Fostering Creative Competence Of High School Students In EFL Classes: Methods And Tools
Keywords:
creative competence, foreign language, high school, divergent thinking, project-based learning, task-oriented learning, digital storytelling, Torrance, rubric, assessment.Abstract
This article analyzes methods and tools aimed at developing the creative competence of high school students in foreign language lessons. The study takes as a theoretical basis the sociocultural approach, the theory of divergent thinking, and the current principles of communicative and task-oriented learning. A 12-week semi-experimental program was designed with the participation of 11th-grade students, and creative writing, digital storytelling, role-playing, and project-based activities were integrated; teacher readiness and assessment criteria were systematized. The results showed a significant increase in the ability to create original ideas, flexibility, "consistency" of ideas, elaboration, and communication effectiveness; in particular, the original idea index increased according to the Torrance indicators, and a steady shift in the direction of B1+-B2 was noted in oral speech tasks. The discussion highlights the possibilities of developing creative competence through social partnership and scaffolding, the didactic value of digital tools, as well as issues of fairness and validity of assessment. In the conclusion part, recommendations are given on improving the teacher's qualifications, designing educational tasks based on design thinking, and implementing a rubricated assessment system.
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