Abstract
This chapter discusses how preservice elementary teachers learned to foster creativity and teach geometric concepts to children via art and children's literature. An action research study was conducted in Fall 2019 within a face-to-face mathematics content (geometry) and methods course for prospective elementary teachers. This chapter explores how preservice teachers were supported in learning how to integrate arts and geometry to foster creativity—critical for mathematical reasoning and problem-solving—within existing curricular structures. Specific examples of tasks completed within the courses and how they broadened the preservice elementary teachers' exposure to, and understanding of, the connections between creativity, art, children's literature, geometric ideas, and computer graphics are explained.
TopCreativity
The study of the nature of human creativity has inspired a rich history of research across many different disciplines-psychology (cognitive neurosciences, personality, life span development, social), education, and the arts. Two excellent syntheses of the history of research pertaining to creativity, particularly as studied within the field of psychology, are reviews by Hennesey and Amabile (2010) and by Runco (2004). Kaufman and Beghetto (2009) defined the Four-C model of creativity encompassing everyday creativity “little-c”, eminent creativity “Big-C”, which is reserved for the truly great and gifted within a field, “mini-c” which is creativity inherent in the learning process, and “Pro-c” defined as the development of professional-level expertise within a discipline (p. 1). Kampylis and Valtanen (2010) examined the literature and scrutinized forty-two different definitions of creativity. They determined that most of these definitions shared the following components (noted as the 4 P’s of creativity: person, process, press, and product (Richards, 1999; Rhodes, 1961):
- 1.
Creativity is a key ability of individual(s).
- 2.
Creativity presumes an intentional activity (process).
- 3.
The creative process occurs in a specific context (environment).
- 4.
The creative process entails the generation of product(s) (tangible or intangible). Creative product(s) must be novel (original, unconventional) and appropriate (valuable, useful) to some extent, at least for the creative individual(s). (p. 198)
Walia (2019) described four elements of creativity within the four components of creativity outlined by Kampylis & Valtanen (2010) in their synthesis of prior literature:
Element 1: Creativity is a human act giving rise to something novel. The creation may be a physical object or a mental construct (Vygotsky, 2004).
Element 2: Creativity is a production and not a reproduction. Productive activity occurs when new experiences interact with existing knowledge and experiences to create new images (Vygotsky, 2004).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Elementary Geometry: Geometry focused on developing children’s understanding of shapes and properties, transformation, location, and visualization ( Van de Walle, Karp, & Bay-Williams, 2019 ).
Creative Pedagogy: Practice that enhances creative development through three interrelated elements – creative teaching, teaching for creativity, and creative learning ( Lin, 2014 ).
Mathematical Creativity: Mathematicians’ creative processes following a four-stage Gestalt model as proposed by Hadamard (1945) , preparation-incubation-illumination-verification and extended by Sriraman (2004) to include taking into account the role of imagery, the role of intuition, the role of social interaction, the use of heuristics, and the necessity of proof in the creative process.
Mathematical Discourse: Mathematical discourse supports students in deepening their understanding of mathematical concepts as they engage in mathematical reasoning with their teacher and peers.
Creative Teaching: Teaching that focuses on teachers’ own creative efforts in designing and implementing imaginative lessons ( Lin, 2014 ).
Student Engagement: Student engagement tends to be viewed as the level of interest students show towards the topic being taught; their interaction with the content, instructor, and peers; and their motivation to learn and progress through the course (Briggs, 2015 AU80: The in-text citation "Briggs, 2015" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ).
Creativity: Creativity is a human act giving rise to something novel. The creation may be a physical object or a mental construct ( Vygotsky, 2004 ).
Teaching for Creativity: Concentrates on instructional objectives and pedagogical strategies aimed at developing learners’ creative abilities ( Lin, 2014 ).