Barbara Stein Ritchie, Fremon School, Riverton, WY
CREATIVE ACTIVITIES FOR THE SCIENCES
Appropriate for grades K-12.
OVERVIEW: Probably the most important aspect of teaching for
creative growth is raising students' creativity consciousness.
That is, students must:
* Become more aware of creativity in general
* Value flexible and original thinking
* Become more receptive to creative (even wild) ideas
* Become willing to think in a creative fashion
* Become willing to involve themselves in creative activities
The most important aspect of becoming more creative - acquiring a
creative consciousness - is also the easiest to teach. Creative
attitudes and predispositions will be a natural by-product of
virtually any classroom effort to teach for creative thinking,
particularly if there is an emphasis on raising awareness and
improving student's understanding of creative thinking.
PURPOSE: The purpose of this endeavor is to provide three
activities related to the sciences that will provide opportunity
for creative growth in students of all age groups. Raw knowledge
is important in science. But if a student has no imagination to
find the answers, what good will come of it? As Einstein said,
"Imagination is more important than knowledge".
ACTIVITIES: As teachers, it is our responsibility to provide
opportunities for our students to develop their creative skills.
We should structure our teacher planning so there is a balance of
learning for students - a combination of basic knowledge
consumption and a time for creative learning. The following
activities have been successfully tried in classrooms and can be
stepping stones to your own creative curriculum creations.
1. The twenty-five minute film "Why Man Creates" by Saul Bass
and Associates is appropriate for elementary through adult
viewers. This film is itself a beautiful example of
creativity at work. With high humor and a playful touch, it
portrays some very important truths. "Why Man Creates" can
be stimulating and enjoyable for a very broad spectrum of
ages and conditions of people. In the sciences, the film
shows particularly how imagination can be the key to solving
problems. An excellent discussion guide accompanies the
film.
2. "Creativity With Bill Moyers" is a sixteen part P.B.S.
documentary series. The programs, while varying in subject
and techniques, are all thought-provoking, imaginative and
superbly produced. It is an excellent, exciting educational
resource for secondary or college level students. The thirty
minute programs dealing with the sciences are:
* Olympics of the Mind
* The Inventors
* NCAR: National Center for Atmospheric Research
* That's No Tomato - That's a Work of Art
* Garbage - A New Way of Seeing
The teaching/learning possibilities inherent in the
"Creativity" series are limitless. While this series is of
such outstanding content and quality that these programs can
be used by themselves, their educational value is enhanced by
detailed curriculum guides.
3. The Odyssey of the Mind program promotes divergent thinking
in students from kindergarten through college. This program
offers students a unique opportunity to participate in
challenging and motivating activities both inside and outside
their regular classroom curriculum. Students learn to work
with others as a team. They develop self-confidence by
creating solutions, evaluating ideas and making final
decisions. They develop their creative skills through
problem solving and independent thinking. Problems to be
solved consist of both a long-term and are solved over a
period of months. Whereas the spontaneous problems usually
take a few minutes to solve. Spontaneous problems can be
verbal or "hands-on".
Examples of long-term problems are:
* Building balsa wood structures to specifications to
see how much weight can be held
* Designing, building and driving a spring-powered
vehicle
Examples of spontaneous problems are:
* Hunters seek game animals - Name other kinds of
hunters and what it is that they hunt
* Name as many kinds of brushes as you can
* Move an egg with the implements given through a
series of obstacles
RESOURCES/MATERIALS NEEDED: There is almost no end to the
resources available when dealing with creativity. Resources
mentioned in this article are organized below.
Organizations:
Odyssey of the Mind
P.O. Box 27
Glassboro, NJ 08029
Media:
"Creativity With Bill Moyers"
The Corporation For Entertainment and Learning, Inc.
515 Madison Avenue,
New York, NY 10022
"Why Man Creates"
Pyramid Films
Box 1048
Santa Monica, CA 90406
TYING IT ALL TOGETHER: Students need an environment and life
experiences that facilitate creativity. We, as educators, need to
promote an atmosphere that will allow our students the freedom to
be creative. Perhaps the next Galileo, DiVinci, or Einstein is in
your classroom. Provide time for discovery and "hands-on"
activities; for provocative questioning; for aesthetic
experiences; for daydreaming and fantasizing; for quiet reflection
and time to play. And, of course, encourage an atmosphere that
instills self-expression, laughter and humor. You have been given
many ideas and resources that will allow you to introduce
creativity awareness in your classroom. Choose what will work for
you in your situation. Remember also that you should serve as a
"creative model" for your students. Learn to be creative
yourself. Always read, write, think, imagine, do, feel, and just
be yourself.
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John Kurilecjmk@ofcn.org