Week on Teaching Creativity in Schools course

Do you consider yourself a creative thinker? Do you think creativity is given at birth or it can be learned? This December we kicked it off with Teaching Creativity in Schools course. We were joined by participants from Croatia, Slovenia, Latvia and France.
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Creativity is the foundation of change and progress. This first week of December was here and we were kicking it off with Teaching Creativity in School course. The course was presented by our amazing teacher Nastja Mulej who shared her knowledge with our participants this past week. This course is designed for teachers who want to stimulate creative parallel thinking in the classroom, therefore our guests learned about techniques of problem-solving from a fresh perspective.

Introduction evening.

Course content

Creative thinking means looking at something in a new way. It is the very definition of “thinking outside the box.”. In class, there needs to be the right mix of creativity, which will help students to be innovative and learn with fun. That way it also encourages them to learn new things in a new way and have freedom of expression. It also plays a vital role in children’s emotional development. Through creative expression, children can become good communicators in addition to improving their emotional and social skills.
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Creative thinking course introduce differences between convergent and divergent thinking and clarifies the process of creative thinking. Participants get familiar with common barriers that prevent creative thinking in the classroom and learn how to solve school problems with different thinking methods. By substantially understanding creative and constructive thinking framework and models, they can use different thinking tools to raise creative thinking in their classrooms. They learn to lead efficient creative thinking sessions and raise awareness in principles of parallel and perceptual thinking. For that, transfer of best practice was experienced on Wednesday school visit to Valentin Vodnik Primary School, where participants were introduced to the school’s Thinking Club.

Participants visiting Valentin Vodnik Primary school thinking club.

Afternoon activities

​On Sunday our guest gathered together for the introduction evening. We learned where they are coming from and they told us something about themselves. On Monday afternoon we took a stroll around Ljubljana’s old town with a guide, who showed us all the main attractions in the city. Later that evening, we headed to a real authentic Balkan dinner with specialities like burek and čevapčiči. Tuesday and Thursday participants had free afternoons to enjoy Ljubljana in December spirit and some decided to see the city from above. They visited the Ljubljana’s medieval castle, where they enjoyed the view.  After, it was a must to try mulled wine at Christmas stalls. While our participants are visiting to gain knowledge about Creative Thinking, we also like to introduce them to Slovenia’s natural and cultural heritage. Accordingly, on excursion day on Wednesday, we had our famous trip to Lake Bled. On the way back we stopped for dinner in Lectar Museum and Restaurant, where they showed us how they make traditional honey bread hearts. For dinner, they presented us with traditional Slovenian food with a glass of wine. With the accompaniment of accordion musicians some even had a dance!

Christmas spirit with participants in Radovljica.

Saturday was the last day on our schedule, so participants said farewell and promised to keep in touch. Before us is the last course this year and we are preparing to finish it with just as much good time and spreading knowledge as we did throughout the year!

Don’t miss our next week participants with checking our Blog site, to keep up with new tips and week courses that we post just for you!
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See you in Ljubljana,
love Primera Group