Educators must realize that, in Japan, authentic learning means mastery of memorized information, not experiential learning and independent reasoning in preparation for life. Although many Japanese can recite long strings of facts, few can answer "why,""how,""what if," and "what do you think" questions about…

The contents of 67 college-level creativity course syllabi were analyzed. A theoretical framework emerged with five dimensions, including social climate, personality characteristics, models or theories, process involved, and product variables related to end results. (DB)

Administered Multidimensional Sense of Humor Scale and Edwards Personal Preference Schedule to 426 adults, aged 18 through 90. Findings suggest that men create humor more, although women used more coping humor. As age increased, so did humor creativity, coping humor, and humor appreciation. Those who sought to create humor appeared to have need…

Although divergent-thinking tests were once the most common creativity measure in psychological and educational research, their popularity among researchers is waning because of serious questions concerning validity. Recent research suggests that divergent-thinking test scores fail to predict real-world creativity. A task-specific approach may…

Examines Villanova University's decision to stop selling Cliffs Notes in its bookstore and attitudes toward Cliffs Notes, highlighting honest work, shortcuts, serious research, critical thinking, and original thinking. Provides the following advice for librarians: avoid being parental; avoid unexamined judgments; and avoid undervaluing Cliffs…

Creativity exercises, or creater-cizes, can help camp staff generate ideas and solve problems. Common techniques are brainstorming, story-boarding, analogies and metaphors, association and free association, spinning, and lists. Defines and gives examples of each technique. (SAS)

Presents a model of the relationship between the presented problem parameters of art assignments and the creative processes of students. Parameter types of instructions include incomplete, overly and inadequately restrictive, and expanding/contracting parameters. Parameters of student responses are categorized as disregarded, self-imposed, and…

Discusses artificial intelligence (AI) and the ideas of strong versus weak AI in relation to chess-playing computers. The concept of creativity is considered, and an attempt to develop a computer program capable of writing short stories is described. (LRW)

Four studies were conducted to assess gender differences in the effects of extrinsic motivation on creativity. Results indicate expectations of evaluation and work for reward lowered the creativity of middle school girls, but not that of boys. Expecting ungraded feedback reduced the negative impact of expecting evaluation and the gender…

Introduces this special issue on how educators in various countries facilitate creative thinking in their students. Notes that some of the articles contain information or examples demonstrating originality, flexibility, or important personality traits that contribute to creativity, such as risk-taking, and that others address the need for…

Analysis of interviews with seven teachers and 31 students (grades 3 and 4) suggested that both teachers and students believe that a classroom environment which enhances creativity provides students with choices, accepts different ideas, boosts self-confidence, and focuses on students' strengths and interests. In classrooms that inhibit…

Describes some of the methods a children's book illustrator has used to create a book using ordinary objects combined to form a type of collage. Discusses the importance of children having a place of their own to use materials and be creative and pays tribute to her parents' influence. (LRW)

Creativity is the ultimate therapeutic experience because it validates the creator's abilities and allows the risk taking that enables growth. An adventure therapy session involving a group of recovering adult substance abusers illustrates how creativity is used to organize the group, determine the group's needs, generate meaning, and translate…

An historical review of the alleged association between creativity and madness is followed by highlights from recent research in psychiatry and psychology that address this relationship. The nature of this link is explored from the perspective of several disciplines, and implications for the creative process in gifted education are discussed.…

Various perspectives on scientific giftedness are analyzed that lead to a framework for understanding it. It is suggested that authentic scientific creativity is a meshing of artistic and scientific abilities. Implications for gifted educators include the provision for artistic activities as a contributory factor in successful gifted science…