Monday, July 8th

EILNPU

Assignment for week 1:Read chapters 1-5

What is Creativity?

Models of Creative Process: Theories of Creativity (The Individual, Systems in Context); Creative people (chapter 5)

Create graphic organizer of theories, (models in chapters 2-4) (mind maps)

Check Black Board and webmail daily for discussion/reflection and readings—download and complete Ideal Pupil Survey for chapter 5 (Creative People)

***Begin planning your CREATIVE PROJECT/EXPERIENCE; begin development of project (EMAIL Benny with ideas!)---has to involve you being creative, and you have to produce something of significance to you—can be personal, can be something you’ve always wanted to do (that is doable in this time frame) could be involving yourself in an experience that involves the creative process

***Begin Journal/Portfolio/Collection (Reflections and activities can be included in this assignment)

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1996). Creativity: Flow and the psychology of discovery and invention. Harper.

(Pronounced “Chick-sent-me-high”)—important name to know

Websites/GT Resources:www.tx.gifted.org (Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented)www.nagc.org (National Association for Gifted Children)www.uconn.edu (National Research Center for Gifted Education)www.hoagiesgifted.org/ (Hoagie’s Gifted Education Page-a general reference resource)

Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented—conferences every year—session is three days

-Creativity involves a person, a process, and a product -The word create implies a product—something—need to see evidence of a creative thought-Creativity is behavior that brings into bring something that did not previously exist, something that is new, original, or unique and appropriate to a criterion or purpose: solves a problem, communicates or expresses a mood, tone, feeling or idea, or satisfies a need. (Starko)

-Bringing into existence something that didn’t previously exist and that has significance

-Creativity is both ---Perkins

-Creativity involves the ability to synthesize—sifting through data, perceptions and materials to come up with combinations that are new and useful. (Richard Florida—The Rise of the Creative Class)

-Creativity requires a willingness to be in a state of not knowing, a curiosity about possibilities, and a desire to act on impulses that may not have been discernable outcome. (Cynthia Morris, Our Greatest Untapped Resource (Talent Development Resources))

Santiago Calatrava—Wave Fountain—Bridge too

Creativity and Flow: FLOW: Concept of Optimal ExperienceThe state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience itself is so enjoyable that people will do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it. –M. Csikszentmihalyi(Getting so involved in the process of creating something or experiencing things that you become unaware of everything else around you)

What stops the flow of creativity?What impedes passion?--Fear of failure, rejection. Creativity also takes guts. Creativity requires self-assurance and the ability to take risks (Margaret Boden)

Divergent Thinking: FFOE (E) (Guilford, Torrance)-Fluency-Flexibility-Originality-Elaboration+Evaluation (convergent thinking)

Levels of Creativity: BIG “C” Domain changing ideas, products, solutionsLittle “c”Everyday problem-solving, unique solutions, products, ideas--M. Csikszentmilhalyi

Creativity is NOT cute---Putting glitter on it doesn’t make it creative--Needs to be a substantive element to the product

Creativity: Innate or Learned?Creativity is…Plato:

Divine inspiration; gift of the gods (the muses) Aristotle:Rational thought; logic, reasoning

Creativity is a universal characteristic

Creative person—A person who regularly solves problems, fashions products, defines new questions in a domain, in a way that is initially… Howard Gardner

Why do we create?-To solve a problem-To communicate-Personal satisfaction and expression

Problem Finding—Problem Solving—Problem-Finding is the basis of creativity: Finding the idea or theme to communicateFinding a societal problem

What is the difference between Teaching Creatively vs. Teaching for Creativity?

Creativity and Learning“Meaningful learning is essentially creative—all students must therefore be given permission to transience the insights of their teachers.” Caine and Caine

Neuropsychology: Brain remodeling through creative thinking; creating patterns through novel experiences linked to existing patterns. Brain activity in creative learning creates patterns, new pathways, makes connections

Children do not learn to think by memorizing the product of other people’s thinking. Children develop these thinking skills by manipulating ideas, critically examining them and trying to combine them in new ways. –Hilda Taba

Authentic Problems—what IS an authentic problem?

Creative Problem Solving Model (CPS)

Creativity requires: Domain skills and knowledge Creative thinking skills and habits intrinsic motivationWhat drives intrinsic motivation? What are the effects of extrinsic motivations?

Creative Process: Preparation IncubationIlluminationVerification

What significant contributions to the concept of creativity are made by each theorist/model?

EILNPULine Up in Alphabetical Order

Reflection #1 Respond/react to each of these terms…

TUESDAY, JULY 9th -By now should be finished with at least chapters 1-4—start working on graphic organizer of theories, models in chapter 2-4-Complete the Ideal Pupil Survey for chapter 5—(Creative People)—Review-Begin planning your Creative Project—Email her with ideas…-Begin Journal/Portfolio/Collection (reflections and activities can be included in this assignment)—could be a journal format

BRAIN PIE CHART

Creativity involves a person, a process, and a product

Creativity and Culture*Do all cultures view creativity in the same way?

*What are some cultural differences in the concept or expression of creativity?

*How might creativity relate to creative expression or to identification of giftedness in diverse cultural groups?

Creative Process: DEWEY MODEL STEP ONE: PreparationSTEP TWO: VerificationThe opposite of that is the Cskiszentmihalyi and Sawyer Creative Insight Model

1. Hard work, research preceding insight2. Period of idle time alone3. Moment of insight4. Elaboration to bring idea to fruition (time frame=a few hours to many years)

Presented problems part of normal work in particular fieldDiscovered problems require thinking outside boundaries, questioning paradigms

Combination Creative Process:(Wallas, Torrance, Csiksentimihalyi and Sawyer)1. Preparation: sensing problems, difficulties, data gathering, skills, techniques, questioning, examining perspectives, making guesses about hypotheses, hard work, research preceding insight2. Incubation: Sub-conscious exploration of possibilities, connections, random ideas period of idle time alone3. Illumination: Inspiration! Aha! Eureka! Moment of insight4. Verification: Bringing about a result: Testing a hypothesis evaluating, revising hypotheses, evaluating quality, appropriateness of idea, product, solution, communicating results, elaboration to bring ideas to fruition

Incubation Model—Paul Torrance1. Heightening Anticipation2. Deepening expectations

INCUBATION TIME

3. Going BeyondTransformation into something new, significant, personally relevant and meaningful—the purpose for learning

AUTHENTIC PROBLEMSWhat is an authentic problem?-Does not have a pre-determined answer -Is personally relevant to the investigator-Can be explored through means of one or more disciplines

If they are to develop skills in leadership and creative skills

Creative Problem Solving: CPS: Understanding the Problem—Generating Ideas—Planning for Action-Structured method for approaching problems in an imaginative way (FFOE, divergent & convergent thinking)-Empirical support for effectiveness-Not designed specifically for gifted -3 Broad Parts

-Understanding the problem-Generating Ideas-Planning for Action

Itsy bitsy spider problems: 1. Web isn’t strong enough2. No more water3. The spider can’t swim4. Can’t get to momma spider

In what ways might we solve this problem—which problem do we want to focus on—what are ways we can fix it

Murky MuddleFacts collectorBasic problem sorterThe real problemAlternate solutionsSea of ideasEvaluation filterSolution purifier modifierAppropriate solutionPool of acceptance

Chapter One: What is Creativity?Some teachers wonder, why should they do anything they aren’t “accountable” for—if it isn’t going to count, what’s the point? This seems a bit like a captive rowing in the belly of a ship concerned only about the number of strokes the overseer is counting and not really thinking about where the ship is headed.

-The over-emphasis on high-stakes tests has caused some teachers to lower their sights to the oar in ways that are not healthy for our students or our world. There are more important tests that the ones with fill-in bubbles. One of them is our stewardship for the young people we serve and the places in which we live. -We teach creativity for our students. I want to encourage creativity in schools because I believe we are responsible to create to create places in which students learn to think, and places in which thinking can be joyful. Few critics would argue that schools should teach students to think critically and understand deeply. -There is abundant evidence to suggest that the strategies that support creativity—solving problems, exploring multiple options, and learning inquiry—also support depth of understanding.-JOY MATTERS -I don’t believe that any good teacher can limit his or her responsibility to the transmission of content. We want our students to have zest for life and hope in their capacity—and we want them to have those things in school. -In schools, we aren’t punching out widgets; we are nurturing young people. In my view, an essential part of preparing students for life is helping them see that life is interesting and filled with the potential for joy. One way we do that is to help them experience creativity. Five Minds for the Future—Howard GardnerIt would seem if we want our young people to be successful in the world they will inhabit, they will need more than the knowledge we can measure on traditional tests. They will need the skills, attitudes, and habits required for solving problems unimaginable today. They will need to see varied viewpoints and understand people across the globe. They will need to think flexibly and with imagination. They will need to be creative. Most definitions have two major criteria for judging creativity: novelty and appropriateness. -Perkins “a creative result is a result both original and appropriate. A creative person—a person with creativity—is a person who fairly routinely produces creative results”

TEACHING FOR CREATIVITY VERSUS CREATIVE TEACHING-A teaching activity that produces an enjoyable, or even creative, outcome does not necessarily enhance creativity unless the students have the opportunity for creative thinking-In some cases, the illustrations are adorable or the activities unusual, but the input from students is fairly routine-Classroom teachers may use enormous personal creativity in developing activities that allow few opportunities for students to be original. -Teaching to enhance creativity has a different focus. The essential creativity is on the part of the students

AUTHENTIC PROBLEMS AND PROCESSES-Learning activities designed to foster creativity cast students in the roles of problem solvers and communicators rather than passive acquirers of information. -If students are to solve real problems, teachers have the responsibility not only to teach them the necessary knowledge and skills, but also to set problems for which the teachers have no answers and to work together with students to find the solutions. If

students are to communicate, teachers must help them find ideas worth sharing and audiences with whom to share them. -It is essential to understand that restructuring curriculum does not mean eliminating it. Students can and should learn required content while also enhancing their creative thinking—the two should be inextricably entwined-Teaching for creativity entails creating a community of inquiry in the classroom, a place in which asking a good question is at least as important as answering one. Building this climate includes organizing curriculum around processes of creativity providing students with content and processes that allow them to investigate and communicate within disciplines, teaching general techniques that facilitate creative thinking across disciplines, and providing a classroom atmosphere that supports creativity.

-It is true that no responsible teacher should devote significant amounts of time to activities that will not enhance students’ opportunities for success, both on high-stakes tests and on the often more complex challenges of life and continued intellectual growth

-Good teaching is not dull, rote, or constantly repetitious. Good teaching finds multiple ways to help students think about important content. If we use content standards wisely, the biggest change in teaching is that we will more clearly delineate the content about which we want students to think.

Chapter two…

PROBLEM FINDING: Problem finding, or the identification and framing of problems, is fundamental to creative processesIf we are to encourage students to be creative, we must learn how to help them find problemsA problem is not necessarily a difficulty; it may be a shift in perspective or a perceived opportunity—what looks like a problem now could look wonderful later in a different perspective GETZEL: Three types of problems

1. Known formulation, a known method of solution, and a solution known to others but not to the problem solver

2. A presented problem but the method of solution is not known to the problem solver

3. No presented problem—the problem itself must be discovered and neither the problem nor its solution may be known to anyone

Csikszentmihalyi and Sawyer:Proposed that the creative process varies in presented and discovered problems—they noted a common structure in descriptions of creative insight

a. Hard work and research preceding the moment of insightb. A period of idle time alonec. A moment of insightd. Elaboration needed to bring the idea to fruition

Time frames from a few hours to several years—may represent the ends of a continuum of creative insights ranging from short-term presented problems to long-

term discovered problems. Presented problems=normal work. Discovered problems require the creator to think outside the usual boundaries, question existing paradigms and ask questions no one else is asking

DILLON: Levels of problems as existent, emergent, or potential

Csikszentmihalyi described three main sources for which problems typically arise: personal experiences, requirements of the domain, and social pressures

A key variable in several studies is TIME: subjects who are more successful in problem finding spent more time than others in deliberate exploration

Wednesday, July 10th -Models of the Creative Process: Parallels WALLAS CSKISZENTMIHALYI AND SAWYERTORRANCE DEWEY

TORN PAPER STRATEGY

---Piece of paper, tear a shape (with whatever theme is given), then trade shapes with another person and then elaborate on what that shape could be or change it to make something else.How might I use this in my classroom? Introduction, studying

SCAMPER—a brainstorming strategy to generate fluency of ideas fro looking at an object, idea, concept or event from many perspectives (FFOE) (A strategy for divergent thinking)

SSubstituteCCombineAAdaptMModify, Magnify, MinifyPPut to other usesEEliminateRRearrange, Reverse, Reorder

Unusual Uses: WATER BOTTLE-think of as many different things you can to change or SCAMPER an object—becomes a competition to see who can come up with the most creative idea or original -I think that if anything you could use this –write down as many ideas as you can about this… like the Kagan strategy (name as many things that are blue etc.) Study strategies that can be used -Name different ways we can study for this test -Name as many places you can to study -Tell me everything you know about this topic

Creativity requires---Domain skills and knowledge, creative thinking skills and habits, intrinsic motivation (To make something a habit---LOTS OF REPITITION)

What drives motivation? Interest, competence, self-determination (choice)

Tuesday, July 16th Dr. Seuss—Hooray for Diffendoofer Day!

Wednesday=Midterm

Thursday=Share something from your portfolio collection-Prepare to demonstrate an instructional activity

Mid Term Review: What is creativity? Be able to explain creativity according to your concept—define it—theory/model of Creativity—refer to specific theories/theorists that are part of or reflected in MY concept of the creativity model—choose the elements from the many models that reflect MY model—original, unique, purposeful or meaningfulDiagram Creative Process model—identify models/theorists—be prepared to diagram it—draw it—be prepared to say where it comes from

Creative person, development of creative Talent—-Identify attributes associated with Creative person-Studies of Talent Development (significant researchers) at least one or two that I think are most useful/significant-Phases of Learning—keystone for teaching students—the phases and what are the important things about each stage

Teaching for Creative Thinking/Learning—Torrance Incubation Model/strategies for stages? What stage is this strategy most effective for?

Make a brain chart and list everything you can think of for each thing

Big picture of an empty head—fill the head with what is important for this character or theorist or whatever

Ugar Sak: About Creativity, Giftedness, and Teaching the Creatively Gifted in the Classroom*Teachers have been found to undervalue creativity; teachers seemed to have a negative view of characteristics associated with creativity

*A classroom environment that supports unusual ideas provides freedom of thought and freedom of choice is conducive to creative achievement. However, most classroom climates discourage students’ creativity

*Three aspects of teacher behaviors influence students’ creative thinking in the classroom: The teacher as a role model; the classroom atmosphere that the teacher builds; and the teacher’s efforts that reward and foster students’ creativity through instructional activities.

3 things teachers can do…1. Teaching the skills and attitudes of creativity entails teaching students

explicitly about creativity 2. Teaching the creative methods of the disciplines requires teaching students

how individuals are creative in the disciplines they study3. Developing a problem-friendly classroom entails creating a classroom

atmosphere in which seeking and solving problems is welcomed

Thirteen Thinking Tools—page 122

Divergent Thinking (FFOE)Metaphorical Thinking (“Linking thinking”) Lateral Thinking (“Thinking Sideways”)

Visualization, Creative Dramatics(Commercial & Competitive Programs)

Birthday Gifts: STRATEGY imagining what kind of present you are going to receive—creative dramatics and visualizations—small group of students

Taxi—Taxi driver is driving the taxi—someone hails the taxi and the passenger gets in and tells the driver where they want to go—work really well for social skills—picking up on tones and moods etc.

White House Dinner Party—

Bio-Poem—

Synectics: Direct analogy: Which is more powerful: a newspaper or a television Personal analogy: you are a computer keyboard. Write or talk about some of your experiences and how they make you feel. Compressed conflict: a punctuation mark is a literal symbol. Thinking can be refreshingly exhausting! Oxymoron

What kind of vehicle are you? You are a mode of transportation… what are you? Why?

Chapter 9 Motivation, Creativity, and Classroom Organization

-It is not enough for students to know the content and skills that provide the grist and the mill for creativity. Students must also have the motivation to be creative: the will, you might say, to turn the millstone---extrinsic and intrinsic motivation

-Amabile identified intrinsic motivation as one the three key elements in creative behavior—this type of motivation underlies individuals willingness to experiment, try new ideas, and explore new paths rather than seek the quickest rout to any kind of

closure. If this is true, developing classroom structures that support intrinsic motivation is an essential element in the development of creativity in schools.

Psychological SafetyROGERS: Believed that creativity is a natural product of healthy development, but that it may be blocked by a person’s need for psychological defenses. Whether an individual moves toward creativity and self-actualization can be affected by internal and external factors. Rogers believed that circumstances surrounding the individual affect his or her opportunities for creativity—many logical reasons for establishing a warm and supportive classroom environment. -Rogers used the analogy of a farmer and a seed. Although the farmer cannot force a seed to grow, he can provide the nurturing conditions that will permit the seed to develop its own potential. -Acceptance of the individual as having unconditional worth is at the core of psychological safety—value and potential—some individuals are fortunate enough to find this type of acceptance in a warm, loving family. In such situations, the individuals know that no matter what they do, they are loved. The love and acceptance are not tied to passing tests, winning ball games, or playing concerts; they are unconditional. -Important to have a classroom in which students are valued just because they are there, a room in which all students, no matter what their current situation or behavior, is seen as having potential.

Unconditional acceptance can be manifested in many ways. Any act sending the message that students are important, valuable, and full of potential builds a foundation of psychological safety—Teacher’s willingness to examine student ideas--Lack of external evaluation---Roger’s believed that evaluation by external sources hinders psychological safety—put up defenses and keeps them from being open to their own self-evaluation—the use of one’s own judgment to determine the ultimate worth of a creative product—is a key to creative behavior--The final aspect and pinnacle of psychological safety is empathetic understanding. Empathetic understanding goes one step beyond acceptance. It accepts not only who the person appears to be, but also whom he or she is inside. --Traditionally, the words all business indicated an atmosphere that is far from the playfulness we associate with creativity. But for many businesses, innovation is essential to their success. --The researchers found that positive affect is related to increased creativity; when employees have positive feelings about their work environment, they are more likely to have creative ideas. Additionally, when employees have creative ideas at work, they feel more positive. (CHART IN NOTEBOOK on the Affect-Creativity Cycle)--Employees’ perceptions of their leaders can have a significant impact on the affective environment of the work place and also on employees’ creativity

INTRINSIC MOTIVATION: --Intrinsic motivation comes from within, as a positive response to the task itself. It spurs a person to explore, to persist, and to achieve based on the satisfaction of the task itself.

--Extrinsic motivation arises from sources outside the task: evaluation, contracted for reward, external directives, and the like.

The key distinction between good and bad extrinsic motivation, at least in so far as it affects creativity, may be the degree to which the extrinsic factors are controlling or informational. Controlling extrinsic motivation is the driving force behind an activity, perhaps the only reason it is undertaken. Classrooms that operate under a constant threat of tests and grades are centering on controlling extrinsic motivation. So are those that focus students’ attention primarily on prizes, stars, or accolades rather than on learning-Students may expend so much energy figuring out how to get the praise that they have less left for creative thinking-AMABILE, COLLINS AND AMABILE identified 5 factors that affected creativity, particularly in children: Two Key Attributes:

1. They have been associated with reduced student creativity2. They are a major part of many classroom cultures

a. Evaluation—less creativity in their next efforts even if the evaluations are positive—evaluation an have an inhibiting effect on creativity

b. Surveillancec. Reward—students like rewards and frequently work hard to receive them

—there is a place for rewards in schools—may be effective for students with learning difficulties or history of school failure—however for complex tasks involving problem solving or creativity, rewards often can be counterproductive, and there is some evidence that the negative effect is more pronounced in children—such tasks generally should be interesting and motivating in themselves. To reward students is to imply that the tasks are dull, to suggest that without an external stimulus, there is no reason students would want to think, experiment, or explore these ideas

d. Competition—relationships are not straightforward—in two studies, one with children and one with adults, individuals produced less creative products in a competitive situation than in a noncompetitive situation—to subsequent studies indicated that girls may be more negatively affected by competition than boys, and that boys may even show higher levels of creativity in some competitive situations. Competition also may be less problematic for individuals who have already developed strong intrinsic motivation. For example, the talented pianists studied by Bloom encountered many competitions in their career paths

e. Lack of choice—Collins and Amabile—the best way to help people maximize their creative potential is to allow them to do something they love—unfortunately it is easy for students to go through years of schooling without ever having the opportunity to make meaningful choices about their learning. KOHN: suggested that increasing student choice affects both students’ attitudes and their achievement. If students are allowed choice in learning tasks, they may work harder and learn more than when tasks are consistently imposed from the outside. A strategy that enhances students’ creative thinking may increase their learning as well. PLAN TO LET YOUR STUDENTS INCORPORATE MORE CHOICE INTO STUDENT ACTIVITIES—PLAN AT LEAST ONE SET OF ACTIVITIES THAT ALLOWS STUDENTS TO SELECT TOPICS FOR FURTHER STUDY.

EVALUTATION: If they were asked directly whether they liked a picture, the adults were to turn the question around and ask the student how he or she liked it-One consideration is the students’ maturity and level of expertise. Bloom’s first-level students’ greatest need was to fall in love with the subjects. Second-level students needed to develop discipline and technique appropriate to the content area. Certainly, the types of feedback appropriate at these two stages differ. However, even when evaluative feedback is necessary, there is a difference between feedback that is basically informational and feedback that is controlling. Controlling feedback lets students know how the teacher assesses their progress. -Informational feedback assumes that students are in charge of organizing and evaluating their own learning. It provides useful information for their guidance. It addresses the questions “What did you learn?”

REWARD: RUNCO: suggested that such rewards may be particularly important with disadvantaged students—if a reward is occasionally presented after the fact as a pleasant surprise rather than regularly as an expected payoff, it should not negatively affect student motivation. When they were questioned about grades, they stated that good grades were nice, but the really important thing was learning. Matson suggested that some students may benefit from having their failed creative efforts rewarded—Matson described a college-level entrepreneurship class in which students were rewarded for intelligent, fast failure rather than cautious success.

--There is a considerable body of research suggesting that intrinsic motivation enhances creativity and that many sources of extrinsic motivation depress it. But it is not quite that simple—it is possible that different types of motivation may be necessary at different stages of the creative process.

DEADLINE FOR REFLECTION IS DUE NO LATER THAN 5:00PAY ATTENTION TO RUBRIC AND WHAT SHE IS LOOKING FOR—IF YOU SWITCHED PROJECTS, WHAT DID YOU ENCOUNTER—SEND REFLECTION AFTER PRESENTATION ON THURSDAY THE OTHER THING THAT IS DUE ON THURSDAY: IS THE PORTFOLIO!!!! NOT GOING TO SHARE EVERYTHING IN CLASS BUT A COUPLE OF THINGS.

MONDAY, July 22nd 3 Things Teachers can do…1. Teach about creativity2. Be a role model of creative thinking3. Create an environment for support for risk-taking, creative thinking and innovative ideas and products.

Divergent Thinking: FFOE Metaphorical Thinking: Linking ThinkingLateral Thinking: Thinking SidewaysVisualization, Creative DramaticsCommercial & Competitive Programs

Creativity Strategies, Ch. 6Divergent Thinking: *Brainstorming—generate list and then DO something with it! *SCAMPER—looking at something from multiple perspectives*Attribute Listing—look at attributes *Morphological Synthesis—you put them on a grid and then transform themLateral Thinking: *Random Input: *Creative Pause: * Provocations/Po: “suppose…”*6 Thinking Hats:*CPS (Creative Problem Solving):Metaphors/Analogies: *Synectics: The joining together of different and apparently irrelevant elements. Synectics methods are metaphor- or analogy-based techniques for bringing elements together in a search for new ideas or solutions—putting things together*Visualization—being able to see something in your mind the way it could look in real life *Creative Dramatics

What to teach, How to teach: Students must gain enough understanding of major concepts, generalizations, and big ideas of the discipline to be able to ask reasonable questions.

1. Techniques, methodologies, habits of mind of the field2. Questions, kinds of problems explored in field and how they are addressed3. How information is shared

Lesson planning: 1. Focus on broad, important ideas rather than facts and skills. (Facts, skills,

techniques are the tools for exploring broader issues.)2. Relate to the world of the student-relevance, significance of learning (CHOICE!)3. Teach for independence! Provide structure and support for student

independenceA LESSON IS AN INVITATION TO CREATE, NOT A DEMAND TO REPRODUCE.

Purpose of writing is to communicate ideas and feelings that matter to the author.

Good problem finding is a serial drama, not a situation comedy. (Constant evolution process)

(Exploring the environment—observation walk—what kinds of things do you see? What questions do you have? —How can you relate what you see to what you are studying)

Tuesday, July 23rd 3 aspects of teacher that impact creativity

1. Teacher as role model2. Environment established by teacher

3. Instructional strategies employed by teacher (to teach content) Creativity requires… (Therese Amabile) Domain skills and knowledge Creative thinking skills and habits Intrinsic Motivation

***INTRINSIC MOTIVATION IS DRIVEN BY: *INTEREST*COMPETENCE*SELF-DETERMINATION (choice)

Creativity and Motivation 5 factors that affect creativity in children:

1. Evaluation 2. Surveillance3. Reward4. Competition 5. Lack of Choice

Informational feedback vs. controlling feedback

What kills creativity? Fear of failure and rejection

Teaching for IndependenceClassroom arrangement for autonomy (less dependence on the teacher), creativity; Conditions conducive to Flow—

Creativity and FLOW: Concept of optimal experience“The state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience itself is so enjoyable that people will do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it.” –M. Csikszentmihalyi (Page 254)

HAPPINESS QUOTE ON PAGE 254(“Happy” documentary—Happiness in Time Magazine)

FLOW: Concept of Optimal ExperienceComponents of Flow

1. Goal-directed activities , not random, demanding some kind of energy and skill; sense of discovery, transporting self into new reality; transforms self by making it more complex, growth of self

2. Concentration , lost of self-consciousness, diminished sense of time-“shuts out the world”

3. Active , not passive, activities: motivation, involvement, energy, and creativity can bring happiness (state of optimal experience, flow!)

The Essential Rules1. Don’t bother anyone2. Don’t call attention to yourself3. Do your extension work4. Keep accurate records of your work When you follow the rules you get to choose what to do.When you do not follow the rules, I get to choose for you.

Wednesday, July 24th

“Mr. Know it All”--- 4-5 people—ask a question and each person has to say one word to create the answer

Circle Creativity Assessment***

What are some appropriate ways to assess creativity?Open-ended questions with unique ways of answering

Is it unique, original, novel, or new? *FFOEIs it appropriate for the purpose?

*Problem-solution?*Communication of ideas?

Assessing Creativity: Authentic assessment (authentic tasks)Performance assessmentPortfolio assessmentRubrics—open-ended assessments

QUANTITATIVE, QUALITATIVE—assessment Validity—testing what it’s supposed to test Reliability—consistency

Divergent Thinking FFOEFigural: Torrance tests of creative thinking—circles assessment—figural drawing starts (Bertie Kingore) Verbal: Unusual uses, Unusual QuestionsMovement: (Kidprov, TTCT)

How many different ways can you move around the room?

Creative strategiesTeaching creative thinking skills and habitsWhat to teach, how to teach_Students must gain enough understanding of major concepts, generalizations, and big ideas of the discipline to be able to ask reasonable questions

1. Techniques, methodologies, habits of mind of the field2. Questions, kinds of problems explored etc.3. How information is shared

Lesson planning: 1. Focus on broad, important ideas rather than facts and skills2. Relate to the world of the student—relevance significance of learning! Choice! 3. Teach for independence! Provide structure and support for student independence

Inspiration: role models, biographies of leadersOpportunities: for practicing leadership skills

Tools: strategies for problem-finding, creative thinkingSupport, Encouragement: Follow through of ideas, social action