Advises teachers desiring to be more creative to ask "what else?" and "what if?" to trigger their students' imaginations. Two other useful techniques are "showing it" to introduce new concepts and "faking it" to invite participation and encourage involvement. Having fun won't hurt! (MLH)

Discusses the need for teachers to foster the creativity of elementary school students. Describes creativity boosters for the classroom such as designing and defining new words, providing open-ended problem-solving situations, designing original inventions, presenting "what-if" questions, and providing tasks that require divergent thinking. (CR)

Investigates commonalities between creative processes and features of an impending "postmodern" age. Postmodern consciousness, it is argued, heralds an era of renewed creativity, partly because the fractured view of the self it promotes, with its emphasis on paradox and irony, appears well-equipped to encourage creative expression. (Author/CR)

Artistic activities are frequently called imaginative or valuable in developing students' imagination. However, it is not always clear what imagination means. This paper examines questions related to what imagination is, describes the importance of imaginative thinking, and presents educational implications. The paper concludes that imaginative…

Reports observations of the use of mental aerobics with 48 adults whose median age was 70. Provides examples of the group puzzles and logic, math, and word problems used to enhance cognitive functioning and creative thinking. (SK)

Describes a "build-the-box" lesson to develop a better understanding of writing useful and effective instructions. Considers how the lack of instruction with this assignment compels students to think creatively to complete the project. Concludes that many students realize the difficulty in creating easy-to-understand instructions. Enhances the…

Managers (n=112) from a large international consumer goods manufacturer participated in a field experiment in which they learned and applied the Simplex process of creative thinking to solve real management problems. Behavioral skill in generating quantity of options was the most important variable to the creative process. (Contains references.)…

Presents the results of a study that aimed to incorporate a wide range of problem posing situations into students' problem solving in a classroom project with mathematically-able students in the first two years of secondary school. (Contains 15 references.) (ASK)

In a program on creative thinking and technology, 56 low-achieving Israeli 10th graders constructed portfolios of project work. The Creative Thinking Assessment Scale was developed to evaluate awareness of thinking, observation of thinking, strategy, and reflection. (SK)

Three responses from teachers to a problem originally presented in the January-February 1996 issue are shared. The problem concerns sharing a fraction of a meal's price between six diners. Each response reflects a different approach to the problem and to using the problem with a class of students. (AIM)

Describes a project that helps students integrate biological concepts using both creativity and higher-order problem-solving skills. Involves students playing the roles of junior scientists aboard a starship in orbit around a class M planet and using a description of habitats, seasonal details, and a surface map of prominent geographic features to…

Using 50 psychology undergraduates, an attempt was made to find positive correlations between transliminality (psychological material crossing thresholds into or out of consciousness) and creative personality and figure-complexity preference. Only the correlation between transliminality and creative personality was significant. (Contains…

This article reviews international studies from the 1940s to the 1970s concerning drugs and creativity. The notion of drugs "dictating" or "liberating" the intoxicated artist is criticized by discussing the importance of set and setting. It is proposed that intentional drug use can be seen as a form of disinhibiting technique.…

Describes creative thinking as an underutilized problem-solving skill that can be learned and applied to any situation. Explains how academic librarians can understand, develop, and use their creative thinking abilities and skills in the workplace and discusses library organizational culture, institutional culture, and empowerment. (Author/LRW)

Educators may not want to avoid technology altogether, but it must be approached with circumspection and investigation in order for it to be applied properly. (SK)