ENHANCING SITUATIONS TO STIMULATE
CREATIVITY IN STUDENTS
Nowadays, people need to have some qualities to be successful in life.
One of them is creativity, defined by Isaksen (2005) as a “multifaceted
phenomenon rather than a single construct” This complex term is also defined by
the cited author as a “process of generating unique products by the
transformations of existing products”. In other words, every person has a
potential of creativity and he or she needs to develop it. According to Rhodes
(1961), creativity is influenced by four main elements: Person (personality,
attitudes, values), Process (how people overcome an obstacle), Press
(environment and situations that lead to creativity) and Product (new thoughts,
ideas, inventions). In the educational context, creativity should be stimulated
by creating appropriate environments or atmospheres, motivating students making
them face with unknown situations and including creative thinking and problem
solving skills in curricular subjects.
Academic atmosphere that educator create around a student, can influence
his or her thinking and actions, as Hennessey and Amabile (1987) stated in “The
story of Einstein” published in Creativity and Learning: that research says to
the teacher. Teachers might vary their activities and teaching strategies
constantly, in order not to destroy students’ motivation and undermine their
creativity. In addition, students need to feel safe, free to talk and free to
act without being evaluated.
According to Amy Tan’s (2008) lecture, creativity –especially when
writing- comes from many sources, such as people’s background, experiences,
beliefs and knowledge. Those terms make part of what Tan mentioned as Nature
and Nurture, referring to genes and environment severally, this last one is in
where teachers and schools are important.
The other three elements mentioned before are equally important.
Students’ personality, way of thinking and new ideas or thoughts play a
significant role when enhancing and developing creativity. However, teachers
should focus their attention on instructing procedures that exhort students to
employ their creativity, for instance, exercising their problem-solving skills
or facing them with situations they are not fully prepared to deal with
(Guilford, 1977).
Furthermore, creativity should be included in subjects and existing
instructional programs. Educational institutions may see creativity as part of
the knowledge and skills they need to teach. Isaksen (2005) proposed the
following three aspects: weaving creativity into the existing curriculum,
teaching creative thinking and problem solving skills directly and using
creativity in the process of planning for learning. It is necessary to take
them into account, so that, students can develop creativity in all human
dimensions being conducted by an assertive authority.
Creativity, as referred before, can be present in every context.
Thurber(), wrote a short story in a fairy tale style, with a different plot and
a surprising final. This author used his creativity to catch the reader’s
attention, telling an unusual event with a touch of humor.
Finally, the educational context is the appropriate one to enhance
situations in which students are motivated and can increase their creativity.
This skill may help people to create an independent style of working and
thinking, which is an important characteristic to be a leader in social and
professional landscapes, but all of that depend on the environment and
situations that teachers create to stimulate students.
