Perspectives On Creativity

In Perspectives in Creativity experts in the psychology of creativity take stock of the field by examining their own experiences. The contributors relate how they embarked on their work, how their ideas developed, what in their thinking remained the same, what had changed, and how they evaluate their successes and failures. The introductory chapter provides a historical context for subsequent contributions. J. P. Guilford then describes the development of the field of creativity from the perspective of the Structure of Intellect model. Donald W. MacKinnon describes his work at the Institute of Personality Assessment and Research. J. W. Getzels and Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi recount in the following chapter how, though starting with a conception of creativity as a problem-solving process, they were driven through their work with artists to a conception of creativity as also a problem-finding process. In the fifth chapter, Frank M. Andrews describes his investigations of the social and psychological factors in scientific laboratories. Frank Barron examines the problem of creativity and alienation. Anne Roe analyzes the sources and development of paintings as reported by twenty artists. In the following chapter, Salvatore Maddi examines the widely held belief that social integration and a permissive environment are conducive to creative endeavor. In chapter 9, Calvin Taylor and Richard Ellison describe the development of the Utah program of assessment and intervention with regard to the creativity of children in the classroom. Next, Sidney Parnes discusses his work on "brainstorming" and its emphasis on a balance between imagination and judgment, freedom, and discipline. George Prince tells of the development of "synectics" since its early formulation and recounts its application to creative production in industry. E. Paul Torrance then examines recent creativity in the schools and describes his own efforts in devising diagnostic tests and educati

This edited volume provides a venue for scholars whose work challenges the typical, static conceptions, and methods of studying creativity. More specifically, the book will serve as an effort to introduce more dynamic definitions, conceptions, and approaches for studying creativity in the context of educational practice. By doing so, it feeds the strong contemporary need for more dynamic conceptions of creativity in educational settings. This is particularly important given the fast evolution of modern society and the widespread consensus that efforts to develop creative potential should be democratized -- extending well beyond the boundaries of the gifted subset and the walls of the classroom. This work recognizes that more dynamic perspectives on creativity are necessary for understanding its complexity, value, and meaning in educational contexts.

Recently, a new understanding of creative thought and creative performance has surfaced. It has also attracted the attention of early childhood professional organizations and researchers. Professional organizations have included it in their publications and conferences. While current creativity researchers have initiated a far more sophisticated understanding of young children’s creative thinking, ways to assess creativity, strategies to promote creativity, and research methodologies. The purpose of this volume is to present a wide range of different theories and areas in the study of creativity to help researchers and theorists work toward the development of different perspectives on creativity with young children. It focuses on critical analyses and reviews of the literature on topics related to creativity research, development, theories, and practices. It will serve as a reference for early childhood education researchers, scholars, academics, general educators, teacher educators, teachers, graduate students, and scientists to stimulate further “dialogue” on ways to enhance creativity. The chapters are of high quality and provide scholarly analyses of research studies that capture the full range of approaches to the study of creativity --- behavioral, clinical, cognitive, cross-cultural, developmental, educational, genetic, organizational, psychoanalytic, psychometric, and social. Interdisciplinary research is also included, as is research within specific domains such as art and science, as well as on critical issues (e.g., aesthetics, genius, imagery, imagination, insight, intuition, metaphor, play, problem finding and solving). Thus, it offers critical analyses on reviews of research in a form that are useful to early childhood researchers, scholars, educators, and graduate students. It also places the current research in its historical context. The volume is also of interest to the general readers who are interested in the young children’s creativity. The chapters are authored by established scholars in the field of young children’s creativity.

The book titled "International Perspectives on Creativity in the Foreign Language Classrooms" aspires to provide a reflective and descriptive account of creative practices as well as research related to creativity from an international perspective. In particular, through a collection of 12 studies conducted in various countries and continents, an attempt is made to provide readers with creative examples of teaching practice and research incentives, as proposed and presented by the authors of this collected edition. The contributors of this book report and reflect on classroom practices that increase motivation, promote creative learning, heighten learners' creativity, enhance their learning potential and their multicultural sensitivity. They discuss challenges of applications in diverse contexts based on playful activities and stories that develop a creative learning environment in a foreign language classroom. Some other studies focus on multiple intelligences theory approach making students 'know' and 'apply' the appropriate behaviour and they present creative ways and multisensory approaches of approaching dyslexic students in a language classroom. The authors provide perspectives from different angles on the above mentioned issues demonstrating that multiliteracies practices, games, different art forms, popular-culture texts, digital storytelling and interactive activities could be effective tools in foreign language learning.

Current, comprehensive, and authoritative, this text gives language teachers and researchers, both a set of conceptual tools with which to think and talk about creativity in language teaching and a wealth of practical advice about principles and practices that can be applied to making their lessons more creative. Providing an overview of the nature of creativity and its role in second language education, it brings together twenty prominent language teachers and researchers with expertise in different aspects of creativity and teaching contexts to present a range of theories on both creative processes and how these processes lead to creative practices in language teaching. Unique in the field, the book takes a broader and more critical look at the notion of creativity in language learning, exploring its linguistic, cognitive, sociocultural and pedagogic dimensions. Structured in four sections— theoretical perspectives, creativity in the classroom, creativity in the curriculum, and creativity in teacher development—each chapter is supplemented by Questions for Discussion and Suggestions for Further Research. Its accessible style makes the book relevant as both a course text and a resource for practicing teachers.

The creative process refers to the sequence of thoughts and actions that are involved in the production of new work that is both original and valuable in its context. This book examines this process across the domains of visual art, writing, engineering, design and music. It characterizes each domain’s creative process based on evidence stemming from creators’ accounts of their own activity and a wide-range of observational material and theories specific to each field. Results from empirical research are then presented across a set of closely linked chapters, using a common set of methodologies that seek to trace the creative process as it unfolds. This highly interdisciplinary edited collection offers valuable insight into the creative process for scholars and practitioners in the fields of psychology, education, and creative studies, as well as for any other readers interested in the creative process. Todd Lubart brings together a group of authors who are themselves actively involved in their respective creative fields and invites readers to adopt a broad perspective on the creative process in order to unravel some of its mysteries.

Perspectives on Creativity: Volume 2 extends the work of the first volume and examines creativity from multiple viewpoints. The volume contains contributions from writers, therapists, artists, and scholars from disciplines as diverse as psychology and French. The first section addresses the nature of creativity and highlights the role of self-discipline in the creative process. The second section asks what we can learn from studying artists and presents qualitative, phenomenological, quantitative, and archival research on both individuals and groups of artists. The third section discusses the use of creativity within the therapeutic setting, as well as the particular therapeutic needs of creative individuals. The final section of the book presents research exploring creative cognition and its relationship to mood and perception. What makes this book unique is the interdisciplinary consideration of the topic of creativity, the inclusion of works ranging from case studies to theoretical essays, making it appealing to individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds.

In this provocative collection of essays, an interdisciplinary group of eminent thinkers and writers offer their thoughts on how embracing creativity - tapping into the originality of everyday life - can lead to improved physical and mental health, to new ways of thinking, of experiencing the world and ourselves. They show how creativity can refine our views of human nature at an individual and societal level and, ultimately, change our paradigms for survival - and for flourishing - in a world fraught with urgent challenges.