Albert Einstein once said: “Creativity is seeing what others see and thinking what no one else ever thought.” Thus, where to search for creativity?
Here in SEGi College Penang, a teaching prop competition, ‘Trust Your Creativity in the Prop,’ was held on 30 November 2022.
The competition provides a platform for the Early Year practitioners from SEGi College Penang and other institutions to unleash their creative potential. It allows them to identify and explore a better teaching style in the classroom setting while creatively employing the props.
Teaching props as educational tools can be in any form, either nature-based, like trees, sticks, stones etc. or recycled materials, such as tissue boxes, plastics, bottles and many more.
Every prop has its value to support the professional practice of teaching in terms of classroom organisation and management. They are also essential for an early childhood educator to engage children in the lessons. It accelerates the learning process and improves memory and higher engagement, which are notable potential benefits for young children.
Props capture children’s attention and aid in memory while making the lesson memorable and serve as an anchor for knowledge recall. They can add pieces and anticipation to a boring lesson. The more exciting the lesson, the less likely children will become distracted or daydream, and there will be fewer behavioural issues. Show them something they don’t expect for maximum impact.
One key takeaway from the competition is that it is important to be creative! A boring lesson can become fun; a passive child can shift into an active human. Just use your imagination; everything is possible.