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DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY OF CREATIVITY
By : MAJED ALALI
There have been several curricula, and educational and psychological plans that can be applied to the study and development of creative abilities. For about fifty years, beginning with the research by Guilford up to the present time, creativity has received considerable attention from the various educational, psychological and social trends and schools in order to identify the main influences and aspects of creativity.
Yet, some aspects of this long studied issue are still vague and controversial such as the relationship between creativity and intelligence. That is, there is still room for research to be conducted on creativity. The question that imposes itself is which type of programs is the most effective for enhancing creative abilities. Torrance and his students reached this conclusion after surveying hundreds of studies conducted on creativity from 1972 to 1985.
Because the individual’s cognitive development is the outcome of the interaction between heredity and the environment and because the limits of this development are determined by heredity-related factors, then what can be achieved within these limits is determined by environmental factors. Naturally, cognitive development reaches its maximum in case the environmental factors are supportive. On the other hand, if the environment is poor and frustrating, development will be kept within the narrow limits of heredity. Since it is not possible, so far at least, to modify the genetic structure of the child, the only choice left is the modification of the environmental determiners. It is universally accepted that the development of intelligence is a social process that depends on the type and structure of the environment where the child lives.
Since genetic influences play an important role in the child’s cognitive development, especially the early educational experiences gained inside and outside the family, many researchers have stressed the importance of addressing creativity in early childhood. The early experiences of creative thinking pave the way for further creativity in older ages and help the child to know how to use his/her potentials in divergent thinking and creative solution of problems.
Early childhood (from 3 to 6 years of age) is of paramount importance as children in this stage have a spontaneous desire to explore the surroundings. Research has shown that children in this age use creative techniques in recognizing things and seeking truth. These techniques include arousing successive questions, inquiry, experimenting, play, and examining the facets of the things. When facing an error or disturbance of some kind and when being unable to make sense, they begin to give questions, guesses, examinations and revisions. Once they discover something new to them, they quickly and enthusiastically inform the people around them about it.
Any treatment of creative education case should be implemented within the comprehensive view of the role of the family and the society, and the prevalent educational, economical, and cultural influences. The education of the individual can not be implemented away from his/her social and physical environment.
The nature and the role of the educational process in creativity is determined by a set of personal, affective and motivational features of the individual. These features allow potential creativity to turn into tangible creative performance. The features that characterize the personality of the creative individual can, in most cases, be acquired from the social environment that surrounds the individual. Accordingly, the educational situations the individual experiences whether in the process of socialization inside the family or in formal and informal educational situations in the society and its institutions are also important for the development of creativity .
This refers to the significant role education plays in regard to these features. Education can either facilitate or impede creative thinking. That is, education can create the atmosphere that is supportive to the growth of these features in the individuals who have creative potentials. However, the role of education exceeds the mere creation of that kind of supportive atmosphere. It can adopt the educational procedures and methods that can secure the transfer of these features into behavioral actions that characterize the individuals’ with creative potentials.
In this respect, Torrance in 1965 suggested five reasons why education should attend to creativity:
- Utilizing the power of the creative individuals.
- Securing the psychological well being of the creative individuals.
- Increasing the scholastic achievement of the creative individuals.
- Securing professional success.
- The social importance of creativity.
Countries, whether developed or developing, should think of the basic issues and needs of creativity, taking into consideration the basic needs of young people whose creative abilities and talents need to be enhanced to reach their utmost. These should be applied at all levels: in the family, the school and the whole society.
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mr : majed al-ali
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Comments
nour halawani | Nov 3rd, 2008
كتير حبيت المقال .. و أحنا محتاجين لنزيد الوعي بالإبداع و لنزيد العناية باللفكير الإبداعي , بدل العمليات التدميرية لأي فكرة جديدة أو رأي جديد..
و المقال و الدراسات و التوصيات قابلة للتطبيق , وبتمنى أنه يوصل لناس أكثر و نلاقي تقدم بهذا المجال في الوطن العربي..
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