Discusses ways for early childhood educators to encourage young children's creativity in music. Argues that teachers often present music as a teacher-guided activity used to control children, and that musical education can be facilitated by allowing children to guide their own musical explorations. (JPB)

Describes the use of an ethnomethodological approach to track the experiences and perceptions of 18 British educators enrolled in a postgraduate course on fostering learner creativity. Among seven themes identified are: high value placed on "relationship"; the belief that self-esteem and self-confidence need to be nourished for creative…

This article explores the life and character of electric guitarist Jimi Hendrix based on a review of the literature on gifted achievers and theories of Dabrowski and Vygotsky. Issues raised include the value of different musical education forms and the usefulness of motivational and creative attributes as indicators of gifted potential. (Contains…

This article shares critical reflections on cultivating community partnerships through arts education and provides an analytical framework for community building. It is argued that increasing access to arts education requires attention be paid not only to content issues in arts education, but, also, to holistic approaches that address the contexts…

Three pamphlets (Practitioner's Guides) present guidelines from the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented at the University of Connecticut. The guidelines are based on theory-driven quality research that is problem-based, practice-relevant, and consumer-oriented. Each pamphlet has a section summarizing research from the literature or…

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 is generally considered an attribute that everyone possesses to some degree and which can be nourished in the proper educational environment. This research project investigated conditions related to creativity development in preschools in Macedonia, operating with the hypothesis that optimal conditions for such development have not been…

Creativity is a process of thinking and doing; adults can encourage this important life skill in young children by encouraging them to embrace new ways of looking at things. This guide, part of the "Seeds for Success" series, provides advice for parents for encouraging creativity in children in a variety of areas by means of nearly 100 simple…

To assist parents and educators in preparing students for the 21st century, Wisconsin citizens have become involved in the development of challenging academic standards in 12 curricular areas. Having clear standards for students and teachers makes it possible to develop rigorous local curricula and valid, reliable assessments. This model of…

Eighty-eight sets of parents who enrolled their 4- and 5-year-old children in computer classes completed a questionnaire designed to gather demographic data and information about their reasons for enrolling the children and their attitudes about the importance of computer competence. Parents could check one of three reasons for enrolling their…

This book is designed to be of assistance to primary school teachers who have had little training in arts and crafts and for use in teacher training colleges. Tested in Nigeria and Jamaica, this manual gives children an opportunity to develop their natural creativity, and also develops accuracy and manual dexterity in hand skills. Lesson plans are…

The monograph presents a variety of language arts teaching ideas for use with gifted students. Teachers are encouraged to expose children to much literature including poetry, folk tales, riddles, fairy tales, "pourquoi" tales, myths and legends, fantasy, science fiction, and biographies and autobiographies. The document offers the SIMMER theory of…

The classroom activities suggested in this resource booklet, proven successful by South Dakota poet Jack Kreitzer, are designed to spark or increase students' creativity by bringing the exciting language of poetry alive in the elementary and secondary classroom. Introductory comments present thoughts on what poetry is and how it should be taught,…

Case studies of six gifted productive youth (9-18 years old) were conducted to search for the special environmental conditions and personality characteristics that precede and accompany such productivity. Interviews were held with the students, their parents, and their teachers. Students were also requested to keep a journal to record their…

Findings of research seeking predictors of mature creative achievement in the early artistic development of the Swiss painter, Paul Klee; the French painter, Henri Toulouse-Lautrec; and the Spanish painter and sculptor, Pablo Picasso are presented. Discussion is organized into four sections. The first section offers an overview, rationale, and…