التدريس والتقييم من أجل الإبداع والابتكار

Teaching and Evaluating for Creativity and Innovation

Jonathan A. Plucker IEFE 2013

February 18-23, 2013

l Not discussing giftedness today, focusing on creativity in schools

l Useful web site for conceptions of giftedness: l http://www.intelltheory.com

Overview

l What is Creativity? l Major Types of Creativity Assessment l Quick Activity l Evaluating Creativity Programs

What is Creativity?

Why are there so many myths about creativity?

l Creativity is a construct that fascinates people.

l Most cultures revere creative works and the people who produce them.

l Both the creators and our societies like to keep the creative process mysterious.

l Research has reinforced these myths (unintentionally).

The #1 Myth …

l Creativity cannot be enhanced.

… Enhanceable?

l You would be surprised at the number of people who believe that myth.

l  In fact, a surprisingly large % of my students don’t believe they are creative.

l EVEN IN CREATIVITY COURSES!

Should you... Take Risks?

 Myth or Reality? Risk-taking is commonly associated with creativity.

Myth!!! (sort of)

Take Risks ...

l Not all risk is created equal.

l Blind risk-taking leads to injury and failure as often (if not more so) than to success.

Take Risks ...

l “Quitters never win, winners never quit, but those who never win and never quit are idiots.”

l Risk management is associated with long-term creative production.

Should you... Avoid Evaluation and

 Myth or Reality? Creativity is enhanced when evaluation and external constraints are minimized.

External Constraints?

Myth!!!

Avoid Constraints ...

l How often in life do you work without constraints?  Many of the most creative things

you’ve done have resisted the advice of others!

l Draw a penny l Amabile replication example

Constraints ...

l Learn how to work creatively within the constraints imposed both by yourself and others.

l When working with others, use sensible constraints and make sure that your expectations are clear.

An Alternative Model

l Our work is based on the belief that we can make any person, any group, any family, any company, any classroom more creative.

A Definition of Creativity Should Be Able to Explain …

l … that creativity may look different in different contexts.

l … that creativity is the result of a diverse set of influences.

l … that creativity is often in the eye of the beholder.

A Definition of Creativity Should Also Be Able to Explain …

l … how the behaviors of a 10-year-old may be creative while the same behaviors by a 40-year-old may not be creative.

l … why the work of schizophrenics may be original but not creative.

Our Definition

l Creativity is the interaction among aptitude, process, and environment by which an individual or group produces a perceptible product that is both novel and useful as defined within a social context. l Plucker, Beghetto, & Dow (2004)

For example …

Creativity and Intelligence

Creativity and intelligence are related….

But we are not sure how strong the relationship is.

Creativity and Intelligence Some new conceptions of intelligence include

creativity as an integral part. For example,

Sternberg’s Triarchic Model of Successful Intelligence:

Analytic Practical Creative

Major Types of Creativity Assessment

How do we measure Creativity?

1. Ask people how creative they are Pros: Easy, More reliable/valid than

you might think Cons: People’s perceptions are often

wrong, Very easy to fake if it’s “high stakes”


2. Give people a creative personality test

For example: “I like to solve complex problems” “I have a vivid imagination” “I love to daydream”


2. Give people a creative personality test

Pros: Harder to fake, Fairly reliable Cons: Still possible to fake, Overlaps

with general personality


3. Past creative performance Pros: Also easy, More reliable than

self-report Cons: Relies on judgment of what to

put and honesty, Assumes student has had chance to use their creativity, not useful for young students


4. Observation Pros: A lot more information than

relying on any type of self-report Cons: People usually don’t like being

observed, People act differently when observed, Lots of time


5. A Divergent Thinking Test Most commonly used: Torrance Test of Creative Thinking. Also used: Guilford’s Alternate Uses Test


5. A Divergent Thinking Test For example: Think of all of the different things that would happen if people did not need sleep. List as many as you can in the next two minutes.


5. A Divergent Thinking Test These tests are scored according to four different criteria:

Fluency: How MANY did you list?


5. A Divergent Thinking Test Flexibility: How many different CATEGORIES

did you list?


5. A Divergent Thinking Test Originality: How UNIQUE or DIFFERENT were

your choices?


5. A Divergent Thinking Test Elaboration: How DETAILED were your

responses?


5. A Divergent Thinking Test Pros: Good reliability/validity, Some

evidence that these tests are related to positive job attitudes/performance

Cons: Time consuming, More

expensive, Possible to “cheat” if you know how it is scored


6. Ratings People tend to agree on what is creative and what is not creative, even if their definitions of “creativity” are different.


6. Ratings Any product can be rated for creativity -- a poem, a painting, a mathematical proof, a business plan, a grant proposal…


6. Ratings Raters can be teachers and parents (for students), or bosses and experts (for workers)


6. Ratings One technique that is often used is called the Consensual Assessment Technique.


6. Ratings This technique involves analyzing all of the different products to be rated, and then assigning a score that compares the products to each other, NOT to a perfect ideal product.


6. Ratings Some early research indicates that even non-experts can produce reliable and consistent ratings as long as they have some experience in the area.


6. Ratings Pros: Very reliable, Can evaluate creativity in many different areas

Cons: Time consuming, Sometimes hard to find “experts,” Validity open to question

Creativity: Why Bother?

You can get more information about a student or employee by not only giving them a personality measure and/or an ability measure but ALSO a creativity measure.

Illuminating Activity

Instructions during assessment and evaluation are important.

Evaluating Creativity Programs

Recommendations

1.  Use both quantitative and qualitative data 2.  Focus on a range of outcomes 3.  Use a range of measures 4.  Use pre- and post-measure comparisons 5.  Consider short-term and long-term

outcomes.

1. Qualitative and Quantitative Data

l We have good quantitative measures at our disposal.

l But some important aspects of creativity are hard to assess with an instrument

l So carefully constructed observations and qualitative surveys should also be used.

2. Range of Outcomes

l Creative production (i.e., “Being creative”) is the important goal …

l … but we know that changes in creative personality, creative attitude, and creative process are necessary for creative productivity.

l … as are changes to the creative environment.

3. Range of Measures

l We now have multiple good measures for most aspects of creativity.

l Using 2 or more helps mediate each instrument’s weaknesses …

l … and enhances their collective strengths.

4. Pre/Post Comparisons

l Although “pure” experiments are difficult in applied settings, at the very least these evaluations should include “before and after” comparisons.

l  Including control or comparison groups is always a good idea.

5. Short/Long Term Outcomes

l We usually focus on short-term outcomes when evaluating education interventions.

l Research increasingly suggests that many short-term outcomes are hard to assess.

l Short-term outcomes may not be present … but long-term outcomes may emerge years later.

التدريس والتقييم من أجل الإبداع والابتكار

Education