Creativity Box is a collection of resources designed particularly for students in secondary school (ages: 12 to 16+), although a number of the activities can be adapted for younger children. They are meant to be fun and challenging, but some also embrace serious topics and practical considerations. Students of all abilities will enjoy many of the sections included, and high achievers in particular will find plenty of opportunities to stimulate them and extend their imaginations.
Most of the activities in the Creativity Box provide opportunities for students to work individually at their own levels. Others are specifically designed for group work and to encourage teamwork, discussion and presentation techniques.
One of the features of the exercises in this book is that there are no ‘correct’ answers. Students have the opportunity to work on activities where the emphasis is on enjoyment and at the same time to develop their logical, creative, imaginative, artistic, musical and personal skills.
Each section in the Creativity Box can be used in a variety of ways by teachers. For example, students could be set the same exercise to work on for a set time, followed by a class or group discussion, or students could be assigned different activities and then asked to discuss or compare notes with a fellow student. At times, it might be appropriate to allow students to choose their own section to complete. Some of the discussion topics could also be used as starters for family discussions. In fact, teachers will find numerous ways in which this resource can be utilised effectively, according to the needs of their own students.
Some of the activities involve responding to musical extracts. The musical extracts are not included in the book, but a list of suggested titles and their composers is noted within.
About the Author:
Michael Gifford has been a Head of History, Deputy Principal, Principal and University Liaison Officer. For ten years, he ran school programmes on motivation, goal setting, study skills, memory techniques (for students) and school management, accelerated learning and learning styles (for teachers).
