Creative Teaching isn't that creative at all... (Green, Hot)

Well, hello.  I am blogging at 8.15 on the last Saturday night of half term having spent the majority of my day planning.  Not a whole batch of planning, but for one specific lesson.  I have not spent this long planning a lesson since my training.  Now, the reason I have spent this long is because I was trying to make use of the research I have gathered over the last week on Creative Teaching in this lesson.  So this has involved ideas that I have tried before, but new ones too.  My findings? My lesson probably (hopefully) is full of creative strategies, but the very essence of what is there is no different to a normal lesson I would deliver.  It has just been prettified; instead of powerpoint I have used prezzi.  Instead of me talking, they scan QR codes to hear the dulcet tones of my voice. Instead of verbal plenaries, they will be tweeting me. (More on that later). But actually, the very essence, behind all of that creative sparkly wrapping is the same lesson I would have delivered anyway.  I know the students will be more engaged, it will be a novelty...which is in my view what is at the heart of creative teaching.  All of this 'novelty' does make me ponder...how long will it be until the 'normal' lesson becomes novelty again?

Cheers.