1. About Time to Change
(The Effective Teachers’ Handbook)
The Creative Teacher (Problem Solving Teacher)
Bosede Oyeteju Amoo (Ph.D)
Introduction
One of the challenges faced by most teachers today is the ability to effectively
assist the students to cope with the information at their disposal. The new
technologies provide easy accessibility to a lot of information and the students
need to be guided effectively to choose the appropriate ones. The teacher’s
effectiveness in guiding the students to manage and apply the information at their
disposal will dictate his professional creativity. Thus, the concept of lifelong
learning is one of the solutions for teachers’ effectiveness. The teacher is expected
to be versatile in the latest methods for classroom interaction. He should regularly
expose himself to trainings and workshops that will improve his classroom
interactions. Thus he/she will be referred to as a problem solving teacher.
Most teachers feel their job is done as soon as the lesson is over. They proceed to
planning the next lesson. There is a very vital exercise that is glossed over which
is the critical review of the lesson taught. For a teacher to be creative there should
be a period of assessing the interactions he/she had with the students in order to
improve against the next lesson. There are different activities adopted to carry out
this after-lesson assessment. Professional development enhances creativity in
teachers. Teachers’ creativity include reflective teaching, problem solving
situations in the school, action research, paying attention, teacher’s journal,
creative use of resources, teacher’s self assessment and follow up actions. Some
of these techniques will be discussed in this chapter.
1. Action Research
Action research is a quest for knowledge about how to improve skills, techniques
and strategies. It is about how we can change our instruction to impart our
students. (Ferrance, 2000). Waters-Adams (2006) cited Stenhouse (1975) that
action research concerns actors – those people carrying out their professional
actions from day to day - and its purpose is to understand and to improve those
actions. It is about trying to understand professional action from the inside. It is a
research that is carried out by practitioners on their own practice, not (as in other
forms of research), done by someone on somebody else’s practice. Action
research in education is grounded in the working lives of teachers, as they
experience them.
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2. Waters-Adams (2006) submitted that action research did not arise in education
but was applied to the development of teaching as its potential was identified.
This is substantiated in the works of Lawrence Stenhouse in 1975, as cited in
Waters-Adams, 2006, who advocated that ‘curriculum research and development
ought to belong to the teacher’. Stenhouse was resolute that ‘it is not enough that
teachers’ work should be studied: they need to study it themselves.’
The aim of an action researcher, according to Waters-Adams (2006), is to bring
about development in teacher’s practice by analysing existing practice and by
identifying elements for change. According to him, the process is founded on the
gathering of evidence on which to make informed rather than intuitive judgements
and decisions. This shows that action research is objective and not subjective. The
most important aspect of action research is that the process enhances teachers’
professional development through the fostering of their capability as professional
knowledge makers, rather than simply as professional knowledge users. He
summarised the basic things about action research as follows:
• It is a practical way for individuals to explore the nature of their practice
and to improve it.
• It encourages practitioners to become knowledge-makers, rather than
merely knowledge-users.
• It uses action as a means of research; planned change is implemented,
monitored and analysed.
• It proceeds in an action-reflection cycle or spiral.
• The process can be messy; as research proceeds, wider links are likely to
be identified.
• It is carried out by individuals, but these individuals may work
collaboratively.
• Action researchers may use a variety of research methods, both qualitative
and quantitative.
• Action researchers must ensure triangulation in their methods.
2. Problem Solving Situations in the School
Problems can also be opportunities: they allow one to see things differently and to
do things in different ways: perhaps to make a fresh start. The following stages
help to solve problems in the school:
 Evaluation of information or situations
 Breaking them down into their key components
 Considering various ways of approaching and resolving them
 Deciding on the most appropriate of these ways
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3. This is summarised with the model presented by Woodcock (2010) of the
University of Kent Careers Advisory Service as shown in the figure below:
Solving these problems involves both
analytical and creative skills. The
particular skill needed varies, depending on the problem and ones role in the
organisation, but there are some skills which are keys to problem-solving. The
person should have Analytical Ability, Lateral Thinking, Initiative, Logical
Reasoning, and must be persistent.
Problem-solving often involves decision-making. To be able to evaluate
information or situations in such a way that appropriate decision can be taken to
forestall such occurrence in instructional situations, it is better to analyse the
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and the Threats (SWOT) posed due to the
information disseminated by the teacher/school or due to the activity which took
place in the school. Whatever issues one is faced with, some steps are
fundamental. These steps are referred to as the IDEAL model of problem-solving
as presented by Woodcock (2010) of the University of Kent Careers Advisory
Service below:
 Identify the problem
 Define the problem
 Examine the options
 Act on a plan
 Look at the consequences
The final stage is to put the solution you have decided on into practice and check
the results.
3. Paying Attention
A child who has problem in paying attention in school will often exhibit some or
all of the following traits:
• Trouble paying attention in class
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Fig. 1: Problem-Solving Model of
University of Kent

4. • Inattention to details and makes careless mistakes
• Easily distracted
• Loses school supplies, forgets to turn in homework
• Trouble finishing class work and homework
• Trouble listening
• Trouble following multiple adult commands
• Blurts out answers
• Impatience
• Fidgets or squirms
• Leaves seat and runs about or climbs excessively
• Seems "on the go"
• Talks too much and has difficulty playing quietly
• Interrupts or intrudes on others (AACAP, 2010)
The teacher is expected to identify such students and assist them to learn. The
teacher can do the following to guide such students.
i. Provide adequate resources that will generate the interest of the student to
learn.
ii. Present the lesson in an interesting way – full of activities and explorations
that will keep the child active throughout the lesson
iii. Provide opportunities for interactions with the child that will encourage
such child to ask questions
iv. Give activity-based assignments that will make the child to study more at
home. Such assignment might be to find out more information on what has
been taught in the class.
v. Encourage the students to take notes in the class. It might be highlighting
the main issues discussed in the class or the students might be asked to
summarise in writing the major issues discussed during the lesson.
vi. There must be more of one-to-one interaction with such students during
and after the lesson. Close monitoring of the child is very essential to keep
him/her focused.
4. Teacher’s Journal
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5. This is an accumulation of material that is mainly based on the writer's processes
of reflection. It is written over a period of time. It is like an organiser which
assists the teacher not to forget designated assignments; a record of an observed
deviant behaviour in a child whom he intends to work on later and might be a
record of teacher’s actions during the lesson which should be improved upon.
Teacher’s journal is prepared with overall intention of the teacher or the school
authority to improve teaching and learning. The benefits of writing a journal by
the teacher are numerous as discussed below.
i. It serves as a reminder, a point of reference for future deliberation or action.
According to Smith (2006):
when we do not have time to work out what is going on at a
particular point in time, keeping a note in a journal helps us to
recapture the moment later so that we may look at it more
deeply. It may also be that we need to remember to do something
like preparation for the speech day, writing letters to the
parents, and writing a proposal for Science Fair. We jot the task
down - and then when we have time we can look back at our
journal or organizer and pick out the tasks we are left with.
ii. It stimulates thought. It makes the brain active. Whenever one is writing, the
brain is made to think in order to put down meaningful information. Journal
writing encourages engagement and reflection.
iii. The teacher, when reviewing the journal sees a reflection of himself. It allows
him/her to look at his/her feelings, and actions in a different way.
iv. The journal offers a way to sort out the multitude of demands and interactions
and to highlight the most important ones.
v. Making journal writing part of our routine means that one actually takes time
out to reflect on what might be happening in one’s practice and lives generally
(Rainer 2004).
5. Creative Use of Resources
The teacher is expected to plan and implement the effective use of resources for
effective instructional programmes. The resources within the environment of the
learners should be applied appropriately to make learning meaningful and make
learners active. The classroom facilities would dictate the resources that could be
brought to the class. The teacher should be aware of the variety of resources for
teaching and learning and should be able to choose the most appropriate and
relevant ones to achieve the set objectives for his/her lesson. This is where
creativity applies. A creative teacher must be familiar with the various types of
media design and production. These include the Imitative Media production, the
Adaptive Media production, and the Creative Invention.
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6. There are some skills needed to implement the effective use of resources. Creative
and Cultural Skills (2011) gives some guidelines which can be adapted for
educational purposes:
• Identify the set objectives, as well as other educational plans that have an
impact on the lesson and prioritise areas for resource allocation
• Complete a plan for each lesson, activity or task and determine the
resources required
• Work with colleagues, finance, human resources, and/or fundraising teams
to ensure the resources are correctly defined
• Develop a plan outlining when resources are required, and by whom
• Research previous resourcing in the school to take account of past
experience and trends
• Provide sufficient and valid information on your plans and resource
requirements for relevant people to make decisions on your
recommendations if required
• Select and implement methods for monitoring the use of resources
• Keep records of how the resources have been used.
The teacher requires some knowledge and understanding needed to implement the
effective use of resources. It can be adapted from those highlighted by
creative choices for a creative and cultural organisation. These include:
• The lesson objectives
• How to calculate the amount and cost of the resources required
• How to analyse resources used in the past and use the results to make
recommendations on more effective use of financial resources in the future
• How to develop a plan outlining times and activities
• How to define the responsibilities of teams and individuals
• Why it is important that individuals understand the role they are expected
to play during the lesson, activity or task
• How to negotiate and agree resource allocation with others
• The different methods for monitoring the use of resources, and how to
maintain records and information
• Which people need information on resource allocation
• Classroom management techniques.
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7. 6. Teacher’s Self Assessment
One essential element of developing as a teacher is taking the time to evaluate
one's own practices regularly. Scholastic Inc. (2011) designed a checklist for
Teacher’s assessment. Some of the essentials included in the checklist will be
discussed here.
i. Evaluating the effectiveness of the classroom space in terms of Class Set-
Up Tool and Classroom Organisation i.e. The Physical Environment.
ii. Routines and Procedures. Routines are the backbone of daily classroom
life. Assess if the school system is helping to run the classroom activities
smoothly.
iii. Family involvement is necessary for successful schooling. When parents
volunteer their time and attention, students achieve more and like school
better. Are you doing everything you can to build strong relationships with
your students' families?
iv. There are unpredictable events which might make the teacher absent
during his/her classroom lesson. The teacher should assess whether he/she
has brought the students to the level of adaptability. i.e. Is the classroom
routine substitute friendly? Can the substitute teacher adjust easily to the
classroom routine you have been using for the students?
v. Teaching requires understanding the individual differences of all students
in the classroom. The teacher should evaluate how well his/her practices
accommodate the needs of everyone in your class.
vi. There has been a lot of emphasis on effective assessment recently.
Successful assessment strategies allow the teacher to fairly and accurately
evaluate the real learning of all the students. The teacher should find out
whether the assessment strategies he/she has been using follow the best
practices in the field.
vii. No matter what subject(s) is/are taught, teacher’s job is not limited to just
pure academics. A nurturing school environment facilitates student
confidence and comfort, which in turn aid the learning process. In
addition, teaching children to care is part and parcel of sparking social
consciousness and integrity. Is the teacher following the steps to
promoting a sense of caring and responsibility?
viii. There should be collaborative efforts among the teachers. Everyone
benefits when teachers share information and wisdom. Is the teacher
making the most of associations with fellow educators?
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8. ix. No matter the length of service, the teacher should actively continue
his/her professional development. Is he/she exploring all the
recommended practices and resources that are important for professional
growth?
If the teacher reviews his professional status regularly through these eight
guidelines he would continue to be effective and creative and this will enhance
the teaching and learning activities.
7. Follow up Action
This is an action or thing that serves to increase the effectiveness of a previous
one. Follow up action occurs immediately after the lesson exercise is completed.
Sourial (2000) refers to it as After Action Review. The major focus of the teacher
in carrying out the follow-up action is to find out whether the procedures are
sound; whether the resources are sufficient to support the procedures; whether the
personnel are adequately trained to use those resources and follow the procedures;
and/or whether the training exercise is effective.
The presentation of John Sourial (2000) on tips for conducting follow-up actions
is adopted in this section. The format of the follow-up action is the combination
of a presentation of the events and actions taken during the lesson, and a group
discussion about those events and actions. The teachers should conduct the
follow-up, as they will have witnessed the evolution of the response actions taken
by all the students and they are privy to the details of the exercise scenario. The
objectives of such follow-up action are to evaluate:
i. the extent to which the set objectives for the lesson were achieved;
ii. the training and staffing deficiencies;
iii. the necessary upgrades and corrections to the lesson plans, protocols and
procedures;
iv. if additional human and non-human resources are required for effective
lesson.
The final goal of the exercise is planning and upgrading for future programmes. It
is critical that the recommendations that result from the After Action Review be
implemented.
For an effective follow-up action, teachers must be observant during the lesson
and note if the objectives of the exercise are being met by the students. They
should determine whether the students are fulfilling the duties of their assigned
roles, and whether communications between students are effective. In addition,
the teachers should identify key events and how they were handled by the
students; identify any problems encountered and their source, including issues
related to the lesson plan, personnel preparedness and training, and/or the exercise
simulation.
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9. After the lesson is concluded the teachers start the preparation for the follow-up
action by preparing discussion points in the form of a PowerPoint slide or slides,
or notes on a paper flip-chart, chalkboard or on transparencies displayed with an
overhead projector. This will help guide the discussions and make the review
session more efficient. The teacher must remember to do the following in order to
prepare for and conduct a successful After Action Review:
• Be observant of (and track) the communications and actions taking place
during the lesson.
• Prepare talking points to stimulate discussion among the students to gauge
how well the activities were performed.
• Make note of any instructional activities that need updating, communications
issues, training gaps, problems with the exercise, or any other items of note
that require follow up.
• Ensure that follow-up items are addressed very soon after the completion of
the lesson.
8. Reflective teaching
This is an enhancement of the follow-up activity discussed above. Reflective
teaching provides various means by which the teacher effectively records the
classroom activities for adequate follow-up after the lesson. This technique makes
the teacher to be more effective and creative as he/she is aware of the close
monitoring of his/her interactions with the learners. ProDait (2006) defines
reflection as recognizing, examining and ruminating over the way we teach.
According to TeachingEnglish Editor (2004) reflective teaching is a means of
looking at what was done in the classroom, thinking about why it was done, and
thinking about if it worked. It is a process of critical reflection on teaching that
has taken place. It is a process of self-observation and self-evaluation. It is a
systematic process by which the teacher collects, records and analyses his/her
thoughts and observations, as well as those of his/her students, and makes changes
and improvements in his/her teaching. It is ‘a means of professional development
which begins in our classroom.’ Some steps are identified by TeachingEnglish
Editor (2004) to carry out this reflection exercise.
The first step is to gather information about what happens in the class. This is
beginning the process of reflection. There are different ways by which the
information can be gathered. These include the use of the Teacher diary, or Peer
observation, or Recording the lessons through audio or video, or through the
Students’ feedback after the lesson. These are briefly discussed below:
i. Use the Teacher Diary (See Appendix 1)
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10. This is the easiest way to begin a process of reflection since it is purely personal.
After each lesson you write in a notebook about what happened. You may also
describe your own reactions and feelings and those you observed on the part of
the students. You are likely to begin to pose questions about what you have
observed. Diary writing does require a certain discipline in taking the time to do it
on a regular basis. It is should be noted that the teacher must be objective in his
documentation as the goal for such is to improve him/her and not to ease him out
of his/her job.
ii. Peer observation
Invite a colleague to come into your class to collect information about your
lesson. This may be with a simple observation task or through note taking. This
will relate back to the area the teacher has identified to reflect upon. For example,
he/she might ask his/her colleague to focus on which students contribute most in
the lesson, what different patterns of interaction occur or how he/she dealt with
errors. As in the use of diary, the colleague must be objective and not subjective.
If the correct observation is not documented in order not to ought his/her
colleague, it will be difficult to assist the teacher to improve.
iii. Recording lessons
Video or audio recordings of lessons can provide very useful information for
reflection. The equipment is not discriminatory; hence it records verbatim all the
activities that take place in the class. The teacher may do things in class which
he/she is not aware of or there may be things happening in the class that as the
teacher he/she does not normally see.
•Audio recordings can be useful for considering aspects of teacher talk.
o How much does he/she talk?
o Are instructions and explanations clear?
o How much time does he/she allocate to student talk?
o How does he/she respond to student talk?
•Video recordings can be useful in showing the aspects of teacher’s
behaviour.
o Where does he/she stand?
o Who does he/she speak to? The students or the chalkboard?
o How does he/she come across to the students?
iv. Student feedback
The teacher can also ask the students what they think about what goes on in the
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11. classroom. Their opinions and perceptions can add a different and valuable
perspective. This can be done with simple questionnaires or learning diaries.
What to do next
The information recorded about what goes on in the classroom will guide the next
stage in reflective teaching. What should the teacher do? The next step is to think,
discuss with a colleague, search the literatures for clarifications and
improvements and request other professional colleagues to proffer solutions.
•Think
The teacher may have noticed patterns occurring in his/her teaching
through his/her observation. The teacher may also have noticed things
that he/she was previously unaware of. He/she may have been surprised
by some of his/her students' feedback. He/she may already have ideas
for changes to implement.
•Talk to a colleague
By talking about what the teacher has discovered - to a supportive
colleague or even a friend - he/she may be able to come up with some
ideas for how to do things differently.
o If he/she has colleagues who also wish to develop their teaching
using reflection as a tool, he/she can meet to discuss issues.
Discussion can be based around scenarios from his/her own
classes.
o Using a list of statements about teaching beliefs, the teacher can
discuss which statements of facts in the content of the lesson
he/she agrees or disagrees with, and which ones are reflected in
his/her own teaching giving evidence from self-observation.
•Read to improve the skills
The teacher may decide that you need to find out more about a certain
area. There are plenty of websites for teachers where they can find
useful teaching ideas, or more academic articles. There are also
magazines for teachers where they can find articles on a wide range of
topics. Or if there is accessibility to a library or bookshop, there are
plenty of books for teachers on different subjects.
•Ask other people for suggested solutions to the identified problems
Pose questions to websites or magazines to get ideas from other
teachers. Or if he/she belongs to local teachers' association or other
opportunities for in-service training, he/she can ask for a session on an
area that interests him/her.
It should be noted that Reflective teaching is a cyclical process, because once the
teacher starts to implement changes, then the reflective and evaluative cycle
begins again. In reflective teaching some questions are asked. What am I doing?
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12. Why am I doing it? How effective is it? How are the students responding? How
can I do it better?
As a result of this reflection the teacher may decide to do something in a different
way, or may just decide that what he/she is doing is the best way. And that is what
professional development is all about.
Conclusion
This section has discussed some professional skills of the teacher which would
make him/her creative. Among the eight skills identified, Reflective teaching was
extensively discussed as it has all the elements of the after-lesson activities which
the teacher should carry out. The more creative the teacher, the more the
classroom interactions are challenging and the more the lesson becomes
meaningful and effective to the students. The teacher’s responsibilities are
enormous. Ability to be able to identify which of the strategies are to be applied
appropriately provides improved conducive environment for teaching and
learning. All the assessment skills discussed in this section if applied will bring
improvement for effective instructional programmes.
References
(The) American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, AACAP, (2010).
Children Who Can't Pay Attention/Attention-
Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Updated May 2008. on
WWW http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/factsfor
families/children_who_cant_pay_attention/attention_deficit_hyperactivity_
disorder. (Accessed 14.05.11).
British Council (2004). Writing a teaching diary – British Council Think. – Page
1. www.teachingenglish.org.uk/.../files/teaching_diary (Accessed 13.05.11).
Creative and Cultural Skills (2011).Plan and implement the effective use of
resources for a creative and cultural organisation. http://www.creative-
choices.co.uk/career/ unit/ccs41 (Accessed 14.05.11).
Ferrance, Eileen (2000). Action Research. LAB @ Brown University in www.lab.
brown.edu (Accessed 14.05.11).
Professional Development for Academics involved in Teaching, (ProDait), 2006,
Levels of reflection. In Critical Reflection on Teaching. http://www.prodait.
org/teaching/ critical_teaching/levels.php (Accessed 14.05.11).
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13. Rainer, Tristine (1978) The New Diary. How to use a journal for self-guidance
and extended creativity, Los Angeles: J. P. Tarcher Inc. (cited in Smith,
2006) (Accessed 14.05.11).
Scholastic Inc (2011). Self-Assessment Checklist. http://teacher.scholastic.com/
professional/selfassessment/checklist/index.htm (Accessed 14.05.11).
Smith, Mark (1999, 2006), 'Keeping a learning journal', the encyclopaedia of
informal education, www.infed.org/research/keeping_a_journal.htm
(Accessed 14.05.11).
Sourial, John (2000). Tips for conducting after-action Review. www.epa.gov/
ogwdw000/watersecurity/tools/.../AA_Reviews.ppt (Accessed 15.05.11).
Waters-Adams, S. (2006), Action Research in Education. Faculty of Education,
University of Plymouth. www.edu.plymouth.ac.uk/resined/actionresearch/
arhome. (Accessed 12.05.11).
Woodcock, Bruce (2010). Problem Solving Situations in the School. Updated
2010. www.kent.ac.uk/ careers/sk/ problem-solving-skills (Accessed
09.05.11).
APPENDIX 1
*Writing a Teaching Diary
Here are some general questions to get you started:
Lesson objectives
• Did the students understand what we did in the lesson?
• Was what we did too easy or too difficult?
• What problems did the students have (if any)?
• Was there a clear outcome for the students?
• What did they learn or practise in the lesson? Was it useful for them?
Activities and materials
• What different materials and activities did we use?
• Did the materials and activities keep the students interested?
• Could I have done any parts of the lesson differently?
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14. Students
• Were all the students on task (i.e. doing what they were supposed to be doing)?
• If not, when was that and why did it happen?
• Which parts of the lesson did the students seem to enjoy most? And least?
• How much English did the students use?
Classroom management
• Did activities last the right length of time?
• Was the pace of the lesson right?
• Did I use whole class work, groupwork, pairwork or individual work?
• What did I use it for? Did it work?
• Did the students understand what to do in the lesson?
• Were my instructions clear?
• Did I provide opportunities for all the students to participate?
• Was I aware of how all of the students were progressing?
Overall
If I taught the lesson again, what would I do differently?
*Source: British Council (2004) Writing a teaching diary – British Council Think
– Page 1
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