ABSTRACT

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.

part I|88 pages

Organic Creativity in Academic Domains

chapter Chapter 1|14 pages

Naïveté, Imagination, and a Glimpse of the Sublime

Organic Creativity in Teaching Literature
ByTodd Kettler, Laila Sanguras

chapter Chapter 2|13 pages

The Mess of Mathematics

Organic Creativity in Teaching Advanced Mathematics
ByErin Daniels

chapter Chapter 3|14 pages

Thinking Outside the Blocks

Organic Creativity in Teaching Social Studies
ByDaniel Peppercorn

chapter Chapter 4|14 pages

Once Upon a Time, There were No Acids

Teaching Science Intuitively and Learning Science Creatively
ByKeith S. Taber

chapter Chapter 5|15 pages

Beginning with the Totally Unexpected

Organic Creativity in Teaching Physics
ByKristin MacDowell, Rodney Michael

chapter Chapter 6|14 pages

Let the Beauty we Love be what we do

Organic Creativity in Teaching World Languages
ByF. Christopher Reynolds

part II|130 pages

Organic Creativity in the Arts

chapter Chapter 7|15 pages

Looking for Artistry

ByBarry Oreck

chapter Chapter 8|14 pages

Learning to be a Cairn

ByJessica Nicoll

chapter Chapter 9|14 pages

Embracing Vulnerability

Organic Creativity in Teaching Theatre
ByJeremy Dubin

chapter Chapter 10|13 pages

Inside the Tardis, Outside the Box

Organic Creativity in Teaching Theatre and Improvisation
ByTarik Davis

chapter Chapter 11|14 pages

Tapping into the Sounds of the Universe

Organic Creativity in Music-Making and Songwriting
BySally dhruvá Stephenson

chapter Chapter 12|13 pages

I Channel a Child in Me

Organic Creativity in Teaching Music
ByBranice McKenzie

chapter Chapter 13|12 pages

The Magic of Writing

Organic Creativity in Teaching Fiction Writing
ByStephanie S. Tolan

chapter Chapter 14|13 pages

Inviting Creative Writing

Organic Creativity in Teaching Poetry Writing
ByCarl Leggo

chapter Chapter 15|16 pages

On Ideas

Organic Creativity in Teaching Visual Arts
ByCharles Caldemeyer

part III|104 pages

Organic Creativity in the Teacher, the Classroom, and the School

chapter Chapter 16|15 pages

Cars on Blocks and Roadkills

Organic Creativity in Teaching in the G/T Resource Room
ByGeorge W. Johnson

chapter Chapter 17|15 pages

Toward a More Holistic Approach to Teaching

Organic Creativity in Teaching Educational Psychology
ByDiane Montgomery

chapter Chapter 18|14 pages

Visceral Creativity

Organic Creativity in Teaching Arts/Dance Education
ByCeleste Snowber

chapter Chapter 19|17 pages

The Mirror: Creativity as Seeing and Being Seen

Autoethnography of a Teacher
ByJennifer L. Groman

chapter Chapter 20|13 pages

The Missing Link

Teaching the Creative Problem Solving Process
ByCyndi Burnett

chapter Chapter 21|14 pages

That “Uh-Oh” Feeling

Organic Creativity in School Counseling
ByMaria Balotta

chapter Chapter 22|10 pages

Imagining School Communities

Organic Creativity in Elementary School Adminstration
ByRebecca McElfresh