Creativity

Mention the word creativity, and most of our minds will turn automatically to
art. We think of paintings and sculpture, perhaps even dance and music. We may include
the artist in our minds eye picture, a person with uncommon talents who is able to
invent a work that is meaningful to others, but may be considered somewhat eccentric or
other-worldly. Art is often considered impractical and less than necessary. I want to
consider creativity and art in a different way, a way that allows each person to connect
with their inner creativity, enables each one to become an artist, and elevates art as an
essential component of education.
Creativity has actually become one of the most sought-after qualities of the age in
which we live. It has applications in every facet of our culture, from the most obvious, the
arts, to technology, psychology, education, and even business. In this 21
st
century, change
is constantly taking place. Creativity as part of ones character allows for flexibility,
adaptability, and innovative and divergent thinking. All of these characteristics are
desirable. Dr. Mark Batey, speaking from the perspective of the business world, states:
Against a backdrop of uncertainty, economic turmoil and unprecedented change
a new picture is emerging of the skills and traits for success (and perhaps even
simply survival) in the modern era. At the heart of this essential skillset for the
future lies... creativity. (Batey, 2012, paragraph one)
Defining the components of creativity is a difficult task, though. Each person has their
own idea of what creativity is, and what makes a person creative. Is everyone able to be
creative, or is it elusively available to only those born with such a predisposition?
My own definition of creativity is more of a description, because I do not believe
there are any terms that can finitely pin down its meaning. There are, however, many
terms that I use descriptively, which look at creativity from a variety of perspectives. In
describing what creativity is, I will begin with what it is not: . . . the opposite of creativity
is not tradition, but thoughtless habit and routine (Wiener, 2000, as cited in Starko, 2010,
p. 25). The word that captures my attention in that statement is thoughtless.
Thoughtlessness is the opposite of thoughtfulness, or active thought, which is one
ingredient of creativity, perhaps even being the driving force. There have been
connections made between creativity and intelligence, from the assertion that creativity is
an intellectual operation (Guilford, 1959, 1986, 1988, as cited in Starko, 2010), to an ability
made possible through accumulated learning and experiences, combined with
commitment and persistence (Weisberg, 1993, 2006, as cited in Starko, 2010). As we
might expect, there is a correlation between intelligence and creativity, with the latter
increasing as the former does. A surprise might be that there is an actual decrease in
creativity when intelligence exceeds an approximate IQ of 120 (Starko, 2010). It is
possible to be too smart to be creative. This portrayal of creativity as a function of normal
brainpower brings it within the realm of the average person. Two other terms included in
Weisbergs picture of creativity, stated above, are commitment and persistence. These
terms lead us to another facet of creativity, that of work.
The cutting of the gem has to be finished before you can see whether it shines,
states Leonard Cohen, award winning song-writer, poet and novelist (Popova,n.d.). What
do these words mean, besides the obvious? First of all, someone had to learn how to cut
the gem, which took education and practice. Next, work had to be done to cut the gem.
We may assume the presence of the stone and the tools required for gem cutting. In a
classroom setting, this metaphor confirms a need for creative materials and tools, from
sources that bring information and people and art into a childs life, to tools to use that
knowledge, such as paper, pencils, paint and paintbrush, clay, cardboard, computers, and
so much more. Thirdly, but not finally, the gem is examined and the work is evaluated.
Does the gemstone shine? What if it doesnt? Has the child learned? The gem-cutter
may give up, or keep working on the stone. The child receives her graded work. Will she
want to give up, or keep learning? At that point, the question may become, is the gem-
cutter/student engaged in his craft out of his own interests, or those of another?
The personal characteristics of persistence and commitment to task are common
to creative persons, but only when the work they are doing is of intrinsic value to them
they are doing something that they have chosen to do, and like to do. Starko (2010, p. 96)
states, For high-level creativity to occur, individuals must stick at a task long enough to
develop creative ideas, and individuals will take that time when they are enjoying what
they do.
An additional personality attribute of creative persons is a willingness to take risks
(Starko, 2010). The risks that creative persons take usually involve how they or their
creative work is perceived by their social world and culture. Throughout history, creative
persons of all venues have been deemed crazy by their contemporaries, In a classroom,
these children are the ones that are brave enough to express a different opinion from the
rest of their peers, or show their work on the board for a problem they are not sure they
got right. This takes courage. As an educator, I want to encourage the children in my
classroom to be willing to take risks, even to make mistakes, so I must establish an
atmosphere that will allow that to happen without negative consequences. In fact, a goal
of mine is to promote a classroom community in which all true efforts are affirmed, and
mistakes can be celebrated as proof of thoughtfulness and active thinking.
Children in school are often working at educational endeavors that are not
interesting to them, and their interest in the work is unimportant to the lesson providers,
while their investment and engagement in it is very important. In these educational
settings, the goal is a certain product of the students work, the right score. Elliot Eisner,
champion of art education and creativity, states, What we are now doing is creating an
industrial culture in our schools . . . We flirt with payment by results, we pay practically
no attention to the idea that engagement in school can and should provide intrinsic
satisfactions . . . (Eisner, 2002, para. 12). His alternative to this point collection
methodology is to develop artists in our classrooms, meaning individuals who have
developed the ideas, the sensibililties, the skills, and the imagination to create work that
is well proportioned, skillfully executed, and imaginative, regardless of the domain
(Eisner, 2002, para. 18), where the quality of the journey is more educationally
significant than the speed at which the destination is reached (Eisner, 2002, para. 47).
Creativity, active thinking, willingness to take risks, and participating in a
worthwhile and engaging journey through education are all ideals that I have for my
students and my classroom. These characteristics will not spontaneously occur without
some cultivation and intentionality on my part. There are tangible and intangible
elements that must be added to the environment for creativity to flourish. I need to be
explicit in communicating to my students my desire for them to fully participate in their
learning experiences, to enjoy doing so, having a freedom to ask questions and pursue
their own answers. I will need to listen to them, observe them, participate along with
them, allowing them to take part in planning the direction of lessons, when appropriate,
and even evaluating the quality of work that is being accomplished. Work products will
be produced for assessment purposes, yes, and knowledge will be shared, but the goal is
to have a process in place for deep and meaningful thought that incorporates that
knowledge. The tangible needs of this learning community include a wide variety of
media and fodder for creative expression, from books and interviews with adult experts,
to paper and paints and computer software. The most necessary and least accessible need
of this classroom, though, is time. Children need time to think, to process, to connect
dots in their learning, to make new dots, to share what they have learned, are learning,
and want to learn. Because I am an educator of young children, these goals are critical in
laying a foundation for life-long learning for my students. The window of opportunity for
capturing a childs interest in learning may be the widest during their first few years of
school. Selma Wasserman (1987, p. 293) sums up this concept well:
If you can keep up with the pace, it is a gift to teach young children. They will
bestow upon you their greatest treasures, their most intimate secrets, their hearts
desires, the depths of their feelings In the primary years, childrens curiosity to
know is unbounded and there is a zest for learning that is unparalleled at any
other stage of development. this fervor for learning is the greatest capital of the
primary teacher. To harness this energy and turn it into productive and significant
learning without diminishing its intensity or spirit ay, theres the rub.

This curiosity, zest, intensity, and energy is what I strive to collect and employ
through the units and lessons that I am planning and carrying out. If I can help each
child in my classroom believe in their own efficacy as persons and believe that their
thoughts have meaning and significance even if they are not always correct, I and they
will be successful. I am including an example of a unit I prepared on Persuasion, in table
format under the Persuasion Unit tab. I have highlighted those activities that are meant
to inspire creative thought, using different colors for differing processes (see legend at
bottom of table). This unit begins with a field trip to our downtown Harrisonburg, since it
is the common home town of all the students, whether they have lived here all their lives,
or are recent arrivals.


References:
Batey, M. (2012). Creativity is the key skill for the 21st century. The Creativity Post,

http://www.creativitypost.com/business/creativity_is_the_key_skill_for_the_21st_century
#sthash.ImbqaHMm.dpuf
Eisner, E. (2002) What can education learn from the arts about the practice of
education? the encyclopedia of informal education,
http://www.infed.org/biblio/eisner_arts_and_the_practice_of_education.html
Popova, M. (no date). Leonard Cohen on creativity, hard work, and why you should never
quit before you know what it is youre quitting. Brainpickings,
http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2014/07/15/leonard-cohen-paul-zollo-creativity/
Starko, A. J. (2010). Creativity in the classroom: Schools of curious delight. NY, NY:
Routledge.
Wasserman, S. (1987). Teaching strategies: Enabling children to develop personal power
through building self-respect. Childhood Education, 63(4).