw first (from three to five squares to form a strip).
On a separate sheet of paper, ask them to write sentences to create the story.
Finally, help them select what should be written in the strip.
Repeat the steps to create as many strips as you want.
Gather all the strips (or comic books), put them on the wall displays in the
classroom and document them on a class blog.

Variation
There are many ways of creating comic books, from pencil and ink, to digital
pens and pads. Choose what is best for your students, and what is available
for you.
If you decide to use technology, there are many tools available online for free,
for instance:

www.stripgenerator.com
www.toondoo.com
www.bitstrips.com

Benefits
Writing comic books in English is a medium of expression that can
communicate a wealth of ideas and emotions. It is a way to channel childrens
creativity, and to capture it in pictures and words. Also, when you teach
children to make a comic strip, a medium where it is all right for their art to look
silly or imperfect or childish, you will nurture their creativity and imagination
before it gets stamped out. It is an engaging way of teaching concise writing,
in which you can teach any subject, including physical appearances, emotions
and time, and an extraordinary form of storytelling. It may also help children
develop a love of reading and improving their handwriting, without even
being aware they are practising.

Teaching children with mascot-inspired projects | 111

 Theatre
The basic idea of using theatre as an activity for students of English as a foreign
language is simple: getting children to practise the language they already know
or are learning in the classroom, in a real context. The real context here is
amateur dramatics short plays specially designed for young learners
of English. You can use plays that were already written and include a mascot, or
write a play for your class with the mascot of their choice. The plays can be used
as an exciting, rewarding and challenging classroom resource in their own right.
But the real joy of doing theatre both for the children as well as the teacher
comes from performing the play in front of an audience made up of their
students, teachers and/or parents.

Procedure
Divide the class into small groups.
Teach them emotions in English.
Choose a mascot for the whole class, and decide with them what its main
characteristic is, for instance, if it is a happy dog, a bear feeling lost, a friendly
sheep, and so on.
Write mini-sketches (a short story that does not have many details) with them
and have them try out simple emotions, including being scared, happy or lost
and looking around.
Make sure you perform with them. Children absolutely love it when they see
their teachers performing!
Each group must have the mascot that will be used in the play, and practise
the emotions with it.
At the end of the class, the groups perform the sketches for the whole class.
You can use as many classes and sketches as you want to practise language,
and put them all together at the end to form a play. The play does not have to
be long, varying from five to ten minutes.
This is an example of an initial mini-sketch, in which the teacher will participate
and help practising. The other ones can be done with children only and the
teacher facilitating the activity. It is also easy to make it more personal by
adding particular traits from your school, country or region:

Cast: teacher and five students

Teacher: Good morning, everyone!
Everyone: Good morning!
Teacher: (Student 1), stop hitting (student 2). (Student 3), let go of (student 4).
(Student 4), do not sit on the desk!
(Student 5): Sorry Im late.
Teacher: Why are you late?
(Student 5): I missed the bus and had to walk.
Teacher: You live over there! Why are you late?
(Student 5): I got lost.
Teacher: Ok, sit down. (Student 1), where is your homework?
(Student 1): Shawn the dog ate it.
Teacher: Shawn the dog does not like paper. He loves biscuits, and he is always
hungry for it!

112 | Teaching children with mascot-inspired projects

 Variation
Instead of writing the sketches and play with the children, you can use plays
that are already written and add the mascot in the context.
You can also practise other drama techniques in the foreign language, such
as mime and improvisation, in order to practise language, build confidence
and prepare students to act better. A great book with ideas for EFL teachers
on how to deal with such areas is Drama Techniques in Language Learning
A Resource Book of Communication Activities for Language Teachers
(Maley and Duff, 1982).

Benefits
Involvement in theatre has an immensely positive effect on an English student.
The scripts are not linguistically challenging, written at a level of English with
which the students will be familiar and comfortable. The linguistic benefit lies
in the increased confidence it gives students in their oral skills, helping
improve fluency. However, there are other benefits that are more subtle. When
students are acting out the play, the English is full on. Even low-level students,
who only have a few lines to say, have to listen to and contend with a good
volume of spoken English; they have to follow the script to know when to say
their lines. They are, of course, simply repeating a script they have learned
by heart, but it will boost their confidence and self-esteem.
It is also fun, rewarding, motivational and effective in boosting the speaking
confidence of children. If you have the chance to perform for another class
or parents, with scenery made from painted cardboard boxes, some chosen
props and sound effects, the final performance can be a wonderful activity for
students to shine, and an event that the parents and children will not forget.

Teaching children with mascot-inspired projects | 113

 Conclusion References
Project-based learning is an exciting way of teaching Alexander, P, Kulikowich, J and Jetton, T (1994)
children. With the projects described above, you will The role of subject-matter knowledge and interest
be able to reach all students and get them engaged in the processing of linear and nonlinear texts.
in many different ways, thus giving them ownership Review of Educational Research 64/2: 201252.
of their learning by making them lifelong learners.
Anderson, J (1990, third edition) Cognitive psychology
They will also gain critical thinking and problem-
and its implications. New York: WH Freeman.
solving skills that they will need as soon as they
walk out of the classroom into the real world. Bereiter, C and Scardamalia, M (1993) Surpassing
ourselves: An inquiry into the nature and implications
The use of mascots in the projects will also:
of expertise. Chicago: Open Court Press.
increase engagement, imagination and creativity
Maley, A and Duff, A (1982) Drama Techniques
increase motivation because they will do
in Language Learning A Resource Book of
something that is meaningful for them
Communication Activities for Language Teachers.
allow them to write their own stories, personalising UK: Cambridge University Press.
them to the maximum
Singer, M (1990) Psychology of language: An
give them confidence to take risks in a fun-loving
introduction to sentence and discourse processing.
environment
Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
stimulate socialisation and playfulness.

You do not need to have a commercially made Malu Sciamarelli has been working in Brazil for
mascot. They can be made with inexpensive over 21 years as a teacher, materials designer,
materials, such as paper, cardboard cut-outs or teacher trainer and consultant for publishers.
polystyrene. All you need is the enthusiasm of the She has taught in schools, language institutes and
children and the teacher to channel and create a in companies. Currently, her main interests are
reason to carry out the projects. creative writing in language teaching and creativity
You can also use mascots from your city, country or in the English language classroom. She believes that
region, or create a class mascot. For some projects, teachers can affect how students perceive the world
children might create their own mascot to follow around them, help them ignite a spark of curiosity
them through the term or year. and develop their own creativity. Teachers can also
help students overcome fears, express themselves,
Also, teaching children with mascot-inspired initiate ideas, plans and actions, and build a desire
projects is teaching children through play. Children for lifelong learning.
learn better through play, through being curious,
through exploring things and then making things and Website: www.malusciamarelli.com
sharing them with others. This transforms how they Creativity Channel: www.youtube.com/user/
approach language learning for the rest of their lives, MaluSciamarelli
because the experiences children have in their early
childhood build the skills that make them able to deal
with challenges in the future.

114 | Teaching children with mascot-inspired projects

 12
Creating creative teachers
Marisa Constantinides

Introduction Memorable quotes from the colleagues who

responded to my survey include:
Creative thinking has been a recent concern
among English language teaching professionals. creativity is all about responding to the learners
This is very much in line with the move away from in the moment and without developing creativity,
an over-reliance on methods and approaches as an we might as well be taught by robots!
answer to effective learning (Kumaravadivelu, 2003), If most of us agree with this, one might question
and towards a focus on the mental processes that why developing teacher creativity is not already
lead to more effective learning of languages as well an objective on teacher development programmes.
as of content. The argument put forward is that the objectives
However, this attention has centred mostly on address knowledge of the content and the skills to
learners, with the very good argument that language apply this knowledge in the classroom. Syllabuses
acquisition can benefit from activities developing this do not seem to include objectives such as helping
aspect of higher order thinking, just as creativity trainees develop their creative thinking skills or,
itself benefits from language use and L2 learning indeed, any other thinking skills or cognitive abilities
opportunities. and still less anything related to the affective domain,
assuming perhaps that a trainee teacher is a mature
In this chapter, I would like to focus on the teachers person who comes to a course and to the profession
who are expected to generate creative activities for with all these abilities and strategies already in place.
their learners but whose ability to be creative is
taken for granted. Yet teacher training courses do The second point involves our perceptions of the
not usually include any objectives that would help creative person that is, of someone who can
trainee teachers, novice or experienced, to develop produce original ideas, and possibly also has an
this necessary aspect of their cognitive make-up. artistic bent.
For example, syllabuses such as the Cambridge I would like to suggest that the lack of creative
CELTA or the Cambridge DELTA, to mention two thinking skills in an educator needs immediate
publicly available syllabuses, do not include such attention for many reasons, most of which are
a category in their syllabus specifications. interdependent.
In a recent survey among CELTA and DELTA In the absence of creative thinking, teachers:
trainers (Constantinides, 2014), the majority
may be unable to develop flexibility in their
responded that they felt creative thinking was
thinking, think on their feet and respond to the
necessary, though it was not specifically addressed
unpredictable and the unexpected, to deal with
in their syllabus specifications. Only one respondent
learner difficulties as they arise and to think of
felt it was neither needed nor the duty of trainers on
good solutions quickly
these courses to provide help to teachers to develop
creative thinking abilities. may be unable to do much more than follow a
coursebook without appropriate changes to make
the material more accessible to their learners
Why do teachers need to be creative?
tend to become more and more dependent on the
For me, teaching is not an exclusively creative
input and ideas of others proponents of different
process but neither is it merely a set of repeated
approaches and methods, coursebook writers,
action sequences based on blueprints. It is based
teacher educators, article writers, and the
on knowledge, professional understanding, technical
authorities in general
know-how and the personal qualities of the teacher.
How this knowledge is synthesised, filtered, may become completely unable to develop their
interpreted and translated into teaching is a complex own independent thinking, their own philosophy
process involving higher-order thinking and cannot of education and, thus, unable to make their own
be learned. decisions and solve problems in their own way

Creating creative teachers | 115

 may adopt techniques and activities unthinkingly; Perception blocks
an approach, method, or even the use of a book, Solutions to problems other than those
may be bought wholesale and often be used relating to the teachers immediate reality or
without reflection. If the result is not successful, it which personally affect him/her are ignored,
is quite difficult for the individual to understand why. for example:
a teacher rejects adopting games not
Why are we unable to think creatively? because they are unsuitable for the learners
When trainees are asked in training sessions and or the aims of a lesson, but because materials
workshops whether they believe they are creative, preparation for games takes longer than
most will reply in the negative; few think they are following the coursebook
creative. Yet psychologists and educators believe another teacher rejects the use of
that some creative potential exists in all human educational technology because they
beings, although it may be dormant or blocked. dont want to learn how to use it.
These blocks are of various kinds. Self-image blocks
Blocks created by the social environment The individual is convinced they are too
An educational system based on memorisation old or not clever enough to do certain things,
and rote learning does little to enhance creative therefore no attempt is made to find other
potential. Parents who frown upon any creative creative or innovative solutions to existing
tendencies may be another cause for blocks to problems. For example, faced with a group of
the creative thinking process. The attitudes of students who have difficulty understanding a
employers, professors and parents may stifle grammar point, the same explanation, example
creativity. And in traditional educational settings, and exercise sequence is repeated, even if its
logical, analytical thinking is much more result may have proved inadequate, because
appreciated than the flights of fancy of people the teacher is not confident enough to try
trying to be creative. out any of the numerous other ways of
Blocks created by the individual teaching grammar.
Blocks to creative thinking may also be self- Clearly, these blocks are not only connected with
generated; Rickards and Jones (1989) mention cognitive processes but with values and beliefs, as
four, outlined below, to which I have added some well as emotions and self-perception, so working
relevant examples: on creative thinking alone may not help, unless
Strategy blocks work on the other factors is included as well. In the
The wrong strategy is selected or no strategy training classroom, knowledge as well as respect,
is available. For example, a teacher faced encouragement, reflection and appreciation are all
with the problem of helping their learners to of equal importance.
learn vocabulary falls back on an inappropriate
strategy, giving the learners long lists of words Creative thinking skills training:
and their definitions or translations to the basis of the practical ideas in
memorise. this article
Values blocks It has been suggested that creativity, or as it is also
The individual has certain beliefs and holds termed, divergent production (Guilford, 1967), is not
on tightly to them to the point of rigidity. This a single unifying ability; it is viewed as a composite
creates a negative mind-set that makes them of intellectual abilities. Guilford further suggests that
unable to accept a new set of values even if divergent production facilitates problem-solving,
there is a valid reason to do so. For example, something which language teachers are faced with
a deeply rooted belief that learning a language on a daily basis in their classes and that we know
means a teacher explaining the rules is often enough about the creative process to be able to train
seen on training courses. Even though new individuals. Here are the four main characteristics of
ways are shown, the teacher is unable to use the creative process that he describes:
them effectively, as they do not fit into the
producing lots of ideas (fluency)
old values system. This is a problem trainers
often encounter on initial training courses producing ideas of various types (flexibility)
when experienced colleagues find it difficult building on and embellishing existing ideas
to abandon their old ways and tend to stay (elaboration)
with what they think is tried and tested. producing clever and original ideas (originality).

116 | Creating creative teachers

 These abilities enable the individual to produce it is easier for teachers to see new ways of
not only a multiplicity of answers as solutions to the changing existing material to fit in with their aims,
same problem or tasks, but answers that are also learners and teaching context
varied; some may even be original. teachers produce more ideas, and some of them
can also be quite original ones
Benefits to the teacher
teachers are no longer slaves to one or another
Divergent production, then, seems to respond method but may be better able to evaluate, select
positively to some of the issues mentioned earlier: and be eclectic in a principled way.
materials can be put to new use in more effective
and stimulating ways
materials and lesson design becomes easier and
more varied, as the teachers can come up with
more than one solution to the problem of what
to include at each stage

Characteristics of creative people

l
Latera Flexible
thinking
g
thinkin

High orig
inality
ity
High produc tiv

n d e n ce
Indepe
Variety of solu
tions of view

Creating creative teachers | 117

 The role of the trainer and/or I have listed the activities following Guilfords
the institution categories (1967) but clearly, some could be
listed under more than one category.
Helping teachers to develop their ability to think
creatively, including creative thinking skills training,
is not going to be enough, and the effects of this
Activities promoting fluency
training may not be sustainable unless there is a Brainstorming
positive culture encouraging and facilitating as
This is perhaps the most frequently used activity
well as demonstrating creativity.
and will be familiar to all who are involved in teacher
Trainers need to model creative behaviours development programmes. The value of getting
themselves by using a variety of ways of handling teachers in groups to brainstorm lots of ideas,
course input, from training games to loop input focusing on quantity at the initial stage and quality
an idea suggested by Woodward (1991) not in later, when these ideas are discussed, evaluated and
a relentless pursuit of fun and games but in the most suitable ones chosen, is highly conducive
accordance with the topic and focus of each session. to this aspect of divergent production.

In addition, work on team-building, generating Unusual uses

trust among trainees, is essential from day one
The original exercise involves brainstorming
and needs to be followed through systematically,
many unusual uses for an ordinary object,
either with activities such as those suggested
e.g. a chair. In the training classroom, we can take
by Hadfield (1992), or with social activities in a
any coursebook activity and have teams or groups
school setting or a self-help group.
compete to produce the longest list of unusual uses
Creativity needs to be inspired by inspiring for a gap-fill, a role play, a text plus comprehension
leadership that nurtures and appreciates questions, or other activity.
teachers who make the effort to be creative.
Keep it going
Practical suggestions and activities One of the trainees begins with a word or expression
given on a card. With a partner they must brainstorm
Clearly, the practical activities and techniques
as many questions as they can to elicit from their
included here are based on the belief that it is
partner the word or phrase they have on their card.
possible to provide specific training activities that
This also helps trainees practise different types of
enhance divergent production in trainee teachers.
questioning for elicitation.
Furthermore, these activities and techniques can
be seamlessly integrated within the content syllabus Variation
without what some colleagues might consider time An alternative in the same vein involves being
being wasted on brain training activities. given a question on a course topic. For example,
Do you believe that your students enjoy listening
The ideas and techniques which follow work
to songs? each player must continue with a
particularly well in the context of any teacher
further question, never making a statement or
training course, but can also work in teacher
a negative sentence. This activity is much more
self-help groups or as part of regular professional
demanding and its main focus is fluency as well
development meetings in the staff room.
as flexibility (see below)
(Aoki, 2002).

The inspiration for the activities has come from a 20 activities

variety of sources: from ideas suggested by Edward Trainees are given a single piece of material, song,
de Bono in his famous book on lateral thinking (1985) text, image, or video and are asked to brainstorm
and some of his later publications, from the work of 20 (or five, or ten, etc.) activities that use it as a basis.
teachers in primary classrooms, from the work of
colleagues in creative writing workshops, from blogs
as well as working with colleagues in the context of
teacher development programmes and seeking ways
to embed creative thinking skills training into our
materials design.

118 | Creating creative teachers

 Variation Predicaments, or getting yourself
Using large sheets of paper, trainees can be asked out of troublesome situations
to create a mind map with their assigned topic or a A number of strange situations related to
specific piece of material (e.g. a text) at the centre teaching can be created and teachers must defend
which includes specific, labelled branches to help themselves against specific accusations, e.g.
prompt their brainstorming. These branches may You were seen leading a group of blindfolded
include ideas for practice, such as the ones listed students through a busy department store, or
below, or any other the trainer deems suited to the A colleague overheard you telling your class to
topic used as a focus: light the candles and switch off the lights.
grammar
Variation
functional
Trainees can write their own predicaments in
listening teams and nominate and challenge members of
speaking the opposing team to find a quick and plausible
writing explanation for having used a specific activity
in a lesson or after a particular stage.
reading
vocabulary
Preoccupations
pronunciation
This is an activity in which each player is assigned
contexts. a word or phrase to focus on, such as role play,
drilling, communicative language teaching, etc.
Activities promoting flexibility and in a pair or group they must attempt to steer
Role plays the conversation back to their own word or phrase,
keeping it coherent and logically connected, no
With a group of colleagues, state a problem
matter what other members of the group have to
(e.g. My students dont do their homework) and
say about their own focus words or phrases!
take on different roles to discuss the situation
parents, director of studies, students and even Variation
minister of education!
This can also be done as a playful mingling activity
This activity is based on Edward de Bonos Six in which some of the preoccupations can be
Thinking Hats (1985), and actual coloured paper matched, e.g. drilling/rote learning, information
hats or badges representing different viewpoints gaps/communicative language teaching, PPP
or attitudes to the problem can be created by the (presentation, practice and production) and TBL
trainer. In ELT, these viewpoints could be selected (task-based learning). Trainees walk about the
from among the many professional roles we are all room and change partners on a signal from their
aware of. For instance, a director of studies, a parent, tutor until they find their match.
a sponsor, an ELT publisher, a teacher trainer, a
syllabus designer, a researcher, a linguist, etc. Balloon debates
This may sound a trifle heartless, but deciding
Variation
whether this or that originator of a method or
With higher-level courses, such as the DELTA, approach is the one who is chosen to be saved by
the roles or the thinking hats could be well-known allowing them to stay in the balloon can generate
ELT figures who represent an approach or a great discussions and promote both creative as well
way of thinking. Such names might include as critical thinking. I have deliberately opted not to
Scott Thornbury, Henry Widdowson and mention any names as examples for this activity but
Stephen Krashen. have used it very successfully in approaches and
methods sessions on teacher development courses.

Creating creative teachers | 119

 Activities promoting elaboration/ Variation
embellishing The trainer can supply a group with a teaching
practice report and the hand-outs used, and the
Yes, and or expanding statements
trainees try to reconstruct the teachers language
Start with a suggestion, e.g. I think we should have (mistakes and all).
a game at the end of the lesson on first conditionals.
Each subsequent player must begin their turn by Activities promoting originality
saying Yes, and, thus being forced to elaborate
Design activities are generally excellent as ways
and expand the previous persons ideas in a positive
of helping develop original ideas.
rather than in a negative way. This is an activity I
learned in a workshop by T Rickards, who also
commented that it builds a positive mind-set and Turning coursebook activities into games
collaboration. You can see its mirror activity below Ask the trainees to take an exercise from your
for a contrast. coursebook and try to turn it into a game, e.g. The
sentences in a sentence completion exercise can
Yes, but or contradictions be split into halves and used in a mingling activity.
Take opposing sides on a teaching problem, e.g. for
and against using information gap activities. Pairs Introducing an innovation into your teaching
or small groups hold the argument for as long as programme
they can. This is a more demanding activity involving
discussion and decision-making, e.g. How would you
Inserting activities go about connecting your class with another class
Give trainees a coursebook page. They then of learners in another country? Or How would you
start brainstorming as many activities as possible set up an extensive reading programme if you were
that can be added between activities in the unit. given ten sets of class readers?
This may mean new activities or changing existing
activities in some way. For example, instead of Problem-solving activities
completing the usual gap-fills, the students can These are activities that again may focus on your
be asked to change the sentences and turn them teaching situation, e.g. your beginning students
into complete nonsense, or write similar sentences are very reluctant to use English in class. Suggest
about classmates or famous people they know of. a number of different solutions to the problem of
persuading them to use English in class.
Creating a new game from an
existing one Desert island
Trainees can be given a commercially produced Trainees are given a list of teaching supplies and a
game, such as Pictionary or Taboo, and asked to desert island brief and are asked to decide which
think of ways of adapting it for use with a class. eight (or other suitable number) essentials they
One such example produced by one of my trainee would take with them if they had to teach a class at
teachers after I had introduced them to a DELTA a specified level of instruction with no other supplies
Pursuits game was called Proficiency Pursuits or facilities (see the image opposite for an example
and involved questions covered in the C2 I have used with my trainees).
Cambridge exam.

Imagine what the teacher said

Given a lesson plan or some hand-outs used by
a teacher on video, the trainees watch an excerpt
without sound and recreate the teachers words
and student responses.

120 | Creating creative teachers

 Marisa Constantinides

Putting creativity to work Imagine you have no coursebook

As previously suggested, the activities are listed for your next lesson
under one heading but some do more than just one Some colleagues have also reported abandoning
thing. Overall, I consider these activities as practice coursebooks altogether for the duration of their
opportunities focusing both on the content and on training programmes and report positively on
the cognitive mind-set. However, trainees need to the benefits to their trainees (See also Tomlinson,
apply the skill to their designated planning, design in this volume).
and teaching tasks, and this is where, ultimately,
these practice opportunities are leading: to enable Materials treasure hunts via Google
teachers in training (and at work) to create more, This idea may not in itself be creative, but it fits with
better and with more ease. the concept of curating content before producing
ones own.
Ideas suggested by colleagues
Group projects
In my survey, I asked colleagues to describe some
These may involve planning a series of lessons
activities which they include in their sessions and
or a set of materials.
which they believe develop creativity in their trainee
teachers. Their suggestions, fall mostly under the Sessions in which these ideas are typically used
umbrella of holistic practice that must also be are assisted lesson preparation, materials evaluation
included in any attempts to work with thinking and adaptation, materials design based on authentic
skills development. documents and introducing educational technology
into the curriculum.
Here are some of their ideas.

Visualisations and metaphors

Many trainers like to use this technique, e.g. draw
an image representing your coursebook; choose a
metaphor for a lesson (e.g. a play, a concert, etc.);
draw an image to show how you visualise teaching.

Creating creative teachers | 121

 Curating online and offline content References
as a stepping stone to creativity Aoki, N (2002) An alternative way for teachers
Curation, which can be defined as the archiving to develop. The Teacher Trainer 16/2, Summer
and preservation of digital assets, is a new way of 2002: 1011.
describing what teachers used to do in boxes and
Bloom, B, Engelhart, M, Furst, E, Hill, W and
binders in the past. Creating original and clever
Krathwohl, D (1956) Taxonomy of educational
ideas is not the only expression of creativity. Creating
objectives: The classification of educational goals.
something new as a result of changing or building on
Handbook I: Cognitive domain. New York: David
an existing idea has also given us many new works of
McKay Company.
art, new inventions, new content, new artefacts, new
appliances, new technology, new tools. Constantinides, M (2014) Creativity in Teacher
Education Courses. Unpublished Survey, results
Curating and organising teaching resources created
available online at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/
by others can be key in supporting the creation of
1huDMEZBjmURpBrdo2jc9gMxm0XxR3FpTu-
original content. New ideas may sometimes originate
9yQYSYtQw/viewanalytics
in a flash of inspiration without previous knowledge
or information, but that is not the usual way we create. de Bono, E (1985) Six Thinking Hats: An Essential
Approach to Business Management. UK: Little,
There are many great tools on the web to help
Brown and Company.
teachers collect and curate digital assets which
in turn may inspire them to blog, write new material, de Bono, E (2009) Lateral Thinking: A Textbook of
design new lessons, and deal with classroom Creativity. Penguin UK.
problems in a novel and more effective way.
Guilford, J (1967) The Nature of Human Intelligence.
Some of the most popular include Diigo, Pinterest,
New York: McGraw-Hill.
and Scoop.it.
Guilford, J (1968) Intelligence. Creativity and their
Social networking has a significant role to play
Educational Implications. San Diego: Robert R. Knapp
in such quests; indeed, most of these tools are
Publications.
also social networking tools, encouraging users to
share learning and collaborate and learn together. Hadfield, J (1992) Classroom Dynamics. Oxford:
Facebook timelines and Twitter streams belonging Oxford University Press.
to teachers have themselves become great sources
Kumaravadivelu, B (2003) Beyond Methods.
of new content for teachers and teacher educators.
New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Learning is, after all, social. We learn best in groups
and creativity is often sparked off in the presence Rickards, T and Jones, L (1989) Creativity Audit:
and company of others. a Diagnostic Approach to Overcoming Blocks.
Management Decision 27/1.
Conclusion Woodward, T (1991) Models and Metaphors in
This chapter is based on the firm belief that by Language Teacher Training: Loop Input and Other
undergoing some focused training in developing Strategies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
our own creative thinking skills, those of us involved
in the teaching profession will enhance our potential
Marisa Constantinides studied Applied Linguistics
for dealing with the problems of daily teaching and
at the University of Reading and has been a TEFL
find new ways of making our approach to teaching
teacher educator, ELT writer and conference
more exciting and stimulating and the tasks of
speaker for more than 20 years. She is the Director
planning and lesson and materials design easier
of CELT Athens and trains teachers face-to-face
and more effective.
and online on a variety of teacher courses, including
As teacher educators, I believe we need to the CELTA and DELTA. She also regularly volunteers
make a point of including such activities in our on TESOL Electronic Village Online (EVO) workshops,
programmes to equip teachers in training not only moderates #ELTchat every week and blogs on TEFL
with the techniques and knowledge needed for the Matters, her main blog. She has published books
classroom, but also with a set of skills which will for young learners, using literary texts, and
sustain them in their own development long after numerous articles on teaching, learning and
a course has ended. educational technology.

122 | Creating creative teachers

 13
The learner as a creativity resource
Marjorie Rosenberg

Introduction The power of the learner

A simple definition of creativity is not possible, Our learners have much more power than we may
as creativity comes in so many different forms. realise. When we walk out of a lesson feeling that
Creativity can involve using ones imagination, it went well, it is most likely because we felt that the
changing existing ideas, being unique, original and learners enjoyed it, made progress, were engaged
innovative, having a vision, or simply having the and motivated, and a positive atmosphere was felt
freedom to come up with new and unusual ways in the classroom. A lesson which is primarily teacher
to carry out tasks. Classrooms around the world focused stops being an interaction and becomes
are filled with wonderful resources for creativity, a lecture, something not normally expected in
innovation, ideas and possibilities to think outside language learning. Our learners are not usually there
the box. Those looking in from the outside may to learn about the language but to discover what
notice not much more than a board to write on, along they can do with it. Therefore it is necessary for us
with some tables and chairs, and wonder where the to create more situations in which the learners can
resources are, perhaps overlooking the fact that the contribute, initiate, control and create what happens
most important part of the classroom is the people in in the classroom (Deller, 1990). Keeping this in mind
it. Each of our learners comes to class with a unique can also help us to become partners in the learning
set of values, experiences, ideas and thoughts, and process, and the realisation that we can learn a lot
a wealth of knowledge waiting to be tapped. For this from our learners is a valuable lesson for all of us.
reason making use of the learner as a creativity
resource not only makes sense but also provides The teacher as facilitator
teachers with an unending source of material to
Sometimes it is difficult for teachers to let go and
develop and nurture both inside and outside the
give the learners the chance to take over for a time.
classroom.
However, when this happens it generally creates an
atmosphere in which true learning begins to take
Giving the learners space place. Simply memorising vocabulary or learning
Sometimes it is simply a matter of giving the learners grammar rules is not necessarily a sign that learners
the space they need to express their ideas and have internalised language or even dealt with how
creativity by setting tasks which enable them to to learn. But when we step back and give them the
contribute their own thoughts and experiences opportunity to access the language they need in
while experimenting and expanding on the language order to express what they would like to put into
they need to do this. Bringing in songs, music, words, a very different type of learning begins to
artwork, etc. can serve as a springboard to creativity take place. This is when creative ideas can spring
and allow learners to verbalise feelings and emotions forth and learners begin to experiment with the
which they might instead have left outside the language (which is actually how we learn our first
classroom. Learners also bring knowledge of language). It is then that an element of fun comes
other cultures and languages to class which into the classroom an important element in the
can be exploited with a variety of activities creative learning process. It is also vital that we
demonstrating both creativity and innovation. do not think of our learners as empty vessels to
By maintaining a non-threatening atmosphere be filled with knowledge, but as fertile fields which
in the classroom, the teacher can encourage can be cultivated and harvested.
risk-taking and the joy of play, two factors which
can help learners to discover their own strategies
to learn a language and enjoy the process.

The learner as a creativity resource | 123

 The activities The activities also make use of the concept of
playfulness, which I like to encourage in all of
The activities described in this chapter have been
my learners, regardless of age. Having fun in
used in a variety of settings. In adult education
the classroom, being engaged and overcoming
classes held in the evening or on weekends it very
inhibitions are ways to increase motivation, and
quickly became apparent to me that learners needed
this motivation can encourage learners to try things
to be engaged and be able to put aside their daily
out and take chances. Success breeds success
persona in order to fully participate in an English
and therefore this type of encouragement may be
class. Coming from the performing arts myself,
exactly what learners need to go on. Learning a first
I found that incorporating drama, music and art
language is something we do naturally but learning
were easy to do and came naturally to me. As I was
a second generally involves hard work. Therefore,
enthusiastic about what we were doing, my learners
providing the chance to remember what it was like
joined in and took part in the activities. These have
to be creative, as we were as children, and providing
then been refined and developed to be used to
a safe atmosphere in order to do this, can help
practise particular areas of grammar or vocabulary
learners of all ages to discover not only new words
and have since been used in courses for government
and grammar structures, but how to communicate
officials, in companies, at the university level and in
ideas, thoughts and feelings in a new language the
teacher training sessions.
goal of language learners everywhere. In addition,
One of the main factors of these activities is the creativity is encouraged when we provide input but
fact that they fit into the concept of NTP (no teacher allow for a wide variety of output from our learners.
preparation). While I fully appreciate the value of
prepared and laminated cards and board games
and worksheets, the activities described here
can be done anywhere and with any group with
a minimum of preparation. In addition, most
need just the everyday articles we can find in the
classroom. The majority of them can be expanded
into writing activities which could be done in class
or as homework, and they all rely on minimal input
from the teacher and aim for maximum output from
the learners. Some of them I have learned from
other trainers and adapted, some I just tried out
because they seemed like fun and my learners
seemed to enjoy them. All in all, they encourage
learners to think for themselves, add their own
personal experiences, thoughts and ideas, and
communicate these to others. Being creative is
a wonderful thing but if we keep it inside us as a
well-guarded secret, no one will ever realise the
potential we have for innovation and creativity.
Therefore these activities are done in pairs, groups
or even with the whole class. Creativity can be a
self-fulfilling prophecy: if we think we are creative,
we have a better chance of developing this creative
talent, and this becomes a virtuous circle as success
breeds more success.

124 | The learner as a creativity resource

 Creating a story
Aims
Inspire emotions and feelings with music and images.
Give learners freedom to create their own story.
Encourage self-access of vocabulary and grammar structures.

Materials
A short excerpt (three to four minutes) of a piece of dramatic-sounding
orchestral music.

Examples include:
Leonard Bernstein: Overture to Candide.
Anton Dvok: Slavonic Dance No. 2 in E minor.
Puccini: Overture to Turandot.

Pictures of places, people, objects, etc. These can come from travel brochures,
advertisements, clip art or Eltpics: www.flickr.com/photos/eltpics/, etc.

Procedure
Put learners into small groups and give each group a set of eight to ten
pictures. Each group can have different sets or you can use the same set
for each of them.
Instruct the learners to spread the pictures in front of them so that everyone
can see them.
Ask them to discuss the pictures briefly and to ask if they have any questions
about vocabulary.
Tell them that they are going to hear a piece of music. Based on what they hear,
feel and see, they are to create a story of their own.
Play the piece of music for the learners.
While listening, they can either begin to put the pictures into order or they
can wait until the music is finished and then decide on the story.
Give them enough time to finish their story. They can write it down if they like,
just make notes or remember it.
Play the music again and have them look through the pictures and rehearse
the story in their minds.
Ask each group to tell the others their story.

Students can write up the story in groups or individually for homework.

The learner as a creativity resource | 125

 Making use of the masters
Aims
Give learners the chance to imagine themselves in a picture which they use
to elicit emotions and feelings.

Materials
Different reproductions of works by famous artists, ensuring that there are
enough for each learner to have one. The best types to use are those which
show scenes and people rather than just landscapes or single portraits.

Procedure
Lay the pictures out on the tables or have learners come to the front of the
room and choose a picture.
Instruct them to look carefully at the pictures they have chosen and to imagine
themselves in the scene. They should then try to experience for themselves
the emotions or feelings that the picture elicits.
Put the learners in small groups and have them lay out all their pictures
together. Then ask each learner to express the feelings they experienced
by imagining themselves in the picture and have the others guess which
one it was.
When they have finished, they hold a discussion about the pictures in their
groups and compare the feelings and emotions they experienced when
looking at them.
Learners can write a story about the picture describing what happened
before the picture was painted, or making a prediction about what will
happen in the future.

Students can write up the story in groups or individually for homework.

Creating modern art

Aims
Use a type of modern art drawing created by the learners as a springboard
for language drills and moving on to freer speaking.

Materials
A large piece of paper for each ten learners, and coloured pens or crayons.

Procedure
Put the paper in front of the learners and make the pens available.
Begin by drawing a line on the paper and encourage the learners to do
the same.
Once a line drawing is finished, have the learners colour it in using different
colours to create a piece of modern art.
Speak about the finished drawing using sentences such as: What could this
be? This reminds me of and I think this looks like.

126 | The learner as a creativity resource

 Building a machine
Aims
Have learners work together to think of an unusual machine.
Encourage them to use their bodies to create movement and a process.

Materials
A photo or drawing of a machine.

Procedure
Teach vocabulary of sequences (e.g. first, then, after that).
Show a photo or drawing of a machine to learners and elicit ideas from them
of its purpose.
Put the learners into small groups and tell them to think of an unusual machine
and what it is for (or what it can do). The machine should have a part for each
member of the group to act out. The machine has to have a purpose.
They then work out who does what and present their machine to the class.
They can use sounds but no words.
The others watch and then guess the purpose of the machine.
To reinforce language, they act out their machine again and narrate what
exactly is taking place.

Students can write about their machine in groups or individually for homework.

Co-operative chain
Aims
Give learners freedom to complete sentences and work together to create
a metaphor (the chain) of the classroom.
Get to know each other with an inclusive and creative activity.
Transfer from first person singular to third person singular using the correct
form of the verb.

Materials
A list of ten numbered stem sentences on the board.

Example:
1. My favourite food is
2. I like to
3. I am good at -ing
4. I am bad at -ing
5. etc.

You will also need some strips of paper and sticky tape.

Procedure
Give each learner a strip of paper and tell them to choose three of the
sentences to complete.
Learners write their name on the strip, the numbers of the sentences they
have chosen and their short answers, e.g. 4) dancing.

The learner as a creativity resource | 127

 Make a chain out of the strips by making a loop out of one strip and then
adding the others until a connected chain is formed.
Have the learners stand up and take hold of one of the links of the chain
which belongs to another student.
Ask one learner to begin by saying whose link they are is holding and
introducing the person to the group by saying their name and then reading
out the completed stem sentences, e.g. This is Carol. She is bad at dancing.
As each person is introduced they then take their turn to introduce the next
person until everyone in the group has been spoken about.
Hang up the chain in the room and explain that the group is linked together
as they are in the chain.

Using home and expert groups

Aims
Learn to set up an atmosphere of interdependence in group work.
Make use of combined creativity within a group.
Encourage a feeling of belonging and peer encouragement.

Materials
Several short texts enough so that each expert group has one to work
with (these can be on the same topic or different ones), logic puzzles, maps,
charts, etc.

Procedure
Put the learners into so-called home groups of four to six learners.
Give each of these groups a letter (A, B, C, etc.).
Give them some time to choose a name for their group and either a logo
or a group cheer. They then tell the other groups what they decided and
in the case of a cheer they can act it out for the others.
Number each of the students within their group and ask them to remember
their numbers.
Form new groups (the so-called expert groups). Each expert group
will contain four to six learners drawn from the different home groups.
These expert groups can then be used to carry out a number of tasks.
If you have given them a short text, instruct them to read it and then write
short summaries of it or answer questions about it. If they have a logic puzzle,
they should try to solve it and discuss how they did this. If they have a map,
they can be asked to talk about travelling or terrain, and with charts they can
be asked to explain them, etc.
When they have finished, ask the learners to return to their home groups.
The teacher then leads the activity by asking someone in a home group to
give a short summary of the text, an answer to a question, explain a puzzle,
talk about a map or chart etc. The important part here is that the person asked
is not the expert on that particular text, so they have to get the information
from the person who is the expert. The answers are then confirmed by the
other experts in the room, rather than the teacher.

128 | The learner as a creativity resource

 Circle faces
Aims
Come up with a creative story about a fictional character based on a drawing
created co-operatively.

Materials
A piece of paper for each pair or group of three.
A coloured pen or pencil.

Procedure
Tell the pairs or groups to draw a circle filling at least three-quarters of the
page on the paper.
The learners then pass their papers to the right and the next group is asked
to draw a nose. They can be reminded to be creative with their drawing.
The papers are passed again and the next group draws the eyes.
This continues until the face is completed.
The last groups to get the drawing can add anything they feel it needs, such
as jewellery or freckles.
The drawings are then passed on one more time and the pair or group who
gets the final drawing creates a persona for the face. They should think of a
name, come up with a story about how they met the person, what the person
likes and dislikes, what they are good or bad at doing and add something that
most people do not know about the person.
They then present their friend to the class and answer any questions the
others may have.

Students can write up the story in groups or individually for homework.

The learner as a creativity resource | 129

 Personal mind maps
Aims
Encourage learners to be creative with their own personal information.
Awaken interest in the stories by others in the class.

Materials
A piece of paper and a pen for each learner.

Procedure
Ask each learner to draw a personal mind map. They first draw a circle in the
middle of the page and write their name in it and then add six to eight lines
which connect the circle to other circles.
They fill in these circles with dates, names, abbreviations, words, numbers, etc.
that mean something to them personally.
When they have finished they exchange their mind maps with their neighbours
who then ask questions about the meaning of the information in the circles.
After interviewing each other, they then introduce their partners to the rest
of the class.
Example:

Important
year

An
Name of pet
abbreviation

Name

Favourite Important
activity number

Activity
person
does not
like doing

130 | The learner as a creativity resource

 Creating an ideal home
Aims
Work together to create an ideal living environment.
Use creative ideas to produce a poster.

Materials
A large piece of paper.
Pens.
Catalogues or advertisements from furniture stores or homes, travel
brochures, etc.
Glue or tape.

Procedure
Put the learners into small groups.
Ask them to talk first about their ideal home and its location; it can be a large
loft in a city, an old farmhouse in the country or a bungalow at the beach.
They then have to create the perfect home for the group. They need to work
together and each of the people in the group has to contribute to the final
result, and the home must be designed for the whole group to live in.
The groups can use the pictures they have to create their ideal home. They can
draw floor plans or pictures, label rooms, outdoor facilities, etc. or paste on the
pictures they have.
When the groups have finished, they present their posters to the class and
answer questions about it.

Soap opera creating a family

I learned this game from Andrew Wright

Aims
Create an alternative identity for oneself.
Work together to join the identities into a family unit.
Make use of storytelling.

Materials
A4 paper cut in half.
Pens.

Procedure
Give each of the learners a piece of paper and some pens.
Tell them that they are going to think up a new identity for themselves.
They then draw a picture of the person they would like to be and make some
notes about the details they will need. (Name, job, age, hobbies, interests,
traditions, etc.)
When they have finished creating their new personas they introduce
themselves to the group.

The learner as a creativity resource | 131

 The next step is to form a family. This can be done with six to ten students;
larger classes can form more than one family. The groups work together to
decide on the relationships of the fantasy identities and the dynamics within
the family.
They can attach the drawings they have to a larger poster and then present
the information to the class and answer any questions the others may have.

Changing a story
This too is a game I learned from Andrew Wright

Aims
Add creative details to an everyday event.
Remember details and gist by listening.

Materials
A small piece of paper for each learner.

Procedure
Give each of the learners a small piece of paper and ask them to write their
name on it.
Tell them to think of a small thing that went wrong for them in the last couple of
days. This can be something like forgetting to buy milk for coffee or forgetting
to set their alarm clock, etc.
Explain that they are going to exchange their story with another person.
As they tell their first partner what happened they exchange the piece
of paper with their name on it.
The learners take their slip of paper with a name on it and find a new partner
to exchange stories with, making one or two small changes in the stories. They
also exchange the pieces of paper with the names on them. They then look for
new partners and the game continues for ten minutes or so. Remind learners
that they can be as creative as they like when changing the stories, the only
rule is that they cannot tell the story to the person who started it.
Stop the game and ask the learners to return to their seats. Then ask one
of them to tell the story they just heard without mentioning the name of the
person who told it. The class listens and people try to guess if it is their story.
Once they guess, they tell the original story so the class can see what has been
added, deleted, etc.
Continue until all the stories have been told along with the originals.

132 | The learner as a creativity resource

 Conclusion This is one of the factors that keeps us fresh and
helps us to truly enjoy what we are doing. Realising
The ideas and activities suggested in this chapter
that our learners are people who can contribute
are taken from current methodologies and
significantly to what goes on in the classroom may be
approaches such as Suggestopedia, communicative
the first step to opening the floodgates to creativity.
language teaching and co-operative learning.
Finding ways to encourage them and support them
Suggestopedia takes advantage of learners
can be the way to optimise the impact of both the
fantasy and imaginations by having them create
learning and the teaching, a goal that those on
new identities which they use throughout the class.
both sides of the desk are aiming for.
The game about making a family was used in several
courses taught using this method. The learners are
encouraged to take chances, and as they are able References
to disassociate from their everyday identities and Deller, S (1990) Lessons from the learner.
act as another persona, they do not have to worry Harlow: Longman.
about mistakes. Music is used to relax students
Grundy, P, Bokiek, H and Parker, K (2011) English
and create an atmosphere which is different to
through Art. Innsbruck: Helbling.
traditional classrooms.
Keddie, J (2009) Images. Oxford: Oxford
In the communicative approach learners become
University Press.
acquainted with the functions of language and are
encouraged to use it to get their message across. Kryszewska, H and Campbell, C (1992) Learner-based
They can also talk about feelings and emotions when Teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
presented with pictures and other materials, and
Larsen-Freeman, D (2002) Techniques and principles
the teacher works as a facilitator who sets up the
in language teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
activities to promote communication. The social
aspect is regarded as an important factor and Rosenberg, M (2013) Spotlight on learning styles.
speakers have the freedom about what to say and Peaslake: Delta Publishing.
how to say it. As authentic language (at least as much
as possible) is the goal with this approach, all the
Marjorie Rosenberg has a Master of Fine Arts in
activities suggested would fit into this method
Music Performance and makes use of music, art and
and have been used in classrooms in which English
creativity in the English classroom. Originally from
is taught communicatively.
the US, she has taught English in Austria, trained
Co-operative learning is explained in the activities teachers and presented at conferences for over
and is a method which teaches social skills along 30 years on topics such as music in the classroom,
with language or other subjects. Students learn co-operative learning, personalising teaching
to develop positive interdependence in group materials, Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and
work and the groups are structured in such a way activities designed for a wide range of learner types.
that everyone has to take part. In addition, learners Publications include coursebooks, photocopiable
help each other to reach a common goal and activities, and articles and books on methodology.
learn from each other. As learners interact in the Marjorie was the IATEFL BESIG (Business English
target language and take on responsibilities, they Special Interest Group) Co-ordinator and a member
also develop respect for each other and their of the IATEFL Membership Committee. She is
capabilities, making it easier to use learners currently the Acting Vice-President of IATEFL. She
as resources in the classroom. blogs at https://learnerasteacher.wordpress.com

Once teachers have experienced the freedom of

giving learners space to try things out, it becomes
easier to do it. We may be afraid to let go of control
at the beginning but seeing the enthusiasm of
learners and feeling the atmosphere of growth and
trust can help us to continue on this path. One of
the joys of teaching is suddenly coming up with a
new way to present a concept and realising that our
learners have now gained a new perspective on it.

The learner as a creativity resource | 133

 14
Practising creative writing in high
school foreign language classes
Peter Lutzker

Introduction Creative and artistic processes

In this chapter it will be argued that it is in the in adolescence
deeply human need to listen to and tell stories that In entering into a foreign language, young people
the finest potentials of creative writing lie. Stories not only have continual chances to perceive
not only shape the imaginative and emotional life of the world from a new standpoint, but also of
a child, but also the acquisition of language and the experiencing their own language, culture and self
development of thought and self. In her seminal work from another perspective. It is within this larger
on the role of stories in childhood Susan Engel writes: context that creative writing can play a crucial role;
stories are not merely a nice or fun decoration not as the occasional fun and games on Friday
added to the real stuff of mental development. afternoons but as an essential dimension of what
They are, in many respects, the real stuff of can be learned in and through a foreign language.
mental development. The construction, telling
Learning to express oneself creatively is a highly
and retelling of stories allow children to learn
individual process deeply rooted in ones inner
about their world and reflect on their knowledge.
imaginative and emotional life. At the same time,
The making of stories also allows them to know
it also calls for a heightened perception and
themselves; through stories children construct
awareness of the world outside of oneself. When
a self and communicate that self to others. ()
adolescents are given opportunities to become
...it is an essential aspect of what it means to
engaged in such artistic processes, what they can
be a human being. (Engel, 1999: 206).
learn both about themselves and the world goes
It is these same formative dimensions which listening far past what most traditional schooling generally
to and telling stories call upon that also lead her to offers. Maxine Greene writes:
emphasise the importance of later encouraging I believe that the learning provoked by what we
children and young people to write them: call aesthetic education is paradigmatic for the
The purpose of encouraging kids to write is not learning many of us would like to see. Learning
just to get them to write more happily or to become stimulated by the desire to explore, to find out, to
better writers. These experiences have a profound go in search. This is the learning that goes beyond
and formative effect on the childs developing teaching the only significant learning, I believe.
narrative voice, and through this, his developing It is self-initiated at some point, permeated by
sense of self. The narratives created in writing have wonder, studded by moments of questioning,
a deep connection with the ones created in play always with the sense that there is something
and in conversation... () They all contribute to the out there, something worthwhile beyond.
development of the self and to the development of (Greene, 2001: 4647).
the second world the one that allows us to live in
Viewed from this perspective, the task of the teacher
the past, the future, the impossible, the world of
is transformed from primarily imparting knowledge
narrative that allows us to share ourselves with
into creating opportunities for pupils to be able to
others. (Engel, 1999: 221).
take their own initiatives as part of their broader
One of the precepts underlying the use of creative search for meaning and orientation. It is this
writing in foreign language learning is that these connection between artistic experience and
processes of storytelling and story encouraging personal development that lies at the heart of
can also have wide-ranging implications in learning Greenes understanding of a meaningful education:
a foreign language.

134 | Practising creative writing in high school foreign language classes

 Most significantly, I think we too often forget that Traditional language learning relies heavily on the
the primary purpose of education is to free persons training of language skills, particularly with respect
to make sense of their actual lived situations not to vocabulary and grammar. Coursebooks are
only cognitively, but perceptually, imaginatively, carefully designed to train specific skills within
affectively to attend mindfully to their own lives, clearly defined frameworks. Such training also
to take their own initiatives in interpreting them and implies focusing on clearly defined, short-term,
finding out where the deficiencies are and trying to testable goals. Practising is fundamentally different
transform them. (ibid. 206). and involves a longer and subtler process. The
carpenter and violinist have in common that they
At the core of this vision lies a belief in the individual
have practised for years and through their practice
and biographical will of the pupils to grasp such
have been gradually transformed. Their practice sits
opportunities of growth when they are presented
deeply in their bodies and movements and also
to them:
shapes the way they feel and think. It is not reaching
Surely you recognize that this kind of thing seldom the goal that transforms a practitioner they may not
happens naturally. Situations have to be created even reach a goal but the nature of the practice
that release the energies required, that provoke itself. It is this crucial distinction between training
interest, that move persons to reach beyond and practising in language learning that is highly
themselves. () With this in mind, we can somehow significant in this context.
trust that, if we have taught how to search and let
them catch some gleam of the untraveled, they When creative writing is considered as a long-term
will find their own ways, as we have done, and process of developing perceptual, imaginative and
begin teaching themselves, pursuing their own expressive capabilities, then this calls for practising
possibilities. (ibid. 47). in the sense that all creative artists continually
practise. And it is within this larger and richer
In pursuing their own possibilities, young people will context that heightened and transformative learning
need both encouragement and feedback from their experiences in a foreign language become most
teachers. What they will also need are opportunities possible. In the context of viewing the practice of
to practise. creative writing in conjunction with the specific
demands of foreign language learning, Alan Maley
The practice of the arts argues that the challenges and constraints implied
Developing the skills called for in creative writing in developing ones creative writing skills require
invariably depends on having enough possibilities disciplined engagement on different levels:
to practise them. The word practice is often used Contrary to what many believe, creative writing
interchangeably with the word training, but they is not about licence. It is a highly disciplined
have very different meanings, and the distinction activity. However, the discipline is self-imposed:
in this context between practising and training is the fascination of whats difficult. In this it stands
crucial. When training for something, one has clear in contrast to expository writing, which imposes
goals and attaining those goals becomes the focus constraints from without. () Creative writing is a
of the work; the way one reaches them becomes, at personal activity, involving feeling. This does not
most, a secondary consideration. A typical example mean that thought is absent far from it. The
would be muscle building in a fitness studio. ingenuity of a plot or the intricate structure of a
poem are not the products of unthinking minds.
(Maley, 2006: 35).

Practising creative writing in high school foreign language classes | 135

 He argues further that precisely because the degree The argument that I am making is that creative
of affective and cognitive engagement in aesthetic writing offers manifold possibilities of doing this and
creation is so much higher than in those activities the following section offers a concrete example of
driven by specific language-learning goals, it will how a creative writing project can help to serve such
also foster significant improvement in language goals. Although the different exercises which will be
capabilities: presented in the following section were offered
Creative writing aids language development at within a specific context, they could also easily be
all levels: grammar, vocabulary, phonology and used or adapted for use in other situations. They can
discourse. As learners manipulate the language also be considered as representative of those kinds
in interesting and demanding ways in their attempt of exercises which I believe to be most valuable.
to express uniquely personal meanings (as they do
in creative writing), they necessarily engage with Short story projects in EFL
the language at a deeper level of processing than high school classes
with expository texts. The gains in grammatical It has consistently been my experience that it
accuracy, appropriacy and originality of lexical is very helpful to place individual creative writing
choice, and sensitivity to rhythm, rhyme, stress assignments within the broader framework of a
and intonation are significant. (ibid). large-scale writing project. Exercises done over
The deeper level of language processing that a period of weeks are thus viewed as a form of
Maley refers to can be understood in conjunction practising designed to enable pupils, for instance,
with a pupils desire to express themselves to write their own collection of poems, screenplays
meaningfully. The fact that they are being asked or short stories. Working towards such a goal is
to do this in a foreign language should not be particularly important in artistic work: just as a
considered as an insurmountable hindrance, but music student practises not only for herself, but
as a potential source of freedom. This is exactly for a performance for an audience, a focus on
what the Swiss writer Peter Bichsel refers to when he working towards a final text which will be read
describes his experiences in learning English. In stark and appreciated by others is a strong motivational
contrast to his traumatic experiences in having to factor throughout the entire process. At the same
learn French in school (I am a victim a victim of time, establishing from the very beginning a clear
French lessons) (Bichsel, 1985: 52), he describes and highly challenging goal gives a structure and
his later learning of English: direction to all the activities and lessons which follow.
Learning English was for me the realisation The following section details a three-week
of a boys dreams. () ...a language that not preparatory unit consisting of ten 45 minute lessons
only opened a new world, but far more than that, which are designed to prepare pupils to write their
gave me the possibility to take on a new role, a own short stories. After this introductory unit they
form of acting, a faint breath of change, a faint are given at least six weeks to work on their stories
remembering of the human dream of becoming as a long-term homework assignment. The classes
someone else. I dont have to be someone in this in which I taught these units were mixed-ability
language; instead I am allowed to play. EFL classes in Steiner schools in Germany. I have
(Bichsel 1985: 54, my translation). generally chosen to do this in 11th grade where the
average age is 17. It would certainly be possible to
For language teachers to facilitate such creative
also do this project a year later and, perhaps in some
learning processes, it will be necessary for them to
classes, a year earlier. At this point in the 11th grade
look for possibilities to go beyond the constraints
they will have already read, discussed and written
which standardised curricula, coursebooks and
essays about two or three modern short stories in
testing often impose. It will mean searching for
that same year. They will also have read a number
ways to encourage and support the individual
of short stories in both 9th and 10th grades.
development of each of their pupils, not only
with respect to language learning but also in
their broader search for meaning in their lives.

136 | Practising creative writing in high school foreign language classes

 Ten lessons as preparation for
A. Oh, Ive never thought of it.
writing a short story
B. That? Oh...
Split lines C. I already have.
The announcement that we are beginning a project D. Why, how am I to judge?
which will end with the pupils having written their E. They consulted, and let him rise.
own short stories is generally met with a mixture
F. Did you? What was it?
of curiosity, disbelief and panic. In the first lesson
I am thus aiming to alleviate the feeling of dismay G. My wife has left me.
that some pupils are already feeling and, at the H. Im not so sure.
same time, to awaken their imaginative and creative I. I had imagined it was later.
faculties in a playful way. In this situation I have
J. Dont you?
often chosen to either use or adapt the following
exercise taken from Maley and Duffs book Literature K. Whats wrong with your voice?
(1990: 2426). Why cant you talk properly?
L. Its often done so in the past.
Materials M. Im not so sure.
N. I was not going to.
Match the following first lines with the responses
given in the next section. Feel free to list O. Oh, its nothing, nothing. Go away.
different possibilities. Cant you see that Im not dressed?

1. I want to talk to you about this letter that

you sent me. Procedure
2. You dont think much of Australia then? Working either on their own or with partners, pupils
3. Now what is the matter? are encouraged to look for one or more possibilities
4. Has anything happened? of combining these lines. I specifically make the
point that it is not a question of getting it right, but
5. I say, no need to call anyone.
rather realising that different combinations lead to
6. Someone will go for her with a bread completely different situations and possible stories.
knife one day and he wont miss her. For that reason, I do not use the answer key and
7. Im sorry I was late. It was unavoidable. leave the question open as to what lines originally
8. Speaking out may get you into trouble. belonged together.
9. Twenty-five minutes past five. Naturally, there are pairs of lines that dont make
10. I wanted to ask you something. any sense and if a pupil proposes one, I gently
suggest they should consider another. At the end
11. You should take off your shoes before
of the lesson, they are asked to choose one of their
entering the mosque.
pairs and for homework to put this into a larger
12. Tell me, what kind of man do you prefer? context, either by describing the general outlines of
13. Why are you going to marry him? a situation that could have led to this brief exchange
14. May I sit up? I will not struggle against or by writing lines preceding and/or following the
you again. given exchange.

The wide range of choices which are thus offered

both with respect to the combination of lines they
choose, as well as to the type of assignment, is
crucial and can also be seen as a thread going
through all the following creative writing
assignments.

Practising creative writing in high school foreign language classes | 137

 Possessions quality of results than when such assignments are
only done as homework. Some exercises can be
One highly worthwhile way of beginning the second
finished in class time, others will require a further
lesson would be to listen to some of the homework
finishing up at home. Particularly, if one also takes
generated by the first assignment. It has consistently
the time to listen to each others work, it is evident
been my experience that the interest in finding out
that one will often need more than one class hour to
what other pupils did with the same assignment is
complete an assignment. This will then lead to either
very pronounced and thus the quality of listening
a further extension of the work to be done at home,
which then occurs in the classroom is unusually high.
as was the case with split lines or, in this case,
Achieving this quality of listening to and generally
finishing at home what was begun in the lesson.
appreciating each others work is a significant
element of the entire project. An assignment such as this one I might collect
afterwards and then correct and comment on.
In this exercise, pupils are given two possible tasks
This would then lead to them having to rewrite their
and are asked to choose one of them.
texts to correct language errors and possibly to
having to rewrite the entire assignment so as to have
1. Think of someone you know well and list
it in a corrected form to be put into their language
different possessions which you associate
portfolio. Whether I choose to do this or not will often
with that person. Then choose one of those
depend on the amount of work that they had put into
objects, the one that seems most resonant to
it: if a number of them had invested significant
you and write more about it, trying to be as
amounts of time, I feel that it is necessary to respond
precise in your description of that object as
likewise by taking the time to correct and comment
possible. Feel free to bring in any personal
appreciatively on their work. However, in the context
memories which this object triggers.
of this unit there are also assignments such as the
2. Write about a personal possession/object following that I will choose to leave uncorrected,
that you would most want to save in case as workshop pieces.
there was a fire in your house. Describe it
precisely and explain to your reader why this
Working with photographs of people
object is so important to you. (Do not write
about your mobile phone, since you already In the third lesson I like to offer a complete shift of
have that in your pocket!) modes. The following exercise, which I have adapted
from Maley and Duffs Drama Techniques in Language
Learning (1982: 128129), is the task which usually
generates both the most active discussions and the
Procedure
most laughter in the entire unit.
An exercise like this will lead to an extraordinary
range of answers. Over the years, I have read
Procedure
loving and detailed descriptions of cars, stuffed
animals, personal diaries and a spectacular array of The class is divided into an even number of groups of
keepsakes. The students write in class. This means, four. Each group will receive a large photograph of a
that although dictionaries are provided, the teacher person. It is helpful to choose an interesting range of
is in constant action, walking through the classroom distinctive and striking photographs of people, none
and providing help with the necessary vocabulary of whom should be recognisable as someone the
and phrases. The atmosphere in the class is highly pupils know. Each group will have 1520 minutes to
concentrated and the pupils are very absorbed in answer the following questions about the person.
remembering and describing what theyre visualising. How old might the person be?
Although theoretically such assignments could also What might their occupation be (or have been)?
be done entirely as homework, it has become clear Family circumstances (married or not, children
to me that it is generally far more enjoyable and or not, etc.)?
fruitful to have much of this kind of activity done
What kind of a personality?
together in class. The pupils are invariably grateful
to have someone who can immediately help them Likes and dislikes?
in expressing something that is important to them. Where does the person come from?
Thus, both the presence and support of the teacher, Life story.
as well as the atmosphere generated by the creative
energy of the other pupils, generally lead to a higher Discuss your answers, and then have at least one
person write them down.

138 | Practising creative writing in high school foreign language classes

 After 15 minutes exchange pictures with another Materials
group, and after only five minutes the two groups
meet and exchange their answers. First the non- Write a descriptive piece in which the different
experts (the group that only had five minutes) give relationships between the figures in a painting,
their answers and then the experts tell the others for example in Rembrandts Jacob and his Sons,
what they know. are described. What conclusions can you draw
about each of the characters and, in particular,
The mixture of perception and imagination which this
their relationships, through closely observing
assignment calls for can help prepare pupils to later
and considering all the details that can be seen?
more clearly visualise and develop characters in their
own stories.

Procedure
Losses
You can either show the picture and hand out the
After the last humorous lesson it can be appropriate
instructions for students to work on, or start with
to offer something completely different. The
students in pairs or groups to brainstorm ideas
following assignment is adapted from an exercise
before they start to write.
devised by Rolaine Hochstein (1995: 4449) and
can generate very moving pieces of writing.
Working with newspaper articles
Materials Over the years I have accumulated a collection of
unusual newspaper articles, most of which fit into
What can be lost? Write about something/ the category of fact being stranger than fiction; for
someone that you lost in your life that was instance, the story about the missing canoeist who
meaningful to you. was assumed to have drowned and then five years
later walked into a police station, or the man who
spent 30 years in jail wrongly accused of a crime
Procedure he didnt commit, or the story about the woman
who bought a vase at a flea market for 20 that
This is an example of a writing assignment that I
turned out to be a rare antiquity worth tens of
might let the pupils work on for perhaps 30 minutes
thousands of pounds. Out of this collection I choose
in class and then ask if some of them would be willing
extracts from four articles which I think would best
to read what they have written so far. A few pupils
fit that particular class and then read them with the
may not be willing to do this since what they wrote
class, in conjunction with the following assignment.
may be highly personal, for instance, the loss of a
family member. Other losses that I have heard about
over the years, ranging from wallets to guinea pigs, The following four extracts from articles were
will provide fewer problems. taken from newspapers. Each of them could
provide the potential seed for a short story
or film. Choose one of them and draft the
Working with paintings
outline and/or storyboard for a short story
Once again a complete shift of modes can be or a film. Think of whose perspective the story
satisfying. The following exercise was adapted or film would be told from and what possible
from Paul Matthews collection Sing Me the Creation beginnings, middles and ends could be
(1994: 30) and requires the use of an overhead or developed. What potential highpoint could you
LCD projector. build towards? Feel free to think of different
There is a particular value in working intensively alternatives. You are not drafting something you
with pictures in language classes. For some learners then have to follow up on, but rather considering
whose visual sensibilities are more highly developed different possibilities for treating a non-fiction
than their verbal skills it is both more stimulating, and text in a literary or cinematic manner.
a chance to shine.

Practising creative writing in high school foreign language classes | 139

 Procedure Story openings
The possibility to turn one of these articles into This might be the final exercise before they begin
a film scenario and/or a visualised storyboard is their own stories.
usually taken up by more than half of the class. The
scenarios that are generated are often quite detailed, Materials
including possible camera shots and choices of
music. This is an assignment that I carry over into the Choose one of these beginnings and either
next lesson. (It takes a while just to go through the continue writing the story from this point on
four stories and for the pupils to make their choice.) for at least another paragraph or two, and/or
Depending on how intensively the class take up this develop different possible plots of different
task and whether I ask them to continue working stories that could be generated from this
on it at home, it often takes up a third lesson as well. beginning.
It is an assignment that can also be done fruitfully
as partner work particularly in the context of the
draft of a screenplay or storyboard. Procedure
The first lines or opening paragraphs from about
Mr Death ten different modern short stories are copied onto
This exercise once again provides a shift of pace. one page.
It has been adapted from an exercise designed by
Meredith Sue Willis (1995: 4449). Beginning their own short stories
At the end of this preparatory phase the pupils
Materials
will begin working at home on their own stories.
In class we will be doing something different: a unit
So Jamie began to think of Death. Death, that
that requires little or no additional homework. They
strange being with the huge square toes who
have at least six weeks to finish their stories. I ask
lived way in the West. The great one who lived
them to bring their unfinished manuscripts to class
in the straight house like a platform without
at the end of each week so that I can see their work.
sides to it, and without a roof. What need has
Im interested in knowing where they are in their
Death for a cover, and what winds can blow
story, what form of narration they have chosen,
against him? He stands in his high house that
whether they have an idea of how the story will end,
overlooks the world. Stands watchful and
etc. A dialogue between the writer and the teacher
motionless all day with his sword drawn back,
as an interested encourager of the work begins
waiting for the messenger to bid him come.
here and will continue and intensify in the course
Been standing there before there was a where or
of the project.
a when or a then. She was liable to find a feather
from his wings lying in her yard any day now.
Six weeks later: handing in their stories
Zora Neale Huston. Their Eyes Were
After receiving the short stories of each pupil, the
Watching God.
teachers work begins. Depending on the size of
the class, correcting and commenting on all these
stories will require a substantial investment of time.
Procedure With an average of 38 pupils I have generally needed
Ask students to write a paragraph in this manner up to six weeks to complete this work. At the end
using one of the following words: depression, pupils receive both a fully corrected version and a
satisfaction, greed, embarrassment, fear, amazement, detailed commentary on their work. It is crucial that
excitement, love, jealousy, joy, hysteria, helplessness. the commentary presents a full recognition and
discussion of what has been written and that the
tone of the commentary not be that of a teacher
correcting her pupils but of an interested reader
responding to a writer with constructive and
respectful feedback.

140 | Practising creative writing in high school foreign language classes

 Two months later: reading each offer them such opportunities, they will seize them,
others stories sensing, as Greene writes, the possibility to attend
mindfully to their own lives, to take their own
After getting back their stories the pupils rework
initiatives in interpreting them (op. cit.). This is a
them in light of the corrections and, in the end, have
learning that goes beyond teaching, rooted in the
a complete and corrected version of their stories.
creative potentials of our pupils, potentials that they,
At this point a further highly satisfying phase begins.
and only they, can develop provided they are given
Over a period of one or two weeks the pupils read
chances to do so.
each others stories during class. They are generally
quite astounded at the originality and quality of
their classmates (corrected) work. If they dont
References
understand something, they can easily ask the Bichsel, P (1985) Schulmeistereien. Darmstadt:
author, who is sitting in the same classroom. At the Luchterhand.
end of reading a story they are asked to write a
Engel, S (1999) The Stories Children Tell: Making
personal response to it and to put this into the folder
Sense of the Narratives of Childhood. New York:
in which the story is enclosed. This means that at the
W.H. Freeman.
end of each class all the authors rush to their own
folders to see what their classmates have written. Greene, M (2001) Variations on a Blue Guitar.
For the teacher such hours usually involve just sitting New York: Teachers College Press.
quietly and observing pupils appreciating the work
Hochstein, R (1995), in Edgar, C and Padgett R (eds)
of other pupils. I have often seen this as a deserved
Old Faithful: 18 Writers Present Their Favorite Writing
reward for the untold hours I spent correcting those
Assignments. New York: Teachers and Writers
same stories.
Collaborative.

Conclusions Maley, A and Duff, A (1982) Drama Techniques

in Language Learning. Cambridge: Cambridge
It has been my experience that the stories the pupils
University Press.
write are, almost without exception, the finest and
most extensive work that each pupil has ever done Maley, A and Duff, A (1990) Literature. Oxford:
up until that point. They become deeply involved Oxford University Press.
in writing their stories: imaginatively, cognitively,
Maley, A (2006) Creative Writing/Reading, in
emotionally and volitionally. In the course of these
Mukundan, J (ed) Creative Writing in EFL/ESL
six weeks, pupils invariably encounter difficulties,
Classrooms II. Malaysia: Pearson Longman.
resistance and unmotivated phases, as well as
periods of creative inspiration and flow. The reason Matthews, P (1994) Sing Me the Creation. Stroud:
they are so willing to invest so much of their time and Hawthorne Press.
energy in this project is that the work is experienced
Willis, M (1995) in Edgar, C and Padgett, R (eds),
as personally meaningful and it is exactly this sense
Old Faithful: 18 Writers Present Their Favorite
of purpose that they most deeply seek. The personal
Writing Assignments. New York: Teachers and
and aesthetic satisfaction which is thus gained by
Writers Collaborative.
accomplishing a task of this order must be seen
as a decisive factor in evaluating its value.
Peter Lutzker taught English in Steiner schools
The pupils naturally also make significant steps in
in Germany for 25 years, as well as teaching
a wide range of language skills, particularly with
pre-service and in-service courses for teachers
respect to vocabulary and grammar. However, it is
throughout Europe. In the context of designing
essential to realise that this was neither their main
different programmes for language teachers, he has
focus nor mine. The project is both intended and
worked closely with actors, directors, clowns and
experienced as a creative assignment, not as a
storytellers with the aim of enhancing the artistry
language-learning task. Such artistic projects can
of teachers throughout different forms of dramatic
have long-term transformative effects on pupils,
training. This work was described in his book The Art
both in terms of their relation to the foreign language
of Foreign Language Teaching: Improvisation and
and in their perception of themselves. As language
Drama in Teacher Development and Language
teachers, we have a wide range of possibilities to
Learning (Tbingen: 2007). In 2010 he became a
offer pupils such creative challenges and thus a
Professor at the Freie Hochschule, Stuttgart.
chance to develop through meeting them. If we

Practising creative writing in high school foreign language classes | 141

 15
Fostering learners voices in literature
classes in an Asian context
Phuong thi Anh Le

Introduction Practical suggestions and activities

Teaching literature in EFL/ESL classrooms is widely At the start of the course, students were asked
advocated for its undoubted advantages both for about their expectations of it. On the basis of this,
language and for personal development. However, the teacher could point out the match of the course
many EFL students still find literature an inhibiting and the students expectations. Specific details about
subject, not only because the literary language is the course aims, organisation, methods of teaching
usually beyond their ability but because the literary and learning, materials, and assessment were made
and cultural values are also unfamiliar to their clear to them. Special attention was paid to ongoing
experience (Baurain, 2000; Khatib et al., 2011). assessment which was aimed at supporting rather
than evaluating students learning. The aim in doing
As well as this, teaching literature in the lecturing
this was to drive away students fear of literature due
mode often turns students into passive receivers
to the many challenges they face in the initial stages
of knowledge, rather than active readers who can
of their learning. The description of the course below
contribute their own ideas (Dagnew, 2013). Even
covers four main aspects: aims, materials selection,
worse, it can lead to rote learning and plagiarism in
methods of teaching and assessment.
students assessments (Nguyen, 2010). In this way,
students own voices are clearly underestimated
Aims
and ultimately unheard in literature classes.
The course was expected to achieve the
In an attempt to reverse this situation, this chapter following aims:
aims to share practical experiences in making
to motivate students to read literary texts
literature more inspiring to students and in fostering
their contribution and creativity in literature classes. to enrich their love of literature
to enhance their thinking skills.
Brief background
The activities described in this chapter have been Materials
used in American literature courses for Vietnamese To make the contents more manageable within the
college students majoring in English. In our context, allotted time, the course focused on 20th century
the literature course occupied a very small part American literature. In particular, it concentrated on
(three credits) in a three-year curriculum, and some key authors whose poetry and short stories
students had little aspiration to engage with were more relevant to students language levels,
literature in English. Therefore, it was essential maturity and interest.
for the teacher to create a motivational learning
Specifically, the following texts were chosen to be
atmosphere where students could play an active
studied in class, in addition to other texts provided
and meaningful role in learning literature. In order
for extensive reading.
to achieve this, the course was designed specifically
for them with their language, interests and maturity
levels in mind.

142 | Fostering learners voices in literature classes in an Asian context

 Poems Realising that literary language was often challenging
This Is Just To Say (William Carlos Williams) for students, the teacher made considerable use of
pictures and guided questions to help them in the
Grass (Carl Sandburg)
initial stage of exploring the texts. Specifically, these
The Road Not Taken and Acquainted with devices were aimed to set students thinking about
the Night (Robert Frost) what they read and to arouse their emotions as
My Brother Lives Too Far Away (Mark Van Doren) triggered by the poem or story. By doing this, the
Dreams and I, Too, Sing America teacher was able to motivate students to further
(Langston Hughes) exploit what they had learned.

As a principle, the pictures were chosen on the

Short stories
basis of key themes and images in a poem or a story.
A Lamp in the Window (Truman Capote) These pictures were accompanied by questions
The Cop and the Anthem and to orient students into thinking and finding the
The Gift of the Magi (O Henry) meanings of the texts. As a type of scaffolding and
Love of Life (Jack London) guidance (Liang, 2011), the questions fell into four
main categories: lead-in, comprehension, analytical/
The Story of an Hour (Kate Chopin)
interpretation and evaluation.
In Another Country (Ernest Hemingway)
The teacher made it clear to students that it was
Going Home (William Saroyan)
more important for them to justify their opinions
Sorrow for a Midget (Langston Hughes) than to worry about whether they were right or
The Magic Barrel (Bernard Malamud) wrong. Differences in students opinions were used
The Snow Goose (Paul Gallico) as the basis for their discussion. In this way, the
teacher was able to promote students higher order
thinking skills, such as analytical, critical thinking
Methods of teaching
and creative thinking skills. The following section
Guided by the course objectives, the method of exemplifies and illustrates a lesson on a famous
teaching was based on a reader-response approach poem written by Robert Frost, Acquainted with the
where the focus was on students exploration and Night, in three main stages of pre-lesson, while-
response to the texts (Amer, 2003, cited in Khatib lesson, and post-lesson.
et al., 2011). Thus, students were not expected to
spend time figuring out exactly what was meant
by the authors by their works. Rather, they were
encouraged to think about what they read and how
it was relevant to their own life and experience.
Ultimately, they were expected to recreate the
meanings of the works based on what they
understood and felt.

Fostering learners voices in literature classes in an Asian context | 143

 Pre-lesson stage The second set of questions asked about
different impacts that the rain could have on
Prior to the class, students were asked to prepare
old or young people.
for the lesson by reading the poem and showing their
initial understanding of it by writing their answers to In what way does the rain influence a person?
some general questions set by the teacher. Does the rain influence young people and old
Example: people differently?
What was the poem about? What do you think about a person walking
in the street alone after midnight?
What was/were the main theme(s) of the poem?
Could this person be happy or sad? Why?
Do you like the poem? Why/why not?
Do you have/know any similar experience? The third set of questions made them relate
the situation to their personal experiences
What do you gain from this poem?
and perceptions.
What do you find hard to understand?
Have you ever been out in the rain?
Students were encouraged to write as many
How did you feel?
questions as possible about what they did not
understand or would like to know about the poem. Have you ever been in the rain when you
were sad?
While-lesson stage What was your experience?
At the start of the class, individuals were asked to How might you feel if you had to walk in the
write down their questions about the poem on the street alone after midnight?
board. These questions would be answered by the These questions were supposed to get students
class during the lesson. mentally and affectively ready to explore the text
Then, via a PowerPoint presentation, the teacher further. The pictures also aimed to set a suitable
showed several pictures of different kinds of people atmosphere for this exploration and orient the class
walking alone in the rain in different situations, towards the main theme of the poem, which was
accompanied by lead-in questions which invited loneliness. Via these questions, students were asked
individual responses. All students were expected to express their opinions first in pairs and then with
to share their opinions. Easy questions were often their class. Thus, students had more preparation and
directed to less able students so that they could chances to show their perspectives. This lead-in
have more opportunities to share their perspectives stage was followed by text exploration.
and develop their self-esteem and confidence.
Text exploration
The first set of questions was aimed at drawing out
their feelings and thinking about a person walking This was the step when students were formally
in the rain without a raincoat. exposed to the poem, which was analysed in detail.
It began with setting the tone of the poem.
What is the person doing?
Setting the tone: this was done by reading the
Where are they going?
poem aloud, first by the teacher and then by the
How are they feeling? students so that they could feel and show the sad,
Why are they feeling that way? lonely ambience of the text.
Why arent they wearing a raincoat or holding Overall understanding: students worked in pairs
an umbrella? to discuss their initial understanding of the poem
What do you think about a person walking by answering the following questions:
in the rain without a raincoat? What was the poem about?
What was/were the main theme(s) of the poem?
Do you share similar or different opinions with
your friend?

144 | Fostering learners voices in literature classes in an Asian context

 While students shared their opinions, the teacher
identified the differences in students opinions if any, I have stood still and stopped the sound
and used these differences for further guidance for of feet
the text exploration. When far away an interrupted cry

Deep analysis: in this part, a deeper analysis of Came over houses from another street,
the poem was conducted part by part. To do this, But not to call me back or say good-bye;
a set of questions was posed for each part of the
And further still at an unearthly height,
poem and students worked first in pairs and then
groups to discuss the answers. The poem was One luminary clock against the sky
divided into three parts, each with a different Proclaimed the time was neither wrong
set of questions: nor right.

Acquainted with the night by Robert Frost I have been one acquainted with the night.

I have been one acquainted with the night.

What did he hear in those nights out?
I have walked out in rain and back in rain.
What did he do when he heard that cry?
I have outwalked the furthest city light.
How did that cry sound to him?
Was that cry meant to call him?
Was the poet an old or young person?
How can you know? How did the poet feel when the cry
was not meant for him?
Had the poet been out at night many times?
What did he see in the sky?
Was he out alone or with someone else?
What does this thing signify?
Is it normal for an old person to walk a long
way in the rain alone at night? Why? Why did the poet say The time was neither
wrong nor right?
Why did he walk a long way in the rain alone
at night? What could be the problems? What is the tone of the poem?

What do all these details tell you about this What are the possible themes of the poem?
old person? At the end of this stage, all the questions raised
Then, each group was responsible for facilitating the by students about the poem were answered by
discussion using the guided questions and the class the class with or without the teachers interference.
responded individually. The teacher joined in the By this time, several students were asked to read
discussion when necessary to explain language the poem aloud again as this helped them to show
problems that arose, to settle conflicts between their understanding of the poem even more through
ideas, and to clarify ideas or to share comments. their voices.

The same procedure was adopted for the other Evaluation

parts of the poem until the whole poem was studied.
In this step, students shared their personal evaluation
I have looked down the saddest city lane. and experience related to the poem by answering
the questions below.
I have passed by the watchman on his beat.
And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain. Do you like the poem? Why/why not?
What do you particularly like or dislike about
the poem?
What had he seen on those lonely walks?
Have you ever been in a similar mood or situation
Did the surroundings look happy or sad as the poet?
to him? How?
Do you know of anyone who has had a similar
Why did he drop his eyes when he saw experience as the poet?
the watchman?
What do the surroundings tell you about
his mood?

Fostering learners voices in literature classes in an Asian context | 145

 Post-lesson stage 2009). Any poems or creative responses of the
students were acknowledged and encouraged
After exploring the poem in depth, students
by the teacher through feedback in their journals,
were required to write their journals and practised
or shared with the class. This was important as
creative writing, in addition to doing extensive
students knew that their efforts were appreciated
reading. This stage was done at home.
and valued. The poems written by the students
For these tasks, students were asked to write down were often edited by the teacher, with
their refined responses to the poem. Specifically, in encouragement.
100 words, they had to write about their thoughts or
The following is an example of students creative
experiences related to the poem, using the questions
writing after learning the poem by Robert Frost.
in the evaluation part as a guide. Another option was
for them to write a poem about a related experience.
Acquainted with the Difficulties
In addition, they were asked to find two other poems by Cao Thi Nhan
either in English or Vietnamese related to the themes
I have been acquainted with the difficulties
of the poem and to identify how they were relevant
to each other. Those who could not find such poems I have walked those long roads to schools
were allowed to find and copy down two other poems I have ridden my old bicycle
that they liked and state why and what they liked In the boiling heat of the day
about them. Evidence of this task was recorded in
Or in the darkness of the night.
their journals, which were read by the teacher a few
times without giving prior notice during the course, I have lived through such long days.
so students knew that they were always expected to No rice, no money, and many more.
do the tasks for each lesson.
I have experienced endless nights
When I found it impossible to sleep.
Assessment
Various forms of assessment were used, including I have gone through Tet holidays alone.
class participation, aiming to cater for students No family, no relatives, no friends.
diverse abilities and interests. These included the And no best wishes for me.
following activities.
Only profound sadness and many tears
Journal writing For me and my terrible Tet here.
Journal writing has been widely promoted in
teaching literature (Khatib et al., 2011). It is thought I have lived through those sad rainy nights
to be a beneficial way for students to express their When I missed my parents and siblings at home
personal responses to literary works or to relate Whom I havent met for four years or more.
them to their personal experience (Knoeller, 2003).
My eyes were buried in full tears then.
In our context, journals were used to record
students perceptions of the texts they had read. I have dreamt of my skinny Mom.
These journals were expected to include three Her smiling face and gentle voice.
main things: a) initial answers to the teachers
My baby, she called out to me,
questions about the text before the lesson, b)
about 100 words to relate it to their own Looking at me with those loving eyes.
experience, after they had learned the poem in But the dream was far too short.
class, and c) a record of their extensive reading In disappointment I woke up too soon.
of further poems or short stories.
I have hoped that in my learning of English
Creative writing
As creative writing can be a highly beneficial I can have good scores for writing and listening.
vehicle for students to reflect on their inner life To feel happy and to have something to show.
creatively (Knoeller, 2003), students were I have made promises with my dear Mom,
encouraged to write their own poems. To facilitate
That Ill always live honestly and study well.
the process, the teacher exposed them to poems
written in simple English taken from Life in Words That Ill pass the next graduation exam.
and Words in Life (Maley et al., 2009) and Asian And come back home to see her again.
Poems for Young Readers (Maley and Mukundan,

146 | Fostering learners voices in literature classes in an Asian context

 At the end of the course, the teacher created dramatisation activity and only those students
opportunities for students to share their creative who did not have much time to prepare for the
works with other students and teachers to boost mini dramas chose to do storytelling. One reason
their self-esteem. In reciting their poems, students was that students found dramatisation much more
were encouraged to vary the ways they read, using fun and working in bigger groups, rather than
their voices in different ways, varying the speeds, pairs, enabled them to get more help from others.
the voice volumes and adding gestures. In doing Dramatisation
this, students found that the different way of reading Dramatisation is a useful activity for students both
could lend the poems some novelty and they were intellectually and emotionally. It can develop their
happy with this discovery. Even those who chose thinking skills and creativity by means of their
not to read their works were allowed to read other experiences of scripting, casting, setting and
poems that they liked. This was a great success in dialogue (Smith, 1993). It can enhance their
terms of motivation, self-esteem and confidence motivation by fostering their self-esteem and
enhancement. confidence (Maley and Duff, 2005).
Extensive reading Those students who decided on dramatisation
This activity aimed to nurture reading habits and were expected to give a performance based on
thinking skills among students (Rashid et al., 2010), one story they liked. In preparation, students
in addition to helping their English improvement worked on selecting scenes, writing scripts and
(Knoeller, 2003). For poetry, students were often preparing their own props for a performance
expected to find other poems in English or in which lasted from 15 to 30 minutes. During this
Vietnamese on the same themes and to identify process, the teacher was available for guidance
what they liked or disliked about the poem and to and advice.
write them down in their journals. Regarding short Students were found to really enjoy acting,
stories, they were encouraged to read stories from dressing up and experimenting with their
1,000 to 5,000 words in the Graded Readers series creativity in building an image for a character,
available in the college library. A summary of making up dialogue for them and preparing props
100 to 150 words was expected for each story, for setting up the scenes for their mini-drama.
followed by about 100 words of their comments There was a lot of discussion, negotiation and
on any aspects of the stories of their choice. decision-making in the process. Each performance
The student journals show that each of them read was done with their best efforts and harmonious
from eight to 14 additional stories of between co-operation among the team. Peer feedback and
2,000 and 4,000 words each. In addition, they teacher feedback was carried out to support,
were able to share their related experience or rather than to judge their work. These
literary appreciation by pointing out what they performances were a highlight of the course.
identified as new or interesting to them. They also
jotted down questions about things that were not Conclusion
clear to them. Frequent feedback from the teacher
It is crucial to instil in EFL students the love and the
turned this into a dialogue between students and
desire to learn literature in English so as to combat
teacher about literature and personal experience.
the misunderstanding that only highly intellectual
Storytelling people can appreciate and produce literary texts
Storytelling was one of the two alternatives that like poetry or stories.
students had to show their response to the stories
This chapter has shared some personal experience
they had read or studied. The storytelling task
of the author in teaching literature in a way that
required students to work in pairs to tell a story
was not only enjoyable to the students but also
of their choice. The story delivery was assessed
beneficial in enhancing their literary appreciation
on the basis of their language, acting ability (the
and developing their creativity. The course seemed
use of voice, facial expression, gestures) and the
to be effective in changing the students thinking
settings (props, pictures and music). Prior to this
and made them more comfortable with the subject.
activity, the teacher held one introductory session
The students did not seem to feel intimidated by
on storytelling techniques with video illustrations
the lessons, as our teaching and assessment
to clarify the expectations of storytelling activity.
promoted an open, exploratory and motivational
Many fewer students chose storytelling than the
style of learning.

Fostering learners voices in literature classes in an Asian context | 147

 In addition, the course seemed to reinforce the As a result, students different abilities, especially
benefits of creative activities such as dramatisation their creativity, can be discovered and nurtured.
and creative writing as they provided students with
In short, literary works selected for EFL/ESL teaching
a passion for their learning (Rashid et al., 2010) and
and learning are valuable works of creativity. As
a desire to discover literature (DeBlase, 2005) and
such, they should be introduced to the students in
themselves. The course actually enriched students
such a way that they can feel inspired to explore the
lives (Cope, 1998) as in the following poem produced
texts themselves, to appreciate them, to relate them
by one of the students in the course.
to, and to enrich, their life experience and to unlock
their own creativity.
I like literature by Hoang thi Thuy Duong

I like literature References

Its beautiful Baurain, B (2000) Learning and enjoying literature
in English. Teachers Edition 3: 1520.
and interesting
Cope, J (1998) Why I teach, promote, and love
Literature is a teacher
adolescent literature: Confessions of a college
who teaches me life skills. English professor. Voices from the Middle 5/2: 79.

Literature brings experience Dagnew, T (2013) A model for integrating literature

and language teaching in Ethiopia. The EFL Journal
Thats necessary for my life.
4/2: 2133.
Literature leads to places
DeBlase, G (2005) Teaching literature and language
that Ive never come before. through guided discovery and informal classroom
drama. English Journal (High school edition) 95/1:
Literature is society
2933.
that is in miniature.
Khatib, M, Rezaei, S and Derakhshan, A (2011)
I like literature. Literature in EFL/ESL classroom. English Language
Teaching 4/1: 201209.
I love it.
Knoeller, C (2003) Imaginative response: Teaching
I adore it.
literature through creative writing. English Journal
(High school edition) 92/5: 4253.
As developing students creativity is considered Liang, L (2011) Scaffolding middle school students
an essential part of the teaching job in modern comprehension and response to short stories.
society, this was just one way to enhance students RMLE Online 34/8: 116.
creativity for a specific group for a specific subject
in a specific context. Therefore, any attempt to Maley, A and Duff, A (2005) Drama Techniques.
replicate any aspects of this course need to take Cambridge University Press.
students language levels, interest and maturity Maley, A and Mukundan, J (eds) (2009) Asian Poems
levels into consideration, because it is this which for Young Readers. Malaysia: Pearson.
decides the success of the course. Specifically,
students should be put at the centre in setting the Maley, A, Mukundan, J and Rai, V (eds) (2009)
aims of the course, which would serve as the basis Life in Words and Words in Life. Bagbazar, Kathmandu:
for materials selection and methods of teaching so Bhundipuran Prakashan.
that the course could be relevant to students levels. Nguyen, H (2010) Literature teaching and learning at
Another recommendation is to help students to the department of English Linguistics and Literature
contribute their opinions to the course and increase at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities.
their autonomy in learning, as these are part of the Paper presented at the Seminar on American and
long-term goals in teaching. Furthermore, it is crucial British Culture and Literature from Vietnamese
to remember that assessment is there to support, Perspectives, University of Social Sciences and
rather than inhibit learning. Therefore, diverse tasks Humanities, November 2010, Ho Chi Minh City,
should be offered, for students to choose the most Vietnam.
suitable tasks for them to do, and in this way they
can maximise their abilities in fulfilling the tasks.

148 | Fostering learners voices in literature classes in an Asian context

 Rashid, R, Vethamani, M and Rahman, S (2010)
Approaches employed by teachers in teaching
literature to less proficient students in Form 1 and
Form 2. English Language Teaching 3/4: 8799.

Smith, P (1993) Interpreters theatre: A tool for

teaching literature. English Journal (High school
edition) 82/7: 7172.

Phuong thi Anh Le was educated mainly in Australia

(Doctor of Education, MA in Applied Linguistics
and Diploma in TESOL). She has been in the USA
as a Fulbright Scholar doing research on teacher
educators feedback. She also received some
training in teaching about British culture and
literature in England. Besides working as a TESOL
Teacher Educator for over 35 years in Vietnam, she
has published and presented on various issues in
teacher education and applied linguistics in many
different countries. Her current research interests
include teacher training, syllabus design and
assessment. She joined the Asian Teacher-Writer
Group in 2010.

Fostering learners voices in literature classes in an Asian context | 149

 16
A framework for learning creativity
Tessa Woodward

Introduction Brief background questions

When we think of creative individuals, we have a To break away from the unfortunate thought
tendency perhaps to call to mind solitary, eminent pattern mentioned above, we need to consider
men in the Western high arts and sciences, names of some basic questions.
a well-known elite like Leonardo da Vinci, Beethoven
and Vincent van Gogh. We call these and others First, what does it mean to create?
like them geniuses and, whether they are within To define a word we can go to outside or inside
the field of music, painting, mathematics or science, sources. Here is a definition of creativity from
we imagine they were quite simply born that outside, spliced together from several dictionaries:
way, with clever minds and destined for amazing
accomplishments. The rest must have come easy Creativity is the bringing into existence, causing,
to them, we may think. developing of original ideas. It can involve a change
in the condition of something, the use of something
This way of thinking has a number of disadvantages. in a new way, or a novel combination of the known
It encourages us to concentrate on what happens that produces interesting and useful results.
in the mind of an individual person. It ignores the
heart and emotions, the body, the environment, And if we ask fellow language teachers what they
and any creative collaboration between people. would regard as a creative lesson, they might,
It ignores too the work of those in the more popular from inside their own experience, say
arts, people such as Ella Fitzgerald with her fabulous A creative lesson is one that involves one or more
vocal improvisation skills. And it ignores the everyday of the following:
creativity we see in our children, our students, our
spontaneity
friends and family, and ourselves. Worse yet, it lets
us off the hook. After all, if we are not ourselves lone, music
creative men in the high arts, we must therefore not colour
be creative geniuses. So thats it. We dont have to do variety
anything. We dont even have to try. In fact we may
fun
be afraid to try.
humour
My own view is different. I believe that we can
movement
redefine what it means to be creative. We can give
ourselves permission to learn, sometimes with personal meaning
others, to be even more creative in our everyday unpredictability
lives than we are already. This way, we start a path a balance between challenge and security,
we can walk along. In this chapter then, I will suggest relaxation and tension.
ways that we language teachers can become more
creative in our own work with learners. You will want to add ingredients of your own
to the list.

150 | A framework for learning creativity

 And if any of us is asked, a little more concretely, Ignaz Semmelweis was a Hungarian physician
what activities in our everyday lives make us feel who suggested the outrageous practice of doctors
creative, we can all come up with an extremely wide washing their hands before delivering babies, so as
variety, such as cleaning out cupboards, cooking to avoid the spread of purple fever. The reaction of
dinner, singing a new harmony to an old song on the the medical community to his idea was so hostile
radio or making a new pump for the central heating that he had a nervous breakdown and died in an
boiler! These concrete examples usually fall within insane asylum.
the four modes of: doing, making, adapting and
So there are many different possible reactions to
creating (Sanders, 2005).
a new idea. I once identified some twenty different
All this gives us a refreshing and optimistic view kinds of reactions. These range from changing the
of what we are aiming at. subject of conversation, to immediately embracing
or taking against an idea, to denial that the new idea
By the way, does it feel good to create? is even possible, to dismissing the idea for not being
If asked, we might say without too much thought new at all (Woodward, 2002).
that the act of creating feels wonderful, feels easy, So we need not expect to feel great while we create
free as a breeze. However, when John Tusa, a nor, necessarily, to be lauded by our colleagues for
BBC radio and television journalist, interviewed our creations!
over 50 established actors, painters, sculptors,
musicians, architects, playwrights, film makers and How can we and our students become
choreographers about how they felt when working more creative?
creatively, some said they felt worried, others that
But lets suppose that we are still keen to become
they couldnt sleep, or felt they were building
more creative and to help our students become
something painstakingly slowly, pebble by pebble.
creative too, believing that, though it may be hard
Others said they felt lonely, that it felt very, very risky.
work, it will bring interesting and useful results.
(The Tusa interviews can be found at:
How can we go about it? There follow some practical
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00nb1n3
principles widely agreed upon by many of those
interested in creativity.
Still, the product of creativity is always
welcomed, isnt it?
Practical principles
Not really! We may as well assume that all babies are
welcomed, when we know that some are not, being Wake up!
unexpected, unwanted, or coming too early or too At the start of class we all need to come together,
late. The world too has always been full of creative settle and become mentally alert before much
people, who were, at least initially, ostracised or that is useful can happen. We can speed up this
persecuted for their ideas. readying process by doing unusual things such as:

The German physicist, Rentgen, for example, who Listening to a recording of birdsong, doing some
first produced and detected in the lab the rays now gentle physical exercises, singing together or
known as X-rays, freaked his wife out when he enjoying the scent of pine oil.
showed her an X-ray of her hand! And his whole Asking students to count from one to eight and to
endeavour was initially declared by the scientific clap as they say each number out loud. Next, they
community to be an elaborate hoax. clap eight times again but miss out actually saying
the number three. Once they can do that,
challenge them to miss out saying two numbers
(three and five). Then three numbers (two and six
and eight) while still clapping the eight times. It
takes concentration!

A framework for learning creativity | 151

 Giving the students a puzzle that is easily solvable Invite students to choose a colour. Give them five
by just doing a little work. An example is Think of minutes to check their environment and to list as
the English alphabet written in capital letters. How many things they can see (and think of) that have
many letters have curved lines in them? Students that colour. Then share the lists.
are allowed to use pencil and paper to solve this Can students think of ten words beginning with the
puzzle. It just gets them thinking (and visualising). letter B? Eight hobbies beginning with P? Twelve
things that make them happy?
Be prolific!
Once we are all awake, we need to produce a Naturally, when going for greater productivity like
large number of ideas, to go for quantity and not this, you and the students will need to defer
to worry at first about judging the ideas for quality. judgement until later and refrain from too much self-
This enables us to note down even the most obvious and other correction. Once the pool of contributions
ideas and also to include ideas that may at first seem is in, then you can start to sort them out and decide
weak or weird but which can later be improved or which ones you want to keep.
used to add a new angle. Anecdote reports that
Einstein, the physicist and philosopher, was once Make unusual connections and combinations
asked: Whats the difference between you and a A classic creativity principle is the idea of
normal person? He said in reply, If you ask a normal conceptually blending two or more apparently
person to find a needle in a haystack, the person unrelated ideas or things. Juxtaposition of the
would stop when they found the needle. I, on the normally separated helps to jolt us out of our
other hand, would tear the haystack apart looking thinking ruts. Or, to switch metaphors, it causes
for all the possible needles! mental sparks! So, in class, you might:
We dont know how Einstein felt about the implication Invite students to discuss how a text that they
that he was not normal but he certainly shared an have got to know quite well can be compared and
immense productivity with all kinds of creative people! contrasted to an apparently unrelated picture you
have chosen to show them. Ask students to come
So, the principle is to go for abundance ourselves up with as many ways as they can in which the text
and to encourage our students to produce a full and the picture are alike. Although at first glance
quota of ideas. Some ideas follow on how to do this. the text and the picture will seem unrelated, the
Invite students to consider an everyday object mind, being what it is, will search for some kind
such as a sock and to dream up 20 things they of connection, be it in terms of colour, shape,
could use it for, apart from protecting a foot. number, emotion, topic or meaning. (See
Woodward 2011: 61).
Ask students to write ten true sentences about
what they did at the weekend. When they complain
about the number, put it up to 15.
What? Fifteen!
Oh, okay then. Twenty!
When students realise that every time they
complain the number goes up, they usually stop
complaining!

152 | A framework for learning creativity

 Ask students to come up with the similarities
and differences between themselves and
something they are interested in, such as a tiger,
a dinosaur, a princess, a skateboard or a tablet
computer. The comparisons can be expressed
in the form of a Venn diagram as below:

I brush my teeth
goes barefoot

Were both
mammals, like
Me sleeping and A tiger
swimming and
can make a lot
of noise!

I wear trainers doesnt brush

its teeth

(See Woodward, 2011: 8990)

Remind students of the main ingredients of any Heres another simple generative framework for
story, e.g. place, time, characters, important class. Its called an alteration dictation. Dictate
objects, theme, actions. Write these up on the a simple sentence, true about yourself, to your
board. Under each of these main headings, students. An example might be, I like apples.
brainstorm and write up different possible Students write this sentence down. Next, underneath
variations. For example, under Place students that sentence, they have to rewrite it so that it is true
could offer: the moon, my dads garage, Beijing, of them not you. Thus they might write I like apples
or an armpit. Under Time you might get: too, or I only like sweet apples, or I prefer bananas
yesterday, in the ice age, in 3015, etc. and so on. Share the results.
Each group of students then selects one
possibility from beneath each main heading
and sets to work to create a story combining,
for example, a teenage girl, with a cat, in the Ice
Age, carrying out a robbery, in her dads garage.

Use simple generative frameworks

Some frameworks, though very simple and easy
to use, are incredibly productive. Take the maxim
Find out what you usually do and then do something
different! If you followed it, you could go to work via
a different route and a different form of transport
every day, wearing unusual colours and with your
watch on upside down and your jumper back to front.
And that is just for starters!

A framework for learning creativity | 153

 The whole idea of novel combinations is itself a A positive state of mind and the permission and time
simple generative framework. So, to put it into to be creative will encourage us to engage in the
practice, you can give students two lists of work. It helps if we can move around and express
everyday objects from home, school, the street ourselves physically too, and it helps if our work
and so on. Something like these: environment is conducive to our doing, making,
Fridge Picture adapting and creating. So here are a few ideas
designed to work on these important areas.
Computer Hammock
To improve the environment, can you adjust the
Bedroom Music temperature, lighting and air flow in your class
Window Bar of chocolate room so it is more pleasant? Use coloured paper
sometimes? Bring in plants, posters, calming or
Ticket Pillow inspiring colours, smells and sounds, and physical
Garden A cup of coffee objects? Can you use the walls for display? If not,
can you import flip charts or cork boards? Can you
Chair A T-shirt get a view from a window to somewhere or
Sun cream A camera something natural?
To break down feelings of isolation and
Pencil A bottle of perfume
competition among students, ask students to team
Dictionary A doormat up with a partner and explore three things they
have in common with each other and three things
Students choose one object from the list on the left
that are different. These six things must not be
and one from the list on the right and combine them
visible! So, for example, noting your partners hair
in any order. So, a student might come up with a
colour and whether they wear glasses or not
Computer T-shirt. If they wish, they can change it to
doesnt count! Once the interviews are under way,
A computerised T-shirt. Next, they think what this
students write sentences about their pair using
new invention of theirs might look like and be able to
starter phrases such as, Both of us, Neither of
do. So a wearer might be able to change the colour
us, One of us but the other (See Woodward,
of a computerised T-shirt depending on what else
2011: 178).
they were wearing that day. Or they could type
different slogans onto the front and back of the Give students a good reason to get up from
T-shirt in different font styles, colours and sizes, or their desks and move around by asking them,
display a street view to a companion so they know for example, to give out handouts, clean the
where they are, and so on. In pairs, each student board, open a window or do total physical
explains their new invention to a partner who has to response exercises to learn vocabulary, such
help them to extend and refine the idea with them in as Raise your left arm, Turn around once,
order to make it even better. They can even draw the Tickle your chin, and so on.
invention and put it in a class sales catalogue if you
like! (See Woodward 2011: 1467). Collaborate and share
At the start, I suggested that our traditional view of a
Dont forget the heart, and the body, creative person as a lone genius ignores the role of
and the environment the conversation and collaboration that undoubtedly
We have started off by looking at principles that takes place between them and their colleagues.
encourage mental creativity. It is true, however, that Historians have discovered, for example, that 13
creativity is also profoundly affected by emotion. If people collaborated with Michelangelo on the Sistine
we and our students feel comfortable, and secure, Chapel and that 200 people assisted him with the
and are having an enjoyable time, more and broader Laurentian Library in Florence. So there goes our
ideas will tend to flow, whether we are waking up, myth of the lone genius!
being prolific, making unusual connections or using
simple generative frameworks.

154 | A framework for learning creativity

 When people come together, the number of discussion for example, can be moved around so
associations triggered multiplies. So, collective that groups can see and comment on what other
creativity often gives us more than the sum of our groups have produced. This last idea is sometimes
individual offerings. known as a pass the paper or carousel activity.

So what tips are there for this aspect of creativity? Make our thinking physical and visible
Foster a culture of participation in your classes. This is our last principle, but it is an especially
Allow yourself and students to work together, take important one if your class has been working
risks, create, fail and learn from this. So in a board collaboratively on any of the other principles above.
game where students try to come up with names This is because, using these principles, you are likely
of capital cities starting with the letter A, you can to end up with lots of ideas. You therefore need
reward the first person to come up with, say, recording devices to capture, organise and capitalise
Amsterdam as long as they can spell it, thus on all the ideas that come up. It is demotivating for
rewarding the usual speed and accuracy. But you anybody to see ideas emerge, especially their own,
can also add incentives for those who come up and then see them shot down or ignored.
with more than one example (say, Accra and
As well as your normal note-taking methods, consider
Athens), so rewarding the prolific. You can also
the use of Venn diagrams, scales, steps, fishbone
reward the student who comes up with a city that
diagrams, lists, mind maps, collages, sticky or
nobody else thinks of (say Asmara) and
magnetic notes that can be moved around and
encourage the student who comes up with other
clustered, posters displayed on walls, clay models,
unusual cities, even if they are not capitals or well
photos, physical tableaux, Lego blocks, wikis and
spelled. You can encourage the whole class to
columns in good old-fashioned notebooks.
work together to gain a bigger and bigger total
together as well as to learn more about what These flexible and adaptable means enable you
makes a city a capital, which countries the cities and the group to make your thinking visible and
are in, and where these countries are. to consider what you have produced together.
Encourage good conversations by discussing the You can then collaborate further to prioritise, refine
ground rules for a good conversation with or extend ideas.
students. They might come up with ideas such as:
say what you think honestly and also why you think The three-phase creativity cycle
it. Accept that the other person has different These seven principles will certainly help us and our
views. Refrain from arguing or trying to change students to feel and be more creative, both alone
their mind even if they are very different from you. and together. Creativity takes time, however, so
Dont interrupt; listen carefully; extend the ideas finally I would like to offer the well-known idea of
of others, etc. a three-phase creativity cycle.
You can also discuss the social conditions
The first phase is practice. We can practise being
necessary for good collaboration, e.g. access to
creative by trying out the ideas above. Practice
shared content, some privacy and quiet reflection,
means doing it!
mess-making, support for a range of moods such
as playful, serious, stimulating, formal and informal. The second phase is reflect. Reflection means
thinking about what we have done. Here we need:
Try different arrangements of people and space
depending on what you are doing. So, for example, to allow wait-time after questions and after
brainstorming can be done as a whole class but answers, allow thinking time and silent time
also in groups or teams. The solving of problems time to review, to question, take notes and
can be done by having different problems at talk things over so that we can decide on
different tables and asking groups of students to selection, priorities, classifications, refinements
work on one problem at one table for a while and applications of the ideas we have all come
before moving to a new table and a new problem. up with.
Instead of moving groups of students about, The final phase is relax. Once we have practised,
especially if your room is cramped, the student then reflected, we need to relax or switch off by,
groups can stay in the same places but the large for example, taking a break or doing something
pieces of paper used to record their ideas, in a different, or simply stopping trying so hard.

A framework for learning creativity | 155

 At the start of this chapter, I suggested that to define Conclusion
a word or concept we can turn to outside or inside
The old way of thinking about creativity was that it
resources. So, first from the outside (a newspaper
somehow only belonged to lone, accomplished
report of a study in fact), I learned that researchers
geniuses in the high status arts and pure sciences.
have found that sleeping helps to stimulate creative
This may perhaps have led us to think that neither
thinking, allowing people to find solutions to puzzles
we humble teachers nor our students can be creative
that had eluded them before they slept.
and that we need not even try.
One way of relaxing after a creative session then is
If, however, we redefine creativity to include the
by having a snooze. Well, our internal wisdom knew
everyday doing, making, adapting and creating
that anyway, for we do advise anybody trying to
that is part of all of our lives if we give ourselves
make a difficult decision to Sleep on it!, dont we?
time and space and permission to play with this,
So, there we have it. In order to be more creative, to work on this, we can create. A possible path to
we can practise the seven principles described greater creativity exists. We can get to know the
in this chapter, reflect on what we have done, and classic principles of creativity above, work out
then relax. And if a colleague happens to find you our own adaptations of them to our work, practise
in the staffroom with your head on your desk having these adaptations, reflect on what we have done,
a nap, you can always murmur that you are merely and then relax.
taking the time to complete your three-phase
If we remember to include collective creativity too
creativity cycle!
by working with other staff and by encouraging our
When we are planning our lessons and thinking students to collaborate with each other, so taking
on our feet in the classroom, we probably wont their ideas for walks, we may surprise ourselves at
have this chapter with us to remind us of some how creative we all are and become!
classic creativity techniques. So maybe a mnemonic
Thanks to the editors of this collection for inviting
would help.
me to contribute a chapter. This gave me the
Lets play! We can take the first letter of some permission and incentive to represent work I have
of the ideas in this chapter, e.g. shared over the last twenty years with language
teachers and students all over the world. For many
W for wake up
of the principles and insights within the chapter,
P for prolific however, I am most grateful to Michael Michalko
and Elizabeth Sanders. They have collaborated with
M for make unusual combinations
us all by sharing their thoughts in the published
U for use simple generative frameworks works referred to below.

C for collaborate
References
S for share
Michalko, M (1998) Cracking Creativity Berkeley.
N for novel combinations California, USA: Ten Speed Press.

V for visible Sanders, E (2005) Information, Inspiration and

Co-creation. Paper presented at the Proceedings
P for physical movement
of the 6th International Conference of the European
E for environment and emotions Academy of Design, University of Arts, Bremen,
Germany.
Then we can make words that start with these letters
and then move the words around to make a Sanders, E (2012) Creativity in Strategic Thinking,
memorable sentence. Chapter 9 in Welters, H, Gnome, A and Hinds, R (ed)
Enhancing the Armys Strategic Thinking Capability:
I came up with this one:
Insights to Assess, Develop, and Retain Strategic
We Produce More New Useful Cool Stuff if we Vary Thinkers. Available online at: www.maketools.com/
Positions in English Exercises. articles-papers/Sanders2012Creativity.pdf
But Ill keep working on it and see if I can come up Tusa, J (2004) On creativity: Interviews exploring the
with some better ones! process. London: Methuen.
The three phases of Practice, Reflect and Rest or Woodward, T (2002) Carrot ice cream: reactions to
Relax are easy. They make us purr like a cat. the new and different. The Teacher Trainer Vol.16,
Prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! No. 1314. Canterbury: Pilgrims.

156 | A framework for learning creativity

 Woodward, T (2011) Thinking in the EFL Class
(pp 149189, on creative thinking). Innsbruck,
Austria: Helbling Languages.

Tessa Woodward is a teacher, teacher trainer,

and the Professional Development Co-ordinator
at Hilderstone College, Broadstairs, Kent, UK.
She also edits The Teacher Trainer Journal for
Pilgrims, Canterbury, UK. She is a Past President
and International Ambassador of IATEFL and founded
the IATEFL Special Interest Group for Teacher
Trainers (now the SIG TT/Ed). She is the author of
many books and articles for language teachers
and for teacher trainers. Her latest book, with Seth
Lindstromberg, Something to Say (2014, Helbling
Languages), was short-listed for an English Speaking
Union prize. Tessa is also the founder of The Fair List:
www.thefairlist.org

A framework for learning creativity | 157

 17
Drama and creative writing: a blended tool
Victoria Hlenschi-Stroie

Introduction low-resourced environment. Drama and creative

writing techniques and activities had already been
The digital age has brought state-of-the-art devices
a component of many teacher training courses
and gadgets which are supposed to improve the
and seminars in post-communist Romania, but the
learning process, but it has also triggered an ongoing
year 2001 marked a real breakthrough in this area.
debate as to whether this technology is killing or
In a joint project which spanned three consecutive
boosting the creativity of our students. Used wisely,
years, The Ministry of Education in Romania, the
it can naturally bring a lot of benefits to todays
British Council and Peace Corps started training
schools but unfortunately, in developing countries
teachers of English from Romania and neighbouring
like Romania, where I have been a teacher for 17
countries. For the first two years, educational drama
years, this is not always available and/or the teachers
was the main focus of the training courses, while the
are not fully prepared to make the best use of it. As
last year brought in the creative writing component
a result, we sometimes have to make do with very
as a welcome addition. These courses Drama
few materials or little equipment, but we compensate
without Tears (Climneti, 2001), Exploring through
with a lot of energy, creative ideas and enthusiasm.
Drama (Nvodari, 2002) and Creative Writing and
It is clear that educational drama and creative Drama Advanced Practicum Summer School (Braov,
writing can be applied in the educational systems 2003) were followed by local training offered by
of developing and low-resourced countries (not the participants in these courses.
necessarily replacing the use of technology but
The year 2001 also marked the foundation of EDAR
offering a cheaper, more available alternative) in
(Educational Drama Association in Romania), which
order to lead to both the linguistic and personal and
has since worked to promote free, original thinking,
social development of the students. Both drama and
creative writing, community pro-active attitudes
creative writing bring a lot of resources and energy
and performing arts. EDAR is a non-governmental
to the English class and the main sources of all this
organisation officially recognised by the Ministry
are the teachers and the students creative ideas.
of Education, which, above all, increases the
Sometimes modern technology can be incorporated
opportunities of Romanian students to participate
as well, but without excluding those who may not
in drama and creative writing activities, drama
have access to it.
days, drama camps, contests, festivals, workshops,
Why drama and creative writing, and how do they creative writing publications and much more. Its
work together? Drama is basically action, doing, members are teachers of English from Romania
engaging and improvising, and so is creative writing. who want to create an effective network of those
Used together, drama and creative writing give interested in using drama and creative writing in
ample tools to teachers to develop their students schools. Its latest project is the creativity contest
receptive and productive skills as well as their Speak Out, which has two sections: dramatic
creativity and critical thinking. They can also offer monologues and short stories, thus blending
a deeper understanding of or reflection on the drama and creative writing.
activities students are involved in.
Similar to other central and eastern European
A brief background to the development of countries, before 2001 Romania had basically
educational drama (and creative writing) in Romania witnessed drama work only as the result of individual
might prove useful in understanding how these two initiatives. But since the start of the 200103 project
approaches have developed and taken shape in a and the foundation of EDAR, teachers of English
country that was, and still is, struggling to introduce have been using drama in a more confident way.
modern and innovative ideas in an ex-communist, At present, drama techniques are frequently used

158 | Drama and creative writing: A blended tool

 in the regular English classes (drama and ELT), drama During my career I have mostly worked with teenage
can be proposed as an elective (drama as a subject) students aged 1419, whose level of English basically
and teachers employ drama in organising clubs, ranged from pre-intermediate to upper-intermediate,
workshops or festivals (drama as an event). However, with the occasional elementary or advanced student.
in Romania, teachers of English interested in drama With lower level students I tried to simplify the
activities still have a long way to go, especially in instructions for the activities, translating them into
their endeavour to standardise their work and find their native language if necessary (but not too often),
a place for drama in the curriculum. while with more advanced students I tried to
empower them and even allow them to run drama
Readers of this book will mostly be interested
and creative writing activities themselves.
in learning how drama and creative writing can
be used in ELT, so this will be the main rationale Trying to select and organise drama and creative
behind the activities proposed here, which are the writing activities is no easy task. The following
result of ongoing activity over 13 years. Having the suggestions for drama activities with creative writing
opportunity to participate in all three courses of the follow-ups should be regarded as just one resource
above-mentioned project, being one of the founders among the many others in existence. I hope they will
of EDAR, and dedicating a lot of my teaching and prove useful for both beginner and more
research time to drama and creative writing, I have experienced teachers.
collected a number of useful activities, tips and
resources which have either been offered by our Warm-ups and games
trainers, especially Dr Peter Harrop and Senior
These can be used at the beginning of the lesson
Lecturer Jane Loudon from the University of Chester,
or school year or when the class starts to lose
or discovered through my reading of books and
concentration. They also help enrich vocabulary,
internet websites. Using them together with my
practise grammar structures and improve
students, I have developed them, seeing what
pronunciation.
works and improving what doesnt. This is one of the
beauties of drama and creative writing: continuous
Name game
reinvention and personalisation. I have reinvented
myself as a teacher and I have personalised the This is a name/getting to know each other and
activities to suit the groups of students I was vocabulary game.
working with.
Procedure
I have found that, on the one hand, there are
Standing or sitting in a circle, the students
activities that are guaranteed to work any time with
introduce themselves, adding to their name an
any group of students, and there are others that
adjective beginning with the same letter as their
need to be adapted according to the age, level and
name and also something they like beginning with
needs of a specific group of students. Some activities
the same letter.
need practically no materials, while others need
minimal material resources. In either case, drama Example:
and creative writing require a very clear purpose and Im victorious Victoria and I like victories.
careful planning in order to be successful. It is up to
Im ambitious Alice and I like apples.
any individual teacher to select whatever activities
they think might work with their students and adapt This could be a good beginning for a description
them in any way they think fit. of a friend/desk-mate. Starting from the given
sentence, students can write a description of
that person.

Drama and creative writing: A blended tool | 159

 Truths and lies The game ends when all students have dropped
all fingers and the winners are the last students
This is a getting to know each other game. It can
to have any fingers showing.
also be used to reinforce vocabulary and the present
simple, if sentences are used instead of notes, or in A possible follow-up would be asking students
the follow-up discussion. to write a short paragraph/story starting with
the words: Never have I ever.
Procedure
On a sticky note provided by the teacher, students Blindfolded
write some things about themselves (year of birth, This is a trust game which also involves giving
brothers/sisters, pets, hobbies, etc.), one of which instructions and following them.
is a lie.
Walking around the room they read each others Procedure
notes and try to figure out which one is the lie. A group of students (the silent chorus) can move
but not talk. One student facing the group can talk
Personal advert but not move.
At home or in class students write a short One student cannot see (he has been blindfolded)
personal advert. and has to find an object, helped by the other
students.
Procedure The teacher hides an object, the chorus can see
The teacher displays them or collects and reads where the object is and they make gestures to
them out loud and the students have to guess direct the student who can talk and who gives
who the author is. instructions (e.g. straight ahead, to the left/right,
behind/under the table) to the blindfolded student
On one occasion, I encouraged them to insert
who has to find the object.
one lie in the advert to make the guesses more
complicated. A good follow-up would be to ask students to write
down instructions to find hidden objects in the
class (this could be a good preparation for setting
Never have I ever
up a treasure hunt).
This game is suitable for groups of around 15
students but if there are more students in the class
Grammar and vocabulary
they can be divided into groups. This is a getting
to know each other game, aimed at introducing Different drama activities, games and exercises
or practising the present perfect as well. can be used to practise even the most unpopular
grammar structures, activate passive vocabulary
Procedure and lead to the acquisition of new vocabulary, thus
enlivening the English class and textbook.
Sitting in a circle, students take turns to say
things they have never done. The game begins
Not doing what Im doing
with students raising one hand so that the others
see five fingers (or both hands so as to show This activity is aimed at practising vocabulary and
ten fingers if you have more time to spend on the present continuous tense. It can lead to a very
the activity). nice writing activity depending on the activities
chosen by the students.
Then students take turns to say sentences
containing things they have never done in their
Procedure
life. It could be something like Never have I
been to the seaside. If the other students have Students stand in a circle. One starts miming
done that (i.e. been to the seaside), they have to a simple action (e.g. brushing their teeth) and
drop one finger, now having four fingers up and the person to their right asks them what they
one down. are doing.
Students should be instructed that the sentences They respond, giving any answer except what
have to be true and they should think of things it is they are actually doing (e.g. Im sweeping
they havent done but the others might have done, the floor). The student who asked the question
because their aim is to make the other students then starts miming this new action (i.e. sweeping
drop their fingers while they keep theirs up so the floor).
as to stay in the game as much as possible.

160 | Drama and creative writing: A blended tool

 The person to the right asks what they are doing Snake pit
and the process is repeated.
This activity helps students practise grammar
structures with a writing follow-up.
Variation
To make the game more difficult, the teacher gives Procedure
the students two letters of the alphabet, which
Students stand in a circle (if there are more than
must be the initials of whatever actions they
15 students in your class you may choose to form
choose (e.g. R, L: reading a letter, riding a llama,
more circles), with one student standing inside the
rotating a lamp).
circle and relating the daily routine of someone
they know very well.
Hidden thoughts
Whenever they omit the s ending of third person
The aim of this activity is to practise grammar singular verbs, the class should hiss like snakes,
structures: conditional and subjunctive. while the teacher touches them, which means that
they have been bitten; three bites are fatal.
Procedure
Each student chosen has two minutes to survive
The students stand in a designated area which the snake pit. The game can be played with other
represents a platform at the railway station. structures, like articles (a bite for each article
They must stand completely still, forming a frozen omitted) and past-tense narratives (a bite for
tableau representing people waiting for a train each incorrect verb).
which is delayed. They can write up what they said as a follow-up
When the teacher touches their shoulders, they activity.
un-freeze and utter their hidden thoughts, first
using a conditional, then a subjunctive (e.g. If Improvisation and creative writing
the train comes in five minutes, I can still make it
Role-play cards and/or improvisation situations can
to the meeting. I wish I had caught the other train.
be given to students to ensure a meaningful context
If I had caught the other train).
for communication. The students who are confident
The students can then choose a character enough in the language may go straight into the
(i.e. one person waiting on the platform) they improvisation in an effort to practise what they
find interesting and develop their story. already know. Those who are less skilled will have
Sitting in a circle with the chosen character in to go through a complete process of reviewing and
the middle, students ask them questions such as preparing the language involved in the situation.
Where are you going? What kind of meeting do It is crucial in improvisation for the teacher to
you have to attend? Are you in danger of losing make sure the students use only English during the
your job? improvisation stage and do not resort to their mother
The student-in-role will improvise the answers, tongue. The improvisation can be carried out in pairs
thus developing the character and adding details or in groups, the teacher can give the situation, the
to the story. beginning line(s) and also the ending, or they can end
it whenever appropriate.
The students can then write down the story
which has been sketched by adding other details
Neutral script
as they wish.
This activity gives students the opportunity to put a
An alternative (if your purpose, for example, is
variety of attitudes onto a particular script and add
to practise if clauses) is to ask your students to
meaning to it.
write sentences using if clauses, e.g. If I dont
make it to the meeting Ill definitely lose my job.
Procedure
If I lose my job
Students are given a neutral script (any dialogue
that does not reveal too much about the
characters or the situation) and they have to act it
out after deciding who they are, where the action
takes place and what the circumstances are.
The second time they perform it, they might
add some lines in order to develop the
situation further.

Drama and creative writing: A blended tool | 161

 The activity can then be followed by a writing Procedure
activity (letters, diary pages, dialogues, stories). Students receive a situation and they have to
See Maley and Duff (1979) Variations on a Theme. improvise on it. The teacher can also give them
An example of such a neutral script that I use with the end point.
my students is the following:
Two tourists get lost in London and try to find
A. Well. their way by stopping different people (a busy
B. I want to talk to you! woman hurrying to work, a teenager going to
A. Not now! school, etc.) and asking for directions.
B. Its time we did.
A. Look, Im trying! The improvisation ends when they meet a
B. Im not happy with the way things are going policeman.

A. Is this my fault? The teacher will send in different characters and

in the end the policeman. If you have more groups
B. Lets forget it!
then the characters will be instructed to enter the
A. No, I dont want to forget it! scene in turns.

Beginning line Four motorists arrive at the same parking

This is an activity suitable for students who already space at the same time and each declares
have enough vocabulary to be able to have a free reasons why they should be allowed to
conversation. The teacher should encourage park there. The improvisation ends after five
students to say whatever crosses their mind and minutes or when one of the motorists finds a
not be afraid to change the course of the dialogue. reason that is powerful enough to convince
If there are students who seem reluctant or unable the others.
to start the conversation, the teacher can give them
a context (e.g. a child who has been hiding from If no one is willing to concede, the improvisation
their parents because of a bad mark) or provide stops after five minutes and the students may
a new opening line maybe an easier one. discuss out of character how such a situation
could be solved.
Procedure
This will give them both the subjective and the
In pairs, the students receive an opening line to objective perspectives on a certain problem that
start a conversation (e.g. There you are! Ive been requires a reasonable solution in life.
looking for you everywhere!).
The students then improvise a conversation based Role-play cards
around the opening line.
Similar to the previous activity, this one can offer
The teacher stops them when the conversation a lot of material for stories, discursive essays or
slows down. letter writing (daughter writing to a friend informal
This activity can also be followed by a writing letter; mother to manager formal letter), an agony-
activity, depending on the needs of the students. aunt column or an article on the advantages and
disadvantages of becoming a fashion model, for
Situational cues example.

This activity is suitable for pairs or groups,

Procedure
depending on the number of characters involved.
The examples below are suitable for groups (for the Each student receives a card and tries to act
first one, groups of five to six, and for the second, accordingly, initiating a dialogue which will usually
groups of four). Apart from giving students the end when a solution has been found.
necessary skills to cope in real-life situations, this
Mother: your daughter wants to be a model
is a good activity to generate ideas for a story or
and goes for an interview with the manager of
even a solution-to-problems essay, if the level of
a fashion agency. You insist on accompanying
the students is higher and the situational clues
her, because you are very suspicious of the
are formulated in such a way as to give them the
world of fashion. You dont trust the manager
opportunity to come up with such solutions.
and you suspect his intentions.

162 | Drama and creative writing: A blended tool

 Freeze frame
Daughter: you want to be a model. You
have an interview with the manager of a Here is an activity that can be used to follow up
fashion agency, but your mother insists on a story reading.
accompanying you. You are sure you could
get the job with this agency, if only your Procedure
mother didnt interfere all the time! After reading the text, students work in groups to
tell the story in three to four still images (freeze
frames) and also add sounds (soundscapes).
Manager: you are the manager of a modelling
In the next step the teacher will touch each
and fashion agency. A young woman and her
character in the frozen images and when touched
mother come in. The girl is very beautiful and
they have to say something that reveals who they
you have a job you could offer her. But you
are (touch-and-tell), for example, Oh, that apple
need to take some photographs to see if she
looks delicious. The students then add movement,
is photogenic.
transitions between the images and some dialogue
to make a one-minute scene.
This can be further developed by bringing in
Chain story other drama conventions such as narration,
Improvisation can be used in creating a story. hidden thoughts (asides) or captions (e.g. the
Different variations of the chain story can be used. next day, in the morning).
The text, drama conventions and the instructions
Procedure given will be chosen according to the aim of the
Sitting in a circle, each student adds one sentence lesson and what the teacher wants their students
to the story, which can be based on a beginning to practise.
given by the teacher.
Once they are familiar with the drama conventions,
Alternatively they can develop an alphabet story students have the necessary tools to create their
(first sentence beginning with A, second with B, own story. The same procedure explained above can
and so on), or a fortunately/unfortunately story be used when creating a story starting from a variety
(each sentence beginning alternately with the of stimuli.
words fortunately/unfortunately).
One variation of the chain story which my students Conclusion
really like involves flipping a coin. If the student
Some teachers and especially head teachers
whose turn it is to continue the story gets heads,
might see drama as a useless, noisy activity that
they continue with their own ideas. If they get tails,
would only interest students with artistic qualities.
they have to pick a card previously prepared by
But educational drama is not theatre and it has a
the teacher and try to include in the story the
tremendous impact on the students development
suggestion given on the card. I try to include very
as complex human beings. Detractors may also
random suggestions to make the story more
state that drama is just playing, but children learn
interesting and fun.
by playing as it helps them make sense of their
experiences. Drama can both celebrate and
Drama conventions and storytelling challenge the values of a society; it is a way
Stories are a very good way of introducing and of making sense of the world and, even more,
familiarising students with drama conventions so questioning the world as it is and seeing how it
as to be able to use them later on in other class can be improved. Applying drama in education
activities. With younger students, fairy tales work helps students to understand themselves better,
best, while with older ones any short story or short the part they are responsible for and the part they
literary text can be used. The students can read the can play in shaping the world.
story at home or they can read it together with their
teacher in class. I found that reading in class first is
a powerful motivation for students to start reading
in English at home as well.

Drama and creative writing: A blended tool | 163

 Educational drama and creative writing bring Owens, A and Barber, K (2001) Mapping Drama.
numerous benefits to those who engage in them. Carlisle: Carel Press.
They lead to the personal and social development of
Philips, S (2003) Drama with children. Oxford:
the students (self-confidence, freedom of expression,
Oxford University Press.
co-operation, responsibility, independent opinion,
problem-solving skills and personal involvement) as Spiro, J (2004) Creative Poetry Writing. Oxford:
well as to the development of their linguistic skills. Oxford University Press.
Those teachers who have already tried them know
Spiro, J (2006) Storybuilding. Oxford: Oxford
these things and have seen the benefits; those who
University Press.
are willing to try them are guaranteed to see them in
their group of students. Good luck to those who find Wessels, C (1987) Drama. Oxford: Oxford
inspiration and useful resources in the inexhaustible University Press.
field of drama and creative writing!
Wilson, K (2008) Drama and Improvisation. Oxford:
Oxford University Press.
Bibliography
Wright, A (1997) Creating Stories with Children.
Heathfield, D (2014) Storytelling with our Students.
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Guildford: Delta Publishing.
Wright, A (1997) Storytelling with Children. Oxford:
Holden, S (1981) Drama in Language Teaching.
Oxford University Press.
London: Longman.
Wright, A and Hill, D (2008) Writing Stories.
Johnstone, K (1999) Impro for Storytellers.
Innsbruck: Helbling.
London: Faber and Faber.

Maley, A and Duff, A (1979) Variations on a Theme.

Victoria Hlenschi-Stroie currently works at
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Gheorghe Lazr National College, Sibiu, Romania.
Maley, A and Duff, A (2005) Drama Techniques: During her career as a teacher of English and teacher
A Resource Book of Communication Activities trainer she has participated in numerous training
for Language Teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge courses and conferences, many of which focused on
University Press. creativity and its use in the classroom. This has also
been the focus of some articles she has published:
McCaslin, N (ed) (1981) Children and Drama.
Creative Ideas for Open-minded Teachers and Happy
New York: Longman.
Students (Euphoria, 2007); Actions Speak Louder
McRae, J (1985) Using Drama in the Classroom. than Words (Creative Ideas with Teaching Flavour,
Oxford: Pergamon Press. 2009); and Multimedia Resources in TEFL, Teaching
Responsible and Creative Use (RATE Issues, 2011).
ONeill, C (1995) Drama Worlds: A Framework for
She is also a founder member of EDAR (Educational
Process Drama. Portsmouth, New Hampshire:
Drama Association in Romania).
Heinemann.

ONeill, C and Lambert, A (1983) Drama Structures.

London: Hutchinson.

Owens, A and Barber, K (1997) Dramaworks.

Carlisle: Carel Press.

164 | Drama and creative writing: A blended tool

 18
A journey towards creativity: a case study of
three primary classes in a Bulgarian state school
Zarina Markova

Introduction patterns, using analogy and metaphor, and

brainstorming. It includes self-reflection, empathy
In a 2014 British Council publication there is a grim
and playful engagement with ideas. All these can
diagnosis by Anne Wiseman: A number of studies
create a better climate for changing the attitudes
have been undertaken analysing the impact of the
and behaviours of students, and also of teachers.
fall of communism and the subsequent introduction
of a free market economy into former Soviet bloc
countries and all conclude that the totalitarian The project
regimes stifled a generation in terms of creativity and If a stance towards teaching creativity is adopted,
the ability to develop initiatives. The effect was to be creative linguistic expression will be among the
seen throughout Eastern and Central Europe in the naturally expected outcomes. In the foreign language
following decades (Wiseman, 2014: 301302). classroom, such expression will have to be in the
target language. Is this achievable with primary
Had I read this observation ten years ago, I would
students, with their beginner level in the foreign
have vigorously objected. I would have given plenty
language? On the one hand, we have all witnessed
of examples where the totalitarian restrictions and
childrens creative use of limited language resources
absurdities pushed people to stretch their problem-
to convey meaning. We also know that a childs world
solving capacities, which resulted in various forms
is rich in fantasy and this can lead to the emergence
of creative expression. I could have even argued
of creativity.
that, in many ways, those limitations provoked
creativity. More than a decade after the cited On the other hand, there have been warnings,
studies, however, in a country that is experiencing from Vygotsky (1967) among others, that
a severe demographic crisis and brain drain, and childrens insufficient command of their language
whose intellectual capital is decreasing, Anne and experience and knowledge of the world can
Wisemans prognosis is sad, but true. Moreover, it inhibit their creative processes and deter them from
sounds extremely topical for the education sector, imaginative writing. In the primary school context,
where recent analyses show a tendency towards where students have not yet mastered creative
decline: Bulgarias score in the five-yearly Progress expression in their mother tongue, is it realistic to
in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) expect them to do it in a foreign language?
decreased in 2011 and 2006, and in the Programme
These were the questions arising at the beginning
for International Student Assessment (PISA) 40 per
of a one-year project which attempted to understand
cent of students were classified as functionally
if consistent focus on creative thinking processes
illiterate. This is a harrowing situation in which old
while teaching English could enable young learners
measures are ineffective, but new solutions have
to produce creative pieces of writing. The project
not yet been found.
started in 2010, and involved two classes of nine-
In such a context, raising the issue of creativity might year-olds (grade 3 in the Bulgarian school system)
be considered rather irrelevant. It could be argued and one class of ten-year-olds (grade 4). It took place
that there are more basic, more pressing issues than in Blagoevgrad, an administrative centre and
dealing with an elitist construct like creativity. There university town in south-western Bulgaria, with a
is even evidence that creative thinking is negatively population of about 70,000. The three classes were
correlated with test results. However, a closer look at at a school where foreign language instruction was
the analyses shows that Bulgarian students generally more intensive than that in other schools, and which
struggle with open-ended questions, interpretation had formerly been considered elitist and preferred
and reasoning areas that are closely connected by families of middle to upper socio-economic status.
with creative thinking. Creativity involves discovering

A journey towards creativity: A case study of three primary classes in a Bulgarian state school | 165
 Latterly, due to demographic changes and the
schools proximity to a district with Roma inhabitants,
the school has become only slightly different from
an average, non-elite Bulgarian state school (the
only difference being the bigger number of foreign
language lessons). The children involved in the
project were from a range of socio-economic status
backgrounds, with about 20 per cent of them of
Roma origin. At the beginning of the school year, the
3rd graders had had approximately 200 lessons of
English, whereas the 4th graders had already had
approximately 360 lessons of English, of 35 minutes
in the first and second years and 40 minutes from
the third year onwards.

Project activities
There follows a description of the project activities
used to create conditions for pedagogised creativity
(Carlile and Jordan, 2012), i.e. personal and social
creativity that can emerge, and be enhanced, in the
context of effective and meaningful English language
teaching. They involve the creative processes of
brainstorming, guided imagery, associations, multiple
uses, expanding and multiplying sentences, and
creating metaphors. Most of these activities are
familiar to the experienced ELT reader. What is new
is their function in the context described above
to lead Bulgarian young learners step-by-step into
creative processes, which could result in more
confidence and skill at a later, product-oriented stage
of creative writing. Some of the activities could be
repeated throughout the school year with a different
language focus. There is always a linguistic outcome
which could be supported by drawing and thus offer
one more mode of creative expression. During the
project, creative thinking activities were done at least
once a week.

166 | A journey towards creativity: A case study of three primary classes in a Bulgarian state school
 Whats in a picture?
This is a brainstorming activity where the teacher covers an image in such a way
that the visible part is both small enough to prevent guessing and big enough to
present an idea and stimulate imagination.

Materials
Images should be expressive, give room for interpretations and stimulate young
learners imaginations. My personal choice would be a modern art painting or a
fractal art image, but plenty of alternatives can be found on the internet.

Here are some possible sources:

www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/search/collection
http://fractalexperience.com/fe/galleries.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_art

Procedure
The students brainstorm the content of the image and then each of them
draws what they think the image is about.
Their drawings are then displayed on the wall, compared to the original image
and the students are encouraged to make sentences explaining how they are
similar/different.
Depending on the chosen image, the teacher may need to provide a little
help with vocabulary and structure, for example There is/are, I can see,
I have in my picture.
Alternatively, stories can be set around the students pictures and the chosen
image, then written and displayed together.

This is an adaptation of the popular guess the image activity. Unlike the original,
however, the focus here is not on guessing the right image content, but on
developing tolerance of cases with more than one correct answer. It is important
to help the students with a plan or guiding questions and vocabulary support if
they do not have experience of such activities.

Multiple uses
In this activity the students suggest all the uses an object can have. For example,
a pen is a writing tool, but it can also be used as a pointer, a bookmark, a fork or
knife, or a stick for stirring Alternatively, they brainstorm objects suitable for a
particular use. For example: what objects can be used as a vehicle? How? When
and where?

Materials
Simple objects such as pens/pencils, coins, pegs, forks or fruit (lemons, oranges).

Procedure
An object is chosen by either the teacher or the students.
The students brainstorm its possible uses.
The teacher stops the activities when they feel satisfied with the number and
the variety of the answers.

A journey towards creativity: A case study of three primary classes in a Bulgarian state school | 167
 Part of this activity will inevitably involve mother-tongue use, but at the same time
it can generate interest in the acquisition of new vocabulary. It is valuable in itself
for its creative potential, but it is better to extend it with examples of how this new
vocabulary works and with subsequent practice. With young learners, it can
include drills of the following type: A pen can be (used as) a knife because you
can sometimes cut with it (or as a pointer/point, etc.).

Surprise me!
This is a vocabulary practice activity in which the students have fun while making
surprising sentences with given words.

Materials
Cards with vocabulary that needs practice; a bag.

Procedure
The cards are put in a bag.
Each student picks a word and makes a surprising sentence.
Alternatively, the students can discuss their words in groups and create
surprising sentences together.
In a variation of the activity, each student incorporates the chosen word
in a picture and then describes the picture.

Snap variation
The teacher prepares two sets of cards with the vocabulary that needs practice.
The cards from the first set are put in a box and shuffled.

Preparation
The cards from the second set are randomly distributed among the students,
each student receiving one card. If there are some cards left over, they are put
in the box.

Procedure
The class is divided into teams, each team consisting of four to six students.
Each student shows their card to their teammates and says the word aloud.
A dice is thrown to decide in what order the teams will play.
The teacher draws a card from the box and the first team has to make an
association between the word from the box and any of the words they have
on their cards.
An association is considered good as long as the students can justify their
choice. For example, a kite can be associated with a bird because they both
can fly, or because both words contain four letters; a dog can be associated
with a table because it has four legs, or because it can be found in peoples
homes, etc.
If the association is accepted, the team receives a point, the used cards are
put aside, the child whose card was used draws a new one, and the game
continues with the next team.
The game stops when all the cards have been used.
It is important that all teams have an equal number of turns the teacher
should calculate this in advance.

168 | A journey towards creativity: A case study of three primary classes in a Bulgarian state school
 Variations
Instead of teams, students can make associations individually, each of them
being responsible for their own word, while the competitive element remains.
This variation makes more demands on students and was not considered
suitable for the purposes of the project.
Instead of associations, students can make unusual/funny sentences. This can
be done in a special time for fun slot. It should be carefully explained that the
aim of the activity is to stimulate imagination and that normally some of the
sentences can sound meaningless. This variation of the game may be more
appropriate for grammar drills, when students play around with a certain
grammar structure. Gradually, more poetic expression can be encouraged,
and students can come up with suggestions like: Autumn is wearing a cloudy
dress. Autumn is drinking fog milk. The sun is eating rainbow drops. Spring
is wearing a cherry dress. Birds are drinking flower juice.

Expanding sentences
Procedure
The teacher gives a sentence framework and illustrates it with a few examples.

Framework:
Who (or what)
is doing what
where
with who (or with what)
why (give as many explanations as possible)

Examples:
The bird is flying in the sky because it wants food, and because it is hungry,
and because it is happy, and because the weather is sunny and because it is
not raining and because it is not cold.
My cat is playing with a ball because she likes balls/it is interesting/I am at
school/she is not hungry.
My friend is reading with his mum because he has homework/he cant
read/she is at home/she is not busy.
The students follow the framework and make their own sentences.

Adding adjectives
A similar activity is to expand the sentence by adding adjectives. The students
still need a framework and help with the kinds of adjectives they could add.
Framework:
The adjective 1 adjective 2 adjective 3 adjective 4 bird is flying in the sky.

adjective 1 describing opinion

adjective 2 describing a fact: how big?

adjective 3 describing a fact: how old?

adjective 4 describing a fact: what colour?

Examples:
The scary big black bird is flying in the sky.
The beautiful young bird is flying in the sky.

A journey towards creativity: A case study of three primary classes in a Bulgarian state school | 169
 Variations on a sentence
Procedure
The teacher writes a sentence on the board.
The students play with the given sentence by changing only one word
at a time.
For example, if the original sentence is There is a big vase on the table,
a possible path to follow can be:

There is a big book on the table.

There is a big book under the table.
There is a big book under the chair.
There is a new book under the chair.
There was a new book under the chair, etc.

Guided imagery
In this activity the students close their eyes and visualise a place, following the
teachers guidelines.

Procedure
The teacher reads or asks a sequence of questions.
The students draw pictures of their mental images, compare them and discuss
the differences and similarities.

Example 1:
Imagine the room of your dreams.
Is it big or small?
Is it noisy or quiet?
How many windows does it have?
How many doors?
What can you see through the windows?
What is there inside the room?
Who is with you in the room?
What are you doing?
What is the other person doing?

Example 2:
Imagine you are a parent.
Are you tall or short?
What colour is your hair?
What are you wearing?
What is your job?
How many children have you got?
Are they boys or girls?
How old are they?
How do they look?

170 | A journey towards creativity: A case study of three primary classes in a Bulgarian state school
 Some learners at this age may find it difficult to reproduce what they have
imagined during the guided imagery process. Therefore, the teacher may decide
to limit the instructions to five or six sentences. For the same reason, you may
provide your students with a structure to follow while drawing and describing.

For example: The room of my dreams is (adjective 1 size). It is (adjective 2

level of noise). It has (number) windows, and so on.

Final task
At the end of the school year students were given creative writing tasks.
The 3rd graders had to imagine they were an object or an animal and write
a story about themselves. The 4th graders had to write a story involving
emotions or human traits.

The second task is an adaptation of Deborah Frasers metaphorical writing

lesson in the literacy classroom (Fraser, 2006).

In both cases, the children had freedom to choose the main characters in their
stories. To provide them with a sense of security a text format was suggested,
and for the 3rd grade this included a description of the appearance of the object
or the animal, its place, daily routine, likes, dislikes and feelings. In the 4th grade
the writing task was carried out in two lessons.

During the first lesson, the following questions were discussed:

What feelings do people show? When? How?
What character traits do people possess? How do they show them?
Can these feelings and traits be personified? How?

Then two opposite character features were chosen. Students then discussed
how they would appear if they were people. The chosen traits were Patience
and Impatience, and the children had to describe them in a whole-class activity.
The description followed the questions:
Where does Patience/Impatience live?
What does she look like? Her face? Her body?
What clothes does she wear?
What does she do?
What things does she like?
Does she have friends? Who are her friends?

The stories were written during the second lesson. Part of the discussion
was conducted in Bulgarian to allow more variety and depth of exploration
of the topic.

A journey towards creativity: A case study of three primary classes in a Bulgarian state school | 171
 Conclusion References
The more experienced readers of this chapter Carlile, O and Jordan, A (2012) Approaches to
would be well aware of the virtuous circle where Creativity: A Guide for Teachers. Maidenhead:
the investment of thought and energy on the part Open University Press.
of the teacher increases students motivation and
Fraser, D (2006) The creative potential of
involvement in the learning process, which in turn
metaphorical writing in the literacy classroom.
boosts teachers devotion and commitment. In our
English Teaching: Practice and Critique 5/2: 93108.
case, the first steps were difficult as the children
seemed to lack ideas, willingness to experiment, and Vygotsky, L (1967) Voobrazhenie i tvorchestvo v
confidence to tolerate ambiguities and take risks. The detskom vozraste [Imagination and Creativity in
teachers had to spend time and effort to draw them Childhood]. Moscow: Prosveshchenie.
out. Gradually, the students gained self-assurance
Wiseman, A (2014) My life changed when I saw that
and began to engage more enthusiastically and
notice, in Hayes, D (ed), Innovations in the continuing
imaginatively in the activities. This was accompanied
professional development of English language
by more signs of appreciation of their English lessons
teachers. London: British Council.
and their teachers, who, in turn, were stimulated to
introduce more creative activities in their teaching.
They started adapting their coursebook to provide Zarina Markova is a Language Teacher Educator
more open-ended activities for their students and at the South-West University, Bulgaria, where
were rewarded accordingly. It is with an instance of she teaches courses in Language Acquisition and
such a reward that I would like to conclude this Foreign Language Teaching Methodology, supervises
project description: teaching practice and masters dissertations, and
conducts state teacher certification examinations.
You, Mrs Bundova
She also does teacher training for the British Council,
You are mango juice both online and face-to-face, and co-edits, with Sylvia
You are sunny Velikova, the electronic newsletter of the Bulgarian
You are flower English Teachers Association (BETA-IATEFL).
Currently, she is one of the project collaborators on
You are bird
the SEETA Small-scale Teacher-led Research Project
You are happiness (with Anna Parisi and Desmond Thomas).
Love, Simeon (9 years)

(Given to the teacher on 8 March, Acknowledgements

International Womens Day) I am indebted to Ellie Bundova, Rumyana Velichkova
and Eleonora Lazarova for their active participation
This project started as an attempt to create
in this project, and to Lyubka Kirilova, Fatme
conditions for fostering primary students creative
Osmanova and Tsvetanka Panova for organising the
thinking and expression and turned into a rewarding,
teacher training seminars.
joyful experience for everybody involved. It would
be difficult to predict whether and how the teachers
and students would be able to sustain their creative
engagement in the teaching/learning process.
It would be even more difficult to say if their
experience would be transferred to other subjects,
classes and schools. There are rays of optimism,
though. The project attracted the attention of
the foreign language experts in two regional
inspectorates, and they, helped by the British Council
in Sofia, organised teacher training seminars on
creativity in ELT for some 120 teachers of English.
No one can know how effective such training can
be, and experience warns us to be modest in our
expectations. Yet, I would like to believe that even
small steps can sometimes have disproportionately
larger effects.

172 | A journey towards creativity: A case study of three primary classes in a Bulgarian state school
The focus of this book is on practical classroom activities which can help to nurture
and develop our students creativity. The activities will help you to explore the role of
creativity in the classroom both in the sense of helping students to express their unique
creative identity and also by helping them to think about and use language in a creative
way. The activities are suitable for a broad range of students from young to old and
from low to higher levels and can be used alongside your existing syllabus and course
materials to enhance your students experience of learning English.

Alan Maley, co-editor of this publication, has been involved with English language
teaching for over 50 years. He worked with the British Council in Yugoslavia, Ghana,
Italy, France, China and India (196288) before taking over as Director-General of
the Bell Educational Trust, Cambridge (198893). He then worked in university posts
in Singapore (199398), Thailand (19992004), Malaysia and Vietnam (200411).
He is now a freelance consultant and writer. He has published over 50 books and
numerous articles. He is a past President of IATEFL, and recipient of the ELTons
Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. He is a co-founder of The C Group
(http://thecreativitygroup.weebly.com).

Nik Peachey, co-editor of this publication, is an author, blogger, teacher trainer and
educational technology expert. He has worked as editor and consultant on many
major web-based language learning initiatives around the world and has more than
20 years experience in the field of English language teaching. At present he works
as Head of Learning for a web-based language school and is a frequent presenter
at ELT conferences.

9 780863 557675

ISBN 978-0-86355-767-5

www.teachingenglish.org.uk
www.britishcouncil.org/englishagenda
www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish
www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglishteens
www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglishkids
http://esol.britishcouncil.org

www.britishcouncil.org

British Council 2015/F004

The British Council is the United Kingdoms international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities.