Development - What is creativity? | Delta Publishing

What is creativity?

Monday 15 March 2010

Hello friends.

First of all, let me tell you how much I’ve been enjoying the conversations. So, thank you for making your voices heard here.

I guess I should clarify at this stage, what I’m talking about when I’m talking about creativity.

Leading creativity researchers like Howard Gardner distinguish between creativity and Creativity. The former is the everyday type of creativity, so to speak, the latter is the stuff geniuses are made of. I’m interested in both, but since only the first type can be developed and learned, this is what my book deals with. Ok, what is, then, creativity? According to professor Robert Sternberg, creativity is the ability to produce an idea (or a product) that is novel and has value.
Others have emphasized that creativity is rather, a cluster of skills, not one single ability. Still others have said that it’s not so important what creativity is, but where it is.

I’d be interested in your views on this, but what seems important to me, is to debunk a few powerful myths that have been around for decades, namely that 1. creativity is a gift from the gods above bestowed upon just a few lucky individuals. 2. creativity is genetic, a fixed trait, you either have it or you don’t. 3. as a corollary to (2), creativity cannot be learned and developed. 4. creativity is the result of certain personality traits.

I believe creativity is a habit of mind, you need to want to be creative and come up with new ways of doing things in the classroom. Famous jazz innovator Miles Davis once said ‘I’m always thinking about creating. My future starts when I wake up every morning. Everyday, I find something creative to do with my life’.

Your thoughts?

Chaz

3 responses to What is creativity?

Hall Houston says:

March 16, 2010 at 1:08 pm

Although “creative” and “creativity” mean different things to different people, I think it’s wise that you give a clear definition.

In a recent book on creativity titled Creativity 101 by James C. Kaufman, a psychology professor who specializes in creativity research, the author mentions a 2004 review of over 90 articles that appeared in major journals on creativity, only 38% of which gave a clear definition of the term. In journals that were not about creativity research, the rate was even lower, only 33%.

I like the Sternberg definition you mention. A similar construct is the Geneplore model of creativity, originally from Finke, Ward and Smith’s book, Creative Cognition (also mentioned in Creativity 101). This model has two phases: generative and exploratory. The first phase, generation, is where you produce lots of new ideas. The second phase, exploration, is where you evaluate the ideas and choose the best one (or ones).I think many people associate creativity with the first phase alone, but the second phase is equally important.

I’m looking forward to reading your book!

Reply
- Chaz Pugliese says:
  
  March 17, 2010 at 2:54 pm
  
  Thanks for this Hall.
  You’re right about creativity being a very slippery concept: in a review of the state of the art a few years years ago, Donald Treffinger, himself a leading creativity researcher counted as many as 120 different definitions in the field which basically means that nobody really had a clue!! This is because all psychological constructs, such as creativity, are notoriously hard to pin down. However, creativity research has made significant steps ahead over the last decade or so and I believe nowadays there’s sufficient consensus in the field on Sternberg’s definition. Incidentally, Sternberg has another definition I have always loved: creativity, he says, is a decision we make.
  
  Chaz
  
  Reply
Wendy says:

April 18, 2010 at 8:50 pm

Hi Chaz .. good to see you at Harrogate.

Your new book helped me tremendously when I took Mario’s place at HUPE and decided to work around his titles and abstracts, all surrounding creativity in one way or another … you must have written this book just for me

hugs and smiles
Wendy

Reply

Delta Development Blog

This blog will be updated at least once a week, so add it to your bookmarks. You can also subscribe to the feed to be notified when it's updated.

Meet the Bloggers

Louis Rogers (January to March 2012)
Ken Paterson (December 2011 to February 2012)
Richard Brown & Lewis Richards (September to November 2011)
Liz Walter & Kate Woodford (September to October 2011)
Kyle Mawer & Graham Stanley (April to August 2011)
Nik Peachey (from November 2010)
Nicky Hockly (September & October 2010)
Julie Pratten (July & August 2010)
Gill Johnson (April 2010)
Chaz Pugliese (March 2010)
Luke Meddings (August 2009)
Lindsay Clandfield (July 2009)
Duncan Foord (June 2009)
Scott Thornbury (May 2009)

Culture in our Classrooms

Part of the Delta Teacher Development Series. Culture in our Classrooms acknowledges the role of culture in the English Language Teaching classroom and provides lesson content which is relevant, useful and engaging for students.

Teaching Unplugged

Teaching Unplugged has just been awarded the British Council 2010 ELTons UK Award for Innovation. Teaching Unplugged is the first book to deal comprehensively with the approach in English Language Teaching known as Dogme ELT.

The Business English Teacher

From the award-winning DELTA TEACHER DEVELOPMENT SERIES. The Business English Teacher is a book not only for teachers who are thinking of making a career move into the field of business English teaching but also for those who would like to increase their skills and develop their potential.

The Developing Teacher

The Developing Teacher has been awarded the 2009 Duke of Edinburgh/ESU Award for Best Entry for Teachers. The Developing Teacher suggests that teachers themselves are the most powerful agents of change and development in their own professional career.

Digital Play

Digital Play is a pioneering book on the use of computer games in language teaching. Authors Kyle and Graham are experts in teaching with technology and training teachers in innovative classroom practice.

Teaching Online

Teaching Online is essential reading for any teacher interested in online teaching and course delivery. It deals comprehensively with both the tools and the techniques necessary for online language instruction.

The Pronunciation Book

FORTHCOMING SPRING 2012. Part of the Delta Teacher Development Series. The Pronunciation Book considers the significance of pronunciation in teaching and learning, providing a straightforward overview of the elements of English pronunciation. The authors go on to offer a bank of ready-made activities for working on all aspects of pronunciation, followed by both suggestions and activities for practical and professional development in this vital field.

The Company Words Keep

FORTHCOMING SPRING 2012. Part of the Delta Teacher Development Series. The Company Words Keep examines how we store language in ready-made chunks that we retrieve and use, rather than elaborately constructing ‘grammar’ each time we speak. The authors provide a wealth of activities which apply their methodology to both the coursebook and to authentic contexts, taking advantage of corpus linguistics. Teachers are also offered suggestions and activities for further development in this exciting field.

Being Creative

Part of the Delta Teacher Development Series. Being Creative takes you on a journey that reveals how all teachers have the potential to become creative. Whether you are experienced or new to the classroom, Being Creative allows your teaching to take flight.