Teaching for Creativity as Human Development toward Self-Actualization: The Essence of Authentic Learning and Optimal Growth for All Students
Author(s)
Majed Rabhan Wadaani1,2
ABSTRACT
Enhancing creativity is an important issue worldwide, but it is perceived and addressed differently from a population to another. Creativity is considered as an essential life skill, a major component of human intelligence, and the most important topic in the education of the gifted and talented students. Nations rely on youth to use their skills at the highest level possible to contribute to improving all life aspects including solving problems creatively, developing genuine innovations, and leading communities to productivity. Literature indicates that creativity should be nurtured in all students to become successful continued learners, and in gifted students to facilitate their talent development and extend their growth in optimal ways. This paper further discusses the nature of creativity, proposes a broad conceptualization of creativity based on the humanistic approach and positive psychology, and suggests teaching practices for fostering creativity in the general classroom.
Enhancing creativity is an important issue worldwide, but it is perceived and addressed differently from a population to another. Creativity is considered as an essential life skill, a major component of human intelligence, and the most important topic in the education of the gifted and talented students. Nations rely on youth to use their skills at the highest level possible to contribute to improving all life aspects including solving problems creatively, developing genuine innovations, and leading communities to productivity. Literature indicates that creativity should be nurtured in all students to become successful continued learners, and in gifted students to facilitate their talent development and extend their growth in optimal ways. This paper further discusses the nature of creativity, proposes a broad conceptualization of creativity based on the humanistic approach and positive psychology, and suggests teaching practices for fostering creativity in the general classroom.
Cite this paper
Wadaani, M. (2015) Teaching for Creativity as Human Development toward Self-Actualization: The Essence of Authentic Learning and Optimal Growth for All Students. Creative Education, 6, 669-679. doi: 10.4236/ce.2015.67067.
Wadaani, M. (2015) Teaching for Creativity as Human Development toward Self-Actualization: The Essence of Authentic Learning and Optimal Growth for All Students. Creative Education, 6, 669-679. doi: 10.4236/ce.2015.67067.
References
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.43.5.997 [2] Amabile, T. (1983). The Social Psychology of Creativity: A Componential Conceptualization. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45, 357-376.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.45.2.357 [3] Amabile, T. (1996). Creativity in Context: Update to the Social Psychology of Creativity. Boulder, CO: Westview. [4] Amabile, T. (2001). Beyond Talent. American Psychologist, 56, 333-336.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.56.4.333 [5] Amabile, T., Conti, R., Coon, H., Lazenby, J., & Heroon, M. (1996). Assessing the Work Environment for Creativity. Academy of Management Journal, 39, 1154-1184.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/256995 [6] Baer, J., & Garrett, T. (2010). Teaching for Creativity in an Era of Content Standards and Accountability. In R. Beghetto, & J. Kaufman (Eds.), Nurturing Creativity in the Classroom (pp. 6-19). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511781629.003 [7] Batey, M., & Furnham, A. (2006). Creativity, Intelligence, and Personality: A Critical Review of the Scattered Literature. Genetic, Social, and General Psychology Monographs, 132, 355-429.
http://dx.doi.org/10.3200/MONO.132.4.355-430 [8] Beghetto, R., & Kaufman, J. (2007). Toward a Broader Conception of Creativity: A Case for “mini-c” Creativity. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 1, 73-79.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/1931-3896.1.2.73 [9] Brinkman, D. (2010). Teaching Creatively and Teaching for Creativity. Arts Education Policy Review, 111, 48-50.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10632910903455785 [10] Brody, N. (2000). History of Theories and Measurements of Intelligence. In S. Robert (Ed.), Handbook of Intelligence (pp. 16-33). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511807947.003 [11] Cattell, R. (1963). Theory of Fluid and Crystallized Intelligence: A Critical Experiment. Journal of Educational Psychology, 54, 1-22.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0046743 [12] Davis, G. (2004). Creativity Is Forever. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt Publishing Company. [13] Davis, G., Rimm, S., & Siegle, D. (2011). Education of the Gifted and Talented. Boston, MA: Pearson Education. [14] Dweck, C. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York: Random House. [15] Flynn, J. (1984). The Mean IQ of Americans: Massive Gains 1932 to 1978. Psychological Bulletin, 95, 29-51.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.95.1.29 [16] Flynn, J. (2007). What Is Intelligence? Beyond the Flynn Effect. New York: Cambridge University Press.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511605253 [17] Forster, J. (2012). Creativity: The Hub of Real Achievement. Gifted Education International, 28, 281-299.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0261429411435108 [18] Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. New York: Basic Books. [19] Gardner, H. (1999). Intelligence Reframed: Multiple Intelligences for the 21st Century. New York: Basic Books. [20] Guilford, J. (1950). Creativity. The American Psychologist, 5, 444-454.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0063487 [21] Guilford, J. (1956). The Structure of Intellect. Psychological Bulletin, 53, 267-293.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0040755 [22] Guilford, J. (1966). Measurement and Creativity. Theory into Practice, 5, 185-189.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00405846609542023 [23] Jauk, E., Benedek, M., Dunst, B., & Neubauer, A. (2013). The Relationship between Intelligence and Creativity: New Support for the Threshold Hypothesis by Means of Empirical Breakpoint Detection. Intelligence, 41, 212-221.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.intell.2013.03.003 [24] Kim, K. (2005). Can Only Intelligent People Be Creative? A Meta-Analysis. The Journal of Secondary Gifted Education, 16, 57-66. [25] Maslow, A. (1943). A Theory of Human Motivation. Psychological Review, 50, 370-396.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0054346 [26] Maslow, A. (1968). Toward a Psychology of Being. New York: Harper. [27] Metcalf, L. (2010). Teaching toward Solutions. Williston, VT: Crown House Publishing. [28] Milgram, R., & Hong, E. (2009). Talent Loss in Mathematics: Causes and Solutions. In R. Leikin, A. Berman, & B. Koichu (Eds.), Creativity in Mathematics and the Education of Gifted Students (pp. 149-161). Rotterdam: Sense Publishers. [29] Nickerson, R. (2010). How to Discourage Creative Thinking in the Classroom. In R. Beghetto, & J. Kaufman (Eds.), Nurturing Creativity in the Classroom (pp. 1-5). New York: Cambridge University Press.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511781629.002 [30] Plucker, J., Beghetto, R., & Dow, G. (2004). Why Isn’t Creativity More Important to Educational Psychologists? Potential, Pitfalls, and Future Directions in Creativity Research. Educational Psychologist, 39, 83-96.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15326985ep3902_1 [31] Rhodes, M. (1961). An Analysis of Creativity. The Phi Delta Kappan, 42, 305-310. [32] Rogers, C. (1954). Toward a Theory of Creativity. ETC: A Review of General Semantics, 11, 249-260. [33] Russo, C. F. (2004). A Comparative Study of Creativity and Cognitive Problem-Solving Strategies of High-IQ and Average Students. Gifted Child Quarterly, 48, 179-190.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/001698620404800303 [34] Sheffield, L., Johnson, S., Tassel-Baska, J., Adama, C., Cotabish, A., & Mursky, C. (2013). Using the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics with Gifted and Advanced Learners. Waco, TX: Pruforck Press Inc. with NAGC, NCSM, and NCTM. [35] Snyder, C., Lopez, S., & Pedrootti, J. (2011). Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. [36] Sriraman, B., Yaftian, N., & Lee, K. (2011). Mathematical Creativity and Mathematics Education: A Derivative of Existing Research. In B. Sriraman, & K. Lee (Eds.), The Elements of Creativity and Giftedness in Mathematics (pp. 119-130). Rotterdam: Sense Publishers. [37] Stanley, J. (1991). An Academic Model for Educating the Mathematically Talented. Gifted Child Quarterly, 35, 36-42.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/001698629103500105 [38] Sternberg, R. (1985). Beyond IQ: A Triarchic Theory of Human Intelligence. New York: Cambridge University Press. [39] Sternberg, R. (2004). Teaching College Students that Creativity Is a Decision. Guidance & Counseling, 19, 196-200. [40] Sternberg, R. (2006). The Nature of Creativity. Creativity Research Journal, 18, 87-98.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15326934crj1801_10 [41] Sternberg, R. (2010). Teaching for Creativity. In R. Beghetto, & J. Kaufman (Eds.), Nurturing Creativity in the Classroom (pp. 394-414). New York: Cambridge University Press.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511781629.020 [42] Sternberg, R., & Kaufman, J. (1998). Human Abilities. Annual Review of Psychology, 49, 479-502.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.49.1.479 [43] Sternberg, R., & Lubart, T. (1991). An Investment Theory of Creativity and Its Development. Human Development, 34, 1-31.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000277029 [44] Sternberg, R., & Lubart, T. (1996). Investing in Creativity. American Psychologist, 51, 677-688.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.51.7.677 [45] Sternberg, R., Kaufman, J., & Grigorenko, E. (2008). Applied Intelligence. New York: Cambridge University Press.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511611445 [46] Sternberg, R., O’Hara, L., & Lubart, T. (1997). Creativity as Investment. California Management Review, 40, 8-21.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/41165919 [47] Tanggaard, L. (2013). The Sociomateriality of Creativity in Everyday Life. Culture & Psychology, 19, 20-32.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1354067X12464987 [48] The Partnership for 21st Century Skills (2011). Framework for 21st Century Learning. Washington DC: P21.
http://www.p21.org/storage/documents/1.__p21_framework_2-pager.pdf [49] Torrance, E. P. (1962). Guiding Creative Talent. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/13134-000 [50] Torrance, E. P. (1993). Understanding Creativity: Where to Start? Psychological Inquiry, 4, 232-234.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15327965pli0403_17 [51] Torrance, E. P. (1995). Insights about Creativity: Questioned, Rejected, Ridiculed, Ignored. Educational Psychology Review, 7, 313-322.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02213376 [52] Treffinger, D. (1988). Components of Creativity: Another Look. Creative Learning, 2, 1-4. [53] Treffinger, D. (1991). Creative Productivity: Understanding Its Sources and Nurture. Illinois Council for Gifted Journal, 10, 6-8. [54] Treffinger, D., Schoonover, P., & Selby, E. (2013). Educating for Creativity and Innoation: A Comprehensive Guide for Research-Based Practices. Waco, TX: Prufrock Press Inc. [55] Treffinger, D., Young, G., Selby, E., & Shepardson, C. (2002). Assessing Creativity: A Guide for Educatores. Storrs, CT: The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. [56] Wilson, L. (n.d.). Levels of Creativity.
http://thesecondprinciple.com/creativity/creativetraits/levels-of-creativity/
[1] Amabile, T. (1982). Social Psychology of Creativity: A Consensual Assessment Technique. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 43, 997-1013.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.43.5.997 [2] Amabile, T. (1983). The Social Psychology of Creativity: A Componential Conceptualization. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45, 357-376.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.45.2.357 [3] Amabile, T. (1996). Creativity in Context: Update to the Social Psychology of Creativity. Boulder, CO: Westview. [4] Amabile, T. (2001). Beyond Talent. American Psychologist, 56, 333-336.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.56.4.333 [5] Amabile, T., Conti, R., Coon, H., Lazenby, J., & Heroon, M. (1996). Assessing the Work Environment for Creativity. Academy of Management Journal, 39, 1154-1184.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/256995 [6] Baer, J., & Garrett, T. (2010). Teaching for Creativity in an Era of Content Standards and Accountability. In R. Beghetto, & J. Kaufman (Eds.), Nurturing Creativity in the Classroom (pp. 6-19). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511781629.003 [7] Batey, M., & Furnham, A. (2006). Creativity, Intelligence, and Personality: A Critical Review of the Scattered Literature. Genetic, Social, and General Psychology Monographs, 132, 355-429.
http://dx.doi.org/10.3200/MONO.132.4.355-430 [8] Beghetto, R., & Kaufman, J. (2007). Toward a Broader Conception of Creativity: A Case for “mini-c” Creativity. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 1, 73-79.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/1931-3896.1.2.73 [9] Brinkman, D. (2010). Teaching Creatively and Teaching for Creativity. Arts Education Policy Review, 111, 48-50.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10632910903455785 [10] Brody, N. (2000). History of Theories and Measurements of Intelligence. In S. Robert (Ed.), Handbook of Intelligence (pp. 16-33). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511807947.003 [11] Cattell, R. (1963). Theory of Fluid and Crystallized Intelligence: A Critical Experiment. Journal of Educational Psychology, 54, 1-22.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0046743 [12] Davis, G. (2004). Creativity Is Forever. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt Publishing Company. [13] Davis, G., Rimm, S., & Siegle, D. (2011). Education of the Gifted and Talented. Boston, MA: Pearson Education. [14] Dweck, C. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York: Random House. [15] Flynn, J. (1984). The Mean IQ of Americans: Massive Gains 1932 to 1978. Psychological Bulletin, 95, 29-51.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.95.1.29 [16] Flynn, J. (2007). What Is Intelligence? Beyond the Flynn Effect. New York: Cambridge University Press.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511605253 [17] Forster, J. (2012). Creativity: The Hub of Real Achievement. Gifted Education International, 28, 281-299.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0261429411435108 [18] Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. New York: Basic Books. [19] Gardner, H. (1999). Intelligence Reframed: Multiple Intelligences for the 21st Century. New York: Basic Books. [20] Guilford, J. (1950). Creativity. The American Psychologist, 5, 444-454.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0063487 [21] Guilford, J. (1956). The Structure of Intellect. Psychological Bulletin, 53, 267-293.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0040755 [22] Guilford, J. (1966). Measurement and Creativity. Theory into Practice, 5, 185-189.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00405846609542023 [23] Jauk, E., Benedek, M., Dunst, B., & Neubauer, A. (2013). The Relationship between Intelligence and Creativity: New Support for the Threshold Hypothesis by Means of Empirical Breakpoint Detection. Intelligence, 41, 212-221.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.intell.2013.03.003 [24] Kim, K. (2005). Can Only Intelligent People Be Creative? A Meta-Analysis. The Journal of Secondary Gifted Education, 16, 57-66. [25] Maslow, A. (1943). A Theory of Human Motivation. Psychological Review, 50, 370-396.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0054346 [26] Maslow, A. (1968). Toward a Psychology of Being. New York: Harper. [27] Metcalf, L. (2010). Teaching toward Solutions. Williston, VT: Crown House Publishing. [28] Milgram, R., & Hong, E. (2009). Talent Loss in Mathematics: Causes and Solutions. In R. Leikin, A. Berman, & B. Koichu (Eds.), Creativity in Mathematics and the Education of Gifted Students (pp. 149-161). Rotterdam: Sense Publishers. [29] Nickerson, R. (2010). How to Discourage Creative Thinking in the Classroom. In R. Beghetto, & J. Kaufman (Eds.), Nurturing Creativity in the Classroom (pp. 1-5). New York: Cambridge University Press.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511781629.002 [30] Plucker, J., Beghetto, R., & Dow, G. (2004). Why Isn’t Creativity More Important to Educational Psychologists? Potential, Pitfalls, and Future Directions in Creativity Research. Educational Psychologist, 39, 83-96.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15326985ep3902_1 [31] Rhodes, M. (1961). An Analysis of Creativity. The Phi Delta Kappan, 42, 305-310. [32] Rogers, C. (1954). Toward a Theory of Creativity. ETC: A Review of General Semantics, 11, 249-260. [33] Russo, C. F. (2004). A Comparative Study of Creativity and Cognitive Problem-Solving Strategies of High-IQ and Average Students. Gifted Child Quarterly, 48, 179-190.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/001698620404800303 [34] Sheffield, L., Johnson, S., Tassel-Baska, J., Adama, C., Cotabish, A., & Mursky, C. (2013). Using the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics with Gifted and Advanced Learners. Waco, TX: Pruforck Press Inc. with NAGC, NCSM, and NCTM. [35] Snyder, C., Lopez, S., & Pedrootti, J. (2011). Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. [36] Sriraman, B., Yaftian, N., & Lee, K. (2011). Mathematical Creativity and Mathematics Education: A Derivative of Existing Research. In B. Sriraman, & K. Lee (Eds.), The Elements of Creativity and Giftedness in Mathematics (pp. 119-130). Rotterdam: Sense Publishers. [37] Stanley, J. (1991). An Academic Model for Educating the Mathematically Talented. Gifted Child Quarterly, 35, 36-42.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/001698629103500105 [38] Sternberg, R. (1985). Beyond IQ: A Triarchic Theory of Human Intelligence. New York: Cambridge University Press. [39] Sternberg, R. (2004). Teaching College Students that Creativity Is a Decision. Guidance & Counseling, 19, 196-200. [40] Sternberg, R. (2006). The Nature of Creativity. Creativity Research Journal, 18, 87-98.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15326934crj1801_10 [41] Sternberg, R. (2010). Teaching for Creativity. In R. Beghetto, & J. Kaufman (Eds.), Nurturing Creativity in the Classroom (pp. 394-414). New York: Cambridge University Press.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511781629.020 [42] Sternberg, R., & Kaufman, J. (1998). Human Abilities. Annual Review of Psychology, 49, 479-502.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.49.1.479 [43] Sternberg, R., & Lubart, T. (1991). An Investment Theory of Creativity and Its Development. Human Development, 34, 1-31.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000277029 [44] Sternberg, R., & Lubart, T. (1996). Investing in Creativity. American Psychologist, 51, 677-688.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.51.7.677 [45] Sternberg, R., Kaufman, J., & Grigorenko, E. (2008). Applied Intelligence. New York: Cambridge University Press.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511611445 [46] Sternberg, R., O’Hara, L., & Lubart, T. (1997). Creativity as Investment. California Management Review, 40, 8-21.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/41165919 [47] Tanggaard, L. (2013). The Sociomateriality of Creativity in Everyday Life. Culture & Psychology, 19, 20-32.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1354067X12464987 [48] The Partnership for 21st Century Skills (2011). Framework for 21st Century Learning. Washington DC: P21.
http://www.p21.org/storage/documents/1.__p21_framework_2-pager.pdf [49] Torrance, E. P. (1962). Guiding Creative Talent. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/13134-000 [50] Torrance, E. P. (1993). Understanding Creativity: Where to Start? Psychological Inquiry, 4, 232-234.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15327965pli0403_17 [51] Torrance, E. P. (1995). Insights about Creativity: Questioned, Rejected, Ridiculed, Ignored. Educational Psychology Review, 7, 313-322.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02213376 [52] Treffinger, D. (1988). Components of Creativity: Another Look. Creative Learning, 2, 1-4. [53] Treffinger, D. (1991). Creative Productivity: Understanding Its Sources and Nurture. Illinois Council for Gifted Journal, 10, 6-8. [54] Treffinger, D., Schoonover, P., & Selby, E. (2013). Educating for Creativity and Innoation: A Comprehensive Guide for Research-Based Practices. Waco, TX: Prufrock Press Inc. [55] Treffinger, D., Young, G., Selby, E., & Shepardson, C. (2002). Assessing Creativity: A Guide for Educatores. Storrs, CT: The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. [56] Wilson, L. (n.d.). Levels of Creativity.
http://thesecondprinciple.com/creativity/creativetraits/levels-of-creativity/