Creativity and Innovation in Education

Course Syllabus

Creativity and Innovation in Education

CRIN 592

Required Texts:

Piirto, J. (2004). Understanding creativity. Scottsdale, AZ: Great Potential Press.

Starko, A. J. (2004). Creativity in the classroom: Schools of curious delight. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

*Additional readings will be assigned and suggested. They will be made available in class or on line.

Course Requirements:

1. Attendance and participation (including Blackboard postings) (10 points).
2. On-going journal entries (10 planned) based on in-class prompts and out-of- class “urges” and/or an "idea trap" which is like an inventor's notebook, a writer's journal, or an artist's sketchpad. An entry should be made each day of ideas, insights, images, musings, fleeting thoughts that might otherwise be lost. These ideas may or may not be used to assist in other class projects (30 points).
3. Individual presentation on domain-specific creativity. Each student will choose one of chapters 6-11 in the Piirto book for a class presentation and discussion (40 points).
4. Creativity Scavenger Hunt Presentations (40 points).
5. Course project based on an educational problem of choice (80 points):

• Use the Creative Problem-solving Model (CPS) to come up with an innovative solution to a “seemingly intractable” educational problem.
• Write up the nature of the problem, the process you used to address it, the comprehensive solution you derived, and how it could be implemented in an educational setting.
• Suggested length of written product: 12-15 pages
• Prepare an innovative way to present your ideas to the class.

Assessment in the course

Course Schedule

• Introduction to the syllabusand course requirements
• Scavenger Hunt: Definition of Creativity
• Overview of creativity
• Journal entry

• The Creative Process
• Blocks to creativity
• Creativity training exercises:Metaphor development and fluency
• Debriefing of process
• Journal entry or Idea Trap

• Group discussion of Root-Bernstein article via guided questions
• Creativity training exercises: Fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration
• Use of Circles Test and SCAMPER as creative tools
• Journal entry

• Root-Bernstein
• Ericsson & Lehmann

• Journal response to article on barriers
• The interplay of discovery,

• DeBono’s “Six Hats”
• Debriefing of process
• Idea Trap

• Piirto, How to Enhance Creativity
• Starko, Creativity and Talent Development
• Simonton
• Davis

• Individual presentation
• Synectics

• Individual presentation
• Creative problem solving model: An Educational problem with Jim Cross
• Idea Trap

• Individual presentation
• Creative problem solving model: An Educational problem with Jim Cross
• Debriefing of process
• Journal entry or Idea Trap

• Individual presentation
• Educational problem solving:
• Using multiple perspectives as a

• Debriefing the process

• The Creative Person
• The role of context in creativity
• “Women & creativity” discussion via

• Journal entry

• Group discussion of readings on

• Presentation of Scavenger Hunt project
• Journal entry

• Can creativity be tested and taught?

• Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking
• Journal entry or Idea Trap

• Class sharing of readings
• Questions & peer assessments
• Course Project Presentations

• Course evaluation

Creativity Scavenger Hunt

CRIN 592

Here finally is your chance to see

The many facets of creativity

Theories, articles, lessons and such

Without reality are nothing much

So with your curiosity please proceed

Ingenuity is what you’ll need

To win the hunt – the ultimate test

Let’s see which hunter is really best!

Your hunt will take place in two environments. One kind of environment, Festival Williamsburg, Poetry Society of Virginia, or the multitude of museums in Williamsburg, will be places where you would expect to find creativity. The other site should be a seemingly ordinary or unlikely spot to associate with creativity. Examples of this type of environment might include a used car lot, the woods or a pond, a school cafeteria, a busy street corner, etc.

Look for the following:

1. Someone doing ordinary things in a creative way.
2. At least three examples of flexibility.
3. Art forms in an unlikely setting.
4. Inanimate object communicating in an original way.
5. Problems that have been solved in an original way.
6. Something that Shakespeare would write about.
7. Something that Barbra Streisand, Faith Hill, or Pink would sing about.

Communicate your findings in an unusual way. Try a suggestion listed below or create one that is best suited to match your special talents or personality. PowerPoint presentations are NOT allowed!

CREATIVE PROBLEM-SOLVING

Educational issue: How do we deal with underachievement?

1. Brainstorm:

What are all the ways that underachievement manifests itself in school and work settings?

What are illustrations and examples of the problem?

What are the three most critical aspects of the problem? What is the most critical?

II. Restatement of the problem:

How can educators and employers______?

1. Solution-finding:

What are all of the approaches we might use to solve the problem of underachievement?

1. Develop a comprehensive solution:

What are the best solutions proposed and how could they be synthesized to create a comprehensive approach?

1. Create a plan of action to address the issue:

What objectives need to be addressed?

Who will be responsible?

What should they do?

On what timeline?

How will they know the plan worked?

Supplemental Reading List

Baer, J. (1994). Why you shouldn’t trust creativity tests. Educational Leadership, 27(3), 80-83.

Barron, F. (1969). Creative person and creative process.New York: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston.

Chislett, L. M. (1994). Integrating the CPS and Schoolwide Enrichment Models to enhance creative

productivity. Roeper Review, 17, 1, 4-7.

Clapham, M. M. (2003). The development of innovative ideas through creativity training. In L.V. Shavinina (Ed.), The International Handbook on Innovation (pp. 366-376). New York: Elsevier Science, Ltd.

Coates, J. F. (2003). Future innovations in science and technology. In L.V. Shavinina (Ed.), The International Handbook on Innovation (pp. 1073-1093). New York: Elsevier Science, Ltd.

Cohen, L. M., & Ambrose, D. (1999). Adaptation and creativity. In M.A. Runco & S. R. Pritzker (Vol. Eds.), Encyclopedia of creativity: Vol. 1. A-H (pp. 9-22). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

Cramond, B. (1999). Going beyond the scores of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking. In A. S. Fishkin, B. Cramond, & P. Olszewski-Kubilius (Eds.), Investigating creativity in youth, 307-327. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press, Inc.

Davis, G. A. (1999). Barriers to creativity and creative attitudes. In M.A. Runco & S. R. Pritzker (Vol. Eds.), Encyclopedia of creativity: Vol. 1. A-H (pp. 165-174). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

Dawson, V. L. (1996). In search of the wild Bohemian: Challenges in the identification of the creatively gifted. Roeper Review, 19, 3, 148-152.

Delcourt, M.A.B. (1993). Creative productivity among secondary school students: Combining energy, interest, and imagination. Gifted Child Quarterly, 37, 1, 23-31.

Deschamps, J.P. (2003). Innovation and leadership. In L.V. Shavinina (Ed.), The International Handbook on Innovation (pp. 815-834). New York: Elsevier Science, Ltd.

Ericsson K., and Lehmann, A. C. (1999). Expertise. In M.A. Runco & S. R. Pritzker (Vol. Eds.), Encyclopedia of creativity: Vol. 1. A-H (pp. 695-708). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

Freeman, J. (1993). Gifted school performance and creativity. Roeper Review, 17, 1, 15-19.

Hunsaker, S. (1993). Creativity as a characteristic of giftedness: Teachers see it, then they don’t. Roeper Review, 17, 1, 11-15.

Kokot, S. and Colman, J. ((1994). Being creative: A mother speaks. Roeper Review. 17, 2, 121-123.

Levy, R. (1990). To struggle for creative excellence: An option for gifted children in Mexico. In C.W. Taylor (Ed.), Expanding awareness of creative potentials worldwide. Salt Lake City, UT: Brain Talent-Powers Press.

Meador, K.S. (1991). Emerging rainbows: A review of the literature on creativity in preschoolers. Journal for the Education of the Gifted. 15,163-181.

Mumford, M., Connelly, M., Baughman, W. and Marks, M. (1993). Creativity and problem solving: Cognition, adaptability, and wisdom. Roeper Review, 17, 4, 241-246.

Puccio, G. (1991). Two dimensions of creativity: Level and style: The international center for studies in creativity website: Reading_Room/Puccio-99a.html.

Purcell, J., & Leppien, J. (1998). Building bridges between general practitioners and educators of the gifted: A study of collaboration. Gifted Child Quarterly, 42(3), 172-181.

Reis, S. M. (1999). Women and creativity. In M.A. Runco & S. R. Pritzker (Vol. Eds.), Encyclopedia of creativity: Vol. 2. I-Z, indexes (pp. 559-572). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

Renzulli, J.S. (1978). What makes giftedness? Reexamining a definition. Phi Delta Kappan, 60, 180-84, 261.

Renzulli, J. S. (1982). What makes a problem real? Stalking the elusive meaning of qualitative differences in gifted education. Gifted Child Quarterly, 26(4), 147-156.

Renzulli, J. (1992). A general theory for the development of creative productivity through the pursuit of ideal acts of learning. Gifted Child Quarterly, 36, 4, 170-182.

Root-Bernstein, R. (1999). Discovery. In M.A. Runco & S. R. Pritzker (Vol. Eds.), Encyclopedia of creativity: Vol. 1. A-H (pp. 699-708). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

Root-Bernstein, R., & Root-Bernstein, M. (2003). Intuitive tools for innovative thinking. In L.V. Shavinina (Ed.), The international handbook on innovation (pp. 377-387). New York: Elsevier Science, Ltd.

Runco, M.A. (1999). Chronology of events and significant ideas and works on creativity. In M.A. Runco & S. R. Pritzker (Vol. Eds.), Encyclopedia of creativity: Vol. 2. I-Z, indexes (pp.751-754). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

______. (1999). Tests of creativity. In M.A. Runco & S. R. Pritzker (Vol. Eds.), Encyclopedia of creativity: Vol. 2. I-Z, indexes (pp.755-760). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

______. (1995). Insight for creativity, expression for impact. Creativity Research Journal, 8, 4, 377-390.

______. (1993). Divergent thinking, creativity, and giftedness. Gifted Child Quarterly, 37, 1,

16-22.

Runco, M.A. and Nemiro, J. (1994). Problem finding, creativity, and giftedness. Roeper Review, 16, 4, 235-241.

Schack, G.D. (1993) Effects of a creative problem-solving curriculum on students of varying ability levels. Creative Child Quarterly, 37, 1, 32-38.

______, (1989). Self-efficacy as a mediator in the creative productivity of gifted children. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 12, 3, 231-249.

Scott, T. E. (1999). Knowledge. In M.A. Runco & S. R. Pritzker (Vol. Eds.), Encyclopedia of creativity: Vol. 2. I-Z, indexes (pp. 119-130). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

Simonton, D. K. (1999). Eminence. In M.A. Runco & S. R. Pritzker (Vol. Eds.), Encyclopedia of creativity: Vol. 1. A-H (pp. 647-658). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

Sternberg, R. and Lubart, T. (1993). Creative giftedness: A multivariate investment approach. Creative Child Quarterly, 37, 1, 7-15.

Subotnik, R., Kassan, L. & Wasser, A. (1993). Genius revisited: High IQ children grown up. NY: Ablex Publishing.

Torrance, E.P. (1984). The role of creativity in identification of the gifted and talented. Gifted Child Quarterly, 28, 4, 153-156.

Torrance, E.P. and Goff, K. (1990). Fostering academic creativity in gifted students. ERIC Digest #E484.

Treffinger, D. J. (1995). School improvement, talent development, and creativity. Roeper Review, 18, 2, 93-97.

Treffinger, D. J., & Isaksen, S. G. (2005). Creative problem solving: The history, development, and implications for gifted education and talent development. Gifted Child Quarterly,4(4), 342-354.

Treffinger, D. J., Renzulli, J., & Feldhusen, J. (1971). Problems in the assessment of creative thinking. Journal of Creative Behavior, 5(2), 104-112.

Vandervert, L. R. (2003). Research on innovation at the beginning of the 21st Century: What do we know about it? In L.V. Shavinina (Ed.), The International Handbook on Innovation (pp. 1103-1112). New York: Elsevier Science, Ltd.

Wallace, A. (1986). The prodigy/A biography of William Sidis, America’s greatest prodigy. NY: Penguin

Books.

Winner, E. (1997). Gifted children: Myths and realities. NY: Basic Books.

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