Understanding Children’s Creative Thought and Expression Chapter 1 Understanding Children’s Creative Thought and Expression

Defining Creative Thought Creativity as a form of intelligence (Steinberg’s (2008) triarchic theory of intelligence) Creative thought – create, design, imagine, suppose Analytical thought – analyze, compare, contrast, evaluate, explain Practical thought – use, apply, implement

Defining Creative Thought Creativity as a Thinking Process Fluency – generate many responses, build related ideas Flexibility – approach in a new way, view problem from different perspective Originality – produce unusual and novel ideas, combine the known into a new form Elaboration – fill out ideas, add details

Defining Creative Thought Creativity as a Feeling Process Curiosity – wonder, play with ideas Complexity – seek alternatives, see missing pieces Risk-Taking – express ideas to others, expose self to criticism, follow a hunch Imagination and Fantasy – form mental images, put self in another place or time

Stages in the Creative Process Preparation/Brainstorming – apply knowledge, skill, understanding to materials, objects, or problems Incubation – work on the problem mentally Illumination/Inspiration – select some ideas, reject others Verification/Communication – test product, communicate to others

Observable Characteristics of Creative Thought Process Playful, Persistent, and Intrinsically Motivated Intensely absorbed Persists at work or play Concentrates on a task for a long time Explores, experiments, manipulates Plays Asks questions, makes guesses, discusses findings

Observable Characteristics of Creative Thought Process Curious, Intuitive, and Resourceful Asks many questions Tolerates ambiguity while exploring options Strongly intuitive and perceptive Enjoys thinking and working independently

Observable Characteristics of Creative Thought Process Nonconforming and Adventuresome Challenges assumptions or authorities with differences of opinion Formulates hypotheses Tests ideas Organizes environment (order out of chaos) Does something new with the old Interest in new ideas Uses repetition to learn more

Decline of Creativity Common mistakes made by teachers Confuse measures of intelligence with measures of creativity Be overly influenced by socially desirable behavior Be overly influenced by child’s rate of development Associate creativity with socioeconomic privilege

Promoting Children’s Creativity Teachers promote creativity when they: Understand what it means to be a creative teacher Offer support for possibility (“what if”) thinking Value the process as well as the product Provide the right amount of structure

Promoting Children’s Creativity Teachers promote creativity when they: Establish mechanisms for peer support Minimize competition and external rewards Encourage rather than praise

Appropriate Responses to Children’s Work How did you get the idea for this work? This makes me feel… I like the way you…because… This reminds me of… What were you trying to do? Maybe you could combine… This interests me because… How does this work compare with other work you have created?

Appropriate Responses to Children’s Work I wonder what would happen if… I like the part where… I’d like to know more about… You used some powerful ideas, such as… The part where you explained… This is like your… You are really good at…

Creativity in the Inclusive Classroom Tips to Support Creativity in an Inclusive Classroom Support possibility (“what if”) thinking Provide models to stimulate thinking Use cooperative groups Provide a variety of tools and demonstrate how to use them

Creativity in the Inclusive Classroom Tips to Support Creativity in an Inclusive Classroom Anticipate boredom Encourage students to take initiative during unscheduled time Seek professional development in creativity Partner with outside agencies (museums) and individuals (artists)

Meeting Standards through Creative Activities For a behavior to be creative, it must meet 4 criteria: Original (has low probability of occurrence). Appropriate or relevant Fluent (results in new, meaningful forms) Flexible (explores and uses nontraditional approaches to problem solving)

Stimulate “out of the box” thinking using SCAMPER Substitute – use person or thing to act in place of another Combine – bring together or unite Adapt – adjust for the purpose of suiting a condition or purpose Modify – alter, change in form or quality Magnify – make greater Minify – make smaller, lighter, slower

Stimulate “out of the box” thinking using SCAMPER Put to other uses – use for purposes other than originally intended Eliminate – remove or omit a quality, part or whole Reverse – place opposite or contrary Rearrange – change the order, plan, layout