Theory

=...And Creativity for All=

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Contextual Framework

 * Research shows that "high-stakes" standardized testing to produce maximum learning at minimum performance standards hinders teachers' ability to use strategies that foster critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity for students - particularly for minority and low socioeconomic students (Hurren, Rutledge, & Garvin, 2006; Caughy & O'Campo, 2006; Hilliard et al., 2003; Longo, 2010; Brimijoin, 2005).
 * Statistical Proficiency versus Student-Centered Learning
 * Students from a low socioeconomic status and African Americans tend to be excluded from gifted education due to cultural and testing bias (Ambrose, 2004; Milner & Ford, 2007; Ford et al., 2005; Shaunessy et al., 2004).
 * Reliance on a single, summative assessment can inhibit understanding and mastery of content.
 * Standardized test scores at the state level increased at the elementary and middle school level in 2007, content mastery and higher-order thinking skills for high school students on the national level has decreased (Center for Educational Policy, 2007).
 * Drop-out rates have been increasing nationally (Balfanz, Legters, West, & Weber, 2007).
 * Brain Research Supports a More Cohesive Instructional Structure
 * New learning is developed and enhanced when it is applied to a variety of contexts (National Research Council, 2000; Brinkman, 2010).
 * The learning context and environment affect the way the brain structures itself and develops (NRC, 2000).
 * The brain prunes itself to increase efficiency (Willis, 2007).
 * Creativity
 * Once thought to be a fixed personality trait or genetic predisposition, creativity is now defined in and studied by a variety of ways depending on the research and field of study.
 * Neuroscience research supports that creativity is more than an unchangeable trait or disposition and requires more than one area of the brain to engage in order to produce creative responses or products (Dietrich, 2007).
 * For this presentation, creativity will generally be defined as a complex, mental process employing numerous areas in the brain that produces a product, often thought to be novel in nature. Four creative processes that are often used to discuss the creative idea are:
 * fluency
 * flexibility
 * originality
 * elaboration (Torrance, 1974).
 * Instruction in these four creative processes can be used in the classroom to increase student's ability in these creative processes. (Salemi, 2010).
 * Combing Critical Thinking with Creative Thinking
 * Many educators understand critical thinking within the context of problem solving using higher-order thinking skills (i.e. [|applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating]).
 * While creative thinking/creativity is distinctly different from critical thinking, both are skills that 21st century citizens need to be successful ([|Treffinger et al., 2006])
 * Creativity can enhance students' critical thinking ability (reference to article with inferential reading).
 * Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension as a Focus to Improve Achievement
 * Similar to creative processes in the brain, vocabulary and language occur in diverse parts of the brain. Both are complex neural processes (Jincho et al., 2008; Mills et al., 2004).
 * Many standardized tests measure vocabulary knowledge through items testing comparisons and contrasts in word meaning, word decoding for precision, and application or organization of language.