Bilingualism

and Creativity
An Educational Perspective
Contents of The Presentation

The relationship between

bilingualism and creativity 01 02 Bilingualism and creative
education

03
Bilingual creative education: new
approach to old curriculum
01

The Relationship b e t w e e n
B i l i n g u a l i s m and Creatvity
 The Relationship between Bilingualism
and Creativity

- Bialystok (2005) stated that individuals who speak more

than one language can extend their cognitive capacities.

- According to creative cognition approach, creativity is

consider as a product of normative cognitive function.

- Creative capacity is assumed as an essential property of

normative human cognitive (Ward, Smith, & Finke, 1999).

- If bilingualism facilitates cognitive function and results

more complex cognitive structure, it also may facilitate
creative functioning (Kharkhurin, 2012).
Creative Thinking: Divergent and
Convergent
In the psychometric, creative thinking is perceived as an ability to initiate multiple cycles of divergent
and convergent thinking that allows generation of new and alternative thinking (Guilford, 1967).

Divergent Thinking Convergent Thinking

Divergent thinking is the ability to Convergent thinking is the ability to

generate or produce new ideas and analyze ideas and associated with
often associated with creativity. the ability to solve problems.
 4 Characterictics of Divergent
Thinking

Fluency Flexibility Elaboration Originality

The capacity to produce The capacity to consider a The ability to think The tendency to produce
many ideas or solutions to variety of approaches to a through the details of an ideas different from most
a problem rapidly problem simultaneously. idea. other people.

Generative Capacity Innovative

Capacity
- The majority of studies investigating the relationship between
bilingualism and creativity in children reported that bilingual
advantages on verbal and nonverbal divergent thinking traits
(Kharkhurin, 2012).

- Bilingual college students revealed advantages on various

creativity and cognitive tests as compared to their
monolingual friends.
Bilingual Development Factors

There are some factors that affect bilingual development

that may facilitate individual’s creative performance:

● Degree of language proficiency

● The age which the languages were acquire

● Bilingual individual’s participation and experience with

the sociocultural settings
02

Bilingual and Creative

Education
Bilingual and Creative Education

Perkins & Lasema (1986) said that creativity can be enhanced by classroom instruction that has
been designed carefully.

There are some problems faced in traditional education:

● More likely to think convergently

● Student learn conformity instead innovativeness

● Driven by market-related motivation

Solution : Combining bilingual education and language learning with

the fostering of creativity.
Bilingual and Creative
Education

Educational policies in many development country to

promote linguistic and cognitive development through
bilingualism.

● European Union Commissions for Multilingualism (2007)

● English teaching program to recent immigrants in United State.

In addition, the education element of the knowledge triangle,

‘research – innovation – education’ should be strengthened, starting
early in school.
03

Bilingual and Creative Education:

New Approach to Old Curriculum
 New Approach to Old
Curriculum

The Bilingual Creative Education (BCE) program is a unified teaching model that suggest to modify the
existing curriculum or classroom environment to promote bilingualism and creativity in early school.
The BCE program is grounded on several conceptual premises
● Facilitate bilingual learning in
● Disqualifies the elitist view a diversity of student
and provides opportunity to populations
enhance the linguistic and ● Fostering children’s creative
creative capacities potential that can be applied
● Implemented in any school to everyday problem solving
curriculum ● Conceived for elementary
school
 5 Importants Attribute of BCE
Program

Administrative
Personal Cognitive
Attribte
Attribute Attribute
Developing personality traits To foster cognitive abilities that Proposes a set of administrative
that encourage students to facilitate students’ language modification that can be utilize in
engage in the bilingual creative acquisition and help to develop BCE as well as in school with
education their creative potential traditional curriculum

Environment Curricular
Attribute Attribte
To allocate additional Intends not to replace the existing
resources to secure learning school curriculum, but modify it by
environment incorporating new element
Thank you
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