Designing a Creativity-based Curriculum Model for Student Teachers: a Grounded Theory

Teacher training, as the most important pillar of education, is responsible for training student teachers to enter the serious job of teaching. Creativity is one of the important issues among researchers, especially educational specialists, which should always be investigated and studied. Improving creativity as a concern has always been considered by researchers. The contemporary world has prompted educators and educational planners to look for ways to prepare learners for the future. It is clear that in a period where learners can access to any information in a few seconds by using the Internet, the emphasis on memorizing and the content of textbooks is not enough. The main focus should be on conceptual development, critical thinking, collaboration and above all creativity because in today's world, the possibility of encountering problems for which there is no predetermined solution has increased. Therefore, solving new problems requires creativity. Based on this viewpoint, the aim of the current research is to design a curriculum model based on creativity for student teachers.

This research is based on the qualitative method and is data-oreinted in type, and  of foundation data and the uses dimension analysis approach Participants in the study were specialists curriculum planning and professors of Farhangian University . By criterion sampling for semi - structured and exploratory interviews , 18 individuals were selected. The interviews continued until the theoretical saturation of the data . To analyze the data, open, axial and selective coding were used benefitting from the MAXQDA software . The validity of the data was confirmed by matching methods applied by the members , peer review , and experimental interviews .

Based on the elements of AkKer's curriculum planning, the findings  showed that the logic of the creativity-oriented curriculum is based on the integration of information and communication technology in teaching and learning creativity, localizing creativity, training and improving the creative skills of student teachers to foster creative students after finishing their teacher training program  and entering the schools. . The content should be diverse and multiple, stimulating, using modern educational technologies and multimedia as well as being attractive in content creation. Moreover, the organization of this content should be based on spiral and integrated organization. The teacher has the role of facilitator and stimulator of creativity. Learning activities should be based on mixed methods, workshops, questioning and cooperative learning. Information and communication technology should be used in teaching in order to enrich the teaching process. Also, the creative environment should have features, such as stimulating creativity, collaboration, as well as being based on creative architecture with attractive colorful computer graphics. The evaluation of the curriculum should be qualitative and descriptive,taking place continuously during a period of time. Exposing the learners to different situations of taking tests  , such as creative plays  or group games , creative evaluation by using the learning concepts but different from the cliche types of questions  within the book , holding group or individual exams after providing counselling opportunites in the group, self-assessment,  open goal evaluation , evaluation of creative , process and functional skills are also among other features of a creative environment.

Considering the fact that creativity - based curriculum in teacher training course requires an interactive , open and free space ; therefore , along with the prescribed program,such curriculum  requires free and flexible space that is  in accordance with the executive requirements and features . The use of new educational technologies as well as the integration of ict technologies in all curriculum elements is recommended . Moreover, it is suggested that change and transformation in the curriculums of the teacher-training centers should take place in an attempt at making a curriculum of teaching creativity or integrating creativity in the content of other courses, such as the course of principles and teaching methods or the course of the theories of teaching and learning which are more suitable for this work to train creative student teachers in order to take a positive step toward improving the quality of the curriculum of Farhangian university in an attempt at growing and developing the creativity of  of student teachers.