One hundred fifty-six gifted elementary students (grades 3 through 6) responded to the Coopersmith Self Esteem Inventory on a pre- and posttest basis during a 3 week, 45 hour College for Kids program, designed as an enrichment program with focus on critical thinking, problem solving, inquiry, research, and questioning. Thirty students responded to…

Development of problem-solving and creative thinking ability was examined through administration of experimental tasks to 240 gifted children (grade 2 to grade 6). Different patterns of development were noted: problem-solving skills grew steadily from grade 2 through grade 6; while creative thinking increased from grade 2 through grade 4, with no…

An enrichment program based on the Purdue Three-Stage Model (creative thinking abilities, creative problem solving, and independent study and research skills) resulted in no significant differences in self-concept scores for 199 gifted elementary participants compared to control Ss. Participants did, however, show significant differences in…

Children use creative thinking processes when teachers assign ambiguous rather than specific problems. Suggestions for developing questions that encourage experiential and metaphorical thinking are offered. (DF)

Creative thinking and problem solving processes were studied in 233 gifted elementary students. (Author/DLS)

This manual presents instructional design strategies and sample student activities for creative problem solving. The ideas and suggestions are intended to support both students' mathematical attainment and their development of creative ability. The book begins with an introduction followed by discussions of unit design strategies and activity…

Creativity training materials were used with a group of elementary school children who exhibited academic, social or emotional problems. Study recommends increased use of such materials, with more time and attention allowed for group discussions and role-playing during these periods. (MK)

Kellogg Elementary School in Hickory Corners, Michigan has developed a special program for gifted students which emphasizes a conceptual, or problem-solving, approach to art. This article outlines the program's objectives, activities, and its five teaching units. Part of a theme issue on art for special needs students. (SJL)

This discussion of the need for learning activities which promote critical thinking skills, creativity, and affective growth in children uses Bloom's Taxonomy as a guide for designing such activities based on children's literature. Several examples of projects based on specific children's books are provided. (CLB)

This 9-week curriculum unit on trees is designed for gifted students in grades 1-5. The lessons are designed for 40-minute classes meeting two or three times a week and stress the development of creative thinking skills, creative problem solving and decision making skills, and critical and logical thinking skills. Each of the 12 lesson plans…

The article describes a curriculum used in gifted programming which is based on Guilford's Structure of Intellect (SOI) theory of intelligence. Sourcebooks and individual SOI modules have been developed to train over 90 kinds of intellectual ability. Five categories of intellectual ability are defined (cognition, memory, evaluation, convergent…

The document provides lesson plans for strengthening the thought processes, including problem solving and creative abilities, of third and fourth grade mentally gifted children. The lessons are organized within the five operations of the mind as defined by J. Guilford's Structure of Intellect (SOI): cognition (10 lessons), memory (6 lessons),…

The document provides lesson plans for strengthening the thought processes, including problem solving and creative abilities, of fifth and sixth grade mentally gifted children. The lessons are organized within the five operations of the mind as defined by J. Guilford's Structure of Intellect (SOI): cognition (16 lessons), memory (7 lessons),…

The program outlined in this manual is an interdisciplinary method of teaching required curriculum (plus additional skills) to elementary students within the framework of a series of activities that relate subject matter to real-life situations. The activities of the program are divided into four slightly overlapping phases or topic areas, each…

Gifted elementary students at the Center for Gifted Education in Columbia, Missouri, participated in a seminar designed to teach them the fundamentals of chess and other strategy board games. Students learned that beginning chess is accessible to everyone, learned problem solving and concentration, and created their own strategy board games. (JDD)