Strategies for Enhancing Creativity Joyce VanTassel-Baska, Ed.D Jody and Layton Smith Professor in Education Executive Director, Center for Gifted Education The College of William & Mary

Key Strategies Creative Problem-Solving Metaphor development Creative skill-building (fluency, flexibility, elaboration and originality) Synectics Lateral thinking Multiple perspective-taking and role playing Insight processes

Creative Problem Solving (Parnes & Osborn, 1961) Brainstorm Restatement of the problem Solution-finding Develop a comprehensive solution Create a plan of action to address the issue

Six Hats (De Bono, 1986) White: Research orientation Green: Creative ideas to address the project Yellow: Feasible approaches Black: Downside considerations Red: Gut reactions/hunches Blue: Recap/status/synopsis

Divergent Production Skills Fluency Flexibility Originality Elaboration Transformation

What is Metaphor? A figure of speech in which a term is transferred from the object it ordinarily designates to an object it may designate only by comparison or analogy. A relationship between two unlike objects, ideas, or situations. A physical picture of an abstract condition An interpretive construct to help us understand the world in new ways A story form to link ideas and persuade others “Our species thinks in metaphors and learns through stories” – Mary Catherine Bateson, 1994

Examples of Metaphor The universe as a mechanical system (e.g. the solar system as clockwork) The human body as a machine (e.g. the heart is a pump) The political machine Modern capitalism as a cancer on the social immune system Life is a roller coaster, full of ups and downs. Life is a river and we make decisions about how to navigate it, Gaia as the self-organizing, living web of life The interconnected world as a whispering pond Leaders as improvisational jazz musicians

Metaphoric Thinking Approaches Using basic structural properties of an object to define a person Creating analogies (_______is to _______ as ______ is to _______) Drawing bisociations (also visual puns and satire) Building metaphor as a way to grasp an important yet difficult concept (e.g. leadership, love, justice)

Ideas About Metaphors Lakoff & Johnson, 1980 Metaphors determine usage in our language and are routinely used in all forms of communication. All language is metaphorical and all metaphors are ultimately based on our bodily experience. Metaphor is an intermediary between our conceptual representation of the world and our sensory experience of the world. The human conceptual system is metaphorical in nature as most concepts are understood in terms of other concepts. Conceptual metaphors transport properties from structures of the physical world to non-physical structures.

Sample Metaphors TIME IS MONEY. ARGUMENT IS WAR. SOCIETY IS A PERSON. LIFE IS A NIGHTMARE. MY JOB IS A DREAM.

Synectics (Gordon, 1961) Problem: Reduce noise in the school cafeteria Direct: How is noise muffled in nature? Personal: How would you like to be captured if you were noise? Symbol: How could noise be represented in the problem? Fantasy: Create an ideal eating place. Force-fit into solution

Remote Associations Test Mednick & Mednick, 1967 RIVER NOTE BLOOD BOARD DUCK DOLLAR BOILED LID FLOWER

Environmental Context Home home library variety of hobbies Magazines role models Work time to think collaboration across groups freedom over one’s work