In attempting to balance the requirements of social structure and the empowering initiative of creativity in children, numerous obstacles must be confronted, including insecurity; fear of uncertainty; ritualistic problem solving; dogmatic, dichotomous thinking; inner resourcelessness; lack of playfulness; restricted affect; forcing premature…

Gifted students can learn to direct their thinking to maximize learning and creative production. They do this by stating what they intend to do, choosing strategies and appropriate conditions for thinking, and self-monitoring. The article describes techniques for developing self-directed thinking and applies these techniques to a class assignment.…

The article describes an inservice teacher training program which is teaching Brazilian teachers to (1) be more aware of their own creativity, (2) creativity enhancing techniques and exercises to use in the classroom, (3) basic concepts about creative thinking and problem solving, and (4) increased awareness of obstacles to creative development.…

A clinical psychologist recounts her childhood efforts to develop creatively despite the discouragements of many of the adults in her world. (DB)

The recession, reorganization of work, and total quality management are spurring emphasis on creativity training in the workplace. A wide spectrum of techniques are being used to influence the generation of new ideas, although documentation of the benefits is difficult. (SK)

This paper proposes that, contrary to the idea that creativity declines during the second half of life, observed changes may actually reflect qualitative changes in the creative process. Life span developmental theory is used to examine empirical and theoretical ideas about mature forms of thinking in relation to creativity. (DB)

Discusses principles of Montessori music education, examining the fundamental characteristics of childhood and the role that music plays in development. Explores the inner satisfaction that comes from experiencing movement with music through compositions and folk music. Emphasizes the Montessori practices of meeting sensorimotor needs of children…

This study asked 95 beginning and 116 experienced elementary teachers in Singapore to rate the usefulness of 33 learning activities for fostering creativity. Three clusters were identified. About two thirds of the experienced teachers' and one fifth of the beginning teachers' ratings indicated little differentiated preference among learning…

Investigated the components of artistic style in young children, using longitudinal studies and a retrospective measure in which judges used children's later drawings to identify their art from earlier in childhood. Explored the concept of "artworld" as an aid in elucidating children's art and style by accounting for the "how"…

The drama hike is a walk in the woods, in which children observe nature and engage in an imaginative search for a "lost civilization" or "strange creatures." Instructions cover scouting out the area beforehand, preparing the children, leading the hike, followup activities, suggestions for creative sites, ideas for language and…

Artists have a long portfolio tradition. Some start to put together their portfolios before they have had any formal training or even before they have any notion of becoming an artist. They simply begin to collect and organize their work, sharing it from time to time with family and friends, perhaps as an occasional exhibition. Later, in the…

This article, which is speculative in outlook and emerges from an extended literature review on this subject, takes as its basic premise the notion that the idea of "creativity"--whether in relation to literacy, schooling or the economy, is constructed as a series of rhetorical claims. These rhetorics of creativity emerge from the contexts of…

This article provides an overview of one Canadian provincially initiated curriculum reform effort in which several generic learning outcomes were established. It also presents a flexible, practical, and integrated framework for the development, implementation, and evaluation of program-level learning outcomes in undergraduate curricula contexts.…

Music education is not just about learning to perform with voices and instruments; it is about guiding students toward understanding music, what it is, how it works, and what it does to and for human beings. One of the goals often expressed for music education is the nurturing of students' creativity, and opportunities for students to express…

This paper explores definitions of creativity, theories and models of creativity, and the classic stages of creativity. Creativity is best defined in terms of an interactive process. The creative process in adults often results in creative and useful products, and such creativity is judged in terms of their quantity and quality of patents,…