The average Nigerian child is encumbered with a lot of learning. In many schools across the country, pupils and students are subjected to several hours of sitting down and listening to teachers talk with rarely an opportunity for practical. A story was recently told of a nine-year old girl, who transferred from her former school to a new one. Persuading her to go to school every morning was a tug of war because according to her, the school was stressful and there was no time for outdoor classes as was obtainable in her former overseas school. For learning to be impactful a child should be exposed to the practical aspect of it. This makes it important and necessary that teachers should acquire practical skills in order to adequately pass on knowledge to the child. Aside from sitting in rows on desks, dutifully listening and recording what the teachers have to say, it is important that teachers employ the needed skills in offering every child a rich, rewarding and unique learning experience.
Experts believe that the role of teachers in a child’s education has been fundamentally compromised, making the education environment go beyond the classroom to the home, the community and the world around. On the other hand, information no longer abounds primarily in books but is now available everywhere in bits and bytes as such, following the education curriculum religiously to the end may not be the major requirement for a child’s development. Studies have shown that creativity is an essential element in the overall development of students. A veterinarian, writer and serial entrepreneur Dr Adebayo Kolade, emphasised the need for teachers to be more creative in order to impact positively on a child. According to him, the transformative teacher is a creative teacher. He said that practical experiences and explanations while teaching tend to stick deeply with children. He added that it takes a creative teacher to give young people rich experiences that stay with them for life.
For Kolade, teaching also involves creating a happy environment as a child he said develops into a productive adult if he has a happy childhood- you make things around the child interesting, by being extremely creative; children love things that engage them. Kayode noted that the challenge is on how to make the teaching environment, the education content and learning modules creative and stimulating by introducing new ideas. “When teaching mathematics seems difficult, chances are that the teacher has not found a creative way to teach the subject. “A teacher who practicalises his subjects makes it easier for the children to understand. “When the curriculum is followed as it is, without the teacher thinking creatively and engaging the kids, to enable them to relate with the topic, the child will find it difficult to grasp the subject. “Engaging the child in practical aspects of teaching is like unlocking the key that will make him walk the corridor,” Kolade said.
Associate Professor of Childhood, Dr Adefunke Ekine, Education; Tai Solarin University of Education, Ogun State, identified ages zero to eight as the most critical in the developmental stages of a child. She said that the psychological makeup of the teacher handling children within this age bracket is very critical. According to her, about 90 per cent of children’s brains are developed within this age bracket; hence the need for a creative teacher or care giver. A journalist, Mrs Stella Nkwodinma, encouraged teachers who find themselves handling that age group to understand that they are doing a whole lot of work in helping the child to develop cognitively, socially, emotionally and physically. She said teachers should make school interesting for children as what a child needs is nurturing and caring. Contributing, an educationist Dr Olukayode Obayomi, said that in the past, primary and secondary school students perceived science subjects as abstract and difficult to understand, all because of the way teachers taught the subjects. “The science subjects looked abstract because we looked at it from the perspective of things that cannot be interpreted in the real world situation,’’ Obayomi said.
He advised teachers to develop problem solving skills and not just teach the subjects as an abstract. According to him, teachers, especially at primary school level, must influence pupils to love Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) which are critical in instilling passion for innovation. “A good foundation should be laid at the primary school level, being the first step and the foundation for science, technology, engineering and mathematical education. “Students should see STEM as a friendly, familiar and interesting area of study. STEM teaches thinking skills and instills passion for innovation; it also helps in demystifying the seemingly abstract nature of the sciences. “More so, it helps in problem solving and explorative learning that fuels critical thinking and problem solving in real situations in life,’’ Obayomi said. Charter President of Rotary Club of Abuja Imperial, Mr Adeotun Amori, identified regular training for teachers as critical in transforming the country’s education sector.He said the essence is to educate, edify, and inspire teachers by introducing new concepts, ideas, methods, practical skills and techniques.
Amori added that regular training for teachers is key to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education). In Mr Usman Baba’s view, it is the duty of teachers to encourage a child to develop love for school. He said teachers’ importance in children’s upbringing and development should equally be recognised and acknowledged. An on-line article on “The Role and Importance of Creativity in the Classroom”, aptly captures the essence of creative learning in these words, “Classrooms are one of the ideal places where teachers get to inspire kids to use their imagination when it comes to learning. The right mix of creativity along with curriculum helps students innovate and also encourages them to learn new things easily. Creative classrooms can really transform the way students grasp knowledge and influence how they apply it in their real life. In fact, creative expression plays a key role in a student’s emotional development. It makes them good communicators and improves their emotional and social skills.”
According to this authority, creating teaching method enhances emotional quotient; reduces stress and anxiety; boosts problem-solving skills; improves communication skills: Experts maintain that creativity, described as “the interaction between the learning environment, both physical and social, the attitudes and attributes of both teachers and students, and a clear problem-solving process which produces a perceptible product (that can be an idea or a process as well as a tangible physical object) is what Nigeria needs to transform the Nigerian society and that the sooner the Federal and State Ministry of Education and other formulators of education policies in the country factored creative teaching into the teaching methods by schools in the country and ensured effective compliance the better for Nigeria.

By: Calista Ezeaku