Champion Creatively Alive ChildrenTM

CREATIVITY

Photo by John Pinderhughes

Champion Creatively Alive ChildrenTM

CREATIVITY Champion Creatively Alive Children Series

21st Century Skills: The 4 Cs Creativity
Discovering novel ways to think, learn and do

Critical Thinking
Using original ideas to solve problems

Communication
Expressing thoughts and feelings effectively

Collaboration
Working in partnership with others toward a common goal PLUS

Arts-Infused Education Advocacy

Championing the integration of the arts across the curriculum and school-wide to build the 4 Cs

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Introductions and Warm-Up Exercise

Understanding Creativity

Photo by John Pinderhughes

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What Is Creativity?
Creativity means coming up with new ideas that work. Creativity is a mindset or habit of mind for looking at situations in new ways and creating new ideas. Creativity is thinking outside the box or divergent thinking. Creativity is the act of making connections between seemingly unrelated ideas to make something new and appropriate. Creativity means finding new ways to solve problems and interact with the world. Creativity is a learning cycle, an evolving thinking process, that moves from inspiration to exploration, creation and evaluation. Creativity is the ability to see whats not there and create something new. Creativity is more than just brainstorming new ideas. Part of the creative process is deciding which ideas work best for the particular situation or problem.

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4 Cs of Creativity
Curiosity Confidence Common, Everyday Experiences Creative Cycle
Photo by John Pinderhughes

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Curiosity
Creativity starts with curiosity. Children are naturally curious.

Photo courtesy of Estelle Elementary School, Marrero, LA

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Confidence
Confidence is an essential condition for the free flow of original ideas.
Photo courtesy of Orems Elementary School, Baltimore, MD

Too often children lose confidence in their creative abilities as they grow up.

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Common, Everyday Experiences

Artists arent the only people who are creative.
Photo by John Pinderhughes

Everyone has to come up with creative solutions to everyday challenges.

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Creative Cycle
Creative Cycle
Drawing by Linda Parzych

Creative people go through an evolving process to develop, produce and refine their work. Everyone can learn to use the creative cycle:

Drawing by Linda J. Parzych

Inspire Explore Create Evaluate

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http://www.crayola.com/educators/naesp/index.cfm

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Myth

Dispelling Myths

Creativity is a special gift that a few people are born with and most people dont have.

Reality
Research shows that everyone can be taught to be creative. It is educators' (and parents') role to foster curiosity and nurture the creative spirit and make sure children don't lose their confidence.

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Myth

Dispelling Myths

Creativity only matters to artists.

Reality
Creativity is a habit of mind that adds value to every aspect of our lives.

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Myth

Dispelling Myths

Creative experiences are difficult to fit into the curriculum.

Reality
Creativity can and should be woven into common, everyday experiences to make the curriculum come alive.

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Hands-On Exercise

My Creative Experience
Inspire Explore Create Evaluate

Drawing by Linda Parzych

Creative Cycle

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Inspire
Sketch where your idea came from. What was the problem or opportunity? What sparked your interest in this idea?

Photo by John Pinderhughes

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Explore
Draw the ideas you explored. What choices did you consider? How did you decide which one to use? Did you brainstorm different ideas? Did you talk with others? Did you search for examples of similar projects?
Photo by John Pinderhughes

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Create
Sketch what you created. How did it start?
Student artwork courtesy of Zane North Elementary School, Collingswood, NJ

How did the idea grow or change from initial plan to final project?

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Evaluate
Draw what worked well and what could have been improved. What feedback did you get at the time? How did your ideas evolve? How did feedback further inspire a new project?

Photo by John Pinderhughes

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Inspiration for Common, Everyday Experiences

Photo courtesy of John D. Shaw Elementary School, Wasilla, AK

Photo by John Pinderhughes

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Hands-On Exercise

Create Something New from Something Familiar

Drawing by Linda Parzych

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Key Points
Everyone is creativeand creativity is an important skill in school and in everyday life. The visual arts give people a powerful form of expressionand new ways of seeing the world and making sense of academic content. The 4 Cs of CreativityCuriosity, Confidence, Common Everyday Experiences and the Creative Cyclehelp us understand the key elements of creativity for students and adults. The role of teachers and parents is to nurture childrens creativity in the classroom and at home.

Photo by John Pinderhughes

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Champion Creatively Alive Children Thank you!

Crayola.com/CreativelyAlive