Explores how teachers at the Creative Arts Centre in Calgary (Alberta) create, maintain, and nurture aesthetic learning in their classrooms. The Centre, opened in 1997, has chosen to value the creating process, primary to the arts, in the school curriculum as a whole. During 1997 to 1998, 55 volunteers (primarily students and parents) explored…

Characterizes the telling and learning of political jokes as a powerful socializing tool for children to learn about the world. Maintains that this activity serves as a means of storing and transmitting social knowledge as well as information about the world of public affairs. Includes some representative examples. (MJP)

This two-part study examined aspects of family environments that are considered to be influential in the development of young children's creativity. Mothers of children ages 4 to 6 years were surveyed on their valuing of particular personality characteristics (The Ideal Child Checklist) and specific features of the home environment (The Creative…

The internationally accepted definition of gifted children includes a range of factors that contribute to giftedness, but makes no mention of the child's motivation, capacity for self-initiation, or ability to work independently. Using the current definition, schools and teachers remain bound to gifted identification based on academic achievement…

Four creativity tests were administered to 264 Sudanese students (ages 15-20) to investigate the differing effects upon creativity of traditional and modern education. Those receiving a modern education performed better on two tests measuring cognitive ability, while the traditionally educated group performed better on an Egyptian test measuring…

Discusses the problem of creativity in physics education, focusing on A-level (advanced level) and bachelor of education students. Reviews results indicating low performance in creativity tests by the two groups and suggests that many educational institutions are not enhancing the development of natural talent. (LS)

When Creative Problem Solving (CPS) was introduced into social studies programs, the students' participation in the classrooms began to change. They began to assume leadership roles and take on a sense of responsibility; they asked questions and worked cooperatively to decide on social action. In this article, the authors argue that CPS has the…

Fourteen Native Canadian intermediate students identified as creatively gifted were assigned to experimental or control groups. Pre- and posttests of creative potential indicated significant gains in originality scores of the experimental groups, who received training in fluency, flexibility, and originality through formation of objects and…

Purpose: To evaluate the long-term impact of three types of creativity training workshops conducted within an organization and contrast the influence of training compared with work environment factors in influencing employee innovation. Design/methodology/approach: A follow-up questionnaire was returned by 71 employees who had taken part in the…

This anthology consists of 7 presentations given by invited speakers and 15 essays that show how crafts form both a theoretical and practical discourse that deals with the most varied individual, cultural, and behavioral phenomena. They involve the concept of sloyd, derived from a Swedish word, an umbrella term for making or crafting things by…

Part of a series for early years teachers in Scotland, this guide focuses on ways to provide creative opportunities that support and enhance child development. The guide discusses how to respect children's creativity while observing and developing their skills and suggests practical and creative alternatives to the mass production of identical…

Looks at the concept of creativity, and provides an explanation of its development in humans using a socio-cognitive framework proposed by the psychologist Lev Vygotsky. Applies this theoretical framework to the development of, and attitude toward, creative thinking in the Chinese culture as contrasted with western cultures. (DSK)

Australian schools are expected to integrate various uses of digital technology across all subject areas. In many schools the effectiveness of this has been questionable with little application to the development of student's creativity. This paper reports on a pilot study investigating children's creativity during computer-based activities.…

These conference proceedings consider the unique needs of gifted and talented individuals, focusing on state-of-the-art knowledge regarding school reform initiatives, cooperative learning, creative achievement, social-emotional development, differentiated curriculum, charter schools, and parenting issues. Summaries are provided of the following…

Describes one creative writing teacher's use of an owl as a focal point for writing activities and how the writing activities aided the students' personal and creative development. Provides samples of student writing. (ARH)