Creativity, one of the concepts gaining importance with student-centered constructivist education approaches; It is defined as finding a different and new solution to a problem by trying various ways, and revealing new ideas and products for a purpose by going beyond the borders.
The process of revealing them is as important as the resulting product-idea.
Creativity and innovation are concepts that are often confused with each other. In some cases, even change is evaluated in this spiral, but these terms do not correspond to each other semantically. An innovation occurs as a result of creative thinking, and as a result of this innovation, there may be a change in product, event, phenomenon, and ideas.
Creativity, which is an innate trait and talent found in everyone; Although it is mostly referred to with educational approaches, it is a skill that is used in every moment of life, in daily decisions and conversations.
Stages of Creativity
- Needing: It includes the process of noticing that there is a problem, defect or need for something, understanding that a new product or idea is needed, and deciding to find a solution.
- Preparation- information gathering: It is the stage of identifying the existing need, problem, deficiency and difficulty, and reaching the necessary data.
- Developing Thinking – Designing: At this stage, which can also be called the incubation period, suggestions for problem solving are determined and imagined as an idea.
- Reality audit: The possibility of realization and applicability-manufacturability of the designed solution proposals are reviewed.
- Bringing ideas to life: Solutions that are determined to be useful are implemented, used, produced and implemented.
How Does Creativity Develop?
There are certain factors that affect a person’s creativity. Although factors such as genetic codes and the environment in which they were born are fixed, creativity can be developed by improving some conditions. Creativity in children is an ongoing process. In this respect, the following can be counted among the things that families and teachers can do about the development of creativity:
- Creating an environment of trust; let him try, take risks,
- Encouraging him when he makes a mistake, preventing him from despairing,
- To confront the problem, to deprive when necessary For example, “If you had to write on a blank piece of paper without any materials in nature, what would you use to write?, “If you didn’t have a bag to put your books in when you came to school, how many different materials could you make a bag from?” By asking such questions, it can be made possible for him to produce creative ideas to meet his needs. From infancy, the method of leaving alone with the problem can be applied: toys, hide-and-seek, etc.
- Allowing him to imagine, bringing together methods that will help him produce different ideas, such as Brainstorming For example, “How many different ways and for how many different purposes can we use a newspaper or a pen?” Many different suggestions can be encountered with questions such as: To help him think and look differently with dialogues that will develop creativity in infancy and early childhood. “What would you do if you had four hands?” as.,
- Developing empathy and multidimensional thinking by using techniques that enable them to look from different angles (such as the Six Thinking Hats Technique),
- Lots of reading and diary, memoir, letter etc. to encourage writing (You can be asked to interpret and criticize by watching films that are suitable for his level and appealing to his imagination,
a movie, a story, etc. Creative writing activities can be done, such as leaving it unfinished and continuing it.),
- To organize the meeting of his daily needs that will enable him to be in life. For example, cooking for his family once a week, trying recipes, will add innovations to his thinking life,
- To increase his participation in activities that will strengthen his interpersonal communication and allow him to observe.
Creative people are distinguished people who are sought after in family, close circles, business life, and attract attention with their problem-solving and productive features. In addition, it is important to have a developed creative side and to be able to easily reach practical solutions in terms of making one’s own life easier. In this respect, it will be beneficial not only for children but also for adults to implement activities that they deem appropriate to develop their creativity.
Factors Affecting Creativity
Considering all its dimensions, we can list the factors affecting creativity as follows:
- Heredity: Although it is said that the talents and skills of the person are shaped within the genetic structure, it is not possible to explain exactly from whom, to what extent and in what way the creativity talent is transmitted.
- Family: When a person opens his eyes to the world, he finds himself in a family and this small community creates the first experiences. The strength of communication between family members is effective on the child’s creativity. It has been observed that the self-confidence of children whose needs for love and affection are met develops and they can express themselves more easily. In addition, the social and economic status of the family affects the creativity of the child in connection with his/her development. However, this is always a directly proportional interaction, it cannot be said. A child whose material needs cannot be fully met, for example, who cannot buy every toy he wants, may take action to meet his own wants and needs. Even if it is not the same, he can design a toy in the way he wants, learn to sew the same clothes he wants. Here too, do not be deprived,
- Education: One of the most important factors affecting creativity in children is education. It can be said that as the level of education increases, the level of creativity also increases. Activities that will develop creativity at school should be applied frequently so that these characteristics of children who are born with innate creativity are not atrophied and developed. In addition, children who like to go beyond the stereotypes and think differently should not be pushed aside, their creativity should be evaluated by planning activities that will include them, and it should be ensured that other friends also benefit from these aspects.
- Society: The most important function of education is to ensure harmony between the individual and the society. As long as happy individuals who have achieved self-realization are brought up and integrated into society, it will be easier for new creative personalities to be accepted. A healthy and cultured society creates the basic environment for raising creative individuals.
- Culture: The cultural values that the person is in have an effect on creativity. Applied education policies, cultural activities, dress and food culture, traditions and customs also affect creativity and production. It is possible to evaluate society and culture together. Every society has its own understanding of art and it is possible to see the effects of culture on creativity here. For example, while watching a movie belonging to Iranian cinema, the breezes of the culture of the region are heard. The fact that each region’s dance, music, clothing, food and all kinds of tools used in daily life are different can be explained by cultural lines.
- Environment: In addition to social and cultural differences, environmental factors also affect creativity. The originality of architectural styles and the shaping of living spaces are examples that best explain this. The fact that the roofs of the houses are designed vertically or flat means that the type of precipitation and the amount of precipitation received in the living area are taken into consideration. The materials used in the construction of buildings can also be explained by raw materials and climate. This is related to the geographical conditions of the region, and therefore to the physical environment. The person is inclined to produce products that will meet his needs with materials that are easily accessible.
- Personal characteristics (temperament): Features such as mental skills, level of knowledge, way of thinking affect the level of creativity.
Characteristics of Creative People
The personality traits of creative people can be listed as follows:
- is curious,
- He is patient,
- He is a dreamer
- He likes to invent.
- is responsible,
- can take risks,
- Doesn’t give up easily,
- Abnormal – thinks differently, out of the ordinary,
- likes to be alone,
- He knows how to have fun, he does not give up discipline,
- Open to criticism
- Humor is strong,
- Thinks positively, does not lose his morale and motivation when faced with difficulties,
- Enjoys solving problems
- Loves life, has a high energy and passion for adventure,
- Thinks fast and acts fast
- Able to resist traditional boundaries and constraints,
- It is not ordinary; does not feel obliged to comply with taboos, habitual movements, thoughts,
- He is careful enough to see the deficiencies, information gaps and inaccuracies around him and to find the source of the problems,
- Has enough knowledge and experience to solve problems, is novice enough to seek new ways,
- Intrinsic motivation is high.
On the other hand, it is seen that people with low motivation and self-confidence, afraid of making mistakes, shy, perfectionist, uncomfortable with uncertainty and refrain from taking risks have difficulties in creativity and production. Stress and high anxiety level, being overly worried, being exposed to excessive criticism by the environment also negatively affect one’s creativity.
Cognitive Dimensions of Creativity
Creativity is finding new ways by going different ways, putting a new product out. First of all, it is a process. Creativity has different cognitive dimensions that appear in this process:
- Fluency: It is the ability to develop many alternative thoughts that can be a solution when faced with a problem. The more ideas he can generate, the more fluency he can be said to have.
- Flexibility: It refers to the speed of adapting to the situation when solving problems and producing an idea, product, phenomenon, event. Flexibility is about being able to break out of the mold. It is to put forward different kinds of products and ideas and to keep up with different approaches.
- Originality: It is the ability to find unique solutions to the problem encountered. It is trying ways that have never been tried before and making a special production for yourself. The original individual can cope with uncertainty by tolerating them and pursues discoveries. He is brave to experience the untried.
- Deepening-Enrichment: It is the ability to develop the problem by addressing it in all its details. In addition, individuals with enhanced creativity are selective about the detail they will focus on. Details that others consider unnecessary may be interesting and intriguing to them.
Creativity, which is inherent in all individuals, continues by being developed in many ways in some people and blunts in some people. Despite this, it is possible to talk about the creativity of every person who continues his life in at least a few areas.