The purpose of this qualitative action research study was to examine a published language arts curriculum, determine how Anna Craft's possibility thinking framework could be integrated into the curriculum, and then observe how students responded to the implementation of lessons integrating the elements of possibility thinking. The findings…

Emphasizes the sense of immediacy which characterizes haiku and suggests a relationship between haiku and Zen philosophy. (RD)

IN CREATIVE WRITING, UNLIKE IN FORMAL COMPOSITION, STUDENTS CHOOSE THEIR OWN FORMS AND MATERIALS TO EXPRESS THEIR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS. SUCH AN OBJECTIVE DEMANDS A CLASSROOM ATMOSPHERE IN WHICH STUDENTS CAN EXPRESS THEMSELVES FREELY AND CONFIDENTLY WITHOUT FEAR OF HARSH NEGATIVE CRITICISM. IN ADDITION TO WRITING EXTENSIVELY, STUDENTS CAN BE AIDED…

Creativity, a means of communicating a personal and unique response to life, should be nurtured and cultivated in the classroom. This document discusses the nature of creativity and, using the analogy of a gardener cultivating a garden, outlines nine steps a teacher may take in developing students' creativity--prepare the soil, plant the garden…

Argues that an English teacher should not be so concerned with permitting students' creative expression that he neglects nurturing their critical, evaluative skills. (RD)

Describes how music can be used to evoke creative responses from students. (SW)

An account of an "intensive writing" experiment to stimulate and teach secondary students to write freely and creatively is given in this book. The experimental teaching method which stresses emotion, brevity, simplicity, and honesty is described, as well as the stimulus used for each writing lesson, the results obtained, and the children's…

A consideration of seven "necessary freedoms" which, the author maintains, composition classes typically do not provide for students. (RD)

An experimental design used to test the teachability of creative writing included pretesting and posttesting, control and experimental groups (composed of a total of 101 ninth grade students of average ability), and an intensive three-week teaching unit on creative writing. The treatment unit included extensive use of audiovisual materials and…

Children will enjoy creative writing in the primary grades if they are given inspiration, time to write, and the opportunity to share their work with classmates. A second-grade class began a creative writing project by listening to poetry and selecting poems to memorize and recite. This stimulated and encouraged them to evaluate and to write…

Based upon the conviction that children can be taught many of the aspects of writing unique to the preparation of professional writers, this book offers ideas for the teaching of creative writing to children. "Creative" writing is defined and its values for children are discussed. Specific suggestions to promote imaginative writing are proposed in…

THE ENGLISH TEACHER CAN ROUSE STUDENTS OUT OF UNTHINKING ACCEPTANCE AND PASSIVITY BY PROVIDING THEM WITH CREATIVE LANGUAGE EXPERIENCES DESIGNED TO SHAPE THEM INTO CURIOUS AND RESPONSIVE INDIVIDUALS. TO FIND A PERSPECTIVE ON TEACHING CREATIVELY THE MANY FACETS OF LANGUAGE, LITERATURE, AND COMPOSITION, TEACHERS SHOULD LOOK TO STATEMENTS MADE BY…

In this collection, numerous professional writers who have worked with students in public school classrooms offer ideas for helping students learn to write creatively. The ideas are grouped into six major sections: "Teaching Writing,""Writing Ideas" (gimmicks, letters and dialogues, writing from observation, writing and literature), "Drama, Film,…

Following the establishment of working definitions of "creativity" and "English," Chapter 1 of this state-of-the-art paper surveys research into the nature of creativity, points out the need to establish criteria for creativity, and discusses the relation of creativity to English. Chapter 2 considers the classroom and the teacher as elements of a…

A child's own purpose in life is to educate himself and to explore experience; consequently, secondary-school children will benefit from English teaching that encourages their imaginative creativity rather than forces strict adherence to arbitrary rules. When considering their childhood memories and the adult experiences before them, children…