Conceptualizing Creativity: Leading to an Efficacious EFL Teaching (Published)
Creativity in teaching focuses on a comprehensive outlook that develops innovative skills and a reflective approach inside the classroom. Creativity in English Language teaching is language teachers’ attempt to promote active learning to attain credible learning outcomes. Creativity is a bunch of innovative skills that are required to produce original and new ideas in teaching. Creative teaching strategies are far better as compared to conventional methods, and they make learning more practical as they build ample self-confidence in the learners. This research sought to establish the role of the use of Creative teaching strategies in teaching and learning of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). It, therefore, aims to investigate that the EFL teachers are predisposed to inculcate different teaching techniques inside their classrooms, and they are fully aware of the merits of adopting creative teaching skills. They are also keen on gaining professional satisfaction and relief provided by this approach of teaching. The prime concern of this research is to evaluate whether Creative teaching strategies used by language teachers have crucial roles in enhancing the teaching and learning of the English language at the Undergraduate level. It further illuminates the significance of Creativity in English Language Teaching (ELT). The authors have based this research on a descriptive survey and have carried it out at King Khalid University (KKU), Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The authors have used a simple random sampling technique to select the teachers of English from various female undergraduate colleges of the KKU campus. In this study, a series of questions are created and combined, to measure a particular trait. That particular trait is the acquisition and preference to use Creative teaching techniques by the teachers of EFL to female undergraduate students at King Khalid University. Their opinions and experiences in an EFL classroom for enhancing language learning helped the authors in collecting the required data. The authors have used descriptive statistics to compare the efficacy of Creative Methods in the teaching of English to Arabic speaking undergraduate students. The results of this study eloquently manifest the mindset of EFL teachers who are aware of their role as facilitators to save their students from plunging into the sea of monotony and boredom. This research also postulated that generating a culture of Creativity in EFL classrooms exhibits multiple rewards: including student motivation, a compatible atmosphere, pleasant learning, enhancing teacher’s confidence, and expertise. It further throws light on the importance of Creativity in English Language Teaching as it makes the teaching process quiet engaging whereas the instructors also achieve the learning objectives. Creativity plays a role in making the language classroom student-centered, where the students not just memorize theory or concept but get involved in a feedback session, collaborative learning, and employ creative and critical thinking skills.
Keywords: Creativity, classroom teaching, creative strategies/techniques, innovative teaching, teaching methodology