Torrance Journal for Applied Creativity

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trate the transformative power of the model as both an instructional technique and a framework for thinking. Each stage is briefly described, followed by an analysis of the theoretical basis of the incubation process. Finally, practical suggestions are provided to illustrate how encouraging incubation and creativity can breathe new life into the classroom. A Brief Summary of the Model Let’s imagine we snuck into my closet study and poured the contents of every basket into a misshapen heap on the floor, the entire year’s Spanish vocabulary words mixing promiscuously with important history dates and then smothered by algebra formulas. Along with the emotional breakdown that would be sure to occur, something amazing could happen: Spanish vocabulary could bring the history unit on Ponce de León to life, and the drawings of plant and animal cells would take on new meaning when placed next to the lesson on evolution. The disorganization would cause discomfort, but also allow for diverse connections to be made. While I would surely want to organize things again, perhaps the material could be sorted into new categories: biology notecards no longer sorted by chapter but rather by related theories, and new piles formed of concepts that I wished to explore further. I would not be hindered by trying to place the material in the right place, but rather inspired to dig deeper, realizing that the heap of notecards may more closely resemble the “real world” than the neatly labeled baskets that brought such comfort and restriction. The first stage of the Incubation Model of Teaching and Learning, Heightening Anticipation, serves to encourage students to recognize the “real-world” importance of what they are learning. It is important to note that the teacher is not responsible for inspiring every student to enthusiastically delve into the lesson, but rather to create an environment of curiosity that primes students to engage in learning. Most teachers naturally structure lessons to heighten 82 anticipation, planning “hooks” or “attention-getters” that are meant to attract students and get them excited about the material. The challenge comes in recognizing that what excites one student may seem mundane to another. Instead of attempting to meet the interests of all students, teachers “arouse curiosity,” “tickle the imagination,” and “create the desire to know” (Torrance & Safter, 1990). Interestingly, this often involves the teacher backing off from instruction, scaffolding lessons to ask thoughtful questions by providing minimal detail, and encouraging learners to confront real-world problems that relate to the content. Teachers can also heighten anticipation by presenting warm-up activities (either related or unrelated to the content) that provide students with opportunities to stretch the mind and prepare for creative thinking. Students are so accustomed to searching for the “right answer” that a creative warm-up such as listing multiple uses for commonplace objects or building a newspaper tower is vital to shifting into a creative mindset. These activities set the mind free from meeting the day’s objectives, allowing students to consider why they might want to learn the material. Thus, instead of informing the students as to why they need to learn the content, the teacher provides the students with the necessary environmental context and thinking skills to creatively consider how the material may apply to their daily lives. Stage Two, Deepening Expectations, involves the creative assimilation of new content into existing knowledge sets. Torrance used analogies to describe various information processing strategies that facilitate deep learning and encourage students to connect new content with prior experiences. Table 1 describes these strategies in detail. The final stage, Keeping it Going, encourages students to apply what they have learned and do something with the information encountered (Torrance, 1979). Although most directly related to incubation, this stage is driven by the intrinsic desire to delve deeply into learning, which is established throughout the first two stages. To learn creatively, students first become aware of gaps in their knowledge, anticipating new and original solutions. They search for these solutions by digging deeper, testing and retesting hypotheses, and modifying strategies. Finally, incubation allows time for students to ponder the problem, fitting the pieces together in various ways until dazzling moments of insight and inspiration occur. Terra Payne
Table 1: Stage II Information Processing Strategies and Explanations (Torrance & Safter, 1990) Analogy Description Example Digging Deeper Go beyond the surface of the content; diagnose difficulties and uncover what is hidden Investigate the “background characters” in a famous historical occurrence. How did their lives have a silent impact on history? Looking Twice Encounter the same material in multiple manners Investigate a biological process first by reading the textbook, next by exploring in a laboratory setting, and finally by writing an original script and taking on the role of one of the molecules. Listening for Smells Engage multiple senses when processing new material After reading various poems, work in groups to describe how the different poems would taste, smell, sound, or feel. Was the Haiku fiery hot? Bitter cold? Crossing out Mistakes “Play” with the material, trying new things and learning what works and what doesn’t After completing a lesson on measuring, attempt to measure various objects in the classroom. The ruler can be used to measure a book, but what about the length of the wall or the stuffed animal? What other measuring tools are needed? Cutting Holes to See Through Eliminate superfluous details in order to arrive at a sophisticated summary of the content Write a summary of a book chapter on the front of a notecard. Next, cut a card in half and narrow the summary. Finally, cut a notecard in quarters and write the most concise and informative summary possible. Cutting Corners Avoid irrelevant information Read and analyze transcripts from real courtroom settings. What information is needed? What information is presented as a distraction? Getting in Deep Water Search for unanswered questions and become absorbed in the problem Choose a topic at the beginning of the year to investigate throughout the entire class. Explore this topic from a new lens each week. Getting Out of Locked Doors Think beyond obvious solutions Solve a math problem using various methods. 83
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Torrance Journal for Applied Creati
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Table of Contents Preface Joan Fran
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Torrance Journal Advisory Board Cyn
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Bonnie Cramond E. Paul Torrance, th
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The TTCT also gave educators a way
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this emphasis may be seen in what K
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Students participating in the year-
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The Man So much of Torrance the man
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References Cramond, B., Matthews-Mo
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How Can Teachers Foster Creativity
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1. What kind of paper money are you
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Little Leaps: Weaving Creativity in
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18 Skill: Enjoy and Use Fantasy •
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References Content: Emancipation Pr
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Creativity Although almost universa
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The Levels of Service approach focu
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Beghetto, R. A., Kaufman, J. C., &
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Over the years, a body of literatur
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keep a climate of openness to stude
Page 39 and 40: II. Creative Intelligence: Fosterin
Page 41 and 42: Inspiring Creativity in Teachers to
Page 43 and 44: These tools provide guidelines to f
Page 45 and 46: • Journals There are many types o
Page 47 and 48: The Importance of IQ, MIQ, EQ, HQ &
Page 49 and 50: the Multiple Intelligences can lead
Page 51 and 52: Happiness is also a somewhat surpri
Page 53 and 54: To help parents and educators under
Page 55 and 56: Question: What if these Q “subjec
Page 57 and 58: childhood state‐of‐mind—being
Page 59 and 60: Walt Whitman (1819-92), Master of P
Page 61 and 62: Krall and Diana Ross. “Lady Day
Page 63 and 64: Stuart Little by E.B. White: A Tale
Page 65 and 66: Red Skelton. Great satirist, pantom
Page 67 and 68: Movie Actors and Actresses Lauren B
Page 69 and 70: Concept of Synergy as a Major Facto
Page 71 and 72: Fisher, Maurice D. (2000). Multiple
Page 73 and 74: The Learner-Directed Studio-Classro
Page 75 and 76: Borrowing Torrance’s words to pro
Page 77 and 78: Curious about the degree to which s
Page 79 and 80: the next few years of the rigor it
Page 81 and 82: Cerulean Hero by Karen Morse I know
Page 83 and 84: Purpose of the Study We thought the
Page 85 and 86: Benefits of Creativity Many student
Page 87 and 88: III. Models of Creativity: Torrance
Page 89: Lessons with No Conclusions: Using
Page 93 and 94: Allowing the lesson to trickle over
Page 95 and 96: Breaking Boundaries When my family
Page 97 and 98: Stage One: Heightening Anticipation
Page 99 and 100: TIM (Torrance Incubation Model) in
Page 101 and 102: nity elders in learning basic horti
Page 103 and 104: TIM and the Creative Coach: Using t
Page 105 and 106: Yet, the directive style is so perv
Page 107 and 108: Table 9:Deepening Expectations Stra
Page 109 and 110: Table 9: (Continued) Deepening Expe
Page 111 and 112: Table 10: (Continued) Extending Lea
Page 113 and 114: The KJ-Ho and The W-shaped Problem
Page 115 and 116: sentences. This is called the nega-
Page 117 and 118: References Kawakita J. (1966). Hass
Page 119 and 120: Connie Phelps Cornerstones in Appli
Page 121 and 122: dren and adults through games, stor
Page 123 and 124: References Boyd, N. (n. d.). The th
Page 125 and 126: precise use of words. Moreover, muc
Page 127 and 128: Creative Student Catalogs Expect fi
Page 129 and 130: The following vocabulary represents
Page 131 and 132: Predicting Adult Innovation Adult c
Page 133 and 134: creative young men and women who ca
Page 135 and 136: How can the Maker movement help dev
Page 137 and 138: Drawing While Talking and Thinking:
Page 139 and 140: one’s thinking about school chang
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aspects of Thomas and Brown’s (20
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Significance In these two studies,
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Relevance in the Gifted Classroom-
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ideas and conducting a mock public
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It’s called the car; and we certa
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five creative strengths] are valuab
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Creativity and Innovation in an Int
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spices, textures, flavors, and sund
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Schmid, T. (2005a). Promoting healt
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Sylvia B. Rimm The Fashion of Passi
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pressures. Now adults have added a
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Too High Expectations Lead to Under
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Graduation Message I have heard man
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Foundation of Psychology The theori
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students makes moral dilemmas a use
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Seven Ways to Develop or Raise Spir
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Studies in Psychology: Promoting Aw
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Purpose of the Study This study sou
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Excessive Worry. Numerous students
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One boy described how both his fath
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A Glimpse Into My Clinic: The “As
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TV characters just like other child
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Thus, Guy was willing not just to c
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References Bailey, C.L. (2011). An
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Midwest Torrance Center for Creativ
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Torrance Journal for Applied Creativity

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