Creativity has and always will be at the heart of American culture. It is evidenced in our daily lives thanks to the contributions of society's most revered icons. For decades, creativity has languished in the educational system. Creativity is not the norm in schools, and seems to only survive in classrooms or enrichment programs when highly…

This paper utilises a Vygotskian framework to examine the ways in which teachers shape the creation of children's artwork in educational contexts. Reflexive ethnography and a bottom up approach to discourse analysis are used to analyse a range of qualitative data including photographs, observational notes and audio recordings collected from a Year…

Art teachers are renowned for their claims that the creative properties of their senior secondary pupils' artworks occur as a result of the realisation of a creative process. Drawing on my recent ethnographic studies in senior art classrooms in Sydney, Australia, and Illinois, USA, I uncover a sociological, rather than a psychological explanation…

Drawing on research that sought to explore the characteristics of "Possibility Thinking" as central to creativity in young children's learning, this paper considers question-posing and question-responding as the driving features of "Possibility Thinking" (PT). This qualitative study employed micro-event analysis of peer and…

Information for this study was complied from teachers identified as creative to determine if, in their opinions, creativity can be developed or enhanced; and, if so, how it can be encouraged or developed in others. Subjects were 60 teachers seen as creative and interviewed by graduate students during the academic years of 1978-84. Teachers ranged…

Presents a teacher training methodology for translating creativity into classroom practice by helping teachers (1) identify their own filters and agendas; (2) create an environment that fosters creativity; (3) deepen their understanding of child development; and (4) refine their techniques for student-teacher interaction. (AC)

This digest considers teacher- and child-initiated strategies for enhancing young children's self-expression and creativity. When teachers think about art and creative activities for children, it is important for them to consider that young children: (1) are developmentally capable of classroom experiences which call for (and practice) higher…