Focus on creative learning for TPS students
Room 8 with their lighthouse models, prior to the installation of flashing lights. Photo: Maria Polglase.
Takaka Primary school is taking its role in nurturing children’s creative capabilities seriously—except on the surface the result looks like fun.
Room 8 (year 2 and 3) students have built brightly coloured lighthouses and are getting ready to install flashing lights on top. Room 3 is painting and varnishing canvases after studying Van Gogh. Fifty children are learning the ukulele with Levity Beet; another group is doing violin. All the senior children are learning the recorder, and Melinda Machin is teaching the choir.
Several art academies are planned for the coming year: next term’s will develop murals for the school’s new sandpit.
“The creative opportunities across the curriculum at the moment are quite vast,” said principal Neil Batten. “The music and arts and crafts are an integral part of the teachers’ programmes. I was reading an article recently that said the most important book a child can have in school is a sketching book.”
It’s a move the school has made since changes to the national curriculum allowed much more scope to interpret creativity into the school day.
“All schools have had to write a new general curriculum,” said Mr Batten. “In our curriculum we’ve placed creativity and imagination, and children’s talents and gifts near the centre of children’s learning.
“When talking about creativity you can’t tell children to be creative. You have to guide them. Creativity can be cultivated in any area of the curriculum. Children need to try things out and experiment, and make use of their imagination, even in science or maths or literacy. Sometimes creativity is not something easily seen in the classroom. It goes well beyond what can be seen with the eyes.
“A key part of this is giving unhurried, extended time for children to explore things more deeply. Classrooms need to contribute to this by being exciting and involving. It’s about teaching creatively, and teaching for creativity as well.”
Even though this term’s focus was science, creative thinking has played a huge part for the year 5 and 6 after-school group practising for the BP Technology Challenge in August. Each week they are given some basic materials and a scientific problem to solve in a group or pairs. This week they had to design and build a catapult that would fire a ping pong ball as far as possible. Two teams will compete against entrants from other Nelson area schools, said Mr Batten.
“Our teams always do well.”
Creativity even found its way into the Jump Rope programme, which raised money for the Heart Foundation. This term has also featured cross-country training and Rippa Rugby, and other winter sports.
The school has also formulated a staff action plan to foster student achievement based on international educator Joseph Driessen’s work and his well-attended presentation in May.
There’s a reason these subjects are on Neil Batten’s mind. He’s off to do some creative learning of his own. When this term ends he is taking a sabbatical until October, during which he will study firsthand how other schools—in Golden Bay and in England—develop creative capabilities in children.
He has a few suggestions for families in the upcoming holidays. “It’s important that the holidays aren’t too much like school. Have fun. Do some reading. Parents, spend some time with your children.
“Do something creative.”
Maria Polglase
