Everyone is born with the ability to think critically and creatively. However, as teachers we often see both creativity and critical thinking skills stifled in preference for more “academic” pursuits. But the truth is, in today’s world and workforce, the skills of creativity and thinking “outside the box” are highly valued and sought after. Companies depend on innovation to be competitive and stay relevant in an ever-changing world.

As teachers it is our job to not just teach our subject area, but to make sure we teach and educate the whole child. Sometimes it just seems impossible to do everything, we have so many pressures on us to make sure we cover huge amounts of content, deliver interesting lessons and make sure we keep up with whatever the latest research tells us to do. It can be difficult to stay ahead of it all without going crazy. But teaching should also be fun and enjoyable for not only us, but for our students.

Try these critical and creative thinking cards in your classroom today. There are 64 flash cards in each set and they are perfect for any age, any subject and for brainstorming ideas and solution to any challenge.

So how can we introduce creativity and critical thinking skills into our classrooms, without having to do huge amounts of prep and training? Simple, try adding Spark Ideas Cards into your teaching toolkit. This simple idea and strategy will work with any class, subject area and age group – even with staff!

Each set of 64 flash cards are designed to promote ideas, innovation, creativity and critical thinking through the triggering and sparking of ideas. They are a simple creative thinking resource that will stimulate discussion and communication skills.

Try these critical and creative thinking cards in your classroom today. There are 64 flash cards in each set and they are perfect for any age, any subject and for brainstorming ideas and solution to any challenge.

This critical and creative thinking activity can be done as a whole group or in smaller groups, how you choose to do it will depend on the group and the challenge.

Instructions for use:

  1.  Print, cut and laminate the cards for durability
  2. Start with a challenge or problem and display it for all to see
  3. Shuffle the cards
  4. Select a single OR up to 5 cards from the deck
  5. Using the cards selected, brainstorm and record every idea for between 10 and 20 minutes. This can be done as an individual or as a small group
  6. Record every idea
  7. Discuss ideas
  8. Decide on which ideas to use
  9. Discuss how to complete the challenge or find a solution to the problem

Try these critical and creative thinking cards in your classroom today. There are 64 flash cards in each set and they are perfect for any age, any subject and for brainstorming ideas and solution to any challenge.

There are many benefits for using this simple strategy. Some of the skills this lesson activity promotes include:

If you would like to grab your own set of Spark Ideas Cards, check them out by clicking the link below.

Set 1 – Random Things

Set 2- Living Things

Set 3 – Action Kids

Until next time

Happy Teaching

Julia from Jooya

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