Teaching Creatively: The Role of K-12 in Encouraging Student Creativity

Creativity has been a popular concept in psychology in recent decades. People of all ages have been finding new ways to strengthen their creativity and develop this valued 21st century skill. The field of education has also adopted new ways to encourage creativity in K-12 classrooms. This thesis examines the role of K-12 teachers in encouraging student creativity. Specifically, I analyze the role of teachers in encouraging creativity in their students through a literature review and an analysis of a survey that was distributed to K-12 public school teachers. Creativity is a vital skill for students to develop, and K-12 teachers play a major role in encouraging and nurturing that development. This thesis looks into different aspects of creativity, including definitions thereof, measurements, and practical applications. Creativity is critical to the success of students once they graduate and enter the workforce, and fostering that creativity throughout the students’ entire K-12 education is equally as important While most people will agree that creativity is an important part of education, it still seems to lack the necessary support, and schools are generally perceived at stunting creative growth instead of encouraging it. This thesis will explore the validity of these statements as well possible reasons for them