How IS creativity defined? Why do we value
creativity? Do we measure creativity in students to be able to facilitate
creative growth?
How then do we measure creativity? Should we?
Why? Do we assess to measure creativity, or to identify it? What do we do with
this knowledge? What relationships exist between descriptions of creativity,
and the tools used to measure it? How reliable are popular creativity tests
(e.g. Torrance Tests, Consensual Assessment Tests)in terms of indicating creativity? Are there
any tests that successfully measure the multiple aspects of creativity? How
have tests of creativity changed since they were pioneered? What is the point
of assessing creativity? What is the point of assessment in general – do the
reasons extend to assessment of creativity?
To what extent do creativity
tests predict giftedness? Is creativity a successful predictor of giftedness?
How is giftedness defined? What parallels exist between the definitions of
“gifted people” and definitions of “creative people”?
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These are the questions floating around in my head as I wade through a very large pile of literature on the topic. I hope to be able to find some answers.
This is part three of Steve Hargadon's Teacher 2.0: Using the Web for Your Personal and Professional Growth.
"...Write down something(s) you love doing or something(s) you love learning about."
Perfect timing for me today, as I have just returned from doing something I love doing, that I haven't had the opportunity to do for a long time: Photography.
Among the many hats I put on, I am a photographer. I run a small wedding & portrait photography business called Natasha Glaister Photography. This year my photography has been a little neglected, as between full time teaching, part time M.Ed, running a house, and seeing my husband occasionally, there hasn't been a great deal of spare time. It is my one passion that is 'for me', and something I truly enjoy, particularly when the creative energy is flowing!
I love all aspects of photography, being able to see the light, visualise how I can capture it, then succeed in doing so is a wonderfully rewarding process. If I can then capture something that other people enjoy, that is a bonus!
My students loved discovering my passion for photography, and I have just started running an "E-Lective" for those that are interested in exploring their own interest in photography. I have never taught a "creative" subject prior to this year (and now I'm teaching music as well!), and I am really enjoying the different approaches.
I love getting to know each of my student's passions every year, and next term I have invited them to explore an area that they are passionate about in extensive detail, with the completion of "Passion Projects". The idea is that they will explore something that they are passionate about, and will be paired up with an industry expert, a 'mentor', in their field of interest. It's very open ended, and I am excited to see what they come up with!
*** All photos in today's post are my own, captured this afternoon at the Tesselaar Tulip Festival in Silvan.
It took me a little while to get around to blogging about it, but I really wanted to share what we got up to on Thursday of this week.
Thursday morning, we had an extended Pastoral Care session, in which my
students commenced writing their proposals for their Personal Learning
Projects that they will be completing next term. Once they have decided
on their area of interest, I will use my professional network to link
them up with a mentor, who will help them in the completion of their
projects. They were blogging, posting on our class website message
board, and beginning to establish their own Personal Learning Network by
setting up their Google Reader accounts.
Hopefully they can become truly networked!
After recess, they were finalising their Ancient History research projects, the product of 6 weeks' work. Tasks like comparing and contrasting ancient and modern religions, redesigning a legacy of a civilisation, and creating the laws that they would have invented had they been in power are rich, promoting deep learning. Not having had an opportunity as yet to have an in-depth look at the work they have produced, I am very excited to see what they have developed.
In the next session I had arranged for the students to take advantage of an opportunity set up by the Department of Educatoion and Early Childhood Development's Next Practice Division - a video conference with NASA astronaut Rex Walheim! The topic for year seven next term is 'Space Rocks', so it was a great opportunity to hook them in, and although he didn't get to answer the questions the students had prepared, they were still enthralled, finding out the truth about going to the toilet in space (vacuums are involved!) and discovering that after a few days in zero gravity, your back starts to ache because you grow a little bit. Thankfully, the technology even played nicely, the only glitch (a faulty cable to the theatre's sound system) being overcome with a microphone held up to my laptop speakers.
The day finished with the students presenting their terms' learning to an audience of year nine students and some other teachers. We heard the story of Cleopatra's life, the story of a young Aztec girl sold into slavery, and saw a functional recreation of Roman aqueducts, among many other amazing presentations. They assessed each others' work, providing praise and constructive criticism.
While I was there the whole time, guiding, leading, monitoring, providing feedback, suggesting new directions, the day was not about me, it was about my students, and what they were learning. It was amazing to finish the term on such a high, and makes me dread leaving them in just 10 short weeks.
"An inherent curiosity, and ability and willingness to challenge convention; to engage with ideas, make connections and draw conclusions, then intentionally think and act beyond these."
Gifted students rarely let on that there is something missing from their learning. The creative world of their earliest years has lost its validity. They have been forced to let it go. Their sense of wonder has begun to fade.
Learning has become less about them as individuals and more about their ability to comply with a set of arbitrary expectations. These gifted learners who had an abundance of curiosity and inspiration become particularly disheartened.
While traditional extension programs focus heavily on vertical extension, they ignore the creativity that arises from lateral exploration. Creativity revives unused talents and interests, and extends the gifted learner in significant ways. Academics and creativity do not belong on separate poles. Gifted learners, when freed from artificial constraints, will pursue learning at their own level AND explore its creative edge.
It is a great tragedy that surprisingly few gifted children become creative adults. simply being intelligent does not guarantee a creative future. Over time, gifted students tend to approach their education as a means to an end.
Gifted learners need time to step back from destructive conditions and make their own contributions to what they are learning. If we can integrate creativity into the curriculum, we can awaken inside our learners their own freely creative spirit.
We need to give gifted students power over their learning. Many struggle with motivation. The creative process motivates, through its positive contribution to emotional well-being and intellectual growth, through promotion of higher order thinking.
Academics and creativity can naturally be woven together:
Allow the gifted learner to delve into material head first. They will draw on a wide range of sources, pose questions and gather the data they require
The gifted learner will then cast off into the depths, seeking a path of their own
Often, they will discover areas where their understanding or skills fall short
They will return with new questions and new problems
