The first topic I want to discuss is that of
‘Creativity’.
‘Creativity’.
I absolutely love this
topic, I find it fascinating and inspiring to say the least.
I believe I am a
creative person, and am an advocate of more creative approaches to education
and life in general.
But, first of all… What exactly is Creativity?
What makes
somebody a creative person? Is it an innate personality trait? Is everybody creative? Or is creativity an approach which can be learned and adopted for specific tasks?
The Dictionary of Developmental and Educational Psychology defines creativity as our “capacity to produce new ideas, insights, inventions or artistic objects, which are accepted as being of social, spiritual, aesthetic, scientific, or technological value.”
I very much agree with this view of creativity, I do not belief that creativity is having the ability to merely produce forms of art, but more of a way of thinking and an approach to life.
'A creative individual takes risks, is not afraid of failing, seeks the unknown, or questions the status quo. Gardner also con- curs with Czikszentmihalyi that creativity comes from the interaction of special talented individuals, discipline and others in the field who will make judgements about the quality and originality. '
The picture below is a selection of what some students on my course had to say about why creativity is important to us. My views on the matter can be seen on the sticky note located on the bottom right corner!
Our ideas show come correlations; for example, ‘development’; ‘develop’ and ‘growth’ are words which have been used to define the term and describe why it is important; suggesting that creativity is vital to the development of new ideas, and therefore a growing and developing person, society or world. This correlates with Pirto (2004) who stated:
'The words CREATE and CREATIVITY, come from the Latin 'Creatus' and 'Creare', which means 'to make or produce' - literally, 'to grow'.'
'The words CREATE and CREATIVITY, come from the Latin 'Creatus' and 'Creare', which means 'to make or produce' - literally, 'to grow'.'
The Dictionary of Developmental and Educational Psychology defines creativity as our “capacity to produce new ideas, insights, inventions or artistic objects, which are accepted as being of social, spiritual, aesthetic, scientific, or technological value.”
I very much agree with this view of creativity, I do not belief that creativity is having the ability to merely produce forms of art, but more of a way of thinking and an approach to life.
According to Barrow (2010):
'A creative individual takes risks, is not afraid of failing, seeks the unknown, or questions the status quo. Gardner also con- curs with Czikszentmihalyi that creativity comes from the interaction of special talented individuals, discipline and others in the field who will make judgements about the quality and originality. '
'The General Model of Creativity' proposed by Csikszentmihalyi and Wolfe was one of the perspectives that we touched upon within the module.
Below is a diagram to illustrate his theory.
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The 'Little C' is used to describe the smaller creative ideas and impacts that individuals have on the rest of the world, such as writing a story or the invention of a new recipe. Ideas that do not change the world.
However, the world is full of people who do creative work without large-scale public recognition, and the term “small c” is reserved for describing such creators.'
I think that this perspective is something that is perhaps more realistic and something which gives people the encouragement in the fact that they too are creative, whether that be in a big c way, or a little c way.
I would argue that creativity is not something that can be measured, each person has a creative capacity but some have a higher degree than others. This does not mean that one is better than the other, but simply born with a certain characteristic. I believe that encouraging creative approaches to learning and teaching within education is vital in providing our children with the most rewarding and beneficial experiences. Living in the 21st century is now about flexibility and the ability to think and question our perceptions and think innovatively instead of simply accepting what we are told. If we do not do this, then our world cannot progress and grow for the better.
Below is a diagram to illustrate his theory.
Csikszentmihalyi and Wolfe state that:
Mihalyi also uses the term 'Big C' and L'ittle C' to differentiate between two types of creative persons. The 'Big C' referring to the superior of the two, most renowned for their prestigious achievements and discoveries, in a notable discipline; such as musicians, actors and nobel prize winners.
`Creativity can be defined as an idea or
product that is original, valued and implemented.’
This means that creativity must be realised (implemented), authentic (Original) and the product must be of worth to someone or something (Valuable).
This is not something that I agree with, if this was the case then one could not be creative unless he/she comes up with something completely untried. This definition would therefore imply that all artists are not entirely creative as most painters or craftsmen use similar if not the same techniques as previous artists have done before them.
The 'Little C' is used to describe the smaller creative ideas and impacts that individuals have on the rest of the world, such as writing a story or the invention of a new recipe. Ideas that do not change the world.
However, the world is full of people who do creative work without large-scale public recognition, and the term “small c” is reserved for describing such creators.'
I think that this perspective is something that is perhaps more realistic and something which gives people the encouragement in the fact that they too are creative, whether that be in a big c way, or a little c way.
I would argue that creativity is not something that can be measured, each person has a creative capacity but some have a higher degree than others. This does not mean that one is better than the other, but simply born with a certain characteristic. I believe that encouraging creative approaches to learning and teaching within education is vital in providing our children with the most rewarding and beneficial experiences. Living in the 21st century is now about flexibility and the ability to think and question our perceptions and think innovatively instead of simply accepting what we are told. If we do not do this, then our world cannot progress and grow for the better.
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