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What are the keys to creativity?
Fluency generating lots of ideas
Flexibility changing perspective to increase possibilities
Originality generating unique, novel, or unusual ideas
Elaboration adding to, explaining, or enriching with details
What is Creative Fluency?
You cannot use up creativity.
The more you use the more you have.
-Maya Angelou
Throughout the year, all grade levels in gifted support are instructed in
and encouraged to use creative thought. One key to developing strong
creative thinking skills is to promote fluency of thought. Fluent thinking
is the ability to generate a large number of ideas. When improving your
fluency, you can practice by listing as many, varied, and unusual ideas that
come to your mind. The more you do this the better you can get at being
fluent.
We often use the word brainstorming when we are talking about fluency
exercises. Here are some
rules we use when encouraging fluent thought during brainstorming.
Rule 1: Withhold judgment - It is important to withhold judgment during the
brainstorming process. Ideas which initially seem like they won't work can
sometimes have enormous benefits when modified. Withholding judgment will
reduce the inhibitions in yourself and others. Original ideas that
stimulate good solutions are more likely to be shared. It also frees some
brain power. All of it can be focused on generating new ideas and not wasted
on evaluation.
Rule 2: Encourage wild and exaggerated ideas - There is a saying that
goes, It's easier to tame wild ideas into a valid solution than it is to
boost normal ideas into an original solution. Coming up with wild ideas
during brainstorming is a great way to stimulate new thought patterns.
Rule 3: Quantity counts at this stage, not quality - Though you may come up
with many unusable ideas or those you think are common or boring, you will
undoubtedly arrive at many very good and exceptional ones. Quality comes
with quantity. It's easier to pick out good ideas from a large list than
a small list. Idea evaluation is often easier than idea generation, so give
yourself lots of ideas to analyze later.
Rule 4: Build on the ideas put forward by others - In class we call this
hitchhiking or piggybacking. It's often easier to adapt someone else's idea
than to generate a completely original one. Think of brainstorming as a team
sport. If you are working alone, some of your ideas in your brainstorming
list may trigger other ideas.
In the gifted support program, students use fluency exercises to promote
original thinking and improve the quality of their activities and projects
Students are also encouraged and supported in carrying over this skill to
their regular education homerooms. If your child has a school project to
work on at home that is open ended, encourage him/her to brainstorm a list
of possibilities for the project following the brainstorming rules. Then
help him/her select a challenging, creative idea to build upon.
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