Creative Writing as an Experimental Learning?

Creative Writing 

Teachers more and more argue that creative writing in an essential aspect in twenty-first century lessons. Creative writing according to various teacher’s views, puts aside the standard idea and pressure of exams and assessment, rather it provides students with the ability of going beyond and experiment with a topic which is discussed in lesson. Dali (2015, in Hanusa 2015, para.3.) from her perspective as a teacher explained that creative writing gives an energy boost to ‘normal’ lessons and that creative writing is a great way to engage and inject interest to students also these with additional language and different abilities into a subject. Different digital programs like blogs, PowerPoints etc., give student at all ages the ability not only to experiment but also to take risks to change their normal views that they normally wouldn’t have during typical lessons or when writing e.g. a letter. Furthermore, according to Freeman and Rossignol (2010) creative writing firstly, challenges learner’s judgments and perspectives about a subject as they have to look at work from a different perspective. Secondly, allows them to think critically and lastly, develop their ability of analyzing their own work which then leads into reflecting. Creative Writing is a perfect example of Inquiry Based Learning. Through this approach creative writers with additional language and abilities are imaginative, collaborative, curious, risk-takers, experiential and do not purely accept what is given to them but rather are challenged to question and investigate. Although, there are issues with the current National Curriculum 'damaging' children creative writing, through observations and experience creative writing is used in Primary schools to some extent because of the Curriculum that needs to be followed and the time it has to be done in. These include; story telling and then asking children to change the end of a story or asking children to write/draw (depending on what age children are) what they remember from the story but add extra character and their role. Other examples include, recalling their family stories or writing about their perfect imagined place. In Secondary School, creative writing typically plays a big role in English lessons. 

'Take My Word For It' Method of Creative Writing for children

Resources

Flood, A. (2015) National curriculum is damaging children’s creative writing, say authors. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jun/23/national-curriculum-is-damaging-childrens-creative-writing-say-authors

Freeman, R. and Rossignol, K.L. (2010) ‘Taking risks—experiential learning and the writing student’, Australian Journal of Adult Learning, 50(1).

Hanusa, C. (2015) Creative writing is experiential learning! « teaching circle. Available at: http://teachingcircle.qwriting.qc.cuny.edu/creative-writing-is-experiential-learning

TMWFI (2011) ‘Take my word for it!’ Creative writing for kids. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSa0Qgb3-HI