C. June Maker

This study extends prior research with younger children by examining the development of general creativity and creative problem solving in science among upper elementary students in Grades 3 through 6. Participants were 283 students in inclusive classrooms in a public elementary school in New South Wales, Australia, where teachers implemented the Real Engagement in Active Problem Solving approach, a talent development model that engages students in identifying and solving real-world problems through alternating divergent/productive and convergent/evaluative thinking. Using a pretest–posttest repeated-measures design, students completed the Test of Creative Thinking–Drawing Production and the Test of Creative Problem Solving in Science. Three-level linear mixed-effects models were used to examine changes over time across grades. Results showed significant growth in general creativity across grade levels. Creative problem solving in science also improved overall, with significant gains in Grades 3, 4, and 5, although Grade 6 showed a small non-significant decline. Growth was strongest for fluency and flexibility, whereas originality and elaboration showed more modest change. Among the component steps, identifying problems demonstrated the strongest growth. Findings suggest that creativity and creative problem solving can be cultivated in inclusive classrooms when talent development principles are embedded in the regular curriculum.

The purpose of this article was to present a conceptual framework and research-based methods for recognizing and nurturing a wide range of talents in inclusive settings. These methods (a) honor diversity of abilities, culture, language, income status, disabilities, values, and other personal characteristics and (b) enable students with talents to thrive in the world of the 21st Century. Research has been conducted during many research and development projects in several countries over a 36-year period. The framework and methods evolved through a rigorous process of designing, field-testing, evaluating, revising, and implementing methods for assessing and developing talents in varied domains. The underlying thesis is that creative problem solving and the 21st Century Skills of creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, communication, while using the ten talents wisely, are more important than knowledge and the ability to get the “right answer” to a question presented by the teacher or on a test. Results and methods used in research on indicators of talent in ten domains and tasks to elicit them are presented. Methods for recognizing and developing the talents are the focus for the final section: materials and guidelines for talent exploration centers and talent development principles for use in all classrooms. To make needed changes, educators, policy-makers, parents, psychologists, and others who have an impact on young people need to re-think prevailing ideas about recognizing and developing talents.

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which criterion-referenced originality scores are related to scores generated through alternative measures of originality (i.e., sample-based scoring and expert-referenced scoring) in mathematical problem-solving tasks. Drawing on data from 520 students enrolled in a public elementary school situated in a culturally diverse metropolitan area of New South Wales, Australia, the criterion-referenced approach was compared psychometrically with sample-based and expert-referenced scoring approaches. Another focus for analysis was on how each scoring system describes the relationship between originality and fluency. The results are important for ongoing debates about creativity and educational assessment, highlighting the implications of scoring methods for the interpretation of students’ original mathematical thinking. The study contributes important information for the design of fair and meaningful assessment and scoring practices.

The purpose of this article was to describe and review research on the effectiveness of a teaching/learning model consisting of four evidence-based models. The four models have a similar purpose: solving problems creatively and effectively. They have been integrated because all provide essential components not included in the other models. The name of the model, Real Engagement in Active Problem Solving (REAPS) holds a key to its success: Real Problems, Student Engagement, Active Learning, and Solving Problems effectively and creatively. Research on the effectiveness of the model has been conducted in several countries (e.g., Australia, New Zealand, UAE, and USA) and at various levels of education, beginning in 2004 and continuing. It has been implemented in special programs for gifted students and in inclusive classrooms. Results of research will be reported, along with examples of implementation of the model in schools in different countries and at different levels of education. We conclude by making recommendations for future research.

The purpose of this article was to revisit the definition, design, and research on creativity, intelligence, and problem solving published in Gifted Education International in 1993 and updated in 2021. In this integrative approach, the focus is on problem solving processes and products in varied domains, and labeled exceptional talent to emphasize the difference between this and traditional conceptions of giftedness. Exceptional talent consists of three components (problem solving, 21st Century skills, and knowledge structure) that interact with each other and the environment throughout life; thus, the term assessment is more appropriate than identification, which implies a static level of talent. Research leading to the definition now proposed was presented, leading to recommendations (based on research over the past 30+ years) for recognizing and developing exceptional talent in solving all types of problems creatively: those usually considered indicators of intellectual ability and those usually considered indicators of creative ability.