Why Should Schools Be Interested in Creativity?

And, How Can We Nurture It? Bonnie Cramond, Ph.D.

Department of Educational Psychology and Instructional Technoloty

University of Georgia

Creativity is Analogous to Intelligence in Several Ways

•  Everyone has some •  It can be developed

and nurtured •  There are levels •  It can be expressed in

many ways •  It can be viewed as a

general ability and as a domain specific ability Bonnie Cramond

The University of Georgia

We Should Be Interested in Developing Creativity for the

Good of the Individual and the Society

Creative Expression Fosters Mental Health

Creative Students Can Become

Creative Adults •  Bevin Carnes •  She was “different” •  “In her own world” •  Other kids teased her •  Her parents encouraged her creativity and

supported her. •  Won an academy award in student division for

animated film •  Works for Disney •  http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4276368&affil=wsb

•  “Every talent that goes unused…every potential for making a contribution in any endeavor that goes unrecognized, or unstimulated, is a loss that cannot be measured nor can ever be retrieved.” Dr. Mary M. Frasier

Behaviors Associated with Creativity May Be Mistaken

•  Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

(ADHD)

•  Asperger’s Syndrome

•  Asocial or antisocial behavior

•  Clinical depression or Bipolar disorder

•  Etc.

Cognitive Processing

•  Spontaneous and diverse ideation--may be seen as hyperactive

•  Studies found higher ideation among ADHD students during problem-solving exercise

Comparison of ADHD and Creativity Attention and Interests

Often fails to finish things;

Frequently shifts activities; Easily distracted

Broad range of interests tendency to play with ideas

Concentration and Imagination

Often does not seem to listen; Daydreams Difficulty concentrating;

Hypomanic: think and act at great speed; Preoccupation; Daydreams Good imagination; driving absorption; internal visualization

Organization

Difficulty organizing work Often loses things necessary for tasks

Tolerance for ambiguity; Finding order in chaos

Independence

Needs a lot of supervision Freedom of spirit that rejects limits imposed by others

Comparison of ADHD and Creativity Energy and Activity

Excessive running and climbing; Excessive fidgeting; Difficulty staying seated; Motor restlessness; Always on the go

Radiate vitality High energy level

Risk Taking

Often engages in physically dangerous activities without considering possible consequences

Willing to take chances; Risk taking: Type “T” personality

Impulsivity

Often acts before thinking;; Frequently calls out in class; Difficulty waiting turn

Impulsive

Comparison of ADHD and Creativity

Sociability

Negative social interactions; Solitary play Unconventional behavior; Emotionally independent--preferring solitary to group activities ; Difficulty or little interest in establishing warm interpersonal relationships

Emotionality

Mood changes quickly and drastically; Difficult temperament (Werry, Reeves, & Elkind, 1987)

Experiencing deep emotions (Sternberg, 1988) Emotional instability (Ochse, 1990)

Self Talk

Talk during tasks (Werry, Reeves, & Elkind, 1987)

More self talk during problem solving (Daugherty, 1990)

Study Comparing Identified ADHD and Creatives

•  ADHD group = 34 students, aged six to 15, 8 females and 26 males

•  Highly creative group = 76 participants, 33 females and 43 males, age 13 through 15 from the Torrance Creative Scholars Program in Louisiana.

•  Measures:

–  Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking

–  SNAP Checklist

32.35%

8.82%

8.82%

8.82%

5.88%

5.88%

5.88%

5.88%

17.65%

10-19 %ile

20-29 %ile

30-39 %ile

40-49 %ile

50-59 %ile

60-69 %ile

70-79 %ile

80-89 %ile

90-99 %ile

13.16%

1.32%

11.84%

73.68%

1

2

3

4

ADD with Hyperactivity (DSM III)

ADD without Hyperactivity (DSM III)

ADHD (DSM-III-R)

Not Symptomatic

Sensation Seeking

•  Emotionally expressive

•  Synesthesic --one sensation involuntarily conjures up another

•  Related to ADHD and creativity

Type T Personality

•  Farley: daredevils, doers and delinquents share a common personality, Type T (for thrill seeking).

•  constant stimulation and risk taking--both physical and mental

•  Can be positive or negative

Sensitivity to Stimulation

•  Dabrowski’s “Overexcitabilities” or hyper sensitivities –  Intellectual--curiosity –  Emotional--

expressiveness –  Physical--energy –  Imaginational--ideas –  Sensual--media to

communicate

•  Intensity used to describe creative individuals

Depression

•  Depression and bipolar disorder have been noted in the lives of creative people and/or their families

Virginia Woolf Sylvia Plath

Creativity and Mental Illness

•  Suffer from certain mental disorders & higher suicide rates

•  High MMPI psychopathology scores, but also higher ego strength

Stereotype of Dropouts as Incapable of Doing the Work

•  Many dropouts are bright

•  Maybe they are creative? –  Don’t see connection of

curriculum to life plan –  Resist the regimentation –  May have problems with

behaviors indicative of ADHD, depression, sensitivity to stimulation, social isolation, etc.

Contacted Bright Dropouts

•  Creativity test •  Measure of hyper

sensitivities •  Interviews

•  They did tend to be creative

•  They did have heightened sensitivity

•  They also couldn’t stand –  The loud, noisy,

crowded schools –  The unfair and

demeaning discipline –  The irrelevant interests

of their age peers –  The pedantic

curriculum –  The detached faculty –  The early start time

In the U.S.

Recent reports warn that our nation cannot retain its economic and scientific position in the competitive world with a work force that has mastered only minimum competencies 2009 24 Cramond UGA

From Tough Choices or Tough Times (2006) “…candidates will have to be •  comfortable with ideas and abstractions, •  good at both analysis and synthesis,

•  creative and innovative, •  self-disciplined and well organized, •  able to learn very quickly, and •  work well as a member of a team, and

•  have the flexibility to adapt quickly to frequent changes in the labor market as the shifts in the economy become ever faster and more dramatic.” (p. 8, Executive Summary).

2009 25 Cramond UGA

2009 26 Cramond UGA

Cramond UGA

Richard Florida, Economist

The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It's Transforming Work, Leisure, Community and Everyday Life (2002) There is a new social class, the creative class, who generate new ideas, new technology, and new creative content that profoundly influence work and lifestyle issues.

The Flight of the Creative Class: The New Global Competition for Talent (2005) Nations are in competition to nurture and retain their most creative talent because they are linked to a nation’s prosperity.

2009 27

Even Universities Are Recognizing the Benefits of Creativity

•  NSF Grant With Art and Engineering •  Develop New Interdisciplinary

curriculum –art, engineering, and creativity

Bonnie Cramond, Torrance Center; Jo Walthers and Nadia Kellam, Faculty of Engineering; Tracie Costantino, Art Education

Creativity in All Domains Improves Our Lives

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Other Countries Are Emphasizing Creativity

•  Asian Countries Are Keenly Interested

•  European Year of Creativity

Even The Tibetan Children’s Villages’ Schools Want an Emphasis on Creativity

Dalai Lama, Natalie Anders, Ted Anders, Charles Martin

How Can We Nurture It?

•  Infuse creativity into all subject areas. •  Use tried strategies •  Make students aware of their creative

thinking—Creative Metacognition •  Engage students in creative programs •  Purposely teach students thinking skills

and when to use them •  Promote a sense of wonder

+

Based on the book by Robert & Michele

Root-Bernstein Bonnie Cramond UGA

Sparks of

Genius

The 13 Thinking Tools

Of the World’s

Most Creative People