tctt torrance pilot study full report
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TRANSCRIPT
The Relationship Between Standards-‐Based, In-‐School
Instruction in Visual Art and Creative Thinking in
Elementary School Students
Report on the pilot study conducted January-June 2010
The Purpose of this Study
Logic Model
Implied Outcomes:
Enhanced creative
thinking skills
Stated Curriculum Outcomes:
-Increased Arts
Vocabulary -Increased General
English Vocabulary
-Increased Skills in Creating and
Responding to the Arts
Inputs:
Arts Advantage Curriculum
Methodology
A pilot study Sample: Two 4th grade classrooms from SVUSD. One participating in the AA curriculum, the other not participating
Data Collection and Analysis: Pre- and Post test using the Torrance Test
of Creative Thinking (TTCT) From each classroom, a random
for scoring Scoring provided by STS Subsequent analysis looked for significant
changes in student performance
The Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT)
definition of Creativity:
Creativity is a process of becoming sensitive to problems, deficiencies, gaps in knowledge,
missing elements, disharmonies, and so on;; identifying the difficulty;;
searching for solutions, making guesses, or formulating hypotheses about the deficiencies;; testing and
retesting these hypotheses and possibly modifying and retesting them;; and finally communicating the results. (Torrance, 1974, p. 8)
The Torrance Test of Creative Thinking( TTCT)
Picture-based exercises appropriate at all levels, K through adult particularly useful in multicultural settings Provides standardized scores for five mental characteristics:
1. Fluency 2. Elaboration 3. Originality 4. Resistance to premature closure 5. Abstractness of titles
Fluency: a count of the number of relevant ideas
Flower
Hat
The stimulus must be used Exact repetitions are not counted Scribbles, abstract designs,
incomplete, or completely unrecognizable responses are not counted
Originality: a count of the number of statistically infrequent ideas Based upon what the stimulus was used as. Bonus points are given for combinations
Bicycle
Not original response Originality bonus for combination
Abstractness of Titles: 0 = simple class title 1 = class title with descriptor(s)
2 = imaginative title that goes a little beyond the picture 3 = abstract but appropriate title
Elaboration: a count of the number of ideas added Beyond the minimum details that would be necessary for the basic response
Elaboration
smoke
moon
stars
owl
branches
grass
tree
ash more
panes
Roof detail
Additional tree
knob
Stepping stone
Different shapes
shutters
cat bushes
Resistance to Premature Closure Degree of openness
Based on Gestalt psychology
Scored on incomplete figures only
How Reliable is the TTCT?
TTCT is the most reliable of its kind: no other creativity measure has 40+ years history of research and examination
Standardized scoring (available through STS) further enhances reliability and validity
Longitudinal Studies of Elementary School Students at 22 and 40 Year Intervals confirmed the predictive reliability of the TTCT (however other factors such as economics, environment, etc., were shown to play a vital role)
flexibility, originality, and ability to sense deficiencies, elaborate, and redefine) does not guarantee that the possessor will behave in a highly creative manner. A high level of these abilities, however, increases a
Pilot Study Results
Originality Index
Pre-test Change from Pre- to Post-test
Creativity Index
Summary of Results
The findings of the study indicate that students in the Arts Advantage group made greater improvements in creativity than their counterparts who did not have Arts Advantage.
Interpretation
(1) Student Motivation (2) Curriculum (3) Pedagogy
Why did we get these results? Three factors:
Student Motivation
-of-
Curriculum
During the research period, the Arts Advantage group participated in nearly 7 hours of classroom time dedicated to the Arts Advantage curriculum. The Arts Advantage lessons included: (1)Portrait Drawing in Steps (2) -observational portrait exercise) (3) Self-Portrait (based on observation) (4) Portrait of a Historical Figure (5) Clay Masks (using additive and subtractive concepts) (6) Painting Clay Masks, using color wheel concepts learned
earlier.
According to Dr. Betty Edwards, renowned arts educator and author of Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, teaching students to draw the human face is valuable in awakening their
- (1999, p. 8).
Clearly, a common thread for this cluster of lessons is the incremental mastery of depicting the human face.
Pedagogy
If I give them a sample art project, I tell them: none of yours I
-cutter stuff Teacher from the Arts Advantage cohort
Pedagogy
[Encouraging creativity; multiple viewpoints; originality] is just good teaching.
Teacher from the Arts Advantage cohort
Pedagogy
My kids know they have to give me a polished piece of work
Teacher from the Arts Advantage cohort
Elaboration is another creativity index where the Arts Advantage cohort made greater improvement than the comparison group.
Pedagogy
For the comparison group, one area of superior growth
was in the Abstractness of Titles index.
thinking. At its highest level, it's the ability to capture the essence of the information involved, to know what is important, enabling the viewer to see the
Interpretation Summary
Student motivation+Curriculum+Pedagogy BUT What appears to be most impactful, is the combination of the Arts Advantage curriculum and a teaching style that promotes creative thinking in all subject areas.
Implications for the Field This pilot study fits within a larger context of increasing attention to the role of creativity in education worldwide:
England (since 1999,NACCCE) Singapore (2004, Thinking Schools, Learning Nation) The European Union (2009, Year of Creativity and Innovation) The USA (i.e. Newsweek article, July 2010, The Creativity Crisis)
Implications for the Field
Around the world, national and regional education programs have established a twin foci for their research: (a) the impact of the program on student learning and (b) tracking changes in pedagogy as a result of the program
Recommendations
Address Creativity Development more Explicitly
Opportunities for Future Study
~A full scale study featuring larger sample and full statistical analysis ~A District level study focusing on the impact of creative teaching style + the Arts Advantage curriculum in an Arts Advantage district ~A school-level study examining the impact of the Arts Advantage curriculum on creativity in teaching and learning at the school
Investigation Team
Rebecca Faubion, Lead Researcher Jim Thomas, Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator, OCDE Dr. Elaine Keeley, Principal, Springbrook Elementary Dr. Stephanie Schneider, Manager, Instructional Services Assessment/Evaluation/Accountability, OCDE
References and Further Reading Cramond, B., Verbal and Figural Measures of Creativity. Presentation at the Torrance Center for Creativity and
Talent Development, UGA. Downloaded from the world wide web, as of April 2010: www.coe.uga.edu/torrance/TTCT_PPT/TTCT%20Current.ppt
Cramond, B., Matthews-Morgan, J., Bandalos, D., & Zuo, L. (2005). A report on the 40-year follow-up of the Torrance
Tests of Creative Thinking: Alive and well in the new millennium. Gifted Child Quarterly, 49, 283-291. Edwards, B. (1999). Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. New York: Tarcher/Putnam. European Council on Education, Youth, and Culture. (2009) Council meeting, Brussels. As of 8/9/2010: http://create2009.europa.eu/about_the_year/documents_of_the_year.html National Advisory Committee on Creative and Cultural Education (NACCE). (1999). All our Futures: Creativity,
Culture and Education. London: Department of Education and Employment. Guthridge, George (2006). The Kids From Nowhere. Portland: Alaska Northwest Books. Richardson, M. (2001) Singapore's Reforms Seek Creative Edge. In NY Times, October 15, 2001 http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/15/news/15iht-rsinga_ed3_.html. Also see: Singapore Ministry of Education Thinking
Schools, Learnng Nation at http://www.moe.gov.sg/about/ Starko, E. (2010). Creativity in the Classroom: Schools of Curious Delight. New York: Routlege. Torrance, P., and Safter, T. (1990). The Incubation Model of Teaching. Buffalo: Bearly Limited.