Creativity in Maths Essay

The purpose and value of seminal weighing in capital maths development Within this essay I am dismission to discuss the decomposable notion of imaginative idea, In specific relation to productive pedagogics method at bottom the subject of math. I leave alone define the Issues of interpret creativity and the debates surrounding these issues. Secondly I am going to aim at theories of creativity and the various views which have been argued. In relation to educational activity, I will examine if the amount of judging that teachers are now indispensable to do restricts how creative they bottomland be at heart their deli truly of the programme.Further more(prenominal), I will analyse the difficulties of creative pedagogy and the implementation of creative development across the curriculum, focusing on mathematics. Creative learning nooky be highly beneficial for childrens learning and development, I will highlight the reasons for this and typeface at key theori es relating to the debate. Lastly, I will look at policies and reviews which suggest that creative teaching approaches should be used across the curriculum. Wlthln education there are complex Issues relating to creativity.Creativity Is defined by different people In many different styles. Duffy (1998 cited In Brock, Dodds, Jarvis nd Olusoga, 2009) defines creativity as a means of forming saucily connections in a stylus that is meaningful to the individual. In this government agency creativity crapper be very useful for learning, due to the fact that it croup protagonist individuals create new distinctions in spite of appearance their learning and compass a firmer understanding of what they are creation taught. Similarly Kohl (2008) suggested that creative activities are some exploring exciting and advanced ideas in the hope of discovering something new.Through experimentation apprentices whitethorn stumble across intimacy that was previously unknown to them, which give s them the opportunity to expand on their nderstanding. By provldlng children with creative opportunities practitioners are giving them a receive to expand their knowledge finished self-directed learning, In a way that Is of Interest to them as an Individual. Freud (1900 cited in Woolfolk, Hughes and Walkup, 2008) took a psychoanalytical approach to creativity.He believed that creativity is present in whole individuals deep down their unconscious mind and that it is brought about due to a wish to fulfil that individuals desires. Freud argued that all individuals have a creative potential, they rightful(prenominal) do not always display the use of it. Within children he identified creativity as ideation, a process of creating new ideas. When benignant in certain activities children will be creative In fix to gain more enjoyment from what they are doing. Maslow (1943), merely took a humanistic approach to the Idea of creativity.He suggested that the drive to learn is intrins ic as Individuals strive to reach self- actualisation. Maslows hierarchy of essentials depicts levels of needs which Individuals spate meet, scratch with very basic needs and moving up to more complex needs which individuals have to strive for in govern to achieve. He argued that in order for an Inalvlaual to reacn selT-actuallsatlon at tne top 0T tne pyram10 tney neeaea to extend their thoughts and actions through puzzle solving, creativity and morality.There are a number of issues surrounding creativity as it can be interpreted differently when put into different mounts. The ticker areas of learning within education are now heavily assessment based and there is a strong emphasis on literacy and numeracy, which is having a negative power on creative pedagogy (Eaude, 2011). Within the teaching of core subjects there is very little time allocated to creative activities, alternatively the pedagogical focus is more on the acquisition of nowledge and facts Cones and Wyse, 2004). It could be argued that if teachers look beyond this fortifyingd approach to learning there is plenty of background for fostering creativity in childrens learning within all areas of the curriculum. In the area of mathematics, children are taught specific skills and knowledge which they will need in order to achieve the level that they are expected to in accordance with the theme programme (DfEE, 1999). However, certain areas of mathematics involve a large amount of problem solving, which requires an individual to adapt their thinking n order to develop and discover how best to solve the problem at hand.Problem solving is seen as a creative process (Piggott, 2007). tally to Cropley (2003, cited in Jones and Wyse, 2004) problem solving is intrinsic to creativity consequently the learner can be encouraged to use their creative thinking skills within the area of mathematics. On the other hand, children are a good deal still tending(p) boundaries to run for within, which again will stifle their chance to be creative or explore further possibilities. Creativity has been highlighted to be highly beneficial for childrens learning. Using creative methods of teaching can admirer to glide by children engaged and cause in their learning.Steiner (1861 1925 cited in Wood and Attfield, 2005) stated that within creative activities children become more engaged in their learning and thence are more likely to learn from the performance that they were participating in. If children are provided with activities that they find captivating and elicit, they are more likely to actively participate, and therefore will gain something from the experiences that they encounter. In order for childrens creativity to flourish, within heir learning they need to be presumption a chance to do things for themselves (Wilson, 2008).Nickerson (1998 cited in Adams, 2005) suggested that allowing children to have a choice in the depute that they are given enhances their creativity. A lso the fact that they have chosen the activity for themselves means they will have more motivation to work towards their goals. If children can direct their own learning, by being given their own choices, they will use their current knowledge in a creative way to decide how best to approach the given task. Teaching mathematics in a creative way is seen by many teachers as a challenge.Mathematics is often regarded as a subject with set rules and structure with right and wrong answers (Wilson, 2005). However, mathematics is not always recognised in its full capacity and can be present in areas which are not always deemed to be mathematically inclined, therefore making it a difficult subject to approach in a creatlve capaclty. more or less teacners Delleve tnat matnematlcs snou10 De taugnt In a conventional and structured manner, although it could be argued that the reason for this is that teachers may not be confident enough to teach it any other way Cones and Wyse, 2004).Cropley ( 2001) would argue that conventional methods of teaching can have a negative effect on attitudes and motivation towards individuality as children may be encouraged to work in a certain way in order to logically work out the answers. In order to be creative within their teaching of mathematics, teachers need to provide children with opportunities in which they can extend their thinking and build on previous knowledge. It is often argued that creative mathematics is only accessible to the more able pupils, however it is possible to include all abilities.Furthermore, children of all bilities will always be willing to engage in mathematics creatively if they are given the opportunity. The DfES/QCA (1999) stated that mathematics as a creative discipline can stimulate exciting new achievements for learners and therefore teachers should facilitate all childrens learning by giving them a chance to engage creatively within the subject area. Introducing creative pedagogy in the area of mathema tics can have a substantially positive effect on childrens development.Children who previously had little confidence within the subject can be taught different ways of dealing with athematical knowledge. Introducing children to different teaching methods and expanding mathematics using a cross-curricular approach will give children the opportunity to crystalise comparisons and colligate between mathematics and other curriculum subjects (Cropley, 2001). The use of cross-curricular teaching will give the children the opportunity to partake in learning which links to a subject area that is of interest to them.Mathematics can help develop childrens thinking skills and it is important for children to be able to think creatively within all areas of the curriculum (Cropley, 2001). Within mathematics in particular children sometimes may need to think outside the package in order to discover the answers to what they are looking for. Mathematics can also be a chance for the involvement of abstract thinking skills as children learn to calculate mathematical sums cognitively.Mental arithmetic may be seen as something children commonly engage in, however they need to be able to deal with numbers and mathematics in an abstract context before they can fully develop these skills. Overall, the subject area of mathematics is much more widespread than is always recognised. The use of mathematics can be applied across he curriculum and within childrens every day life. Therefore it is essential to childrens educational development. The National Curriculum (DfEE, 1999) highlights the importance of fostering creativity while still ensuring that pupils gain the essential numeracy skills that they require.The National Curriculum suggests that all areas of the curriculum can be taught creatively, even the core subjects such as mathematics. A number of schools work towards the development of key skills which are outlined in the National Curriculum Handbook, while also including oppor tunities to be creative within mathematics NCSL, 2005). I ne Natlonal curriculum ) InTormea teacners tnat wltnln mathematics children should be taught to develop thinking skills, problem solving and learn to communicate mathematically.However this document focused more on the attainment of the children rather than the approaches that teachers could take in order to build upon these aspects using creative pedagogy. In 2000, the National Numeracy Strategy (DfE, 2000) was published in order to look at the teaching of mathematics in discernment and to suggest to teachers ways in which they could incorporate better pedagogy within the area of mathematics. In his review, Williams (2008 cited in DSCF, 2008) looked at pedagogy for primary mathematics in the curriculum.He argued that in order for the content of a curriculum to be effective it must be partnered with excellent standards of teaching. He talked about developing positive attitudes towards the subject through delivering mathemati cs in interesting ways which will engage the learner. Through the use of creative pedagogy teachers can provide positive experiences which captivate the learner and therefore help them develop good attitudes towards the subject of mathematics. Similarly to Williams (2008 cited in DSCF, 2008), Ofsted (2010) drew parallels between the National Curriculum and creative approaches to teaching.They reported that children are more motivated by creative ways of learning, suggesting that providing experiences linked to the subject material within the National Curriculum, in which children can develop their creative learning, will in turn have a positive effect on their attitudes towards the subject. In conclusion, creativity is highly important within all aspects of the curriculum. Although it can be interpreted in different ways, this could have a positive effect as it llows for even more originality and diversity within teaching methods.