Cultivating Creativity

Can creativity be taught?  

Many teachers’ first reaction to the question “can creativity be taught” is “no, some people are just born creative and others are not!”  As I reflected on my own classroom, classrooms that I was in as a student, and classrooms that my children have been students in, I would have to agree and disagree.  While I don’t feel that creativity itself can be directly taught, I do believe that the foundations for creative and innovative thinking can be promoted in educational environments that value those behaviors.  Certain habits and strategies that correlate with the creative process can be modeled in the classroom and the curriculum can support a nurturing environment. Creative tools and techniques can be provided to encourage creativity.  Learning about the creative process does not guarantee students will learn how to be creative; rather it can provide them with the understanding of what creativity is and make them familiar with their own strategies and behaviors and how they think innovatively. 

Are schools killing creativity?  

Unfortunately I feel that too many classrooms and teachers do not foster the environment needed for students to feel free to be creative.  Instead, students are made to conform to the norms, not create and display their individuality.  In my opinion, students are taught to the test and not given opportunities to have free play, which encourages imagination and creativity.  In lower grades, students learn teamwork, creativity and collaboration when given opportunities to play, as well as create imaginative stories and whimsical drawings.  However, those same students struggle with creating even the most basic story or idea in the upper grades because educators are not cultivating their creativity.  Instead students learn how to be test-takers and concern themselves with what grade they receive rather than what they learn.  Students need to be given the opportunity to experiment, explore, question, use their imaginations and synthesize their information.

What can be done to reverse this trend?

The US educational system claims to create students that are 21^st century learners and have the skills to be competitive in the world; however, with the current focus on testing, that statement is not entirely valid.  Educators need to steer the focus from testing to assessing.  Not all activities need to be assigned a grade, yet that is the mentality of most of our society. Students need to be given opportunities to solve problems where there is no right or wrong answer.  Project-based learning and/or Problem-based learning activities need to be increased for students of all levels.  Teachers need to design projects help to bring out student creativity; create a classroom culture to promote creativity and innovation; and scaffold student learning of creativity.  When students are provided choices, they are more likely to produce quality work of topics that interest them.  Students asking questions, brainstorming ideas and communicating those ideas in new and innovative ways will lead to creative thinking processes.  Originality needs to be valued in our educational system in order for students to see the value in creativity and desire to be more creative.   

Miller, A. (2013, March 7). Yes, You Can Teach and Assess Creativity! Retrieved June 15, 2015.

Naiman, L. (2014, June 6). Can Creativity be Taught?  Results from Research Studies. Retrieved June 15, 2015.

Root-Bernstein, R., & Root-Bernstein, M. (2011, April 22). Can Creativity Be Taught? Retrieved June 15, 2015.

Characteristics of Underachievement in Gifted Students

There are many characteristics that I've observed in gifted students in my classroom throughout my teaching career that cause a discrepancy between their ability level and their achievement level.  Lack of organizational skills and failure to complete assignments seems to be the most common characteristics, as well as poor listening skills.  Often times gifted students that do not preform to their abilities rush through assignments without reading or listening to oral directions and have trouble staying focused, especially if it's a topic that does not interest them.  Inept time management skills also present a dilemma for many gifted students who fall short of their academic potential.  

Lucas, a student in my classroom this previous school year, identified as gifted in both math and language arts, is a classic underachiever.  His organizational skills and failure to complete assignments were just two reasons why his numeric grade point average did not reflect his true academic level.  Lucas also suffers from ADHD, and displayed many of the characteristics.  At the beginning of the school year, he did not turn in homework assignments, did not write information in his interactive student notebook, and was disruptive in class.  As a result, his grade suffered and he was often "lost."  However, on formal assessments, he always scored extremely high and participated in class discussions with high interest.  After working with Lucas and conferencing with his mother (who is also a teacher), we determined a plan of action to help him become accomplished and feel successful.  Lucas is a social person with a creative sense of humor that is often seen as disrespectful by many teachers, so we had to find a way to channel his comments so that he would not be disruptive.  We also had to focus on his lack of organization and time management skills.  Since Lucas gets bored easily, finding ways to interest him and keep his learning focused was also a top priority in order for him to succeed.  

We focused mostly on instructional intervention strategies in order to help Lucas progress.  First of all I worked with Lucas on his organizational skills in his interactive student notebook, his binder, his backpack, and his locker so that he could get a "fresh start."  I periodically checked with him to make sure he was still on track, and assisted him when needed.  In order to motivate him, I focused on activities that would interest him and corresponded to his learning style.  He is an auditory learner and has a high level of creativity, yet he despised writing (as in steps or explanations to a math question).  I gave Lucas the opportunity to explain in words verbally instead of requiring him to write down all of his explanations.  I also paired him up with a struggling student who had impeccable organizational skills, and at the end of each class she would help him organize his materials while he would help explain any misunderstandings that she had from that day's objectives.  They both benefitted tremendously from this arrangement.  As with most of my students, I pre-assed Lucas before exploring new information to determine his specific needs.  Several times he demonstrated mastery of the topic on his pre-assessment, so he was able to complete independent studies, which demonstrated his creativity.  If he struggled with one or two specific topics on his pre-assessment, those were the only topics that I required him to complete homework for.  

Poor concentration and listening skills, disruptive behavior, substandard organizational skills and failure to complete assignments, all characteristics of gifted underachievers, can create a discrepancy between student ability and student achievement.  By intervening with individualized instructional strategies such as making instruction relevant and focusing on the student's learning style, underachieving gifted students can be successful.  As in the case with Lucas, he made classroom progress and showed substantial growth on his math end of grade test, scoring in the 99th percentile in North Carolina, and demonstrating that the gap could be closed between his achievement and his ability. 

Reis, S., & McCoach, D. (n.d.). Underachievement in Gifted and Talented Students with Special Needs.  Neag Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development. Retrieved June 14, 2015, from http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/general/faculty/reis/giftedunderachievers.html

Smutney, J. (December, 2004) Meeting the Needs of Gifted underachievers-Individually! Davidson Institute for Talent Development. Retrieved June 14, 2015 from http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/Articles_id_10442.aspx

Role of Assessment In Providing Rigor For Gifted Learners

What role does assessment play in providing rigor and challenge for gifted learners?  In what ways can data best contribute to the teaching and learning of gifted students?

The purpose of assessment is to gather information that guides instruction and benefits the student.  By varying forms of assessment, it is easier to identify specific educational needs for gifted students.  When using traditional assessments like tests or quizzes, I incorporate open-ended questions and higher-level questions.  Other assessments that we use in our class include technology-based assessments, research projects, choice boards/tic-tac-toe boards, journal entries in their interactive student notebooks, foldables, graphic organizers, tickets-out-the-door, formative assessments such as “thumbs up” or whiteboard “Show What You Know,” and student choice to exhibit their creativity.  We are constantly assessing, whether it be formally or informally.  Pre-assessments are extremely crucial when customizing instruction and for making modifications for gifted students.  In our class, we use technology such as Kahoot or Padlet to quickly assess the students’ understanding.  The students also take ownership in their own learning through various self-assessments such as rubrics, journal responses, questionaires, and checklists.

To establish and encourage rigorous assessments for the gifted learner, high expectations from the student and the teacher are essential.  In my experience, gifted students respond more positively to high expectations when they find value in the tasks they are completing.  I feel that motivation and engagement are linked together, and are critical in developing successful students.  By incorporating authentic assessments linked to the students’ interests, student motivation and engagement increases.  In addition to high expectations, gifted students need encouragement to help them fulfill these expectations.  A sense of belonging and a respectful environment are essential for gifted learners to succeed.  When the students know you care about them and respect them, they are more apt to take risks and be passionate about their choices.

Student choice is a powerful motivator for the gifted learner.  To maintain opportunities for rigor, gifted students must be given the opportunity to help design the content or process and product rather than just completing a teacher-created assignment.   In our classroom, students are given the opportunity to explore their own interests through inquiry-based projects.  By choosing topics that interest them, the gifted students delve into their activitiess with greater complexity and depth.

Additionally, in our classroom, I constantly assess the students informally through class discussions that center around questioning, with a focus on higher-level thinking skills.  While utilizing question stems from Bloom’s Taxonomy is important for all students, it is especially critical to implement a class atmosphere for gifted students wherein constant high-level questioning occurs.  The complexity of high-level thinking should be raised for gifted learners and questions should be relevant to real world situations to challenge them.

By implementing more complex forms of assessment that challenge gifted students to think and demonstrate a deeper understanding, rigor is increased.  Beyond the simple recalling of answers, more complex assessments evoke answers that are beyond grade level.  Assessments that we use in our class include inquiry-based projects, individual and group activities that encourage creativity and greater depth.  Students also create journal entries, detailed graphic organizers and foldables to demonstrate their knowledge.  Many of the assignments, such as their choice boards, encourage student choice of assessment. 

Data can best contribute to the teaching and learning of gifted students through utilizing assorted forms of assessments.  By assessing gifted students in different ways, a more comprehensive instructional plan can be developed based on their individual needs.  Data that identifies their depth of understanding, their interests, their creativity, and their strengths and weaknesses through diverse forms of assessment is essential in differentiating the curriculum for gifted students.

Campbell, D. (2000). Authentic Assessment and Authentic Standards. Phi Delta Kappan, 405-407.

Kelly, Deirdre (September, 2011).  Differentiating Instruction for Gifted Learners: A Resource for Classroom Teachers, Lake Sybelia Elementary

Kingore, B. (Winter 2011). Differentiating Instruction to Promote Rigor and Engagement for Advanced and Gifted Students. Tempo, XXXI (3), 9-15.

Tomlinson, C. (1997). It Means to Teach Gifted Learners Well. Instructional Leader. Retrieved April 18, 2015, from http://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/gifted-education-practices/what-it-means-teach-gifted-learners-well