Asking “What is Creativity?” When We Teach Writing

When we teach writing to our students, they’re engaging in a host of different activities. For example, they might be comparing their essay writing techniques to the storytelling they saw in a movie last week. At the same time, they could be drawing on an interesting thought they heard on social media. They’re exploring their ideas, considering structure and style, and for you teachers using Writing with Design, they’re also factoring in the steps you’ve guided them through in previous lessons. The way that creativity fits into all of these aspects is a crucial part of how your students synthesize many of these aspects.

But wait… if factors like creativity are so important, when we teach writing, what if we ask questions like “what is creativity?”

Teach Writing by Asking Meta-Questions

As your students progress in their journey as young writers, you can open them up to new avenues of thinking just by asking questions about writing. What is creativity? How does the medium affect the message? How does an audience romanticize you as an author? Or even… what IS writing in the digital age?

So What is Creativity?

While some of those meta-questions can get pretty heavy, asking about the creative process itself is a good place to start for many young writers. Is it merely breaking the rules? What about combing and exploring the rules in new ways? Has our understanding of creativity changed over the past 500 years? What about the past 10 years? Because your students probably have differing thoughts on this subject, it’s a wonderful topic for class discussion. And because it cuts across all creative arts, it’s also one that they’re sure to have an interest in.

“But wait… if factors like creativity are so important, when we teach writing, what if we ask questions like “what is creativity?””

Ready to get creative & boost your students' confidence at the same time? Try Writing with Design in your class! Give us a shout!