1st Edition
Organic Creativity in the Classroom Teaching to Intuition in Academics and the Arts
Creativity can be taught and nurtured, and we can build classrooms in which creativity thrives. This philosophy acts as a central thesis in a new book, Organic Creativity in the Classroom, edited by award-winning author Jane Piirto, Ph.D.
This innovative collection of essays explores approaches to teaching creativity from the perspective of experienced educators and artists. The 23 authors have taught for more than 500 years combined, and in this book they share teaching stories and helpful strategies that can be used to encourage students to become more creative within specific domains.
The authors include master teachers, curriculum theorists, holistic educators, and award-winning practitioners of writing, mathematics, science, social science, literature, foreign language, theater, songwriting, dance, music, and arts education, among other domains, who incorporate creativity and intuition into their classrooms. In this readable and lively book, they share their personal stories and practical advice for infusing creativity into the lives of students.
Biography
Besides this book, currently in its third edition, Jane Piirto is the author of Understanding Those Who Create (two editions); Understanding Creativity; Luovuus; "My Teeming Brain": Understanding Creative Writers; A Location in the Upper Peninsula (collected poems, stories, and essays); The Three-Week Trance Diet (novel); Postcards from the Upper Peninsula, and several poetry and prose chapbooks. An award-winning poet, novelist, and scholar, she is a Trustees' Professor at Ashland University in Ohio, where she is Director of Talent Development Education. She is a former member of the board of directors of the National Association for Gifted Children, and has been in the field of the education of the gifted and talented since 1977 as a program coordinator, principal of the Hunter College Elementary School in New York City, and teacher trainer. She is a national and international speaker and consultant. In August of 2007, Dr. Jane Piirto was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Mensa Education and Research Foundation. The award, only the fifth given, recognizes outstanding professionals who have contributed a lifetime to scholarly pursuits in intelligence, giftedness, or creativity.
Instead of focusing on skills such as fluency and flexibility, this book presents helpful strategies that can be used to encourage students to become more creative within specific domains . . . Using personal stories and practical advice, the authors offer countless activities, ideas, and advice to produce a creative environment in a myriad of disciplines. The organic approach of this resource reveals methods for teaching that encourages the GT student to use more creative and critical thinking approach to in their learning.,Gifted Child Today, 11/3/14
