Through this work we want to make known the basics of creativity, what are the influencing factors, how it is evaluated and how it is related to education. The study of creativity has been a very complex work that has aroused educational, occupational, organizational and scientific interest and has been approached from multiple perspectives. This variety of contexts in which creativity research has taken place has generated a large number of definitions depending on the theoretical and philosophical foundations of the approach, as well as methodological interests.
Within psychology we find a very similar panorama, characterized by the diversity of conceptions about the phenomenon, as well as an intense concern to arrive at the technology necessary to introduce creativity as an objective behavior of the teaching process.
Creativity at school
Creativity is not only expressed in art but in all areas of human endeavor, not only scientific and technical, but also in our daily work from our way of loving and relating, to the way we know, behave, and discover the world, thus allowing us to innovatively solve the different challenges that arise before us. in life and develop the potential of each individual. Much of a child’s learning is provided by the school establishment.
In this environment the child learns to relate to people and in this way acquires significant models, which will provide certain guidelines that will guide him in his personal development. For this reason, we believe that this institution can be responsible for motivating children, giving them innovative tools and ethical principles that help them face the world. We consider that creativity is one of the fundamental skills that should be present in every school project, since it allows the child to reach new conclusions and solve problems in an original way. To stimulate creativity in children, factors such as the social climate, conceptual, linguistic, motivational and student processes must be taken into account. Creativity, to a certain extent, is a protective factor that reduces the probability of high-risk behaviors, such as drugs, alcohol, violence and crime. It is also seen as one of the fundamental pillars of resilience, in the sense that being creative would help the individual to overcome or overcome difficult situations, leaving them renewed and enriched.
Definition of creativity
The concept of creativity is different depending on the context in which it is found, and does not have a single meaning, since the human activity implicit in it can be varied. This does not mean that any situation can be called creative. There are certain limits to the use of the word, but those same borders are vague; the limits, indeterminate. Which does not imply that we cannot recognize that these limits exist.
To define the concept of creativity it is necessary to know its etymological root. The word creativity derives from the Latin “creare”, which is related to “crecere”, which means to grow; Therefore the word creativity means “to create from nothing.” Within the different areas and according to various authors we can find different and varied definitions of creativity according to the different approaches. Some publications talk about 400 different terms of creativity. Some terms are ambiguous and confusing. What is clear is that creativity would be more than a necessary condition in the current conditions of life and that, moreover, it has always been necessary since it forces man to modify it so that it is more adaptable to its environment and can get better profits. If you think yes, you can say that most of humanity’s achievements are creative achievements, such as writing, electric light, the telephone and many more elements that have helped the progress of humanity.
Definitions of creativity
Let’s start with the most basic definitions of creativity found in the literature. The Psychology dictionary defines creativity as a not well-defined term that designates a series of personality traits, intellectual and non-intellectual, who expect creative subjects. For Guilford the Creativity involves fleeing from the obvious, the safe and the predictable. to produce something that, at least for the child, is new. He says that creativity in a limited sense refers to the aptitudes that are characteristic of creative individuals, such as fluidity, flexibility, originality and divergent thinking. On the other hand, he showed that creativity and intelligence are different qualities. He also stated in 1965 that creativity is not the gift of a select few, but rather it is a property shared by all humanity to a greater or lesser degree.
For your part Amabile (1983) affirms that creativity exists as long as there are: skills in the field, skills for creativity, and specific characteristics of motivation for the task.
According to Beltrán and Bueno (1995) Creativity would be the essential capacity of the intelligent being that allows it to produce a type of work that is called “creations” or created work. These authors make a distinction between the ontological notion of creativity and its psychological notion. Creativity according to its ontological notion would be “that present in existence by the creator, taking it from nothing, in such a way that in its production he does not have to use something pre-existing. This type of work is only from God (creator par excellence). Men are also creators and their action consists of making something new and original, but from something that already exists.” The work of creativity, according to its psychological notion, refers to a being that previously existed, but that by virtue of the action of the intelligent being, which is the creator, receives a new way of being; and this is what gives them the consideration of “true creations”. Several features of creation would also emerge: Contingency or secondary nature, since there was already a being and the creator gave it a new way of being. Rationality, that new form and its insertion into already existing materials, corresponds to intelligent beings. and by virtue of its intelligent activity to which selection can be added Originality, which is a form or structure of matter that no one had captured before (psychology would refer to this as creative imagination) Singularity, which is the rarity or exceptionality and consists of the exclusion of other copies of the same work The sensitivity of the creator and the spectators The flexibility of the creator to accept the best form for those materials Independence, which refers to the tastes of the creator Work, elaboration intellectual and material that involves an effort. Enrichment of culture, must develop man’s faculties, putting intelligence, reason or will above all.
Csickzentmoholyi (1995), from an integrated perspective, explains creativity as a function of three elements: field (place or discipline where it occurs), person (who performs the creative act) and domain (social group of experts). Creativity is defined as “the state of consciousness that allows generating a network of relationships to identify, pose, and solve problems in a relevant and divergent way.” According to Papalia in his book on Psychology, creativity would consist of the ability to see things from a new perspective and then invent new, original and effective solutions. There would therefore be two types of thinking that would be related to problem solving and creativity: divergent thinking, which is the ability to discover new and original answers; and convergent thinking, which defines it as the ability to discover a single correct answer. These thoughts would also be highly related to motivation, prior knowledge, learning, independence of character and determination.
For your part Mayers (1998) defines creativity as the ability to produce new and valuable ideas. The different outlets for creativity depend on culture, where this means expressing familiar themes through new ways. This author identifies five components of creativity:
- Competence: a well-developed knowledge base. The more ideas, images and phrases we encounter throughout our learning, the more likely we are to combine these mental pieces in new ways.
- Imaginative Thinking: It provides the ability to see things in different ways, to recognize patterns, to establish connections.
- Bold Personality: tolerates ambiguity and risk, perseveres in overcoming obstacles along the way and seeks new experiences, instead of going with the flow
- Intrinsic motivation: Creative people do not focus on external motivations such as achieving goals, impressing people or making money, but rather on the pleasure and intrinsic challenge of their work.
- A creative environment: sparks, supports and perfects creative ideas.
According to venturini, which takes a more biological approach, refers to creativity, the human ability to modify the vision they have of their environment based on the connection with their essential self. This allows man to generate new ways of relating to that environment and creating new objects; and it would be strongly determined by genes but can also be developed and stimulated. According to this author, biological research says that the brain structure is modified depending on the activity it has, the creative stimulus would then stimulate the brain. He also defines it as the ability of human beings to face an expressive need and manage to communicate it. Torrance suggests that creativity is a process that makes someone sensitive to problems, deficiencies, cracks or gaps in knowledge and leads them to identify difficulties, look for solutions, make speculations or formulate hypotheses, approve and test these hypotheses, and modify them if necessary. It is necessary, in addition to communicating the results.
For G. Aznar (1973), creativity designates the breadth or ability to produce new solutions, without following a logical process but establishing distant relationships between facts. There is a trait that everyone attributes to the creative and that is the new, this being something that previously did not exist having a positive aspect. And Margaret Mead describes creativity as the discovery and expression of something that is both a novelty to the creative individual and a fulfillment in itself. Creativity would then arise from three central elements: From the awareness of the need for change, both to face existing problems and to approach desirable goals. From the perception of the possibility of creating change through the formulation of problems, considering their various dimensions, from the…