Teacher training: The relevance of creativity in school (original) (raw)

Assessment and Creativity Stimulus in School Context

Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2015

Creativity is a fundamental aptitude today, with teachers playing an important role in its promotion. So, this study intends to examine to what extent teachers of Visual and Technological Education (EVT) evaluate, objectively, the creative level of their students and which strategies they put into practice, in order to stimulate student creativity. A comparative research of a descriptive-correlational nature was undertaken, comprising a questionnaire to twenty nine 2nd Cycle of Basic Education teachers from the Viseu municipality state schools (Portugal) and the application of the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking to 46 students from two classes at one of the schools. The data reveal that there are no statistically significant differences between the assessment of student creativity obtained by the Torrance Test and the creative level assigned by teachers. We can also verify, with relation to stimulating creativity, that teachers of Visual and Technological Education opt, more frequently, for psychological stimuli and, less frequently, for educational strategies that involve carrying out assignments/research. Educational implications are addressed.

In-service and prospective teachers’ conceptions of creativity

Thinking Skills and Creativity, 2009

Teachers play a crucial role in the development of primary school students' creative potential in either a positive or a negative way. This paper aims to draw attention to in-service and prospective teachers' conceptions of creativity and answer three main research questions: "What are the teachers' conceptions and implicit theories of creativity in general?", "What are the teachers' conceptions and implicit theories of creativity in the context of primary education?", and "How well-trained and equipped do teachers feel to play their key role in the development of students' creative potential?" A self-report questionnaire was used as an instrument to gather qualitative and quantitative data from 132 Greek in-service and prospective teachers. According to the selected quantitative data we present in this study, the majority of the participants reported that the facilitation of students' creativity is included in the teachers' role, but they (teachers themselves) do not feel well-trained and confident enough to realise this particular expectation. The authors conclude that further research is needed in order to: (i) reveal more on teachers' conceptions on creativity and (ii) understand and classify teachers' particular needs to facilitate the creative potential of primary school students.

What is a Creative Teacher and What is a Creative Pupil? Perceptions of Teachers

Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2011

The perceptions of teachers concerning creative teachers and pupils are an essential prerequisite for research concerning creativity, its assessment and promotion in the school context. The authors of this article administered a Likert scale to 576 teachers in Portuguese schools to explore what they think about the concepts of a creative pupil and a creative teacher, how they evaluate themselves as a creative person, and how they judge the creativity of their colleagues, pupils, curricula and school. The responses of the teachers help to identify a need for teacher training about creativity and to raise suggestions for this work.

Teachers’ perception of creativity in school

This dissertation is an exploration of teachers’ perceptions of creativity and the factors that can limit or foster it within a school setting. Many scholars have advocated creativity as an important element in school (Beghetto, 2010; Csikszentmihalyi, 1991, 2011, 2013; Robinson, 2001; Sternberg, 1999, 2006, 2011). Nonetheless, it appears that the school system is constrained by a standardised approach which formulates teaching as a science, thereby restricting students’ creativity (Robinson, 2001). In fact, the perception of what teachers believe to be creativity influences their teaching style and consequently has an impact on students’ learning. Thus, a misconception of creativity can cause unfortunate outcomes. Since creativity still appears to be an ill-defined concept, an exploration of practitioners’ beliefs can provide new insight. In order to achieve this result, a qualitative approach has been adopted. The aim is not to seek either objectivity or to establish rules, but to obtain an understanding of teachers’ point of view. The research has been conducted in a primary school in the Glasgow area. Seven teachers were involved, and semi-structured interviews within focus groups and a one-to-one interview have been used to collect data. The data gathered shows a positive attitude toward creativity, suggesting that teachers believe that creativity can be fostered in school when teachers have the freedom to build their own curriculum and programme. In fact, curriculum restrictions are perceived as the main factor in stifling creativity. The results of this study, even if they cannot be generalized, may furnish to teachers incentive to reflect on the importance of creativity in school.

Improving the creative abilities of teachers in the education system at the present stage

Инженерлік графика мен кәсіби білім проблемалары, 2010

In the modern world, one of the main tasks of the education system is the development of creativity. Creativity-(English, createto create, creative-creative, creative)-creative abilities characterized by a willingness to create fundamentally new ideas that deviate from traditional or accepted patterns of thinking, and are included in the structure of giftedness as an independent factor, as well as the ability to solve problems that arise within static systems. Creativity has many advantages. Creativity allows you to solve tasks, a good idea can help you find a way out of a difficult situation. Creative thinking helps a person to find the most unusual ways of development. Creativity makes life infinitely diverse. Creativity allows you to realize a creative idea. Creativity helps to find ways for self-realization. The article reveals the relevance of the development of creative thinking of students. The most significant characteristics of a person's creative thinking are determined. It is emphasized that the level of development of students' creative abilities can be increased if special methods and exercises are purposefully applied, and creative methods are actively used. The pedagogical conditions that ensure the formation of the experience of creative thinking of students and the methods of pedagogical interaction are highlighted.

Theoretical Models of Teaching Creativity - Critical Review

Creativity. Theories – Research - Applications, 2020

This paper is an attempt to present selected classifications of models of teaching creativity, which may have been found in literature over the last years. Models of teaching creativity are understood by the authors as well-developed systems of statements, based on a specific theory of creativity and concerning strategies and methods of teaching creative thinking and action, conditions of education, the role of a teacher in that process, and evaluation of education results. The paper describes several classifications of such models, including the authors’ own proposal, and presents a more detailed description of the heuristic model of teaching creativity. In the conclusion, the authors propose a thesis that the issue of methods of teaching creativity is open and the answer to the question about the best teaching methods in that obligation, which is interesting from the pedagogical point of view, should, as in the whole didactics, be answered by teachers, using their knowledge about ...

Creativity: Can It Be Trained? A Scientific Educology of Creativity

Online Submission, 2005

The author, from the editorial's perspective, does not directly inquire with the axiologic and praxiologic educological questions, respectively, as: "Ought students be taught creativity in educative experiences that organically inhere in the teacher education program at Vilnius

After Six Decades of Systematic Study of Creativity: What Do Teachers Need to Know About What It Is and How It Is Measured?

Roeper Review, 2016

With creativity now being emphasized in schools, it is important for teachers to understand what it is and how it is measured. This review of the literature is an attempt to make sense of the many definitions and measures of creativity. As a result, this comprehensive review shows that most definitions agree that there are at least two criteria to judge whether a person or a product is creative or not, originality and usefulness. Organized according to Rhodes's 3 P conceptualization of creativity-person, process, product, and press-more than 40 assessments used in creativity research were reviewed. Familiarity with the definitions, views of, and measurement of creativity can help teachers recognize and foster creativity in their students.