Cymraeg

The Creators

Illustration of a child wearing a party hat and decorating a large glass jar with colourful star shapes. The table is covered with craft materials like scissors, glue, pencils, paint, and other decorated jars. Darlun o blentyn yn gwisgo het parti ac yn addurno jar gwydr mawr gyda siapiau sêr lliwgar. Mae’r bwrdd yn llawn deunyddiau crefft fel siswrn, glud, pensiliau, paent a jariau addurnedig eraill.

The Creators primarily make their own resources, either from necessity (a gap in availability) or choice (an enjoyment in the creative process).

Creators are normally:

  • Comfortable with some sort of creative platform (Adobe PS, Canva, Google Slides, etc.).
  • Spending a significant amount of time creating resources.
  • Idea generators.
  • Holding a bank of resources they’ve previously created.

Resource preferences

Creators are highly independent, imaginative practitioners who prefer to design and build resources entirely from scratch. This archetype is typically found amongst teachers working with high numbers of ALN learners or in settings where the needs of their class are so specific that few existing resources are suitable. For Creators, resource development is a core part of their teaching practice, allowing them to tailor content precisely to their learners’ needs, abilities, and interests.

Platforms like Canva, Google Docs and PowerPoint, and tools like Snipping Tool, are frequently used in their workflow, providing flexibility to design both digital and printable content. While they may use platforms like Hwb, Twinkl, or Pinterest for inspiration, these are rarely the final product. Instead, Creators are looking for:

  • Blank templates and editable resources.
  • Design tools that offer full creative control.
  • Access to visual assets, such as images and icons.
  • Content that can be adapted for bilingual or Welsh-medium settings.
  • Tools that facilitate differentiation and personalisation of learning materials.

Creators often blend ideas from different platforms and sources to make highly bespoke resources, not only to meet curricular needs but to ensure materials are engaging, accessible, and relatable for their learners.

Common challenges

The biggest challenge for Creators is the sheer time intensity of their process. Creating resources from scratch for multiple ability levels, in multiple formats, and often in both English and Welsh, places considerable demands on their workload.

There is also frustration when platforms offer resources only in static formats (like PDFs) or with limited editability, forcing additional work to “break apart” and adapt them. Creators frequently need to source or generate their own images, particularly when designing for younger learners or ALN settings, which adds another layer of effort.

Challenges include:

  • Time pressures in designing from scratch.
  • Lack of Welsh-medium or bilingual content in editable formats.
  • Difficulty accessing design assets (images, icons, fonts).
  • Limited tools for differentiation or personalisation built into resource platforms.
  • Managing and organising large volumes of self-created resources.

Opportunities and recommendations

Given the highly creative nature of this archetype, supporting Creators is less about providing pre-made resources and more about equipping them with tools to make the creation process easier, faster, and more efficient.

Platforms seeking to support Creators should consider:

  • Offering resource creation tools directly within platforms (e.g., drag-and-drop worksheet designers, editable templates, Canva-style tools).
  • Providing image and asset libraries specifically designed for educational settings and Welsh-medium teaching.
  • Creating a searchable bank of icons, visuals, and design elements to support bespoke resource creation.
  • Developing AI tools that can scaffold or speed up creation (e.g., auto-generating differentiated questions, bilingual content suggestions).
  • Allowing resources to be downloaded in multiple formats (PowerPoint, Word, Canva template, Google Docs).
  • Building resource organisation tools that allow Creators to save, categorise, and revisit their own content easily.
  • Encouraging collaboration between creators, with spaces to share editable templates, visual assets, and lesson ideas without forcing “off-the-shelf” solutions.

Importantly, Creators don’t just want access to content – they want platforms that see them as designers, giving them the building blocks to make learning experiences that feel original, exciting, and personal to their learners.

Case study – The Creators

Working in a mainstream primary school with a high number of learners with additional learning needs (ALN), this teacher has developed a strong habit of creating bespoke resources from scratch. While there are plenty of resources available online, they often fall short when it comes to meeting the very specific needs of the class. For this practitioner, creating resources is both a creative outlet and a necessity – it means it’s possible to shape learning experiences that are engaging, relevant, and accessible for every pupil.

This teacher draws inspiration from a range of places, sometimes from existing resources online, sometimes directly from pupils’ own interests or ideas. While platforms like Canva, Twinkl, and YouTube are used, the real value for this teacher lies in being able to take an idea and personalise it completely. This often means a combination of the following:

  • Designing visual aids or activities from scratch.
  • Combining elements from different resources.
  • Adapting or translating content into Welsh.
  • Using tools like Canva or snipping images to create custom worksheets or display materials.
  • Creating differentiated versions of the same activity for different ability groups.

There is a particular emphasis on hooking learners in; making resources feel exciting, relatable, or playful to sustain engagement, especially with ALN learners.

One of the biggest frustrations for this teacher is the time involved. Building bespoke resources for multiple ability levels – often across the same lesson – can be incredibly time-consuming. The teacher also noted that while many platforms offer editable resources, these often require significant extra work to get them classroom-ready, particularly when working bilingually or adapting for specific learner needs.

Reflecting on what would improve the experience, this teacher explains:

It’s not just about having a ready-made worksheet – it’s about having ideas I can run with, tools that are flexible, and resources that feel fun and engaging for my kids.

Ideally, the teacher would like to see platforms offer:

  • Highly editable resources by default (not just PDFs).
  • Templates designed specifically with differentiation in mind.
  • More Welsh-language resources that feel high quality.
  • A way to easily save, organise, and revisit favourite adapted resources.
  • Tools that allow one to quickly tweak content without needing to rebuild it from scratch.
  • Opportunities to share and collaborate with other teachers creating similar resources.

For this teacher, the most valuable resource platforms are those that support creativity and flexibility, while helping to lighten the workload of designing brilliant learning experiences from the ground up.