Idea Resort

Objectives

Upon completion of this workshop, participants will be able to understand

1. what creativity is, and how they can promote it in students
2. how to measure the creativity of students via creative products
3. how to use creative puzzles & techniques to get students to “think out of the box”
4. how to design creative lesson plans that arouse student interest in the subject
5. how to establish a creative climate of learning in the classroom

Contents

• The 4 Ps of creativity : person, process, product and press or environment
• Applying the 4 Ps of creativity to the classroom
• Identifying the attributes of the creative product (real examples will be shown)
• Designing a creative rating scale to assess student creativity
• Stages of the creative problem-solving process
• Difference between problem-finding & problem-solving, creative level & style
• Motivating students in creative problem-solving: the psychology of flow
• Encouraging students to “think out of the box” via creative puzzles and techniques
• How to design creative lesson plans (examples will be shown)
• How to nurture a creative climate of learning in class

Profile of trainer

Dr Ng Aik Kwang is an expert on the cultivation of creativity in the Asian classroom and society. He is the author of three popular books on this subject. They include Why Asians Are Less Creative Than Westerners (2001); Liberating the Creative Spirit in Asian Students (2004) and Creative Problem-Solving for Asians: A Practical Guide to Develop Your Creativity as an Asian (2007). Dr Ng received the 2001 Early Career Research Award from the International Council of Psychologists for a provocative paper which is interestingly entitled Why Creators are Dogmatic People, “Nice” People are not Creative and Creative People are not “Nice”. After obtaining his PhD in Psychology at the University of Queensland in Australia, Dr Ng worked as an Assistant Professor at the National Institute of Education (1999 – 2005). Besides lecturing at NIE, Dr Ng has conducted courses on creativity in many schools and learning organizations, including Singapore Management University, Nanyang Technological University and UniSIM. Dr Ng is also an entrepreneur who set up The Idea Resort. This is a training firm which provides practical workshops for teachers and students in areas like creativity, multiple intelligences, critical thinking, classroom management, cooperative learning. Dr Ng’s inspirational sharing on creativity is deeply appreciated by participants, as shown below.

Feedback from past participants

Kwang is very motivated in promoting the cause of creativity in teaching. His workshop is filled with colorful anecdotes about eminent creators and creative teachers. It inspires me to unleash the creative spirit in my own students.

Mr Jeremy Lee, Nan Chiau Primary School

I have a great time in applying what I’d learnt in this workshop on creativity to my own classroom, especially the ones where I was able to combine maths, art and mother tongue in one lesson. The students were happy as I brought them out of the classroom to conduct my lesson. They now beg for more of such lessons to be conducted.

Ms Noor Naime, Telok Kurau Primary School

A very practical and interesting workshop. I learned how to nurture creativity in my students. I am made aware of creativity killers and how to protect students from them. I can apply what I have learned to my lessons.

Ms Constance Kwok, Chong Boon Secondary School

Kwang is a very interesting and engaging speaker on creativity. He is very knowledgeable on the topic of how teachers can nurture creativity in the classroom. From him, I learnt a lot of practical methods that can be used to enhance the creative problem-solving skills of my students.

Ms Chan Ka Ling, Clementi Town Secondary School