1) Creativity as referred to by Edward de Bono
I’m sitting here this morning contemplating what it means to be truly creative. Edward de Bono focuses on creativity when looking at ‘Six Thinking Hats’. The Green Hat is represented and is concerned with new ideas and ways of looking at things. Edward de Bono discusses creativity as a provocation, exploration and risk taking. Let’s wear the green hat for a while and and consider how we can provoke creative thinking in children.
The Green Hat
2) Creativity in Children
How can we, as Educators, encourage creativity in children? Let’s take a leaf out of Edward de Bono’s book and ask the children these simple questions. What new ideas are possible? Can I create something new? We can promote free thinking and problem solving in the children that we observe and teach.
We can recall what it was like to be a curious child who wanted to explore the environment surrounding them. As Pablo Picasso said, and I quote, “Every child is an Artist. The problem is remaining an Artist when we grow up”.
Every child is an Artist
It is therefore our role as Educators to provide meaningful materials and resources for the children to work with. We must set up aesthetically pleasing provocations for the children to explore. We should encourage the children to use their imagination and problem solving skills while manipulating these provocations. We must promote creativity into the minds of children as early as possible, and without limitations.
So let the children play, be curious and explore the environment, and let them use their imagination to construct new ideas and ways of thinking. By broadening the mind of a child you may just embed some big magic and an entrepreneurial spark into those minds and provide resiliency and skills for life.
“There is no doubt that creativity is the most important human resource of all” – Edward de Bono #creativity
Source: ‘Six Thinking Hats’ by Edward de Bono