The importance of using materials, ideas, or activities that are real and meaningful to gifted students is noted and opportunites for drawing upon students' everyday experiences or concerns are illustrated in three examples. (Author/CL)

The early training of children in divergent thinking skills can help foster entrepreneurship. Such training would include activities to develop natural creativity, activities allowing children to win, activities which accept different solutions, teachers who recognize and encourage creative children, and an understanding of basic business…

Methods that can help individuals learn to develop their inborn creative potential are presented and explained in this teaching packet. The first section of the packet is for the teacher's use and explains the approach to creativity used in the materials and the importance of creativity. Suggestions for developing this creative potential in…

Ideas for teaching children about creativity and its importance are offered in this article. Ingredients for developing creativity skills are presented and suggested projects are discussed. (DF)

Offers a systematic approach to creative learning in music through an analysis of the components of complex learning and creative activity. Outlines goals for fostering creative learning in music education, and delineates person, process, and product objectives. Suggests methods of evaluating creativity. (RW)

The synectics model is an exciting strategy for development of thinking skills for gifted and creative children. The three-phase strategy teaches about direct analogy, personal analogy, and symbolic analogy. (CB)

Intended for gifted/talented staff members, the document provides a collection of curriculum ideas and suggestions for activities, books, and articles related to education of gifted and talented children. Included are materials (outlines, tables, diagrams, and articles) on the following topics: facts about famous individuals; introduction of…

Five different perspectives on creativity in teaching are examined: (1) Creativity is developed by making teaching methods from almost nothing. (2) Creativity is fostered by idealizing without constraint. (3) Creativity can be developed through analogs. (4) Creativity can mean to reorganize or modify. (5) Creativity can be fostered using a forced…

This article provides 20 principles to enable educators to identify meaningful creative activities for gifted students and avoid the superfluous "whistles". Activities should: value creative thinking, make children more sensitive to environmental stimuli, encourage manipulation of objects and ideas, develop tolerance for new ideas, and teach how…

Defines "creative rehersal" as a semi-structured playing of a narrative thread in a spontaneous manner by a child or group of children and an adult in order to practive problem solving abilities and describes the interaction of a child and an adult in such a situation. (MH)

The collection of instructional plans is designed to offer samples of strategies and ideas to teachers involved with gifted students. Approximately 30 plans are presented for the following areas (sample subtopics in science (atomic fusion), social studies (mores and folkways), mathematics (spatial relations), health and physiology, philosophy, and…

Intended for parents of gifted students, the manual provides suggestions for understanding and working with the gifted child. The first section includes an overview of the nature of giftedness, talent, creativity, and intelligence; an analysis of special problems encountered by the gifted student (underachievement, cultural differences, learning…

This article discusses how creative thinking can be encouraged in students through such classic tools as brainstorming and the productive thinking elements of fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration. It describes how fairy tales can be used to foster these thinking skills and suggests classroom activities. (Contains two references.) (CR)

The materials in this dance curriculum framework are detailed and sequentially organized by age groups in order to provide a maximum amount of assistance for teachers in building dance lessons. There are four major components: Aesthetic Perception, Creative Process, Dance Heritage, and Aesthetic Valuing. The interrelatedness of the four components…

This three-part guide contains suggestions for theater arts experiences for handicapped students. Part one discusses the rationale, purpose, and scope of this guide as well as four values of theater arts for the handicapped. Part two contains instructions for creative drama activities. Following a page of tips for the teacher, 18 activities using…