This article offers guidelines for developing a national climate for creativity and invention. It recalls the post-Sputnik climate in the United States and notes evidence of Japan's increasing commitment to creativity. It recommends encouraging students to imagine themselves as inventors, providing early training in inventing skills, and…

This study investigated the long-term impact of the Master of Science Degree in Creative Studies at Buffalo State College (New York) on the personal and professional lives of 38 graduates. Results indicated that graduates have integrated their knowledge of creative problem solving into both their professional and personal lives. Six tables detail…

Alumni directors can bring creative ideas to traditional tasks by taking a new look at the problem, being aware of personal creative peaks, seeking perspectives outside the office staff, acknowledging that creativity is an attitude, putting new ideas to work, and having fun. (MSE)

Forty preschool children were observed in outdoor play areas and interviewed about their perceptions of the observed play. The children's teachers were also interviewed. It was found that a significant negative correlation existed between physical play and creative play and that the majority of children perceived that outdoor play was independent…

Comparison of 107 kindergarten children who either were or were not in a gifted program and received or did not receive special training in synectics (a strategy to facilitate creative thinking) found significant improvement in creativity scores for experimental but not control groups but not more for gifted than for nongifted children. (Author/DB)

An elementary music education program designed to encourage creativity and cooperative learning was evaluated over a year with 42 experimental and 61 control fourth-grade students. Results indicated that the elementary music teachers involved were able to adapt cooperative-learning models which influenced students' creativity and attitudes toward…

Measures of learning appropriate to museums are explored, including the following: (1) time on task; (2) knowledge gain; (3) thinking and problem solving; (4) motivation; and (5) creativity or intellectual provocation. Museums promote different kinds of learning, but all are interested in knowledge gain and thinking. (SLD)

Future scenario writing is presented as a combined writing and problem-solving technique that identifies alternative ways of thinking about situations. Uses of future scenario writing in family problem solving include setting family goals, communicating growth resulting from new experiences, resolving family problems, encouraging family…

In the Dictagloss method, a short text is read at normal speed to a class of learners who jot down familiar words as they listen. Students then gather in small groups to review and reconstruct a version of the text and then compare their version with that of other groups. Implications for creativity and memory are discussed. (three references) (LB)

The Future Problem Solving Program involves teams of students from grades 4-12 in creative problem solving. The teams complete practice problems and competitive problems. Winning teams go on to state and international competitions. Other program components include noncompetitive problem solving for primary-level students, community problem…

Four young men who had participated in the national competition of the Future Problem Solving (FPS) Program 10 years earlier offer reflections about their FPS experience. Their coach concludes that the program equips young people with the vision and skills needed to anticipate and solve problems and build better tomorrows. (JDD)

This panel interview from the Indiana University Summer Arts Institute finds Enid Zimmerman and Gilbert Clark reporting on their recent research about screening and educating artistically talented students. The role of prepared portfolios in student evaluation is discussed and commentary from other members of the panel included. (PB)

This discussion from the Indiana University Summer Arts Institute finds panelists considering screening methods for arts students, including portfolio preparation, site-specific creation of art work, and batteries of tests and tasks. Procedures used at the Israel academy, developmental processes in creative students, and differences in student…

The Quest Program at Chabot College (California) holds Fine Arts for Elders classes in long-term care facilities. Convincing the residents to participate requires special nurturing, but eventually their creative expression restores feelings of self-worth. (SK)

Describes the artist-in-residence program of the San Diego, California schools and the Maxwell H. Gluck Foundation. This program which serves over 100 schools of many cultures is making its mark on the landscape in the form of site-specific sculptures, earth works, and community-oriented murals. (KM)