CREATIVE THINKING AND INNOVATION

In our pursue of preparing students for real world careers and challenges and equipping them with 21st-century skills, we often forget that as educators, we have a duty to dream and create spaces where everyone has the opportunity to bring out the best in themselves. The aim of this training is to raise confidence and broaden knowledge in educators and teachers in adopting different techniques and methods of encouraging their students to become more creative and develop their critical thinking and problem solving skills. In this way, we will be effectively preparing them to be manager and directors of their own future, a constantly changing reality where they will be able to successfully apply their 21st century competences to take on complex and open-ended challenges. This course aims to provide participants with different strategies, tools and ideas tailored to their needs and realities in order to inspire students’ creativity and motivation through innovative and interactive teaching methods based on experiential learning. The general aim of this course is to foster excellence in education by empowering teachers, trainers, headmasters and other education staff to find strategies to foster creativity while sharing best practices and experiences with fellow participants and trainers throughout all Europe gaining as well a broader understanding of education in Europe.

The methodology of the training is based on a combination of three important elements:

• Provision of knowledge required (theory)
• Use of training tools, such as case studies, videos, games, animations & exercises (practice – hands on experience)
• Feedback/reflection (review)

• Develop a greater understanding of the differences between formal, non-formal and informal learning as well as the basic non-formal education principles
• Broaden knowledge about the importance of developing creativity and critical thinking
• Learn activities and games aiming at shaping creative thinking
• Develop tools based on their students’ realities and concerns
• Learn how to engage students and motivate them to establish effective collaboration and develop problem solving skills as well as their self-esteem
• Learn how to lead and deliver experiential activities to stimulate the students’ creativity in problem-solving
• Get to know Outdoor Education principles and advantages using a practical and experiential approach
• Exchange good practices and discuss challenges with fellow colleagues and the course trainers