Download to read offline
More Related Content
Similar to Creativity and fluency
More from Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia
Creativity and fluency
- 1. Activities to EnhanceThinking Skills Creativity and Fluency by Sandra Anselmo i ~ J i iiiii iiiiiiiii We live in a world with problems that seem to grow ever more complex. Con- tamination seeps into water supplies, drought and flooding altemately affect large parts of the globe, and peace seems elusive. Creative solutions are required for these and many other problems that we face. Alas, the solutions for many of our problems will not be found in this generation. Young children of today will eventually meet and deal with our unresolved problems as well as new, as yet unanticipated ones. The coming generations will need all of the creativ- Sandra Anselmo is an Associate Professor in the School of Education at the Univer- sity of the Pacific in Stockton, CA. ity that they can summon as they en- counter these challenges. Those of us who interact with young children must consciously nurture the creativity that exists within all children. By valuing children's good ideas, their alternate suggestions, their new approaches, we show children that what they think is important. And, by the activities that we plan, we can help to develop children's creative poten- tial. There are many components of creativity--fluency, flexibility, ori- ginality and elaboration, to name four. In the activities that follow, we focus on developing fluency--defined as the ability to generate a ready flow of ideas. Fluency is very important in pro- ducing many, many possible solutions to a given problem or question. The technique introduced in these activities is called brainstorming. Activities are specified at three levels to correspond somewhat with the abili- ties of toddlers, preschoolers and young school-age children. No particu- lar equipment is needed except a chalk- board and chalk or paper and pencil. However, brainstorming and other creative activities do require a certain type of atmosphere, one in which children feel good about themselves and trust that their contributions will be received positively by adults and peers. No "put downs" are allowed, and no evaluation of the brainstorming takes place until afterwards. 38 0992-4199/84/1300-0038,~,75~1984H.... s~i..... ~ DAY CARE AND EARLY EDUCATION
- 2. Beginning: for toddlersor as a first step for older children Introduce by your example a game of "I see... " to a small group of children. Model possible ways to com- plete the sentence in that particular set- ting ("I see an airplane, a doll, a block, a truck..."). Probably the children will be eager to help you as soon as they get the idea of what you are doing. Ac- cept all responses with enthusiasm and encourage them with questions, such as "Is there anything else that you can see?" Toddlers vary widely in their expres- sive language abilities. Some toddlers are able to name many objects in the en- vironment, but others may make their contributions to brainstorming by pointing or touching something. Espe- cially at these early ages, emphasize children's understanding of language and the fluency of their ideas. If they understand and can respond, we know that fluency in expressive language will be likely to follow. Be prepared for many repetitions of ideas, especially at first. Accept each contribution as valuable, even if it re- peats an idea already given. When children have developed fluency through activities of this type, they will show more variety in their answers. After children feel comfortable in brainstorming, begin to record their ideas on a chalkboard or on paper as they give them. You can then follow the brainstorming with a review of their good ideas and comments about their progress. I I Intermediate: for preschoolers or as a first step for older children Propose a classification category with which children are familiar. The following ideas wilt get you started, but be sure to select from this list concepts which children in your group under- stand and with which they have had successful previous experiences: parts of the body wild animals tame animals round objects square objects triangular objects foods furniture articles of clothing objects of a certain color objects of a certain texture (hard, soft, bumpy) Ask children to think of as many mem- bers of that classification as they can. Record ideas on a chalkboard or large sheet of paper. Encourage all contribu- tions. You may find that children are eager to evaluate ideas as they are proposed. Because the process of evaluation im- pedes fluency, though, you should re- direct children's attention to the brain- storming activity and promise that evaluation will follow. When children have used all of their ideas, the appropriate time for evalua- tion has arrived. As a group, go through the ideas to determine if each contribution fits the classification. In cases of disagreement about the suita- bility of an idea, encourage discussion and then vote whether to keep the idea on the list. The more fluent that children be- come, the longer brainstorming ses- sions last. Therefore, at some point, it is usually" advisable to introduce a time limit for brainstorming. Advanced: for young school-age children The advanced brainstorming activi- ties follow the same procedures as the intermediate but also introduce a sec- ond property for classification. The following suggestions should be used only if they incorporate concepts with which children have worked: small and round big and soft red and rounded tall and rough green foods These advanced brainstorming activi- ties are challenging and exciting to children who have had positive expe- riences with beginning and intermedi- ate activities. Brainstorming at all three levels develops fluency, an important component of creativity. @ SPRING 1984 39