The usage of creative learning methods in teaching the history of Ukrainian journalism and creative text course

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The usage of creative learning methods in teaching the history of Ukrainian journalism and creative text course

Halyna Yatsenko, Andriy Yatsenko, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv

It is emphasized on the use of creative methods in teaching journalism disciplines at the Faculty of Journalism of the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. The main creative teaching methods are described: the brainstorming method, the «circle of ideas» method, the alternative history method, the morphological analysis method, the hyperbolization method, the «Skamper» method, the Synectics methods. It has been demonstrated that creative teaching methods improve the learning effectiveness and new competencies obtaining.

Key words: creative teaching methods; online platform; project work; training courses; personality; learning effectiveness.

Використання креативних методів навчання під час викладання дисциплін «історія української журналістики» і «креативний текст»

Галина Яценко, Андрій Яценко, Львівський національний університет імені Івана Франка

У статті закцентовано на застосуванні творчих методів навчання під час викладання дисциплін «Історія української журналістики та «Креативний текст» на факультеті журналістики Львівського національного університету імені Івана Франка. Проаналізовано основні креативні методи навчання: метод мозкової атаки, метод кейсів, метод інверсії, метод «5 чому», метод «коло ідей», метод альтернативної історії, метод морфологічного аналізу, метод гіперболізації, метод «Skamper», метод «Якби...», методи синектики, метод Леонардо да Вінчі. Наголошено, що успішна реалізація креативних методів навчання відбувається з використанням онлайн-платформ, особливо під час пандемії Covid-19 та російсько-української війни: онлайн-дошка «Padlet», онлайн-платформа «Kahoot», сервіс «Mentimeter», «Sutors», інтерактивна платформа «Jamboard», «Flip», візуальна платформа «Canva», онлайн-платформа «Prezi». Встановлено за допомогою методів моделювання, методу експерименту, методів спостереження та порівняння, методу опитування (інтерв'ювання та анкетування), індуктивних і дедуктивних методів, методів аналізу й синтезу, що креативні методи навчання найкраще застосовувати під час ділових ігор, проєктної роботи, для складання матриці відомостей про об'єкт чи суб'єкт вивчення, розв'язання кейсів, написання есе й аналізу візуальних джерел.

Продемонстровано, що креативні методи навчання покращують результативність навчання та набуття нових компетентностей. Встановлено, що креативні методи навчання важливі як для навчання у групах, так і для навчання з елементами тьюторингу. Креативні елементи навчання сприяють творчому розвитку особистості, а також покращують потенціал навчальної групи, динаміку її роботи. Наголошено, що креативні методи навчання валідні для студентів факультету журналістики, адже в сучасному суспільстві росте запит на інноваційні проєкти та креативні технології.

Ключові слова: креативність; методи навчання; результативність навчання.

Advance of new technologies leads to transformations in all areas of political, economic and cultural life. Media sphere remains the most sensitive to changes as the media simultaneously act as generators, accumulators and re-translators of public opinions, catalysing social changes. The profession of a journalist has also undergone transformations under the influence of new tendencies as it can give birth to architects of virtual reality, designers of emotions, mental field producers, media police officers, info stylists, media program developers (professions are listed according to the Atlas of New Professions). Faculties of Journalism should produce graduates who are prepared for new challenges and meet the requirements of potential employers. There is an urgent need to train competent journalists who will correlate with modern innovative society, therefore the academic process should include new methodologies and teaching techniques. While teaching Journalism Studies disciplines the professors should not only form general, but also special competencies, i.e. focus on the skills of creative thinking and creative resolution of tasks.

Problem statement

Analysis of scientific literature on the disciplines taught at the Faculties of Journalism and the issue of training future journalists has shown that there are few studies on the methods of teaching at the Faculties of Journalism. The issues of introducing modern didactic methods to teach disciplines in higher educational institutions have been partially researched by Ukrainian and foreign scholars (N. Zayachkivska, L. Kozak, V. Melnychaiko, S. Pulter, V. Pidhurska, О. Sichkaruk, N. Solodiuk, L. Shevtsov, P Scherban, I. Yatsyk, K. Benne, L. Bradford, D. Kavtradze, C. Rogers, K. Fopel, etc.). But there are very few articles on the issue of teaching Journalism Studies disciplines in Ukraine. Ukrainian scholars M. Netreba, H. Nyshchyk emphasize the following: «We can state that with respect to Journalism Studies disciplines there is no methodology of teaching journalism. It is only in recent years that the well-known scholars published insightful articles where they initially pose major issues of the methodology of teaching journalism. On the one hand, this situation is natural as both Journalism Studies and Journalism education are relatively young. On the other hand, it cannot be recognized as natural due to the ongoing discussions at workshops on journalist education on how, why and in what way students should be taught». Nowadays there are several studies on the methodological aspects of teaching disciplines at the Faculties of Journalism. O. Medynska's article «Application of Innovative Technologies in Training Future Journalists» focuses on the innovative approaches. In her research the author emphasizes debate technique, visualization technique, technique of situative modelling, critical thinking, which are used in the process of teaching the subject «The Profession of a Journalist: News Journalism». In the article by Anzhelika Dosenko and Svitlana Kuzmina «Student Media Centre as Practice-Oriented Model of Training Journalists» the authors highlight the practical aspect of training journalists and innovative approaches. Our research also rests on the didactic provisions laid out in the work by T. Ischenko and D. Kuzmenko «Interactive Methods of Teaching and their Application in Teaching Business Foreign Language to the Students of non-Linguistic Higher Educational Establishments». During our academic experiment we also modified the methods for developing creative ideas offered by the international expert in the area of creativity, the author of bestsellers, head of NATO team of specialists and international academics in Frankfurt on research of inventive thinking, consultant of Ford, Maicrosoft, Kodak, General Elektric, Michael Michalko in the book «Thinkertoys. A Handbook of Creative Thinking Techniques».

The aim of our research is to identify key creative methods of teaching and efficiency of their usage in teaching the normative discipline «History of Ukrainian Journalism» and optional discipline «Creative Text» at the Faculty of Journalism of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv and the impact of the updated methodology on the results of teaching students.

Methods of research: modelling method, the method of experiment, method of observation and comparison, survey technique (interviewing and questionnaire), inductive and deductive methods, methods of analysis and synthesis.

Presentation of the Research Material

One of the ways to improve the quality of mastering theoretical and practical fundamentals of Journalism Studies disciplines is to use creative methods of teaching. The scholar Olesia Medynska stresses the topicality and necessity of their usage: «During classes it is necessary to use active techniques based on problem-related, heuristic, role playing and other productive forms of teaching ... stimulating students' creative skills through their direct engagement in professional activity, promote mobilization of communicative, research-related and project-related skills of future specialists». We conducted academic experiment - usage of creative teaching methods while teaching disciplines at the Faculty of Journalism of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. The target audience was the third-year students (60 persons), who study the disciplines «History of Ukrainian Journalism» and «Creative Text».

Creative teaching methods include the method of brainstorming, inversion method, method «5 Whys», method «The circle of ideas», the method of an alternative story, the method of morphological analysis, hyperbolization method, «SKAMPER» method, «if...» method, synectics method, the «Hall of Fame» method, «Leonardo da Vinci» method. Let us consider implementation of these methods in the teaching process.

«Brainstorming method» (А. Osborne) is a way of problem resolution by generating lots of ideas for a short period of time by removing inhibition of critical thinking. «Brainstorming» method is used while studying the topic «Psychological Portrait of a Ukrainian». This creative technique enables the students to prepare for the business game «Court Hearing of a Psychological Portrait of a Ukrainian», which helps people break free from stereotypical perception of the image of a Ukrainian and construct «a new type Ukrainian» they would like to be. Focus on the creative teaching techniques during the Covid-19 pandemic is possible by means of using online-platforms. Online-platform «Mentimeter» enables us to share ideas during «brainstorming». The «synectics method» is closely related to the method of brainstorming, i.e. it is based on it, but is different in combining different ideas on the basis of analogues, inversions, associations. This method helps develop student quizzes and interactive games on the platform «Kahoot».

To develop creative projects, for example, a number of podcasts for the courses «History of Journalism», «Creative Text», generating ideas for the next issues we use the technique «Circle of Ideas» or «Aquarium». This method is based on generating and exchanging ideas in small groups, it is suitable for zoom-platform. The option of breakout rooms is a good way to discuss ideas in small groups, and then have a general discussion in a large group.

«SKAMPER» is a technique used to modernize the content of student online-radio within the course «Creative Text». According to the international creative thinking expert М. Michalko, «SKAMPER» technique is «a list of questions facilitating generation of new ideas». The name of the method consists of the first letters of questions we put to our task. These are the so called mnemonic instructions «Substitute something», «Combine it with something else», «Adapt something to it», «Modify or Magnify it», «Put it to some other uses», «Eliminate something», «Revers or Rearrange it». Application of «SKAMPER» method is possible with interactive online board «Padlet», where one can combine video, audio and text in one format.

An important method for future journalists, which is based on the description of a certain idea or story on condition of changing the outcome of the event in the past, is the method of alternative story. The method is used at classes on «History of Ukrainian Journalism», projecting historical changes to the publishing and editorial activity ofjournals. The students offer their own scenarios for the editions, change their content and design. A very similar method is «If...» method, which is also based on projecting alternative course of events. But this method can also be used to study the discipline «Creative Text», generating ideas for journalistic texts. We use the method of alternative story to write student essays in the course «History of the Ukrainian Journalism» on the topics «If Vasyl Vyshyvanyi were the King of Ukraine», «If Yevhen Chykalenko headed Hetmanat», «If the radio station «Vilna Ukraina» had broadcast for the whole Europe», «If the newspaper «Rada» had not stopped to exist in 1914, would it have become the oldest newspaper in Ukraine», etc.

The method of morphological analysis is «the method of multidimensional matrices that rests on the principle of systematic analysis (F. Zwicky, Switzerland, 1942)». While developing a new idea the students have to make a matrix that includes main characteristics, parameters and criteria of this idea. Due to combination of these elements and adding some new ones a new product is generated. This principle helped the students create a new student literary product «Interactive Book «Librarium»» within the course «Creative Text».

Leonardo da Vinci's method or technique is graphic representation of an idea. While thinking over the problem the students produce its graphic representation and then analyse it. Michael Michalko describes this method in the following way: «Interpretation of your drawing is similar to untying a knot. To untie a knot one needs to let the rope go the same way it was tied, but in a reversed manner. When you look at your drawings while trying to come up with new ideas, you seem to return to your subconsciousness, as the drawing originates primarily in subconsciousness» (Michalko, 2006, p. 286). This technique can also be applied at the interactive platform «Jamboard».

The «Hall of Fame» method is similar and is based on asking famous people for advice. The students are offered to create their own «Hall of Fame» from famous editors, opinion writers, public activists of the previous century. «When you face a challenging task, use the «Hall of Fame» technique. Choose your advisor and find your favourite quotation. Reflect on this quotation, put down all your thoughts, and then ...choose one thought or a string of thoughts. Take five or ten minutes to think about new ideas» (Michalko, 2006, p. 193) are the instructions of M. Michalko. These two methods can be applied to produce ideas during academic experiment on teaching disciplines «History of Ukrainian Journalism» and «Creative Text» at the Faculty of Journalism of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. Three academic groups (60 persons) participated in the experiment. At the end of the semester there was a survey (method of interviewing and questionnaire). It should be mentioned that 88 % of the respondents stated that creative methods of teaching enabled them to better master the material and generate new ideas to resolve problems, work on new projects. Only 5 % of students responded that they did not notice any difference between creative and traditional methods of teaching, while 7 % did not know the answer. During the interview the students also stressed that creative methods of teaching were very helpful for project-related work, searching for new ideas and implementing their plans not only within the educational environment, but also in the media field (the students of the Faculty of Journalism work during the process of studying). The students emphasized that creative methods of teaching also helped them overcome inertia and passive attitudes among the members of their academic group, and also facilitated development of the soft skills in the process of performing joint creative tasks. According to the respondents, creative methods of teaching also helped shape their creative thinking, and application of the elements of the creative methods of teaching helped them cope with tasks in the process of autonomous work.

After the academic module on the discipline the academic performance of one group (the focus was on the discipline «History of Ukrainian Journalism») was compared to the academic performance of the same group on the same discipline in the previous semester. Academic performance was much better after combining traditional and creative methods of teaching. For instance, in experimental semester (usage of creative methods of teaching alongside the traditional ones) 17 % of students got «А» grade (90-100 points), 33 % - «В» and «С» grades (71-89 points), 47 % - «Е» grade (51-69 points), 2 % - «F» (32-50 points). In the previous semester (traditional ways of teaching) the results were as follows: 10 % of students got «А» grade (90-100 points), 26 % - grades «В» and «С» (71-89 points), 61 % - grade «Е» (51-69 points), 3 % - «F» (32-50 points). Researcher Maria Dyachenko makes a similar conclusion regarding the development of the creative component during the training ofjournalism students: «The development of the creative potential of the future journalist is the process of enriching the personality with professionally significant features and properties, the ability to bring knowledge to creative, transformative, subjectively educational levels through the formation of specific journalistic-professional and personal traits, the development of the student's general creative forces (planetary thinking, imagination, literary fantasy, journalistic intuition, the ability to creatively respond to changes in all spheres of life, etc.) and professional abilities, to competently perform journalistic functions and one's social role in society».

creative teaching competencie synectics

Conclusions

Within the context of our experiment one can come to conclusion that the issue of application of creative methods of teaching requires further research and should be further studied in the process of teaching Journalism Studies disciplines. Creative methods of teaching are particularly important for the students majoring in «Journalism», as they help shape creative personality which is required in modern society. Creative methods of teaching also shape general and special competencies of students. Usage of creative methods of teaching will enable future specialists to creatively resolve the problems in the area of Journalism Studies and create new media products.

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