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Inspiring Creativity in Children

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Centers

Linguistic

Thinkets - Create your own story
Story Cubes
Word Art
Junk shop
What do you notice

Organizational

Schedule challenge (titled “challenge”)

Mathematical

Larry Math problems
Origami

Artistic

Collage
Water colors
Duct tape wallet or flowers

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Questions for Consideration

•What is creativity? Who are “creatives”?

•What are the biggest misconceptions people have about creativity?

•How does creativity relate to intelligence?

•Why should we encourage creativity? Why is it important right now?

•How can I develop creativity in myself and in my students?

•What impedes creativity?

•How does creativity “fit” with the culture of testing?

•Can creativity be measured?

•How do I create an environment that supports creativity?

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Why Creativity? Why Now?

Unprecedented global challenges, unprecedented tools
Information Age transforming into Idea Age
Radical and continual change—educating and preparing for a time that can’t be envisioned
Creativity as a distinguishing characteristic (many have degrees)
Need for innovation

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Think Creatively

Creation techniques
Create new ideas
Reflect, analyze, evaluate own ideas

Work Creatively with Others

Communicate ideas
Group work
Originality and inventiveness within real world limits
Failure as part of the process

Implement Innovations

Act on ideas

21^st Century Skills:

Creativity and Innovation

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Characteristics

Open to Ideas………………..…….........................................Fails to Finish

Curious ………………….......................................................Nosy

Risk Taking………………………………………...…….Thrill Seeking

Self-Confident…………..............................................................Questions Authority

Idealistic………………………………………..………..No sense of Reality

Enthusiastic………………………………………..……Domineering

Spontaneous………………………………………....…..Impulsive

Strong Self-Concept………………………………...…..Arrogant/Conceited

Persistent…………………………………………..……Stubborn

Courageous………………………………………..……Unaware of Consequences

High Energy……………………………………….……Hyperactive

Reflective…………………………………………..……Daydreaming

Independent……………………………………….……Isolated

Freedom from Societal Constraints………………....…Socially Inappropriate

Playful……………………………………………….…..”Flaky”—Unfocused

Sensitive……………………………………………..…..Emotionally Unstable

Tolerance for Ambiguity……………………………….Needs Structure

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Misconceptions

Creativity is rare
Creativity is associated with the arts
Creativity is a wild, letting go experience
Relationship between creativity and intelligence
Creativity is all about ideas
Work under pressure is positive
Structure is bad for creatives (creatives are messy)
Link between mental illness and creativity

Requires discipline; rigor - 7 year rule

Creative individuals may be distinguished by the ways they think; by their values, temperament, and motivation and by the things that happen during their lives. These areas then cover the three main components of characteristics – Cognitive characteristics, personality traits and biographical events.

Creativity hard work; surround with people who have talents you don’t

Need product, need result

Move a field forward

IQ 120 Threshold effect, Getzel and Jackson;

How intelligence facilitates creativity is the subject of debate and ongoing research. Difficult to predict creativity based on IQ scores and some studies seem to show a contra effect beyond the score of 120. Beyond the minimum level of intelligence, other factors seem to have more impact on creativity, “Threshold” effect ….. Sternberg and O’Hara 1999

creative people tend to show above average IQ

When IQ is above 120 doesn’t seem to matter much to creativity as when IQ is lower than 120

Correlation between intelligence and creativity is variable ranging from weak to moderate

In part because of the way both are measured. But further studies by (Getzels and Jackson) support this idea of threshold.

Teacher preference for students clear. Teacher preferred the high IQ students to the average students, Despite equal levels of achievement, they did not similarly prefer highly creative (divergent) students. IF the characteristics that distinguish highly creative students cause them to be less preferred, perhaps even disliked by teachers, they are certainly at risk for educational disadvantage despite their potential for high achievement.

2005 Kim study little relationship – little relationship between creativity and intelligence and little support of the threshold theory.

Could be a relationship between minimal level of intelligence and creativity or could be that to be eminent in our modern world (creatively) requires more education, study or training.

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The Challenge

The courage to question what is generally accepted; the courage to be destructive in order that something better can be constructed; the courage to think thoughts unlike anyone else’s; the courage to be open to experiences both from within and from without; the courage to follow one’s intuition rather than logic; the courage to imagine the impossible and to try to achieve it; the courage to stand aside from the collectivity and in conflict with it if necessary; the courage to become and to be oneself.

MacKinnon 1978

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Teacher Characteristics

•Passion

•Responsiveness

•Tolerance for Ambiguity

•Risk Taking

•Playfulness

•Personalized Expression

•Fluctuating Boundaries

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Environment to Support Creativity

Psychological Safety
Support Intrinsic Motivation
Monitor Feedback (too quick, judging)
Allow for Errors
Opportunities to Pursue Personal Passions/Interests
Opportunities for Stimulation
Opportunities to Demonstrate and Appreciate Humor
Opportunities for Quiet Reflection
Opportunities to Explore Ideas and Materials
Match between Ability and Experiences

Freedom from recrimination when taking risks; structure for sharing ideas, brainstorming, teambuilding to establish trust

Authentic feedback, limit external rewards

Celebrate mistakes- wall of infamy; true portfolios

Humor is innovative combination of the seemingly unrelated; juxtaposition

Quiet corners

Real materials; rotate things; old idea of a museum of curiosities

Need the skill to accomplish what they hope

Urban’s – 25 recs for stimulating and nurturing creativity in school

Don’t give strategies for solutions too quickly, give hints step-by-step in order to stimulate independent thinking.

Instead of questions try to formulate statements which may stimulate or provoke questions by the students. (may seem counterintuitive

Free play and manipulate of objects and ideas

focused and defocused phases – positive work tension may be kept on a high level for only a certain time interval

everybody should have the right to be taken seriously for his or her own ideas and thoughts

demonstrate tolerance and appreciation of unusual thoughts, original ideas and creative products

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Blocks to Creativity

Grading vs. Coaching or Critiquing
Not providing necessary skills
Restricting choices
Constant supervision
Competition vs. Collaboration

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Can Creativity be Taught?

“We need a new question: What strategies best support the development of creativity in different learners?” Treffinger

Two ways of thinking about teaching:

Teach generic skills of creative thinking
Identify personal aptitude and passion (the ideal match)

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Creative Thinking Tools

observing imaging abstracting

recognizing patterns analogizing

pattern forming

body thinking

empathizing dimensional thinking

modeling playing transforming

synthesizing

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Assessment

“When I hear people say ‘Well of course you can’t assess creativity,’ I think, ‘You can—just stop to think about it a bit.’”

Sir Ken Robinson

•Are you identifying or assessing? What is your purpose?

•Identification tools

Embedded assessment

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“Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.”

Erich Fromm

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Resources

Creative Whack Pack: 64 Creativity Strategies to Provoke and Inspire Your Thinking, by Roger von Oech. http://www.creativewhack.com/product.php?productid=64
Hall of Fame Lateral Thinking Puzzles, by Paul Sloane and Des MacHale, 2011. http://www.sterlingpublishing.com/catalog?isbn=9781402771170
Outside-the-Box Lateral Thinking Puzzles, by Paul Sloane and Des MacHale, 2013. http://www.sterlingpublishing.com/catalog?isbn=9781454909576
A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative, by Roger von Oech. 25^th Anniversary Edition, 2008: http://www.amazon.com/Whack-Side-Head-More-Creative/dp/0446404667/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366056113&sr=8-1&keywords=a+whack+on+the+side+of+the+head
Six Thinking Hats, by Edward de Bono. 1999. http://www.amazon.com/Six-Thinking-Hats-Edward-Bono/dp/0316178314/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1366056211&sr=1-1&keywords=six+thinking+hats
The Anti-Coloring Book: Creative Activities for Age 6 and Up, but Susan Striker and Edward Kimmel. 2001. http://www.amazon.com/Anti-Coloring-Book-Creative-Activities-Ages/dp/0805068422/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1366056632&sr=1-2&keywords=the+fifth+anti+coloring+book

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Resources

Challenge Boxes: 50 Projects in Creative Thinking, Grades 4-8, Gifted, by Catherine Valentino. 1990. http://www.amazon.com/Challenge-Boxes-Projects-Creative-Thinking/dp/086651130X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1366056875&sr=1-1&keywords=challenge+boxes

WEBSITES

Destination Imagination - http://www.destinationimagination.org/
Odyssey of the Mind - http://www.odysseyofthemind.com/
Glencoe – Games that Stimulate Creativity -http://www.glencoe.com/sec/busadmin/entre/teacher/creative/stimulate/index.htm
You Can Do The Rubik’s Cube - http://www.youcandothecube.com/
Challenge Your Creativity: 77 Problem Solving Exercises - http://dudye.com/challenge-your-creativity-77-problem-solving-exercises
Archimedes’ Laboratory – Puzzles and Mental Activities – http://www.archimedes-lab.org/
The Problem Site - http://www.theproblemsite.com/