Torrance Journal for Applied Creativity

1. What kind of paper money are you?
2. What do you see? Hear? Smell?
Taste? Feel?
3. You are away from the rest of the
paper money. Why?
4. You hear a loud noise nearby. What
do you think it is? What have you
learned about? What would you like
to know?
Other strategies and tactics
to improve creative thinking in school
include the use of metaphors, changing
your perspective, creative dramatics,
and “thinking big”. (For more examples
of strategies to infuse creative thinking
into curriculum see Starko, 2014; Runco,
2004; Sternberg & Williams, 2003;
Torrance, 1962). We will now look at
just one of these tactics, building an
image of the future.
14
Ela Chintagunta
What Does The Future Hold For
Classroom Creativity?
Speaking of imagination, or
our ability to transcend time, space, and
circumstance in our mind, Torrance
noted that “a person’s image of the future
may be a better predictor of future
attainment than his past performances”
(Torrance, 1983, p. 72). Positive images
of the future are the forces that motivate
humans to take action, to achieve, and
to be courageous (Torrance, Weiner,
Presbury, & Henderson, 1987). Indeed,
the importance of imagining ourselves
in the future is evident in research journals
and trade magazines alike. Note
an example from modern culture in the
advice given by Sara Blakely, founder of
Spanx, on how to achieve success:
Think about what success looks like to
you. Get a specific mental picture. Are
you standing on the balcony of a house
you can finally afford? Are you talking
with world leaders? I saw myself on
a stage, talking with Oprah. I didn’t
know what we were talking about,
but I envisioned that. And then I spent
the next 15 years filling in the blanks.
I never dreamed Oprah and I would
be talking about footless control-top
panty hose! (Booth, 2014, pp. 202-204)
It stands to reason that if we can
picture ourselves achieving great things
in the image of our mind, then we are
more likely to strive to achieve greatness.
Positive images of the future serve as an
intrinsic motivator for future achievement.
There is little doubt that “the images
of the future held by today’s young
people will determine what the future
will be like” (Torrance & Safter, 1990,
p.11). If the ultimate goal of creativity is
to make us better humans, then teachers
should “seek out the child’s own best
motivations and possibilities and guide
these to the most fruitful development”
(Torrance, 1968, p. 77).
Conclusion
Decades later, the message of
Paul Torrance cannot be understated:
Creativity is for everyone and it should
be the goal of every teacher to help our
future leaders maximize their creative
potential, starting now! The beauty of
his writing lies in his ability to translate
complicated research and psychological
constructs into everyday language that is
easily accessible and digestible. In most
cases, his writing almost seems poetic,
reading smoothly and elegantly, with no
pretense or smugness. Now, more than
ever, we need people in society who understand
and can advocate for the spread
of creativity and its impact on humanity.
To carry the message of the “Creativity
Man” to anyone who will listen, you need
only close your eyes and imagine….
References
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76-87.
Basadur, M. (1997). Organizational
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Booth, S. (2014, September). The
guide: Work & money. Real Simple,
202-204.
Davies, D., Jindal-Snape, D., Digby,
R., Howe, A., Collier, C., & Hay, P.
(2014). Review: The roles and development
needs of teachers to promote
creativity: A systematic review of
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Economic Commission for Africa
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