Thinking Outside the Textbook: Cultivating Creativity in the Classroom

This project tests the effectivity of applying the Torrance Incubation Model and Mentoring from the Middle Model at raising the creativity test scores of grade four students.
Lily Ma Tala Shukeir
Grade 11

Hypothesis

If the Torrance Incubation Model and Mentoring from the Middle Model is applied to grade 4 student classes, student creativity scores will increase because the teaching strategies implemented will be effective in promoting creative thinking.

Research

Introduction: Problem

Creativity, a vital tool in schools, the workplace, and everyday life is on a massive decline. In the 1960s, NASA conducted a study evaluating the creativity level of students as they grew up. A group of 1600 children from ages 3 to 5 were tested and 98% of that group were found to be ‘creative geniuses.’ However, at the age of ten the amount of children reaching the ‘creative genius level’ dropped significantly to only 30% and further down to 12% by the age of fifteen (Nucleus_AI, 2023). The ‘Creativity Crisis’ as it has been formally called is described as the decrease in scores on creativity tests, such as the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking, since 1990 (The Cure for the Creativity Crisis, n.d.). According to researcher Kyung Hee Kim, all aspects of student creativity from Kindergarten to Grade 12 have regressed and her studies have revealed “that children have become less emotionally expressive, less energetic, less talkative and verbally expressive, less humorous, less imaginative, less unconventional, less lively and passionate, less perceptive, less apt to connect seemingly irrelevant things, less synthesizing, and less likely to see things from a different angle” (Darden, 2015). While this issue has been primarily seen in North America, it has become a global concern. Asia has also been struggling with harnessing creativity due to three main reasons: filial piety or parental approval, social conformity, and social hierarchy. This connects back to Western society as the educational and economic success of Asia has sparked other places, namely the United States, to implement factors such high-stake testing, thus diminishing student creativity (The Creativity Crisis: It’s Getting Worse - Idea to Value, 2017). 

 

Importance

Creativity research is an area of science that has not made much progress compared to other domains such as technological advancement, medicine and AI. However, children’s education is foundational to the progression of scientific knowledge and should be valued as such. As put by Jonathan Schooler, PhD, a professor of psychological and brain sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara, “Creativity is at the core of innovation. We rely on innovation for advancing humanity, as well as for pleasure and entertainment. Creativity underlies so much of what humans value.” 

 

Background 

Creativity has a very broad definition and is different to each scientist. Tim Leunig, ​​educationalist and historian, defines creativity as logic and the application of scientific principles and existing knowledge that can be used to create innovative new solutions (Leunig, 2016).On the other hand, Ken Robison describes creativity as imagination, self-expression and divergent thinking. For the purpose of this experiment and consistency, Keith Simonton’s definition is what will be used. He uses three criteria to describe creativity: originality, usefulness, and surprise. 

 

Ellis Paul Torrance pioneered the enhancement of imagination and creativity in educational settings. He is renowned for his work for creating accurate creativity tests and developing ways to foster creativity in the classroom. He created The Torrance Incubation Model and research has revealed that 29 out of 39 studies implementing this model have found a significantly positive effect on students’ creativity (Ritter & Dijksterhuis, 2014). 

 

The results of Torrance’s experiment testing his strategy showed that 32% of students reported new ideas involving creativity during the process, 4% from feedback in class, 44% soon after the lesson, 56% long-term, and 14% in a class questionnaire (Dijksterhuis & Meurs, 2006; Snyder, Mitchell, Ellwood, Yates, & Pallier, 2004). His model consists of three stages. Phase 1 is called ‘Heightening Anticipation,’ and aims to draw the student into the class through engaging material. This often consists of warm-up activities to prime students to thinking creatively  by reducing  the pressure to have a correct answer. This makes the lesson more relatable and sparks student’s interest to explore the material further (Hines et al., 2018). ‘Deepening Expectations’ or stage 2 is the heart of the lesson that explores the topic, why it is being learned, and most importantly, how it is taught. Torrance provides analogies to describe the key strategies that should be used. Reference Table 1 for descriptions of each one. The final stage, ‘Keeping it going,’ ensures that the learning process continues by having the students consider the larger picture of the lesson. This step also incorporates analogies to target specific strategies, which are further defined in Table 2 (Hines et al., 2018). 

 

Table 1. Analogies for phase 2, ‘Deepening Expectations,’ of the Torrance Incubation Model.

Analogy

Description

Digging deeper 

This refers to digging beyond the surface of the topic. This strategy finds difficulties, integrates pre-existing knowledge, compares their original guesses with correct information, etc…

Looking twice

This strategy aims to defer judgement, opening the students minds to new ideas and concepts. This is done by re-evaluating information as new details are uncovered in the lesson.

Listening for smells

This strategy investigates new concepts via senses.

Crossing out mistakes

This strategy aims to seek potential solutions to discussed problems through guessing, checking, eliminating incorrect facts, correcting, adjusting, and reexamining. It allows the students to fully embrace unknown concepts and learn from their mistakes.

Cutting holes to see through

This strategy encourages students to concentrate on core messages and central themes of the information, examining the problem and solution.

Cutting corners

Students learn to filter out unnecessary information, refine solutions, clarify the problem, and establish an appropriate plan of action. 

Getting in deep water

This strategy encourages students to become so deeply enthralled in the learning process that they ignore their surroundings. 

Getting out of locked doors

Students are encouraged to tackle the impossible, engage with the content that remains to be explored by approaching the information from a fresh perspective. 


 

Table 2. Analogies for phase 3, ‘Keeping It Going,’  of the Torrance Incubation Model.

Analogy

Description

Having a ball

The lesson is ended by giving students new insight on the material and incorporating humour.

Singing in one’s own key

This strategy encourages students to connect the lesson to their personal life, make connections with prior information, and seek the implications of the material for present problems or future career roles.

Building sand castles

The lesson concludes by using the given information to imagine and discover new areas for learning. 

Plugging in the sun

This strategy requires the students to implement their energy into a creative project or idea.

Shaking hands with tomorrow

This strategy encourages the students to think futuristically on how the content of the lesson could impact their lives in 5 to 15 years.

 

Figure one shows the entirety of the model, demonstrating the stages and the different strategies to effectively execute each one. 

 

Figure 1. The Torrance Incubation Model Diagram.

Note. S, K., & M, M. (2009). Torrance Incubation Model of Teaching and Learning with metaphors [Digital Image]. 

 

The Mentoring from the Middle Model is the second model that is used in combination with the Torrance Incubation model for this project. It encourages students to learn creative thinking strategies by building off of the Meddler in the Middle Model. The Meddler in the Middle Model operates off of three main principles: ‘not saving students from struggle’, ‘creating the grey of unresolvedness’ and ‘not assuming that high achievers are the best learners’ (McWilliam, 2009). The Mentoring from the Middle Model differs itself from the meddler approach by assigning the teacher 6 specific roles: facilitator, coach, artist, critical reflector, model and scholar. 

 

Table 3. Mentor Roles and Responsibilities for the Mentoring from the Middle Model.

Role

Responsibility

Facilitator

Creates the course, runs classroom decisions, responds to student’s needs and also manages the big-picture experience

Coach

Breaks down large challenges into smaller problems, motivates students, resolves issues 

Artist

Promotes risk-taking to problem solve, adapts to changing environment, keeps an open-minded perspective

Critical Reflector

Acts fairly towards all students, and provides an example of how to evaluate arguments

Model

Acts as a role model leader and learner

Scholar

Demonstrates scholar-researcher mindset by keeping up with new advancements/discoveries and engaging in their own research

Variables

The independent variable of our process is the combined Torrance Incubation Model and Mentoring from the Middle Model teaching approach used. The dependent variable of our experiment is the resulting creativity test scores of the grade four students. Controlled variables include: participants used in the study, age range of participants, the individuals teaching and the time of day and location that teaching is taking place.

 

Procedure

The experimental portion of this project focuses on testing the effectiveness of applying the Torrance Model and Mentoring from the Middle Model at raising the creativity test scores of grade four students. This was chosen in hopes that the hybrid model could prevent the decline in divergent thinking that a large proportion of children from 9-10 were found to experience (Skillicorn, 2022). The experiment was achieved through a weekly Friday class where parental consent was obtained before any testing was performed. The structure of the process is as follows: (1) once parental consent is obtained, student’s creativity scores are measured and logged, (2) students are taught the science behind popular experiments using creativity enhancing teaching techniques over a six week period, (3) creativity tests are taken at the end of the six week period and changes in scores are analyzed to determine whether or not the teaching strategies were effective in promoting creativity. In our experimentation, students were given 4 minutes to complete The Divergent Association Task and then 5 minutes to complete the Unusual Uses Task. While specific timeframes are not specified for each test, a time limit was imposed to keep environmental conditions consistent between participants. 

Our hypothesis was: if the Torrance Incubation Model and Mentoring from the Middle Model is applied to grade 4 student classes, student creativity scores will increase because the teaching strategies implemented will be effective in promoting creative thinking. 

The topic of the Friday classes was chosen to be about fun science experiments and activities.  This topic was specifically chosen to ensure there would be student interest. Additionally, it was a topic that we were both able and interested in covering. Lesson plans were created following the Torrance Incubation Model and were implemented via the Mentoring from the Middle Model. Each class involved a science experiment or activity where students would be taught the science behind how popular experiments worked or were educated on major concepts pertaining to the science activities through engaging methods.

Figure 2. Elephant Toothpaste Friday Class Lesson Plan

Week 3: Class- Intro + Elephant Toothpaste

  • Set up materials and seating arrangements before class (Facilitator Role)
  • Bring chairs into a semi-circle and teach in the middle (Mentoring from the Middle)
  • Phase 1 (10-15 mins )
    • Question to the class: what do you think the elephant toothpaste experiment is? (Coach Role)
    • What do you think is happening at the molecular level during the elephant toothpaste reaction? 
      • What compounds?
      • What kind of reaction? 
  • Phase 2 (20-25 mins)
    • Explain chemical reaction on the whiteboard (Artist Role)
      • When you look very closely (on the molecular level), the liquid that we’ll be using is very similar to water. (Hydrogen peroxide, the solute we’ll be using, is very similar to the molecular composition of water since it's made up of two hydrogens and two oxygens.)
      • Ask “How can we make hydrogen peroxide break down quicker?” (Getting out of locked doors)(Coach Role)
        • Answ: Catalyst (Adding something else that makes the breakdown of hydrogen peroxide faster like catalase)
          • The catalase enzyme is a type of catalyst that specializes in specifically breaking down hydrogen peroxide to protect an organism from its acidic nature
            • Rearranges the structure into water and one oxygen
          • 2H₂O₂ → 2H₂O + O₂
            • Dishsoap captures the oxygen released to create bubbles and elephant toothpaste!
          • Examples of other catalysts: Laundry detergent
    • Explain elephant toothpaste experiment and have students gather around the work station (semi-circle) so everyone can see(Mentoring from the Middle)
      • Hand out procedural handouts and have students read aloud each step while progressing with the experiment (Getting in deep water)/(Critical Reflector Role)
  • Phase 3 (5-10 mins)
    • (Having a Ball and Building sand castles)/(Scholar Role)
      • Elephant toothpaste inspired the creation of firefighting foam due to how it could easily capture large amounts of oxygen. What would you want to do with elephant toothpaste?
      • Play Youtube video: West Metro Fire Rescue: Firefighting with Foam
        • Would you want to make a ginormous toothbrush and brush elephant teeth?

Note: Detailed explanation of the steps taken in each of the Torrance phases to teach the elephant toothpaste lesson.

In addition to classic lesson plans, other curated resources were used to achieve certain phases. For example, the “Getting in Deep Water” phase for the Elephant Toothpaste lesson utilized a procedural handout.

Figure 3. Elephant Toothpaste Friday Class procedure handout incorporating creativity models.

Elephant Toothpaste Experiment


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Materials and Equipment:

  • Erlenmeyer flask
  • Dry yeast
  • Water
  • Funnel
  • Liquid dish soap
  • 3% hydrogen peroxide
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Safety equipment
  • Large tub or tray to catch the foam 
  • Food coloring

 

Procedure:

  1. Get PPE (Personal Protective Equipment: Safety goggles, Lab coat/apron (option)
  2. Measure 1/2 cup of hydrogen peroxide, and carefully pour it into the Erlenmeyer flask.
  3. Add a big squirt of dish soap into the Erlenmeyer flask.
  4. Swirl gently to mix.
  5. Add a few drops of food coloring directly into the hydrogen peroxide
  6. Swirl the Erlenmeyer flask gently to mix. 
  7. In a measuring cup mix together one tablespoon of yeast and three tablespoons of warm water. 
  8. Stir for about 30 seconds.
  9. Add mixture to the flask using a funnel.
  10. Record observations and data
  11. Wash all of the equipment with soap and water…including your hands!
 

EXPERIMENT KEYWORDS: Catalyst, degradation, solvent, solute 

Observations:

 

 

 

 

 

Draw your observations here: (before and after the yeast mixture is added)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

Draw what an elephant using this toothpaste would look like:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

Real world application: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Other possible uses?

 

Note: Procedural handout for Elephant Toothpaste lesson with outlined materials and equipment, procedure, note-taking sections, keywords, drawing spaces and engaging questions.

 

 

Observations

According to the Divergent Association Task test referenced in figure 4, the students’ initially averaged a score of 77.17. 

Figure 4. Average Grade 4 Student Divergent Association Task Score.

Note: Participants 1-7’s scores on the Divergent Association Task are visualized by a bar graph.

 

 

Table 4. The initial averages of the AUT dimensions.

AUT Dimensions

Average Initial AUT scores 

Average Fluency

7.86

Average for flexibility

3.19

Average Elaboration (Ocsai - whitespace)

2.37

Average Originality (Ocsai)

1.84

Analysis

The scores of the students’ were within an acceptable range, with the lowest score being 72.06 and the highest achieving a score 85.44. This resulted in an average of 77.17. The researchers that created this test have seen that the average trend was around 78 (Whiting, 2021), making these results fairly accurate. 

 

In terms of the Alternative Uses Test, the students achieved an average fluency of 7.86. However, there was a wide range of acceptable responses given, from 3 to 11. The grade 4 students’ achieved a 3.19 out of 5 average for flexibility. This dimension was calculated using 2 human graders and AI. All had consistent scores with minimal variation.The third component, elaboration, which was scored with the use of Ocsai whitespace achieved an average score of 2.37. These scores also differed between students with the lowest receiving a grade of 1.78 and the highest earning 4.00. Finally, the last dimension of originality was the most similar between all the participants, with the majority scoring within the range of 1.18 and 2.23, except for one student who achieved a high score of 2.79.

 

Once the experiment is completed, another version of the tests will be administered and the data will be compared (individual scores and average scores). This will allow for a more in-depth analysis of the effects of the hybrid teaching model.

Conclusion

The ‘Creativity Crisis’ is a global issue worsened by unhelpful teaching methods. Our project explores the effectiveness of the The Torrance Incubation Model and Mentoring from the Middle Model at raising grade 4 creativity test scores since individuals in this age range begin to experience the decline in creative thinking. Depending on our results, this low-cost and easily replicable style of teaching may be implemented in school curriculums to remedy the crisis

Note*** A fully analysed conclusion will be presented by judging day. 

 

 

Application

If the hypothesis is supported and the expected data is obtained then this technique due to its low cost and applicability can be used in schools, particularly elementary classrooms, to foster creativity in the classroom.

 

Sources Of Error

A possible source of error is the number and gender of participants. 7 grade four students expressed interest in the Friday class and 6 out of the 7 participants were male. Additionally, due to feasibility, all participants were Renert School students. These factors could impact the desired application of this research and generalization of data collected. 

 

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Acknowledgement

We acknowledge our parents Xinyu Ma, Li Wang, Lina Bahlawan and Eliyya Shukeir for their continued support and encouragement of our efforts to create this CYSF project. We also acknowledge Mx. Dallas for being an incredible mentor and offering us guidance throughout the entire process. We also acknowledge Isha Goyal, Dr. Soares, Ms. Madison, and Ms. Haney for helping us.