Investigated was the level of cognitive development of Afro-American students enrolled in general chemistry courses to determine the strategies used by both successful and unsuccessful problem solvers in solving stoichiometry problems. Results indicated that a higher level of cognitive development may be crucial in solving more sophisticated…

Universities ought to promote administrator preparation programs designed to develop more holistic, intuitive thinking. Such programs should focus on the thought processes that are most prevalent during the creative cycle. This article illustrates this approach by presenting a Creative Leadership Preparation Model. Includes four references. (MLH)

This study of 75 gifted students in grades 6-8 found that the group receiving Creative Problem Solving training with transfer strategies infused had a higher percentage of students applying the strategies to problems out of the context of the training sessions, compared to control group students and students receiving traditional training.…

Eleven professionals participated in a weekend workshop called "Planned Spontaneity." Using techniques of group mental imagery, the group focused on ways of empowering individuals in educational settings to increase their use of creative mental capacities. The group agenda, activities, process, and resulting product are described. (JW)

The article discusses the concept of inspiration as a component of creativity, including environmental influences, affective self-awareness, effective verbal communication to preserve inspired experiences, and the role of humor. The creative problem-solving process is also addressed, with attention to divergent thinking strategies and the practice…

Offers suggestions for teachers to increase their awareness of effective thinking in the classroom. Gives a list of types of questions that can stimulate critical thinking in students. Urges examination of teaching strategies and curriculum to determine if they elicit thought. (LS)

Reflects on educators' current preoccupation with assessment of higher order thinking skills. Easy-to-mark, forced-choice, pencil-and-paper tests with single numerical scores may trivialize the wonderful complexity of human capabilities. Includes 17 references. (MLH)

Proposes to improve spelling at the high school level by incorporating it into the writing process, using computers to the best advantage, and fostering the improvement of both critical and creative thinking skills. (MS)

Using the work of Anselm Kiefer, the article reflects on postmodern developments in visual arts, arguing that the developments point away from ideas about art that provide the impetus for discipline-based art education. Students need education in the arts that helps prepare them for the larger cultural arena. (SM)

This article offers guidelines for applying creative thinking to modern life stresses, focusing on the organization of experience into meaningful patterns. Suggestions are drawn from typical adult life stages, changes in role perception, mental effects of physical exercise, the use of suggestive fiction, mental classification of experience, and…

Interviews with 400 high school teachers nominated by colleagues suggest teacher leaders seek challenge, change, growth; are supportive of colleagues; serve as role models for students but not for other teachers. Interviewees felt their influence in the high school was curtailed by school-culture and professional norms, as well as self-imposed…

This article describes the development of a metaphorical whole brain model and its application to Applied Creative Thinking (ACT) Workshops to enhance individuals' capability for full creative functioning. The design of ACT workshops, the learning model used, and workshop components are described. (JDD)

Seven principles are presented for improving creative thinking, based on assumptions of creativity as a perceptual shift resulting from a metamorphic mental image. Principles include (1) the future initiates and pulls creative thought; (2) initial fact finding is best postponed; (3) problem redefinition is often retrospective; and (4) metaphors…

Curriculum and teaching should be dialogic, multifaceted, critical experiences, not merely exchanges of information. Discusses the teacher's role in stimulating thinking processes and getting urban students to ask questions about class material and their own world. (CJS)

The NASSP Taking the Initiative program was created to help principals and school leadership teams develop essential skills, such as the ability to give meaningful feedback, think creatively, function as a team member, gather resources, deal with resistance to change, and launch an initiative. This article describes the program's success in a…