Creativity Workshops in the Regular Classroom.

"Although the creativity lessons were completed several weeks ago, my class still feel the effects. Can you teach / encourage / learn creativity ? Yes. Everyone benefits all ages and all abilities."

First Grade Teacher

For the last eight years I have experimented with teaching creativity in elementary and middle school classrooms. In each situation, I adapted a creativity curriculum model designed for use in the regular classroom. The model is called TLC, Ten Lessons In Creativity, co authored with Robin Hands as part of a masters thesis in gifted education at Johnson State College in Vermont.

The techniques developed for this model were based on:

* development of creative abilities (Davis, 1986; Shallcross 1981; Torrance, 1977)

* development of positive attitudes related to creativity (Davis, 1986; Shallcross, 1981)

* experimented with perceptual shifts (Davis, 1986; Perkins, 1981)

* practice with imagery (Eberle, 1971; Lowery, 1982)

* developing an understanding of meta-creativity (Brunch, 1988; Pesut, 1990)

* opportunities for product development (Renzulli & Ries, 1985; Treffinger, 1986)

* reinforcing a belief in one's own calling (Shallcross, 1981; Torrance, 1989).

The purpose of the research was to determine the effects of the TLC model on attitudes and abilities related to the creativity of students in the regular classroom. We field tested the model in a self-contained sixth grade classroom and used both qualitative and quantitative pre- and post-treatment measures. Although creativity is usually part of the curriculum in gifted education, we believed that all children could benefit from this instruction, and felt that the field testing of TLC should occur in the regular classroom setting.

The results revealed that the children who participated in the lessons demonstrated:

* increased knowledge of creative abilities and attitudes as evidence by use of vocabulary

* increased meta-creative awareness

* increased creative abilities

* increased development of attitudes related to creativity (Hands, 1991 & Mildrum 1991).

Although gifted students are sometimes best served in homogeneous settings specifically tailored to their intellectual and emotional needs, creativity lessons can be transferred to heterogeneous settings without compromising instructional quality for the gifted population. My conviction that creativity workshops are effective in regular classrooms has strengthened over the years because the original findings are consistently repeated in each new situation. It is a joy to watch creative potential unfold in all types of children.

Model Considerations

The lessons based on Ten Lessons in Creativity engage students in reflection, production and presentation. Woven throughout, is an emphasis on developing a personal understanding of one's own creative process and the creative processes of others. There is consistent teacher reinforcement of a working vocabulary of the creative abilities: fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration; and of creative attitudes such as persistence, risk taking, independence, and curiosity.

Usually the classes meet once a week for one hour over six to ten weeks. The classroom teacher and I collaborate on the planning and implementation. Everyday household objects, art supplies, biographies of creative people and some trade books are used for materials. At the beginning of each lesson the class is told what creative abilities or attitudes they will work with, and the objectives are clearly stated.

In the first lesson, the children compose a class definition of creativity. After a brainstorming session, one fourth grade settled on, "Creativity is cool, it is everything around you. It is thinking, it is learning new things, it is solving problems." Then we make a class mural; using creativity as a metaphor, we finish the sentence, "Creativity is ... " The students use markers to create a section on mural paper which includes the finished sentence and an illustration. When the mural is completed, each child explains his or her work, and the group responds with questions and comments. Immediately in the first lesson, creative talent jumps off the paper and recognition is given to the unique ideas that appeal to others in the group.

After establishing the general topic in the first class, following lessons deal directly with specific creative abilities and attitudes. In the flexibility lesson, for example, the children are asked to apply the synectic method of combining two ideas to create a novel idea. As an introduction, flexibility is defined as the ability to look at things differently, or trying a new approach -- stretching into something new. Inventions are then discussed that are combinations, such as clock-radios and snow-boards. In the activity, students pair up and select two things out of a collection of miscellaneous items which might include: a flashlight, forks, bottle caps, paper towel rolls, plastic toys, a top, string ... They are asked to put their two things together to invent something novel that has a function different from either of the individual items. When each pair is ready, they explain their creation. The audience is very interested to see what their peers have come up with, and they always respond enthusiastically to the "stand out" ideas. This simple activity gets them thinking about flexibility as a creative ability.

Although it is a paradox to teach creativity using a rigidly defined structure, many of the techniques are simply sound teaching methods: introduction, practice, reinforcement, review and evaluation. The students are prompted to notice exceptional interpretations to learn from each other, and to piggy back on interesting ideas. The classes develop an atmosphere of cooperation, experimentation and appreciation for outstanding work. As the lessons progress the children realize that, like any skill, creativity improves with practice.

Creativity Instruction: An Ambassador for Gifted Education

"I was challenged by the teaching approach in the creativity lessons. It is more convenient for me to fall back on books and workbooks. Hopefully this will bring me to use more of a mixture in my approach to teaching."

Seventh Grade Teacher

In gifted education, original thinking, the world of possibilities, and an appreciation of the unusual are often highlighted. In regular education, teachers are primarily focused on getting through a curriculum and student achievement of academic skills. There is an emphasis on convergent rather than divergent thinking and most often, the creative potential of students is not a consideration.

Working on creativity lessons collaboratively with an enrichment teacher gives classroom teachers first hand experience with child centered philosophies in gifted education such as recognizing and supporting talent and working from areas of strength. During the creativity lessons, classroom teachers see the effects of teaching strategies based on these principles. In the classes, the students are energetic and motivated because they sense that their ideas are important. Teachers become much more comfortable with supporting individual creative expression as they experience the positive learning environment that develops when each child's unique abilities are honored.

I believe that many classroom teachers are skeptical about the child centered nature of gilled education. They are not accustomed to working with students as the center of the process, and are entrenched in a teacher down mentality. In gifted education one is almost forced to be child centered because we work with children who need challenges, beyond the basics. We have to listen carefully to our students; they are dead serious about their interests, and are emphatic about their own learning preferences. In partnership with our students, we build on strengths and interests to create meaningful experiences that synthesize and integrate information. Many classroom teachers are afraid to take that leap of faith which gives students more control over their own learning.

As cooperating teachers have observed me in the stance of total respect for each child's ideas during the creativity lessons, they begin to understand that honoring and respecting each child's contribution isn't a threat to education, it's a catalyst for learning. Maybe the teacher doesn't always have to be right, maybe there can be more than one way to approach a problem, maybe the children know more than the teacher!

An extraordinary alchemy occurs when the practical wisdom of a classroom teacher mixes with skills in nurturing the creative potential of students. Sometime after completing a series of lessons with a first grade teacher she wrote to me saying, "The creativity spills over into everything they do, they have more self-confidence and are much more productive."

Creativity Workshops Affirm the Highly Creative Child

"The kids were really supportive of each other, they were positive in complimenting each other on what they did for their projects, and gave supportive suggestions."

Seventh Grade Teacher

Highly creative children often experience negative social cues in a heterogeneous classroom because of their off beat approach and unusual perspective is sometimes misunderstood or not appreciated. Most of the time, their unique ideas have no outlet in a classroom environment geared toward acquisition of basic skills.

When a class is focused on lessons that have creative development as the goal, children with creative ability are given an audience and an opportunity to use their talent! Each lesson has time built in for explanation of work and peer response. The children are generous with positive feedback, knowing instinctively when something is exceptional! Often the praise takes the form of curiosity and questions.

"Where did you get that idea?"

"Why did you decide to make it with those materials?"

"How did you do that?"

Excitement and interest explode when a student's work captures the group's imagination.

During the elaboration lesson, students are asked to come up with a novel use for a paper plate. We provide them with a wide array of art materials for elaboration such as: glue, felt squares, pipe cleaners, sequins, yarn, feathers, buttons, wood scraps and tissue paper. They then create something unique using a paper plate as the base. Typically ordinary responses include: masks, flowers, containers or mobiles, but one of a kind ideas also emerge. One seventh grade boy worked diligently on a computer designed to store the tales of his Native American grandfather. "Each button represents different subjects, like animal stories, tales of the hunt or tales of ancestors," he proudly told his classmates. "The idea is to keep the stories in a safe place so that they will never be lost, and can always be found," he said as he pointed out details for headphones and disk storage.

The other students and his teachers were impressed and asked many questions about his work. This particular child, was often disruptive in school and the object of negative attention from teachers and students. Yet during this class, he displayed a sense of pride, he was productive and articulate, and his classmates and teachers demonstrated a new level of respect for him. The experience of being appreciated and respected by age peers strengthens the self-esteem of highly creative children, who often feel alienated by their talent.

Creativity and Self-Esteem

"I want to say, that I am doing something on self-esteem with my students and the creativity lessons definitely increased their self-esteem."

Sixth Grade Teacher

As students participate in creativity workshops they modify their work without fear of failure, learning to trust their own ideas, and developing the ability to reflect on the process. Each child feels successful in the non-competitive environment where flexibility and cooperation are encouraged.

Abraham Maslow made a distinction between special talent creativeness which refers to achievements resulting from rigorous training, talent and commitment, and self-actualizing creativeness, which springs from personality and the tendency to approach all aspects of life in a creative manner. He viewed great talent to be irrelevant to the concern of pursuing life in a creative manner and realizing a healthy existence which he termed, "essentially human" (Maslow 1968). When children have experience with expansive attitudes related to creativity, they begin to feel more confident about who they are and what they have to contribute. When they sense it is sate to be themselves within the structure of a school setting, they demonstrate increased self-confidence.

Shallcross suggests that highly creative individuals respect themselves as a source as much as they respect external sources (Shallcross, 1981). As students gain experience with creativity lessons, I have seen attitudes of self-respect influencing their behavior. They work with serious determination, they cooperate with each other to refine ideas, and they take pride in presenting and responding to each other's work.

Creativity Instruction: Not Just For Gifted and Talented

"I saw some creative abilities that I had not tapped into at all, especially in writing. One girl's spelling and mechanics are terrible, but her ideas are fantastic, that kind of appeared on the first mural that we did."

Seventh Grade Teacher

Creative abilities exist in varying degrees in all students (Shallcross 1981). Unfortunately, as children become socialized in school, they are conditioned to find the correct answer. In their quest to be right, their abilities to experiment with ideas and to trust their instincts are neglected. If they do not learn to distinguish their unique voice, it can be irretrievably lost.

When children define creativity, have opportunities to be creative, and learn the language to articulate their own creativity, they celebrate their individuality. There is no fear of failure because all ideas have value. At the same time, they experience the struggle of working through frustration to arrive at a product that reflects their intention. They become aware of outstanding creative contributions by classmates, and internalize what they have noticed. As students explain their work at the end of each class, an atmosphere of mutual respect develops and competition gives way to a sense of community. There is always enough creativity for everyone and every child's work is validated as he or she gets feedback from the group.

During the course of the creativity lessons, classroom teachers begin to see individual students through a new lens. For example, children who resist structure often demonstrate fluency, flexibility or original thinking. In many cases, classroom teachers were surprised by the children who emerged as highly creative, because some of them were not successful in school. It follows that when a classroom teacher has knowledge of a student's creative abilities he or she will capitalize on this area of strength to support academics.

My course work in gifted education has helped me acquire the skills necessary to teach creativity with intention. No doubt, gifted education is an essential hot house for originating programs in creativity. However, it is important to bring this information into mainstream education because some students who do not qualify for gifted programs are highly creative, and all children have some degree of creativity that can be developed further. Every child benefits from learning about creativity and their own creative process, and the lessons learned in creativity workshops relate to all areas of a child's development. I've had many unforgettable experiences teasing out and supporting creative potential in students and teachers in heterogeneous settings, piecing together crazy quilts of creative expression, made more beautiful by the diversity they represent.

REFERENCES

Brach, C. (1988). Meta-creativity: Awareness of thoughts and feelings during creative experiences. Journal of creative behavior, 22, 2, 112-122

Davis, G. (1989). Creativity is forever. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall Hunt Publishing Co..

Eberle, B. (1987). Scamper. Buffalo, New York: DOK Publishing.

Hands, R. (1991). Implementing ten lessons in creativity in the regular classroom: effects on abilities associated with creativity. Johnson, Vt.: Johnson State College.

Lowery, j. (1982). Developing creativity in gifted children. Gifted Child Quarterly, 26, 3, 133-138.

Maslow, A.H. (1968). Creativity in self-actualizing people, toward a psychology of being. New York, New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company.

Mildrum, N. K. (1991). Implementing ten lessons in creativity in the regular classroom: effects on abilities associated with creativity. Johnson, Vt.: Johnson State College.

Perkins, D. (1981). The mind's best work. Cambridge, Mass.; Harvard University Press.

Pesut, D. J. (1990). Creative thinking as a self-regulatory recta-cognitive process - a model for education training and further research. Journal of Creative Behavior, 24, 4, 105-109.

Renzulli, S. j. & Reis, S. (1985). The schoolwide enrichment model. Mansfield Center, Conn.: Creative Learning Press.

Shallcross, D. (1981). Teaching creative behavior: How to teach creativity to children of all ages. Englewood Cliffs, N/J/: Prentice Hall.

Torrance, E. P. (1977). Creativity in the classroom. Washington, D.C.: national Education Association.

Torrance, E. P. (1998). On the shoulders of giants. The Educational Forum, 53, 2, 117-124.

Treffinger, D. J. (1986). Research on creativity. Gifted Child Quarterly, 30, 1, 15-19.

Nancy K. Mildrum is the Enrichment Coordinator at the Georgia Elementary and Middle School in Georgia, Vermont.