All children need to be encouraged to think creatively but our gifted learners are able to really go beyond what we imagine the responses to be.
Having a weekly prompt to encourage more than just creative writing helps with not only creative thinking but also problem solving, independent ideas, collaborative planning and working on ideas and concepts outside of our comfort zome.
There are many great resources on the internet to show students for a ‘power 30 minute creative thinking time’. This thinning time could be:
- Design a new way
- Create a way to convince others we need this in our every day lives
- Change this so that the viewpoint is seen from someone we would not expect
- Write an advertisement
- Write a jingle
- Write a story about the object.
Shaun Tan’s Oppsatoreum is an excellent tool to use for your Gifted students. In this book Shaun Tan has worked in collaboration with The Powerhouse Museum to engage readers in some odd objects.
These objects are part of the museum’s collection and although they do look odd, they are often fairly simple and boring in their original description.
Instead of outlining the facts about the objects, Shaun Tan has created a story about the object to make it much more unusual and fun!
Imagine an ear piece which is now a love trumpet or a jar for leeches and honey which is not a literacy tester!
The possibilities are endless and you will have a lot of fun not only reading Shaun Tan’s descriptions but also coming up with your own!
Gifted Education Musings 