Creativity in the Classroom Th e fourth edition of this well-known text continues the mission of its predecessors—to help teachers link creativity research and theory to the everyday activities of classroom teaching. Part I (chapters 1–5) includes information on models and theories of creativity, characteristics of creative people, and talent development. Part II (chapters 6–10) includes strategies explicitly designed to teach creative thinking, to weave creative thinking into content area instruction, and to organ- ize basic classroom activities (grouping, lesson planning, assessment, motivation, and classroom organization) in ways that support students’ creativity. Changes in this Edition Improved Organization—Th is edition has been reorganized from 8 to 10 chapters allowing the presentation of theoretical material in clearer, more manageable chunks. New Material—In addition to general updating, there are more examples involving middle and secondary school teaching, more examples linking creativity to technology, new information on the misdiagnosis of creative students as having ADHD, and more material on cross-cultural concepts of creativity, collaborative creativity, and linking creativity to state standards. Pedagogy & Design—Chapter-opening vignettes, within-chapter refl ection questions and activities, sample lesson ideas from real teachers, and end-of-chapter journaling activities help readers adapt content to their own teaching situations. Also, a larger trim size makes the layout more open and appealing, and a single end-of-book reference section makes referencing easier. Targeted specifi cally to educators (but useful to others), this book is suitable for any course that deals wholly or partly with creat ivity in teaching, teaching the gift ed and talented, or teaching thinking and problem solving. Such courses are variously found in departments of special education, early childhood education, curriculum and instruction, or educational psychology. About the Author Alane Jordan Starko is currently a Professor in the Department of Teacher Education at Eastern Michigan University. A former elementary school teacher, teacher of the gift ed, and head of the Teacher Education Department at Eastern Michigan, she also served on the board of directors of the National Association for Gift ed Children. She writes in the areas of creativity, education of the gift ed, and curriculum. Creativity in the Classroom Schools of Curious Delight Fourth Edition Alane Jordan Starko First edition published 1995 by Longman Publishers USA Second edition published 2001 Th ird edition published 2005 by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Th is edition published 2010 by Routledge 270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016 Simultaneously published in the UK by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2009. To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk. © 1995 Longman Publishers USA © 2001, 2005 Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. © 2010 Taylor & Francis All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereaft er invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identifi cation and explanation without intent to infringe. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Starko, Alane J. Creativity in the classroom : schools of curious delight / Alane Jordan Starko. — 4th ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Creative thinking. I. Title. LB1062.S77 2009 370.15’7—dc22 2009008818 ISBN 0-203-87149-9 Master e-book ISBN ISBN 10: 0-415-99706-2 (hbk) ISBN 10: 0-415-99707-0 (pbk) ISBN 10: 0-203-87149-9 (ebk) ISBN 13: 978-0-415-99706-5 (hbk) ISBN 13: 978-0-415-99707-2 (pbk) ISBN 13: 978-0-203-87149-2 (ebk) To the Hansen children—whose energy and creativity force my imagination into overdrive and As always, to my grandmother Gwen—every good thing I’ve done can be traced, in the end, back to her Contents Preface: Why Creativity in the Classroom? ix Part I Understanding Creative People and Processes 1 1 What Is Creativity? 3 2 Models of the Creative Process 21 3 Th eories of Creativity: Th e Individual 45 4 Th eories of Creativity: Systems in Context 63 5 Creative People 81 Part II Creativity and Classroom Life 117 6 Teaching Creative Th inking Skills and Habits 119 7 Creativity in the Content Areas: Language Arts, Social Studies, and the Arts 173 8 Creativity in the Content Areas: Science, Math, and General Teaching Strategies 207 9 Motivation, Creativity, and Classroom Organization 243 10 Assessing Creativity 283 Appendix: Problem-Finding Lessons 313 References 329 Author Index 345 Subject Index 351 vii Preface Why Creativity in the Classroom? At many points in the writing process an author asks him- or himself, “Why am I doing this? Why write this book?” For me, the answer has two components: belief in the importance of creativity in the constant reshaping of the world in which we live and, more specifi cally, belief in the importance of creativity in the schools. It is easy to consider the essential role of creativity in bringing joy and meaning to the human condition—without creativity we have no art, no literature, no science, no innovation, no problem solving, no progress. It is, perhaps, less obvious that creativity has an equally essential role in schools. Th e processes of creativity parallel those of learning. Recent calls for au- thentic activities, teaching for understanding, and real-world problem solving all require engaging students with content in fl exible and innovative ways. Students who use content in creative ways learn the content well. Th ey also learn strategies for identifying problems, making decisions, and fi nding solutions both in and out of school. Classrooms organized to develop creativity become places of both learning and wonder, the “curious delight” of the book’s title. Why Th is Book? Creativity in the Classroom: Schools of Curious Delight is a book about creativity written specifi cally for teachers. It was designed for a graduate course that helps teachers incorporate important aspects of creativity in the daily activities of classroom life. Teachers who understand the creative process can choose content, plan lessons, organize materials, and even grade assignments in ways that help students develop essential skills and attitudes for creativity. To do this well, teachers need both a fi rm grounding in research and theory regarding creativity and a variety of strategies for teaching and management that tie research to practice. Th is book is designed to do both. Th is is not another book on research regarding creativity, although research and theory are important components of the book. It is not a book of creative activities or “What do I do on Mon- day?” lessons, although it contains numerous examples and strategies for teaching and classroom organization. It does build bridges between research and practice, providing the refl ective teacher with appropriate strategies for today and enough background to develop eff ective strategies for tomorrow. ix