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Summary of Reading and Viewing Graphic Organizer
1. List important information you learned about creativity (general):
 Every person has some creative potential, and it is important to
cultivate those skills instead of teaching children to turn it off. As
we move further and further into technology based jobs where
creativity is an asset, it is important to make sure we are not
stripping children of their creativity.
 Typically, creativity is not a component of a person’s stated IQ
(as it is historically not part of the traditional IQ tests). Torrance
developed a test to measure creativity since he thought it was a
critical component in giftedness.
 According to the “Battle of the Brains” documentary, creativity is
something that everyone tends to recognize whether a person is
creative or not, whether a person works in an industry that
relies heavily on creativity or not.
 Creativity relies on both convergent and divergent thinking.
 Flexibility helps with creativity.
 Wallas defines four important stages in creativity: preparation,
incubation, illumination, verification. Preparation is an
individual learning as much as possible about the field they are
working in or the problem at hand. Incubation is where the
individual is not actively thinking about the problem but letting
it hang out on the “periphery of consciousness.” Illumination is
the “a-ha” moment where the individual solves the problem.
Verification is the last step, where the individual rationalizes
whether the solution makes sense. Is it accurate?
 Creativity is the production of something useful and original.
 According to Runco, “those that do better in both problem-
finding and problem-solving have better relationships.”
Creativity fosters a person’s ability to overcome adversity and
navigate the world around him/her.
2. List important information you learned about creativity in
education, especially the USA (specific):
 Although, most scholars around the world recognize that
creativity is vital to society and humanity, the USA does
not make creativity a priority like other countries.
 America utilizes a plethora of curriculum standards, which
are required to be taught by both state and federal
entities. Teachers often say they are overwhelmed by the
volume of standards, so they focus on getting through
content instead on focusing on creativity.
 The American mindset focuses on the end-game, the
result, the test score, and not necessarily the journey, the
process, the utilization of all different types of skills to
arrive at a solution.
 Scholars, however, believe that the same standards can
be taught from a different perspective that focuses on
both convergent and divergent thinking. Teachers need to
focus on idea generation and problem-based learning
approaches.
 The United States places creativity in the art room, or in
the art club, or in a specific project-based learning class.
Other subjects typically do not focus on creativity as a
major component, and this lack of focus marginalizes
creative thinking.
 Weaving real-world problems into the curriculum can
foster creativity. For example, students using their
knowledge of area and surface are to paint the exterior of
a house can help them calculate the cost.
 Ohio teachers utilized problem-based learning to teach
students the curriculum. It required teachers to think
differently and they utilized the steps of Treffinger’s
Creative Problem-Solving Method, which consists of
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understanding the challenge, generating ideas, preparing
for action, and planning your approach.
 U.S. creativity scores are declining, and scholars seem to
think that video games could contribute to this decline as
children spend less time creating while playing, and more
time in a rigid fixed online world.

3. Summarize what you learned about creativity. Include thoughts about your own instructional expectations and practice. (Be sure to
answer both parts of the question.)

In reading the articles and watching the videos, I realized that people’s perceptions of creativity are as wild and as imaginative as
creativity itself. Many people believe it is an innate skill that people have, others think it is random or accidental. People think
creativity is creating something new or morphing something old into something new. Basically, there are “divergent” views on what
creativity actually is. Most researchers and scholars believe that the creative process involves both convergent and divergent thinking
and that marrying the two together is what creativity is. It is the process of working towards a solution but utilizing outside-the-box
thinking to get there. Sir Ken Robinson’s TED talk about Gillian Lynne is a fascinating and gut-wrenching story about how society
manages differences. Gillian Lynne became a world-famous dancer and choreographer, and in today’s society she might have been put
on Adderall or Vyvanse to help with her fidgety behavior. Our society has morphed into conformity, and we seek sameness. Students
that act differently or think differently are often forced to conform into a sense of sameness. I find that heartbreaking. I am also not
surprised that creative thinking from a test perspective has declined over the years in the United States. I feel like the movie WALL-E
by Pixar is where we are headed as a society. In the future people move around on scooters and constantly watch tv. They are no
longer creating or doing, they are simply being. I fear that we are moving towards simply becoming spectators in our own lives, and I
believe that stifling creativity is a contributing factor to that.

With that fear firmly in my mind, I have really worked on how I approach my teaching. I am a math teacher, and I am teaching HS
Algebra to gifted 8th graders. All of my students expect good grades, and many of them expect concrete, linear procedures, processes,
and assignments. However, I actually talk to my students. I know this might not be a favorable opinion of things, but I tell my students
to not worry about the math. The math will come. However, I actively tell my students that I want them to become great thinkers, to
become compassionate, to look at other people’s perspectives and consider them, to show grace towards others, and to constantly
question and think of different ways at arriving at an answer. In math, we always have a warm-up. Typically, this warm-up consists of
two problems, one “blast from the past” and one problem on something we are currently learning. I have started to incorporate more
thought-provoking warm-up questions. For example, one of my questions was “would you rather it rains nails or bowling balls?” I had
students write five sentences and then we had a 10 minute conversation. Some students had very black and white answers. Other
students thought about creating a metal umbrella to protect them from nails. Other students devised a pool contraption to put on
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roofs to catch bowling balls. This activated their brains and caused many of them to think creatively. Additionally, by sharing out and
having a discussion, the students with the more conventional responses were able to engage and see how other students think
creatively. I have made it a priority to have at least 3 projects for the year (we have 6 units). I want to encourage my students to use
their creativity. As part of the rubric, the actual answer is only a minor part of the overall score. The process is what matters, and the
reasoning. My Algebra students are smart, and the math is the math. I want to help them become better thinkers and to question and
explore so that they can become the creative thinkers that are society needs to continue.
4. Re-read “Flowers are Red” a song by Harry Chapin. Explain your interpretation of the message in these lyrics. What does this song tell
us about teaching and learning? (Avoid just retelling the story in the song.) www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y5t-dAa6UA

This song is heart-breaking. It shows both the power that a teacher can have and how quickly creativity can be stifled. The teacher
marginalizes the student because he will not conform to the idea that flowers are red and leaves are green. The teacher wants “sameness”
and does not allow for uniqueness and divergent thinking. What is surprising is that the teacher is very quickly able to extinguish the
student’s creativity. I liken this to the PBIS model. In our school model, we reward points and give infractions. We are encouraged to have
at least a 3 to 1 ratio. We want to foster that positive behavior by encouraging it and rewarding it. I feel that creativity is the same way. As
teachers, we constantly need to be mindful of that and be wary of stifling it. We have tremendous power as teachers to shape the next
generation, and it is our responsibility to help students become the best versions of themselves academically, creatively, athletically,
socially. As a teacher and a career-changer (and being old), I care more about helping my students become individuals who can navigate the
world. If I focus on that, I always feel like the learning comes. The things I am measured on, my EOG scores, are always good, and I think it
is because I encourage my students to explore and create and be who they are. I feel like we have quickly moved into treating students as
data points, and not individuals. We have to standardize everything, and it really stifles any creativity in the classroom. I worry less about
that, maybe because I am older, maybe because I see my job as less of a job and more as a calling. I have been given a gift to be able to help
these young individuals be the best versions of themselves. Fostering creativity and critical-thinking, and helping students expand their
worldview is critically important, and I believe if we focus on those things the academics and the scores will follow.

Self-Assessment Checklist

Use the checklist to determine if you have met the goals of this assignment. This is for your personal use.