Encouraging Creativity
Are you a creative individual?
Researchers and policy makers have recently started stressing the need for promoting creativity among students in higher education although the definition of creativity varies across fields and concepts, so that the teaching of creativity may be discipline-specific (Marquis & Vajoczki, “Creative Differences: Teaching Creativity Across the Disciplines”). A 2007 European Universities Association report points out that “the complex questions of the future will not be solved ‘by the book’, but by creative, forward looking individuals and groups who are not afraid to question established ideas and are able to cope with the insecurity and uncertainty that this entails” (Creativity in Higher Education, p.6). The report emphasizes the need for diversity of teaching staff, students, and learning experiences for the promotion of creativity. A 2010 publication by the same association further stresses the importance of creativity and diversity as part of quality assurance ("Creativity and Diversity: Challenges for Quality Assurance Beyond 2010").
Do all teachers encourage creativity among students? Unfortunately not. School teachers may confuse student creativity with unruliness, preferring discipline and conformity. Rather than spontaneity and critical thinking, usually associated with creative students, instructors may prefer character traits associated with obedience to authority, seeing creativity as more of a burden than an asset in the classroom. Since creative people tend to ignore social conventions, they can give a hard time to teachers trying to manage a class of twenty or more students.
Sternberg and Williams, both psychology professors, have pointed out that young children tend to be more creative than older ones because society curbs spontaneity with time – for example, by expecting children to colour within the lines in their colouring books. Innovative ideas are not readily accepted by the masses:
"When creative ideas are proposed, they are often viewed as bizarre, useless, and even foolish, and are summarily rejected, and the person proposing them regarded with suspicion and perhaps even disdain and derision…. Creative ideas are both novel and valuable. Why, then, are they rejected? Because the creative innovator stands up to vested interests and defies the crowd and its interests. The crowd does not maliciously or willfully reject creative notions; rather it does not realize, and often does not want to realize, that the proposed idea represents a valid and superior way of thinking. The crowd generally perceives opposition to the status quo as annoying, offensive, and reason enough to ignore innovative ideas….Although people typically want others to love their ideas, immediate universal applause for an idea usually indicates that it is not particularly creative". (How to Develop Student Creativity)
Sternberg and Williams suggest various ways of encouraging creativity among students. The main way is for educators to serve as role models for creativity. Other ways include cross-fertilizing ideas, rewarding creative ideas and products, encouraging sensible risks, promoting self-responsibility and self-regulation, and delaying gratification.
Of course there have been some cynical approaches to creativity, as in Albert Einstein’s statement, “The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.” However, the concept has been associated with leadership, career success, energy, sanity, empowerment and individuality:
• “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” Steve Jobs
• “But the person who scored well on an SAT will not necessarily be the best doctor or the best lawyer or the best businessman. These tests do not measure character, leadership, creativity, perseverance.“ William J. Wilson
• “I firmly believe that all human beings have access to extraordinary energies and powers. Judging from accounts of mystical experience, heightened creativity, or exceptional performance by athletes and artists, we harbor a greater life than we know.” Jean Houston
• “For me, insanity is super sanity. The normal is psychotic. Normal means lack of imagination, lack of creativity.” Jean Dubuffet
• “I think it's fair to say that personal computers have become the most empowering tool we've ever created. They're tools of communication, they're tools of creativity, and they can be shaped by their user.” Bill Gates
• “Living creatively is really important to maintain throughout your life. And living creatively doesn't mean only artistic creativity, although that's part of it. It means being yourself, not just complying with the wishes of other people.“ Matt Groening
University students need to understand that there’s more to life than conventional textbook information (or web information for that matter). Get a life – be creative.
Posted by May Mikati on 14 February 2012, 12:52 PM
Are you a creative individual?
Researchers and policy makers have recently started stressing the need for promoting creativity among students in higher education although the definition of creativity varies across fields and concepts, so that the teaching of creativity may be discipline-specific (Marquis & Vajoczki, “Creative Differences: Teaching Creativity Across the Disciplines”). A 2007 European Universities Association report points out that “the complex questions of the future will not be solved ‘by the book’, but by creative, forward looking individuals and groups who are not afraid to question established ideas and are able to cope with the insecurity and uncertainty that this entails” (Creativity in Higher Education, p.6). The report emphasizes the need for diversity of teaching staff, students, and learning experiences for the promotion of creativity. A 2010 publication by the same association further stresses the importance of creativity and diversity as part of quality assurance ("Creativity and Diversity: Challenges for Quality Assurance Beyond 2010").
Do all teachers encourage creativity among students? Unfortunately not. School teachers may confuse student creativity with unruliness, preferring discipline and conformity. Rather than spontaneity and critical thinking, usually associated with creative students, instructors may prefer character traits associated with obedience to authority, seeing creativity as more of a burden than an asset in the classroom. Since creative people tend to ignore social conventions, they can give a hard time to teachers trying to manage a class of twenty or more students.
Sternberg and Williams, both psychology professors, have pointed out that young children tend to be more creative than older ones because society curbs spontaneity with time – for example, by expecting children to colour within the lines in their colouring books. Innovative ideas are not readily accepted by the masses:
"When creative ideas are proposed, they are often viewed as bizarre, useless, and even foolish, and are summarily rejected, and the person proposing them regarded with suspicion and perhaps even disdain and derision…. Creative ideas are both novel and valuable. Why, then, are they rejected? Because the creative innovator stands up to vested interests and defies the crowd and its interests. The crowd does not maliciously or willfully reject creative notions; rather it does not realize, and often does not want to realize, that the proposed idea represents a valid and superior way of thinking. The crowd generally perceives opposition to the status quo as annoying, offensive, and reason enough to ignore innovative ideas….Although people typically want others to love their ideas, immediate universal applause for an idea usually indicates that it is not particularly creative". (How to Develop Student Creativity)
Sternberg and Williams suggest various ways of encouraging creativity among students. The main way is for educators to serve as role models for creativity. Other ways include cross-fertilizing ideas, rewarding creative ideas and products, encouraging sensible risks, promoting self-responsibility and self-regulation, and delaying gratification.
Of course there have been some cynical approaches to creativity, as in Albert Einstein’s statement, “The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.” However, the concept has been associated with leadership, career success, energy, sanity, empowerment and individuality:
• “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” Steve Jobs
• “But the person who scored well on an SAT will not necessarily be the best doctor or the best lawyer or the best businessman. These tests do not measure character, leadership, creativity, perseverance.“ William J. Wilson
• “I firmly believe that all human beings have access to extraordinary energies and powers. Judging from accounts of mystical experience, heightened creativity, or exceptional performance by athletes and artists, we harbor a greater life than we know.” Jean Houston
• “For me, insanity is super sanity. The normal is psychotic. Normal means lack of imagination, lack of creativity.” Jean Dubuffet
• “I think it's fair to say that personal computers have become the most empowering tool we've ever created. They're tools of communication, they're tools of creativity, and they can be shaped by their user.” Bill Gates
• “Living creatively is really important to maintain throughout your life. And living creatively doesn't mean only artistic creativity, although that's part of it. It means being yourself, not just complying with the wishes of other people.“ Matt Groening
University students need to understand that there’s more to life than conventional textbook information (or web information for that matter). Get a life – be creative.
Posted by May Mikati on 14 February 2012, 12:52 PM
