Creativity and the writing process : straying with a purpose
Loading...
Date
2000
Authors
Robertson, Ross G D
University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Education
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Education, 2000
Abstract
The project Creativity and the Writing Process: Straying With a Purpose examined
different creative thinking techniques that can be used to improve the writing process. Too
many students at the high school level have lost the ability to wonder, to risk, to dream in
their writing. The intent of this project was to provide students with creative thinking
strategies. For this project, I adopted an open definition of creativity, "A creative act is
usually defined as one that has a valuable or interesting product that is in some way
original or surprising" (Carey & Flower, 1989, p. 283). The major measurement used for
this project was a pre-intervention essay and a post-intervention essay. The students were
given a one-word prompt and they had the freedom to attack the writing assignment in a
narrative, persuasive, expository, or descriptive style. This project focussed upon utilizing
five different creative thinking techniques: Gardner's Multiple Intelligence theory
(Gardner, 1983), de Bono's Six Hats Theory of Creativity (de Bono, 1985), metaphors in
prose, free-writing, and mind-mapping. After all the theories had been introduced, the
students were given the post- intervention prompt essay. This writing was compared to
the first prompt essay to see if any changes were evident in the degree of creativity. Other
factors were also considered when determining the impact of the study. First, all students
were given a pre and post intervention Likert scale to determine whether their attitudes
toward creativity had changed. In addition, students were asked to fill out a short-answer
questionnaire about creativity at the end of the process. Finally, the teacher made fieldnotes
about the progress of the project. The results indicate that teaching creative thinking
strategies did have an impact on the class. A majority of the class began to use some sort of pre-writing activity; moreover, the level of creativity improved in 36% of my students.
After the study, many students revealed that they felt more confident about their creative
thinking skills. It was a remarkable, wonderful voyage.
Description
vii, 108 leaves ; 29 cm. --
Keywords
Creative thinking -- Study and teaching , English language -- Writing -- Study and teaching , Children -- Writing -- Study and teaching