Creativity in Teacher Education

Jill and Charlie Hadfield, New Zealand and UK

Jill and Charlie Hadfield have worked as teachers and teacher trainers in Britain, France, China, Tibet, Madagascar and New Zealand, run short courses and seminars for teachers in many other parts of the world and worked as a consultants for the UK’s Department of International Development, writing materials for and reviewing aid projects in Africa. Charlie now teaches at on the M.Ed TESOL at Exeter University, and Jill is Associate Professor at Unitec New Zealand . Between them they have written over thirty books, including the Longman Communication Games series, five books in the Oxford Basics series and Classroom Dynamics, a course for primary children: Excellent! published by Longman, two Teacher Education books: Top Tools for Language Teachers (Pearson) and An Introduction to Teaching English (OUP). Jill’s new book, Motivating Learning , co authored with Zoltan Dornyei, was published last year by Routledge. They have a long-standing passion for creativity, both in the teaching profession and outside it: they have also published two travel books, four poetry books (Charlie) and a novel (Jill). E-mail: charjill@xtra.co.nz

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Introduction
Using drama
Creative writing
References

Introduction

While teachers may use creative activities such as drama and poetry writing in ELT classes, such activities are more rarely used in Teacher Education. Input sessions may involve demonstration of classroom techniques, either through experiential learning or loop input (Woodward 1986), followed by discussion, language analysis, or consideration of issues in language teaching. The predominant activity in each case is discussion. While acknowledging that discussion and analysis is obviously a vital component of teacher education courses, this article will suggest that the incorporation of creative activities into courses may provide more variety and appeal to different trainee preferences.

In an article in RELC Journal ( Hadfield, 2006), Jill proposed a framework for task design in Teacher Education:

A discussion, of the kind that may take place on a training course or PD session for example, of the NS/NNS debate, would tick the following boxes in the Thinking column : Thinking – auditory-interpersonal – cooperative (unless a formal debate in which case it would be competitive) – immediate - serious - open-ended. If the activity were changed to, for example , write a letter from the point of view of a NNS expressing your feelings about the bias towards NS, the activity would change to Feeling/Creating – visual- intrapersonal- single-minded – reflective- serious- closed task. We suggest that including more activities on courses that involve different combinations of task design parameters can result in a richer variety of activities and appeal to different trainee preferences. In particular, in the remainder of this article, we will make some suggestions for activities that involve Creating /Feeling as opposed to Thinking/Organizing, make use of different modalities or a combination of modalities, different groupings, and response time and make use of more playful tasks with a definite outcome or product, as opposed to the open ended nature of discussions. We have divided the tasks into two kinds: those that use drama and those that use creative writing.

Using drama

Authentic Materials Ad

Creating:visual/auditory/kinaesthetic/interpersonal/cooperative/reflective/playful/closed task

Preparation
Assign trainees some background reading on the pros and cons of using authentic materials.

Procedure

1. Divide trainees into two groups: For and Against.
2. Get them to prepare a TV advert either promoting the advantages of authentic materials or the advantages of scripted materials.
3. The two groups perform their adverts live – or make a video.

Language Analysis Dramatised

Creating: visual/auditory/kinaesthetic/interpersonal/ cooperative /reflective/playful/closed task

Preparation
Prepare 3 task strips :
When I got to the party, Mary left.
When I got to the party, Mary was leaving.
When I got to the party, Mary had left.

Procedure

1. Divide trainees into three groups and give each a task strip. Tell them they should prepare a short dramatization of the sentence. Their dramatization should include some context suggesting reasons for the situation ( The first task is particularly rich in possible contexts!)
2. Trainees rehearse in secret and then perform their dramatization to the group, who must guess their sentence.

Half/Half roleplays

Creating: visual/auditory /interpersonal/ competitive /reflective/playful/closed task

Preparation
Assign some background reading on technology in ELT.

Procedure

1. Put trainees in two groups .
2. Give Group 1 Rolecard 1 :
   You are a Ministry of Education official. You believe that use of technology is the way forward in language teaching. Within a short time , there will be no need for teachers. This obviously would significantly reduce your budget!
3. Give Group 2 Role card 2:
   You are a teacher. You do not believe technology is the answer to everything. Teaching depends on human interaction. You do not think a computer can replace you!
4. Let them prepare arguments in their groups, then divide the class into pairs with one trainee from Group 1 and one trainee from Group 2. They should argue their case ,
5. Their task is to come to a compromise and draft a proposal for the use of technology in ELT.

Well, that didn’t go too well!

Creating: auditory/visual/intrapersonal/ cooperative /reflective/playful/closed task

Preparation
Get trainees to brainstorm problems that occur with classroom management, eg: lengthy and unclear instructions, grouping not suited to the task, lack of instruction checking, failure to bring a satisfactory conclusion etc

Procedure

1. Put trainees in small groups. Their task is to produce a playscript for a class that did not achieve aims due to poor classroom management. Give them an example:
   Classroom consists of 20 students in 4 rows of 5. Teacher stands at front with pile of handouts
   T: Well, you’re going to work in groups and look at these roleplay cards I’m going to give you and act out the roleplay and decide what programme to watch on TV. Oh and I’ll give you a TV programme to look at as well so you have the programmes to decide from – is that OK ? Do you understand, everyone, OK Let’s get going…
   
   Students: ?????
2. Invite comments as to what is wrong and how it could be made better.
3. Then put them in groups to write the script for a class that went disastrously wrong.
4. Groups perform their scripts and then the class discuss scripts and suggest improvements.

Creative writing

Methodology Rap

Creating: auditory/interpersonal/ cooperative /reflective/playful/closed task

Preparation
Assign background reading on various methodologies – eg TPR, Suggestopedia, Silent Way etc

Procedure

1. This can be used a s a warm up activity for a more detailed study and comparison of methodologies.
2. Put trainees in groups and assign each a reading on a different methodology ( eg Silent Way, TPR, TBL, ) Set a time limit for reading through.
3. Ask each group to write a verse of a rap summarizing the essence of the method . You can help by suggesting rhymes ( eg TPR – car star – far Suggestopedia- easier)
4. Trainees produce a two line verse , eg
   
   Use your body in TPR
   Stretch your arms and make a star
   
   Play some music in Suggestopedia
   Being relaxed makes learning easier
5. They perform the rap as a group.

Learner Diary

Creating/Feeling: visual/intrapersonal/ single-minded/reflective/playful/closed task

Preparation
Trainees teach a lesson or observe one.

Procedure

1. Instead of writing a reflection on the lesson from their own point of view as teacher or observer, trainees take the learner’s perspective and write a first person account as if they were the learner. This can heighten awareness of how the lesson went from the learners’ perspective , instead of how the lesson plan or ‘performance’ succeeded , which is often a trainee preoccupation.
2. Trainees can then read each others’ diaries and comment.

Super-Learner

Creating: visual/interpersonal/ cooperative /reflective/playful/closed task

Preparation
Background reading on what makes a successful language learner

Procedure

1. Trainees read a selection of background readings and then label a picture of a learner with ‘design features’ which lead to successful language learning. eg , labelling ears “ Listens to as much English as possible’, labelling mouth : Tries out English in a variety of situations.’
2. Trainees share pictures and comment.

The Teacher-Trainer Song

Creating: auditory/visual/interpersonal/ cooperative /reflective/playful/closed task

Preparation
Play trainees The Mom Song. www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXgoJ0f5EsQ

Procedure

1. Put trainees in groups and ask them what kind of things you nag them about.
2. Ask them to write a verse of the Mom Song called The Trainer Song
3. Groups share verses and put them together to form a song.

These and similar activities could be used throughout a teacher education course to provide a different way in to issues and topics in ELT, to cater for different learner preferences and to provide variety.

References

Hadfield, J. (2006). Teacher Education and Trainee Learning Style. RELC Journal Vol 37 (3) 369-389

Woodward, T. (1986). Loop input – a process idea. The Teacher Trainer, 1:6-7. Pilgrims.

Woodward, T. (1991). Models and metaphors in language teacher training: Loop input and other strategies. Cambridge University Press.

Please check the How to be a Teacher Trainer course at Pilgrims website.
Please check the Creative Methodology for the Classroom course at Pilgrims website.