Torrance Journal for Applied Creativity

keep a climate of openness to student
ideas with trust among students and
teacher, as well as support for individual
strengths. If your students have been
raised on a diet of Level 1 questions
through the years, it may take a little
re-training for them to delve into Level
3, and to understand that yes, you really
do want their original ideas and no,
there is not one right answer. If you
encounter resistance, it is likely because
they are conditioned to complete the
requirements to get a good grade rather
than pursue original thoughts and explorations.
Sometimes creative learning
requires as much growth on the teacher’s
part as it does the students’. All must
learn to trust and value each other.
To set the stage for this new
paradigm, when you introduce a Level 3
question, be sure to introduce the divergent
thinking ground rules at the same
time. You might make a poster to hang in
the classroom to remind students as they
engage in original thinking and exploration:
During divergent thinking,
30
i. Keep all ideas that come to
you; don’t pre-judge them.
ii. Think of as many ideas as you
can.
iii. Combine and build on ideas.
iv. Look for wacky and wild ideas
(Miller et al., 2011; Osborn,
1953).
Oftentimes, students will get stuck if
they feel that they need to generate ideas
as they write them into their response
or essay. It is natural that they would
get stuck, because in creative thinking
there are two distinct processes: divergent
thinking (generating ideas) and
convergent thinking (choosing the best
and most appropriate idea to answer the
question). To be successful, we must
take the time (even a few minutes) to
separate these mental actions. You will
recognize convergent thinking as critical,
analytical thinking. Students must evaluate
their ideas to meet the requirements
of the assignment. So, you can see that
creative learning is indeed the highest
level of thinking, as it requires not only
analysis, but divergent thinking skills
that encourage real, meaningful growth
for students.
Creative thinking and learning
involve such abilities as evaluation, redefinition,
analysis, different production,
and problem solving abilities. Creative
learning is a natural, healthy human process
that occurs when students become
curious or excited about understanding
or discovering more.
A Final Word:
How Teachers Can Encourage
Creativity
We have written much about
what to do, but let’s end by communicating
four things that adults should bear in
mind in order to avoid sabotaging their
efforts to bring creative learning into the
classroom:
1. Insisting that children do things
the "right way” does not encourage children to
think any further. This requires a teacher to
stay open to other ways to do something, and to
allow experimentation in order for students to
discover on their own that there may indeed be
one best right way.
2. When we label a child's flights of
fantasy as "silly," we bring the child down to
earth with a thud, causing the inventive urge
to curl up and die. Children learn to be realistic
by using their imaginations. Through play,
they learn to collaborate and identify strengths
.
3. Children cannot really be compared.
Subtle pressure on a child to conform
inhibits individual freedom and the opportunity
to be authentic.
4. One of the surest indicators of
creativity is curiosity; yet we often brush questions
aside because we are too busy for "silly"
questions. Children's questions deserve respect.
The message sent when a question is ignored is
that you should not ask questions, not that you
are too busy.
Conclusion
The good news is that even if
you start with small steps, using the divergent
thinking rules and Level 3 questions
as guideposts, you will be on your
way to deeper student engagement and
learning, as well as teaching inspiration
for yourself. In an era focused on standardization,
teachers who encourage creative
learning are going against the grain
even as they prepare students to use the
powerful thinking skills they need to succeed
in their lives beyond school. These
teachers need courage, camaraderie,
and support from parents. More tests,
structure, and keeping every student
on the same page at the same time will
not develop the problem solvers that we
need. Raising generations of students
who are taught to find the right answer
has finally caught up with us. Businesses
and industry are identifying creativity
as the most sought-out characteristic
for a competitive edge (IBM, 2010), and
human resource departments are being
asked to find creative candidates. All
around us creativity is needed with no
ready supply of candidates. In addition,
democracy is founded on the individual’s
right and ability to contribute his own
voice. What do we have to contribute if
we are not enabled to understand how
and what we think?
Creative learning involves learning
as much about yourself as it does the
subject. If the environment is supportive,
we share our personal thoughts and
learn from others’ perspectives and ideas.
Using Level 3 questions creates that very
environment by encouraging deep student
engagement, rigorous but inspired
academic learning, and the lifelong ability
to problem solve.
Maia Cho