This issue features an interview with Berenice Bleedorn, PhD, author of “The Creativity Force: In Education, Business and Beyond.” Dr. Bleedorn has been in the education field for seven decades. Her next book, “An Education Track for Creativity and Other Quality Thinking Processes” will be published in January. Beth Good, an instructor at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing and a member of the Creative Nursing Journal editorial board, conducted the interview.
Arabic is an important language for Muslims but teaching the language is not an easy task. It needs efforts to improve and simplify the learning process through creative teaching strategies. Creative teaching involves the development of materials and approaches that foster students’ interests and motivation in learning. This study explored the experiences of Arabic teachers in fostering students’ interests by developing creative approaches in teaching Arabic as a foreign language at Adni Islamic School, a private Islamic secondary school in Malaysia. In collecting the data, semi-structured interviews were used as part of qualitative research. The findings indicated that teachers have been using creative teaching strategies in the teaching and learning process. These are categorized into three strategies: (1) creativity in making daily lesson plans, (2) creativity during the teaching and learning process, and (3) creativity in evaluating and assessing the outcomes of teaching. The application of these creative strategies is in accordance with the message of the Islamic principles of teaching. Recommendations were made to the relevant authorities, including the teachers themselves, so that creative teaching can be applied to the subject of Arabic language in order to produce a meaningful lesson.
Classroom Creativities, Pedagogic Partnership and the Improvisatory Space of Creative Teaching and Learning
