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19 - Teaching for Creativity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2012

By
Robert J. Sternberg
Edited by
Ronald A. Beghetto  and
James C. Kaufman
Robert J. Sternberg
Affiliation:
Tufts University, USA
Ronald A. Beghetto
Affiliation:
University of Oregon
James C. Kaufman
Affiliation:
California State University, San Bernardino
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Summary

WHAT IS CREATIVITY?

Creativity is a habit (Sternberg, 2006; Tharp, 2005). The problem is that schools sometimes treat it as a bad habit. And the world of conventional standardized tests we have invented does just that (Sternberg, 1997b). If students try being creative on standardized tests, they will get slapped down just as soon as they get their score. That will teach them not to do it again.

Oddly enough, a distinguished psychometric tester, J. P. Guilford, was one of the first to try to incorporate creativity into the school curriculum, but his efforts show little fruit today (Guilford, 1950). Disciples of Guilford such as McKinnon (1962) and Torrance (1962) had some, but not a great deal more success.

It may sound paradoxical that creativity – a novel response – is a habit, a routine response. But creative people are creative in large part not as a result of any particular inborn trait but rather through an attitude toward life (Maslow, 1967; Schank, 1988): They habitually respond to problems in fresh and novel ways, rather than allowing themselves to respond mindlessly and automatically (Sternberg & Lubart, 1995a, 1995b, 1995c).

Like any habit, creativity can either be encouraged or discouraged. The main things that promote the habit are (1) opportunities to engage in it, (2) encouragement when people avail themselves of these opportunities, and (3) rewards when people respond to such encouragement and think and behave creatively. You need all three.

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Nurturing Creativity in the Classroom , pp. 394 - 414
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2010

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