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Session Overview

• Introduction by Samad Hussain, TESOL certified English teacher with 10 years of experience.

• Background: Worked in various international schools and universities in Egypt, teaching different English courses (General English, Business, IELTS, etc.)

Objectives of the Workshop

1. Creative Teaching: Discuss how to be a creative teacher in the classroom.

2. Benefits of Creativity: Explore the benefits of creativity in teaching.

3. Writing in the Classroom: Focus on applying creativity in writing lessons, addressing common struggles in writing education.

Importance of Creativity in Teaching

• Creativity helps engage students and make learning more enjoyable.

• Aim to address writing as a challenging task and find strategies to alleviate this view for students.

Interactive Activity

• Participants were asked to brainstorm ideas on creative teaching practices using a QR code to submit answers.

• Some responses included:

  • Integrating pop culture

  • Role-playing

  • Using games to engage students

Principles of Creativity in the Classroom

1. Finding New Perspectives

   • Encourage flexibility; do not dictate how tasks should be done.

   • Provide tools and methods (e.g., online games, mind maps) that promote engagement and interaction.

2. Being Prolific

   • Produce diverse materials and activities; creativity leads to more output in teaching practices.

   • Utilize free resources like ISLCollective for worksheets and materials.

3. Making Unusual Combinations

   • Combine different text forms and prompts to spark creativity; for example, pair narrative tasks with visuals or prompts to produce language use.

4. Encouraging Collaboration

   • Implement group work and peer learning to share ideas and support each other’s learning.

   • Use methods like the Jigsaw method to promote discussion and engagement.

Application of Creativity in Writing Lessons

• Starting with Engagement: Use engaging activities related to the writing topic to spark interest before introducing the lesson.

• Brainstorming: Create opportunities for personalized discussion around writing topics to generate ideas, potentially through interviews and open debates.

• Using Technology: Incorporate tools such as Google Classroom or interactive quizzes to provide structured writing exercises and peer feedback.

Case Study: Teaching Argumentative Essays

1. Engagement Technique: Start with a contrasting debate about a relevant issue to gather opinions without explicitly introducing the topic of writing.

2. Using Multimedia: Introduce the topic through short videos or interviews that highlight key aspects of vlogs' impacts that serve as a segue into argumentative structure.

3. Explaining Structure: Gradually introduce students to the components of an argumentative essay using guiding questions rather than lengthy explanations of each part.

4. Peer Review Process: Foster peer assessment through checklists to help students evaluate each other’s work based on defined criteria (introduction, main arguments, conclusions).

Feedback & Communication

• Participants were urged to provide feedback via QR codes, emphasizing the importance of continuous improvement in teaching strategies.