Based on the identified criteria and empirical indicators, it is possible to conduct a comparative analysis of changes in students’ level of creative activity

The level of creative activity is determined by four criteria: a sense of novelty, criticality, the ability to transform the structure of an object, and a focus on creativity.

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Methodology for diagnosing the level of creative activity of students

Target: based on the identified criteria and empirical indicators, conduct a comparative analysis of changes in students’ level of creative activity

Progress: the level of creative activity is determined by four criteria (the results are entered into the table)

1. A feeling of newness.
2. Criticality.
3. The ability to transform the structure of an object.
4. Focus on creativity.

For each criterion, the average score is calculated. As part of the fourth and last criterion, questions from 41 to 56 are self-esteem. Self-esteem according to the criterion “Sense of novelty” is determined by the average score of answers to questions No. 41,42,43,44; according to the “Criticality” criterion based on the average score of answers to questions No. 45,46,47,47; according to the criterion “Ability to transform the structure of an object” to questions No. 49,50,51,52; according to the criterion “Orientation towards creativity” to questions No. 53,54,55,56.

It is very important to compare the average score for each criterion with self-esteem. For example, according to the criterion “Sense of novelty” the average score was 1.45, and self-esteem was 0.9. The average result between the assessment and self-esteem will determine the level of creative activity of the student. Three levels of this activity can be distinguished.

Low: from 0 to 1 point.

Average: from 1 to 1.5 points.

High: from 1.5 to 2 points.

1. Feeling of newness (#1-10)

Choose the answer that determines your behavior in the situations below.

1. If I were building a house for myself, then:

A) would build a house according to a standard design (0)

B) would build a house like the one I saw in a picture in a magazine or movie (1)

C) would build a house that no one else has (2)

2. If I need to receive guests, then I:

A) I spend the evening like my parents do when they have guests (0)

B) I’m preparing a surprise for the guests (2)

C) I try to spend the evening like my favorite movie characters (1)

3. Among the tasks proposed on the test, I choose:

A) original (2)

B) difficult (1)

B) simple (0)

4. If I painted a picture, I would choose a title for it:

A) beautiful (1)

B) exact (0)

B) unusual (2)

5. When I write an essay, then:

A) I choose words as simply as possible (0)

B) I strive to use those words that are familiar to the ear and accurately reflect my thoughts (1)

C) I try to use original words that are new to me (2)

6. I want the lessons to:

A) everyone worked (1)

B) it was fun (0)

C) there was a lot of new things (2)

7. For me, the most important thing in communication is:

A) good attitude of comrades (0)

B) the opportunity to learn new things (2)

B) mutual assistance (1)

8. If I were a cook, then:

A) would strive to ensure that everyone who eats my dishes is full and satisfied (0)

B) would create new dishes (2)

C) would try to masterfully cook all known dishes (1)

9. From television programs I choose:

A) “Laughing Panorama” (0)

B) “Field of Miracles” (1)

B) “Planet Earth” (2)

10. If I went on a trip, I would choose:

A) the most convenient route (0)

B) unknown route (2)

B) the route that my friends praised (1)

1. Criticality (No. 11-20)

Do you agree with the statements?

A) completely agree (0)

B) disagree (2)

C) not ready to give an assessment (1)

11. “Knowledge and only knowledge makes a person free and great” (D.I. Pisarev).

12. “The face is the mirror of the soul” (M. Gorky).

13. “The only real value is human labor” (A. France).

14. “A man’s mind is stronger than his fists” (F. Rabelais).

15. “Mind is undoubtedly the first condition for happiness” (Sophocles).

16. “The road to glory is paved by labor” (Publimius Syrus).

17. “Only those who deserve it are afraid of contempt” (Francois de La Rochefoucauld).

18. “Every trifle consoles us, because every trifle makes us despondent” (Blaise Pascal).

19. “Abilities, like muscles, grow with training” (K.A. Timiryazev).

20. “Only fools and dead people do not change their opinions” (D.L. Orwell).

1. Ability to transform the structure of an object (No. 21-30)

No. 21A-23A - for high school students.

No. 21B – 23B – for middle-aged students.

Correct answers: 21A – a) 21B – d)

22A – d) 22B – b)

23A–b) 23B–e)

The first line No. 21A - 23A presents a pair of words between which there is some connection or some kind of relationship. You must determine what connection or what relationship exists between these two words and choose from the four proposed answers a pair of words between which the same connection or the same relationship exists. A correct answer is scored 2 points, an incorrect answer – 0 points.

21A. EXILE – CONQUEROR

a) arrest - thief c) arrest - judge

b) arrest – accused d) arrest – lawyer

22A. LAKE – BATH

a) waterfall - puddle c) waterfall - water

b) waterfall - pipe d) waterfall - shower

23A. VOLCANO-LAVA

a) source - spring c) fire - bonfire

b) eye - tear d) storm - flood

The first line No. 21B - 23B presents a pair of words that are in a certain relationship. Next comes the original word and five other words, of which only one is in the same relationship to the original. Define this word. A correct answer is scored 2 points, an incorrect answer – 0 points.

21B. SCHOOL - TRAINING

Hospital a) doctor d) treatment

B) student d) patient

B) institution

22B. SONG – DEAF

Picture a) lame d) picture

B) blind e) sick

B) artist

23B. FISH - NET

Fly a) sieve d) buzz

B) mosquito e) spider web

B) room

Find a way out of the situation.

24. Having fallen asleep in your bed, you woke up in the desert in the morning. Your actions.

25. The car you were driving had two punctured tires, but only one spare. It is urgent to move on. Your actions.

26. You find yourself in a foreign city without documents or money. You need to find a way out of the situation.

27. You find yourself in a city where they speak a language you don’t know. How will you explain yourself?

The answers are written down on a piece of paper. Evaluation criteria: a) reality (2); b) variability (3). Time to answer no more than one minute for each question.

List as many uses for each item as you can.

28. Tin can

29. Metal ruler

30. Bicycle wheel

The answer is written down on a piece of paper. The response time is one minute for each question. Answers are scored as follows:

no answer – 0 points

trivial answer – 1 point

original answer -2 points

1. Focus on creativity (No. 31 -40)

If you had a choice, what would you choose?

b) write a book (2)

c) retell the contents of the book to friends (1)

32. a) act as an actor (2)

b) act as a spectator (0)

c) act as a critic (1)

33. a) tell everyone local news (0)

b) do not retell what you heard (1)

c) comment on what you heard (2)

34. a) come up with new ways of doing work (2)

b) work using proven techniques (0)

c) look for the best way to work in the experience of others (1)

35. a) using instructions (0)

b) organize people (2)

c) be an assistant manager(1)

36. a) play games where everyone plays for themselves (2)

b) play games where you can express yourself (1)

c) play in a team (0)

37. a) watch an interesting movie at home (1)

c) spend time with friends (0)

38. a) think about how to improve the world (2)

b) discuss with friends how to improve the world (1)

c) watch a play about a beautiful life (0)

39.a) sing in a choir (0)

b) sing a song solo or duet (1)

c) sing your song (2)

40. a) relax at the best resort (0)

b) go on a trip by ship (1)

c) go on an expedition with scientists (2)

Self-esteem (№41 – 56)

41. I like to create fantastic projects.

42. I can imagine something that does not happen in the world.

43. I will participate in something that is new to me.

44. I quickly find solutions in difficult situations.

45. Basically I try to have my own opinion about everything.

46. ​​I manage to find the reasons for my failures.

47. I try to evaluate actions and events based on my beliefs.

48. I can justify why I like or dislike something.

49. It is not difficult for me to identify the main and the secondary in any task.

50. I can convincingly prove that I am right.

51. I can divide a complex problem into several simple ones.

52. I often come up with interesting ideas.

53. I find it more interesting to work creatively than to work in any other way.

54. I always strive to find something to do in which I can be creative.

55. I like to organize my comrades for interesting things.

56. It is very important for me how others evaluate my work.

Answers to questions are scored as follows:

Yes - 2 points

It's hard to say -1 point.

No -0 points.

Questionnaire answer card

				No. 1-10 Sense of novelty (average score)
				No. 11- 20 Criticality (average score)

The formation and development of children's creative abilities is one of the pressing problems of modern pedagogy, which is especially acute for teachers working with primary schoolchildren. After all, it is at this age that children develop the ability to think, reason, and creatively approach problem solving. The psychological dictionary interprets creativity as an activity, the result of which is the creation of new material and spiritual values.

In pedagogical science, an attempt is also made to determine the main components of creativity.

Stand out:

perceptive (observation, special concentration of attention);

intellectual (intuition, imagination, breadth of knowledge, flexibility, independence, quick thinking, etc.);

characterological (the desire for discovery, the possession of facts, the ability to be surprised, spontaneity).

In order to identify the essential and meaningful characteristics of the concept of “creative activity”, it is necessary to begin with the disclosure of the basic concepts of “creativity” and “activity”. The dictionary of pedagogical terms provides definitions for the following concepts:

Creativity is a process of activity that creates qualitatively new material and spiritual values ​​or the result of creating an objectively new one. The main criterion is the uniqueness of its result. The result of creativity cannot be directly derived from the initial conditions. This is the creation of cultural or material values ​​that are new in design.

A creative personality is a person capable of creative and innovative activities and self-improvement.

Activity is a personality quality expressed in increased activity, in the external manifestation of views and beliefs. The social meaning of activity is determined by its focus and motives. According to this criterion, activity is divided into positive and negative.

Children's creativity is based on imitation, which serves as an important factor in the development of creative activity. The teacher’s task is, based on children’s tendency to imitate, to instill in them the skills and abilities without which creative activity is impossible, to cultivate in them independence, activity in the application of this knowledge and skills, to form critical thinking and focus.

Several approaches to the concept of creative activity have been formed in science, G.S. Vinogradova considers:

Creative activity is a personality trait that manifests itself in activity and communication as originality, creativity, and novelty. psychological educational game schoolboy

Creative activity is the ability of an individual to proactively and independently find “search zones,” set tasks, highlight the principles underlying certain structures, phenomena, actions, and transfer knowledge, skills and abilities from one area to another. Creative activity is necessary in educational activities.

The main components of students' creative activity are identified:

needs, interests, inclinations for creative activity;

transformative attitude towards the subjects and objects being studied;

readiness for transformative activities;

transformative activity itself.

The development of creative activity ensures the accumulation of a system of knowledge, mental techniques, and operations:

operations of thinking (analytical observation, comparison, analysis and synthesis, abstraction, generalization and specification);

techniques for meaningful memorization (semantic grouping, drawing up a plan);

general methods of educational work (ability to listen, observe, plan, control);

transferring acquired knowledge, skills and abilities to solve new problems.

Creative activity contributes to the development of creative activity of younger schoolchildren; the subject of creative activity is creative abilities, including play. An indicator of creative development is creativity.

“Creativity is a person’s ability for constructive, non-standard thinking and behavior, as well as awareness and development of one’s experience. These are the very creative abilities that can manifest themselves in thinking, feelings, communication, characterize either the personality as a whole, or the product of his activity.”

At the present stage, the essence of creativity is most often defined alternatively: as a formal-dynamic or substantive characteristic of a person, or its individual areas (perceptual, cognitive), as a property of the psyche. In psychological and pedagogical research, creativity refers to a complex of intellectual and personal characteristics of an individual that contribute to independently posing problems, generating a large number of original ideas and solving them in an unconventional way. It is necessary to consider creativity as a process and a complex of intellectual and personal characteristics of an individual, inherent in many individuals. Creative, creative qualities (skills) are formed in the process of activity.

Thus, creativity is a style (qualitative characteristic) of activity, and creativity is a set of individual psychological characteristics of a creative personality. Hence the need to differentiate these concepts, clarify semantic subtleties and logical bends in formulations. When discussing the problem of creative activity of an individual, creativity, first of all, the question arises about their criteria. To determine the level of creative activity of G.S. Vinogradova identified 16 hypothetical intellectual abilities that characterize creative activity.

Among them:

Fluency of thought - the number of ideas arising per unit of time;

Flexibility of thought - the ability to switch from one idea to another;

Originality - the ability to produce ideas that differ from generally accepted views;

Curiosity - sensitivity to problems in the surrounding world;

Ability to develop a hypothesis;

Unreality is the logical independence of the reaction from the stimulus;

Fantasticity - complete isolation of the response from reality in the presence of a logical connection between stimulus and response;

The ability to solve problems, that is, the ability to analyze and synthesize;

The ability to improve an object by adding details, etc.

Thus, based on the analysis of psychological and pedagogical literature, we have defined the concepts: “creativity”, “activity”, “creative activity”, “creative personality”, we have identified the main components and criteria for the development of creative activity.

In this chapter, we examined creative activity as a quality that is simultaneously inherent in both the individual himself and his activities. Creative activity is a stable, integrative quality, expressed in the purposeful unity of needs, motives, interest and actions, characterized by a conscious search for creative situations. Creative activity presupposes a theoretical understanding of knowledge and an independent search for a solution to a problem.

Modern society needs a person capable of self-improvement and self-development, who can effectively and creatively solve new life problems. Therefore, it is very important to educate a spiritually rich personality, paying special attention to the development of the creative activity of younger schoolchildren.

We consider the problem of the development of a creative personality in the context of the development of the real abilities of a growing person, which are formed and embodied in various types of cognitive and creative activities. The outcome of these activities does not always have obvious social value, but participation in the process is of paramount importance for children. During this process, independence and initiative are manifested, and the creative potential of the individual is revealed.

Modern education is aimed at the overall development of the child’s personality. The basis of comprehensive development is creative activity, therefore the formation of creative activity of students is one of the pressing problems of the younger generation. We see the importance of the formation of creative activity, first of all, in the fact that in the process of creative activity, students master heuristic techniques for acquiring knowledge, cultivate a love for serious, thoughtful work, a constant desire for self-education, and perseverance in achieving their goals.

Without the manifestation of creative activity, a student’s cognitive abilities cannot successfully develop in mastering knowledge in a particular subject.

The student’s creative activity occupies a central place in the formation of a strong-willed, focused, comprehensively developed personality.

For the effective development of children’s creative activity at school, it is important to determine the essential aspects of the concept of “creative activity” and to reveal ways of developing the considered personality quality in the process of teaching younger schoolchildren.

The history of research into the problem of creative activity shows us its inextricable connection with the problem of personal activity in general.

Activity is not just activity, not its type and state. Scientists consider activity as a characteristic of a person, his initiative, the incentives of which are the content and nature of the activity itself. It is amateur activity that has creative potential, since it is dictated not only by external necessity, but by initiative from within.

Activity is a multidimensional concept. It is no coincidence that the problems associated with its research are considered by philosophy, pedagogy, and psychology.

Much attention is paid to the study of the problem in the philosophical literature. Already in the studies of Plato and Aristotle there are attempts to find mechanisms of personality activity that lead to creativity.

Activity, according to N.A. Berdyaev, as a philosophical category, reflects “the ability of objects of inanimate and living nature and subjects of social life to spontaneous, intensely directed and conscious interaction” with the environment, change and transformation of it and oneself, as well as “the intensity of this process, its measure.”

According to M.V. Bodunov, “psychological activity is considered as an integral parameter of personality, has two sides - qualitative and quantitative.” The qualitative, substantive side of activity is determined by the complex of operating motives, attitudes, interests and motivations that determine the performance of certain actions. The quantitative side is characterized by intensity and distribution over time.

A.V. Petrovsky and V.A. Petrovsky emphasized that the universal characteristic of life is activity - the active state of living organisms as a condition for their existence in the world.

One of the very important issues of child psychology and pedagogy is the issue of creativity in children. Creativity is a complex, complex phenomenon, conditioned by many socio-pedagogical and psychophysical prerequisites.

According to I.P. Volkov follows that the creativity of a junior schoolchild is the creation of an original product, product (as well as solving a problem, writing an essay, etc.), in the process of working on which he independently applies the acquired knowledge, skills, abilities, including their transfer , combining known methods of activity or creating a new approach to solving a problem for the student.

Researchers of children's creativity note that high achievements are associated with factors such as the level of imagination in play activities (J. Moran, J. Sawyers), as well as with various social abilities: communication, role taking (J. Connelly, A. Doyle, 1984 ), the use of language and the desire for leadership (W. Fu, H. Kennedy, 1982), the possibility of self-expression, interests and level of education of parents (T. Kovacs, 1982). According to P. Smith (1983), in order to develop children's creativity, it is necessary to provide children with materials for classes and the opportunity to work with them, to encourage the child's creative interests; one should also strive for his inner looseness and freedom.

P. Torrance identified the components of creative thinking - creativity factors.

These include:

Intellectual creative initiative - focus on going beyond these tasks and requirements;

Fluency of thinking - richness and variety of associations, number of connections formed;

Originality of thinking - independence, unusualness, wit of the solution.

The scientist defines creativity through the characteristics of the creative process. The creative way to solve a problem is that a person tries to avoid generally accepted and obvious solutions, explores the problem, putting forward many hypotheses, testing his guesses until he finds a solution.

A.N. Leontiev, considering the components of creativity, identified the motivational and operational aspects of creativity in the structural diagram.

V.P. Zinchenko and V.M. Munipov propose to supplement this scheme with emotional and ideological components. Taking this into account, the structure of creativity can be represented as a set of ideological, motivational, content-operational and emotional-volitional components.

The worldview component, according to scientists, determines the position of the individual in the process of activity and in assessing its results. The main ideological properties of a person that contribute to creative activity include:

1) the individual’s awareness of his ideological properties;

2) the ability to defend one’s creative positions.

The next one is the motivational component, which includes a system of motives that express a person’s conscious motivation for activity, including creative activity, the totality of those mental moments that determine his behavior as a whole, what motivates his activity, for the sake of which it is performed.

In any activity, one can distinguish both external motivation, not related to the nature of the work, and internal substantive motivation (in the terminology of M.G. Yaroshevsky).

The motivational component, providing a focus on the creative acquisition of knowledge, includes motives for mastering skills of this kind and presupposes that children have:

1. Curiosity, interest in creative activity, which characterize the individual’s need for knowledge, for mastering new methods of activity, are manifested in an inquisitive mind, in the desire to gain a deeper understanding of what is being observed or analyzed, as well as in posing a question.

2. Feelings of passion, joy of success.

3. Aspirations for creative achievements.

4. Aspirations for leadership.

5. Striving to receive high marks and recognition of success in creative activity.

Interest in creative activity determines the development of other properties. At higher levels of creativity development in children, motives such as the desire for leadership and receiving high marks predominate, which are often compensated by satisfaction from creative activity.

A special place in its composition is occupied by intellectual-heuristic abilities and intellectual-logical skills (Yu.N. Kulyutin, N.S. Leites, S.Yu. Stepanov), and an intellectual component is distinguished in the structure of creativity.

According to V.I. Andreev, the content-operational component consists of the following groups of abilities and skills:

Intellectual-logical,

Intellectual-heuristic,

Organizational

Communicative.

The author considers the main intellectual and logical skills to be: the ability to compare, the ability to analyze, and divide the object of knowledge into elements; the ability to highlight the main thing, discard the secondary, the ability to describe phenomena and processes, and logically express one’s thoughts; ability to explain; ability to justify.

Intellectual-heuristic abilities - the ability to generate ideas, the ability to imagine, the ability to reflect and establish in the mind new connections between the components of a creative task (associativity of thinking), flexibility of thinking, the ability to transfer knowledge and skills to new situations.

Communication abilities, according to the author, are manifested in cooperation and collective creative activities. These are: the ability to use the creative experience of others, the ability to collaborate; the ability to defend one’s point of view; the ability to avoid conflicts or successfully resolve them.

A significant place in the content-operational component is occupied by organizational abilities and skills. These are: the ability to plan; ability to self-organize, i.e. the ability of an individual to mobilize their capabilities to achieve intermediate and final goals; ability to self-control; the ability to reflect, correct, refine and complete the original plan.

A number of authors highlight the emotional-volitional component of creativity. An emotion is a direct temporary experience of some more permanent feeling. Researchers have studied the relationship between the emotional and intellectual components and determined their importance in the development of creativity. The emotional component reflects the emotional attitude towards educational and creative activity, the tendency to engage in and achieve successful results in it, despite the difficulties that arise.

Another component of this component is the volitional principle, because activity is accompanied by volitional manifestations and is more of a conscious, purposeful nature. The emotional-volitional component, according to researchers, presupposes that children have interest, the ability to rejoice and be surprised, honesty, determination, initiative, the ability to experience compassion, and the ability to exert volition.

Thus, having examined the concepts of activity and creativity, and relying on the experience of researchers, we move on to the analysis of the creative activity of the individual itself.

Issues of the development of creative activity of the individual are reflected in the works of psychologists A.V. Petrovsky, M.G. Yaroshevsky. In the studies of Yu.N. Kulyutina, Ya.A. Ponomarev revealed the essence of the unity of the creative process of children and adults, established the possibilities for the development of creative activity in all types of activities.

Creative activity can be defined as integrity, which is characterized by many of its manifestations: the unity of internal and external creative activity, the mutual dependence of motivational and operational components, imagination and productive thinking as the basis of a single executive mechanism of mental creative activity (L.S. Vygotsky), inclusion search activity due to the fact that the result of creativity was not initially specified. Reflects the integrity of creative activity and the transfer of methods and features of creative activity from the structure of one direction of creativity to the structure of another, manifested, in particular, in “universal” creative abilities (B.M. Teplov).

S.L. Rubinstein, in defining creative activity, emphasizes the significance of the mutual influences of the subjective and objective, external and internal, emphasizes the uniqueness and individuality of the picture of the world created by a specific person, and the creation of a “picture” is an act of “creative initiative”.

A.M. Matyushkin connects the concepts of ability and creative activity. He believed that “... the universal form of manifestation and development of abilities, their core, “... is the idea of ​​​​abilities as creative activity.”

Most authors (D.B. Bogoyavlenskaya, M.I. Boytsov, V.I. Lozovaya, T.I. Shamova, G.I. Shchukina, etc.) consider the highest form of activity in any type of activity - play, learning, work, cognition - consider creative activity. Moreover, creative activity, representing the highest level of activity, based on its various types, includes them in its structure.

A.V. Petrovsky and T.I. Shamov, assessing the concept of “creative activity” in the context of activity, define it as an orientation toward transformative and exploratory methods of activity, as a quantitative or qualitative characteristic of activity, manifested in the intensity, intensity of activity, the originality of the mental operations used, the effectiveness, and the aesthetic value of acquired knowledge. . They focus on the fact that activity is manifested in activity that takes place both in the external (motor) and internal (mental) planes, in intense activity that achieves set goals.

Creative activity expresses the desire and readiness of an individual to consciously and voluntarily, according to inner conviction, improve proactive innovative actions in various areas of human activity.

In our work, creative activity is considered as a quality that is simultaneously inherent in both the individual himself and his activities. Creative activity presupposes a theoretical understanding of knowledge and an independent search for solutions to problems.

The development of an individual’s creative activity requires a primary school teacher to create an atmosphere where curiosity and interest arise, the need to defend one’s creative positions, a sense of passion, a desire for creative achievements, and a situation of success in creative activity is created.

Thus, the creative activity of children in the learning process is connected with all aspects of the student’s developing personality: needs, interests, inclinations, abilities, volitional manifestations, emotional attitude to activity. Intellectual, emotional and volitional components in creative activity are inseparable, because not a single emotion, not a single volitional decision or action arises outside of human activity.

The process of development of creative activity involves quantitative and qualitative changes occurring in the structure of the personality and in the system of its interaction with the surrounding reality, which can be correlated with certain points on the scale of development of the main parameters of creative activity.

To identify the levels of development of children's creative activity, it became necessary to develop indicators of the formation of creative activity.

Researchers identify the following levels of creative activity: level of problem (M.I. Makhmutova); formation of experience in creative educational activities (I.Ya. Lerner); intellectual activity with included levels of creative activity (D.B. Bogoyavlenskaya).

So, Z.V. Bayankina puts forward a classification of creative activity according to the degree of mastery of creativity, highlighting the levels: adaptive, search, research, creative. Yu.V. Naumenko builds a classification based on the constancy of the manifestation of the operational component of creativity, thereby defining different levels of creativity. E.N. Tupichkina, L.N. Petrova identifies a classification of creative activity based on the development of interest in creativity, highlighting the levels: zero, low, medium, high.

This approach was taken as the basis for the experiment, but our classification is based on the constancy of the manifestation of the motivational component.

In identifying the levels of development of creative activity in the process of teaching literary reading, the degree of formation of the leading components of the structure is determined: motivational, content-operational and emotional-volitional. We will consider the degree and frequency of manifestation of personality traits as a criterion for determining the level of the motivational component. The content-operational component will be determined by completeness, originality, and novelty. The emotional-volitional component - in terms of completeness and frequency of manifestation of these qualities.

To develop our own position and determine indicators of creative activity, we will summarize the most significant ones.

D.B. Bogoyavlenskaya believes that independence is a quality included in activity. P.Ya. Halperin says that changes in independence reveal, on the one hand, the dynamics of the current level of development, and on the other hand, the process of formation of creative activity, which is the quality of activity.

IN AND. Andreev and A.Ya. Ponomarev include originality in indicators of creative activity.

The novelty of results and methods of activity is an indicator without which the study of creative activity is impossible. D.B. rightly believes Bogoyavlenskaya that “in going beyond the given limits lies the “secret” of the highest forms of creativity, i.e. the ability to see something new in objects, something that others do not see.” However, the difficulty in identifying the degree of novelty lies in the difficulty of fixing the difference between the old and the new, between the newly created and the previously existing. We will assume that the way out is to fix the differences between the goals and methods of creative activity given from outside, with the goals and methods of the independent creative activity that arises after this. Children's acceptance of a goal of creative activity that is different from that given from the outside, and the independent choice of ways to achieve it, make it possible to define the emerging activity as creative.

The study of various approaches allowed us to identify criteria for the creative activity of children, by which we will monitor the effectiveness of the experiment:

1. High level of interest in literary reading lessons.

2. The ability to fantasize, imagine and model.

3. Demonstration of ingenuity, ingenuity, and the discovery of new knowledge, methods of action, searching for answers to questions in books.

4. Manifestation of joyful emotions during work.

5. The ability to experience a situation of success, to enjoy the creative process.

6. Striving for originality.

7. Demonstration of independence in work.

8. Ability to overcome difficulties that arise.

Thus, we can distinguish the following levels of creative activity of junior schoolchildren: low, average, not high enough, high.

Low level - there is no need to replenish knowledge, skills and abilities. Cognitive interest is entertaining. Children do not strive for independent, original performance of creative work, do not show high mental activity, and are prone to reproductive activity. They refuse tasks to transfer knowledge and skills to new situations. Self-control techniques are practically not used. When difficulties arise, negative emotions predominate in such children. They cannot and sometimes do not want to overcome difficulties in search of an answer to a question.

Average level - the need for replenishment of knowledge, skills and abilities is rarely manifested. Cognitive interest is not constant, it is situational. Children with an average level of creative activity strive to complete tasks of a non-standard nature, but they can rarely solve them on their own; they need the help of an adult. They strive to be mentally active: they can find new ways or transform those known to them, come up with interesting ideas, and with strong interest they search for a new solution. They cannot exercise self-control on their own. Overcome difficulties only in a group or with the help of an adult. If the desired result is obtained, they feel joy.

Insufficiently high level - the need to replenish knowledge, skills and abilities manifests itself frequently. Cognitive interest is broad, but unstable. Interest in creative activities often manifests itself at a high level. The desire for independent, original performance of creative work is strongly developed. Such children show sufficient mental activity and are able to carry out a wide transfer of knowledge and skills to new situations. Self-control is present at all stages of activity. When they fail, they often stop halfway, although they are quite capable of overcoming the difficulties that arise. They do not always complete the work they start or can afford to do it somehow.

They eagerly take on any creative task, and if successfully completed, they experience joy.

High level - strive to constantly satisfy the need for replenishment of knowledge, skills and abilities. Sustained cognitive interest. Always independent in performing creative work. They often offer original solutions. The search for an answer to standard solutions, as a rule, ends successfully. Children with a high level of creative activity exhibit high mental activity, and their ability to exercise self-control is well developed.

These are the characteristics of the levels of creative activity of children. This understanding of them in a generalized form shows not just the child’s active state, but also the associated formation of personal qualities manifested in this activity.

Presented by: V.N. Mishakova head UMC Biology OOIPKRO

One of the pressing problems today is the problem of developing creative activity.

Creativity (creativity) - “the ability to be surprised and learn, the ability to find solutions in non-standard situations. This is a focus on discovering something new and the ability to deeply understand one’s experience (E. Fra.) /16/ creativity is the creation of a new, original, previously unknown.

Creativity is an activity that results in the creation of new material and spiritual values. For the development of creative activity, it is necessary not only to create conditions, but also to satisfy the individual’s need to objectify his essential forces. Creative activity is a means of self-realization of the individual in activities that correspond to existing interests and needs.

The process of creativity is divided into two stages: the stage of identifying problems and the stage of finding their solutions. According to psychologist Matyushkin, the basis of creative activity is formed by those principles of personality education and thinking, which include stimulation and encouragement from another person.

Criteria for students' creative activity

- Psychological inclinations,

- Ability to concentrate.

Intelligence.

- Memory, imagination.

- Personal status.

- Achievement motivation.

Habits.

Claims.

Talent.

Aspiration.

- The child’s goals and values ​​(health, material wealth, communication).

Knowledge, abilities, and skills are formed in a child as a result of his own activities and mental activity. The teacher’s task is a system of pedagogical influences aimed at developing in all students the ability for new ways of activity and the need for cognition. The need to develop the creative qualities of students leads to the creation of the following areas of analysis of their work: area of ​​creativity, degree of creativity, level of independence, degree of difference from the work of other students (originality), in terms of practical usefulness and use of the resulting product.

The level of development of students' creative personal qualities is determined based on a comparison of the results of their diagnostics at the beginning and end of the school year using observations, testing, and analysis of the student's educational output. The degree of development of a student’s quality is assessed according to the following parameters: creative qualities, cognitive and organizational qualities.

Identification of the level of creative activity of students in different types of activities.

7th grade

Research methodology:

1. Highlight the criteria for creative activity*

2. Determine time intervals.

3. We highlight the quantitative composition of the group.

Goal: To study the level of creative activity of students, to outline ways to increase creative activity in different types of activities.

To assess the level of development of creative activity, the following are used:

a) text characteristics of students;

b) the results of his educational achievements;

c) questionnaires, student self-assessments;

d) results of pedagogical councils, tests and other materials.

The final assessment of the development of creative activity is made at three levels: “high”, “medium”, “low”.

p/p	Types of personal qualities (creative)	Level of development of students’ personal qualities (% of total)
		high (extracurricular activities)		Average educational		Short extracurricular
		for the beginning of the year 1 year	at the end of the year 2 years	for the beginning of the year 1 year	at the end of the year 2 years	for the beginning of the year 1 year	at the end of the year 2 years
	Imagination
	Identity
	Feeling new
	Intuition
	Inspiration
	Initiative
	Imagination
	Intelligence

Methods for studying imagination

Imagination is assessed by the degree of development of the student's fantasy, which in turn can manifest itself in stories, drawings and other products of creative activity.

The child is offered three tasks.

I . Come up with a story (story, fairy tale) about any living creature (person, animal) and present it orally within 5 minutes.

To come up with a theme or plot for a story, you have up to I minutes.

Methodology "Verbal Fantasy"

(speech imagination).

During the story, the following is assessed:

I . The speed of the imagination process.

2. Unusual, original ways of imagination.

3. Wealth of imagination.

4. Depth and elaboration (detail) of images.

5. Impressiveness, emotionality of images. In each of these signs, the story receives from 0 to 2 points.

Imagination.

"0" - points when this feature is practically absent in the story.

“1” – score, this sign is weakly expressed.

“2” points the sign is expressed quite strongly.

If within a minute the child has not come up with the plot of the story, the experimenter himself suggests the plot to him and gives him a “0” for the speed of imagination. If the child came up with a plot by the end of the minute, then he gets a score based on the speed of imagination I point, if you came up with a plot quickly within 20-30 seconds, you get 2 points.

Originality

If the child retold what he once heard - 0 points; if he retold, but at the same time introduced something new from himself - 1 point; If a child comes up with something that he couldn’t hear or see before, he gets 2 points for originality of imagination.

Fantasy:

The total number of living beings, objects, situations, actions, various characteristics. If the total number named exceeds 10, then the child receives 2 points for the wealth of imagination; if the total number of details of the specified type is in the range from 6 to 9, it receives 1 point; if there are few features in the story, less than 5, it receives 0 points.

Depth and sophistication images are determined by how diverse the story presents details and characteristics related to the image (human, animal, fantastic creature) playing a key role.

0 points - the central object is shown schematically.

1 point - moderate detail.

2 points - if the image is painted in sufficient detail.

Emotionality .

1. If the story is not interesting” is ineffective -0.

2. If the story arouses interest, but with a corresponding reaction it fades away - I point.

3. The listener’s attention did not fade away” and even intensified towards the end - emotionality is rated at 2 points.

Thus, the maximum number of points is estimated at 10 points, the minimum 0 points.

Scheme of the protocol for the “Verbal Fantasy” method.

(15 people took part)

Estimated parameters	Estimates of these parameters
Speed ​​of imagination processes.	3h/2b	7h/7b	5h/10b
Unusual, original images.	2h/2b	10h/5b	3h/8b
Wealth of fantasy	2/1b	10h/6b	3h/8b
Depth and sophistication	2/2b	10h/5b	3h/9b
Impressiveness and emotionality of images	2/1b	10h/6b	3h/9b

Conclusions about the level of development of creative abilities.

10 points - very high

8-9 points - high

4-7 points - average

2-3-low

0-1 - very low.

Questionnaire to determine creative inclinations in schoolchildren

1. I like to write my own songs - yes, no

2. I like to walk alone - yes, no

3. I ask a lot of questions - yes, no

4. Writing stories and fairy tales is a waste of time - yes, no

5. I like to have one or two friends - yes, no

6. I don't mind if the rules change sometimes - yes, no

7. I have some good ideas - yes, no

8. I like to draw - yes, no - yes, no

9. My dad and mom like to play with me - yes, no

10. I like things that are difficult to do - yes, no

11. The sun in the picture should always be yellow - yes, no

12. I like to take everything apart to understand how it works - yes, no

13. I like coloring pictures in books better than drawing myself - yes, no

14. Easy riddles - the most interesting - yes, no

15. I love learning new things about animals - yes, no

16. I don't like it when others ask a lot of questions - yes, no

17. It's hard to find something to do when you're alone - yes, no

18. I play old games more willingly than new ones - yes, no

19. when I want to do something, but it’s difficult for me, I give up the idea and take on something else - yes, no

20. I like to play with friends, but I don’t like playing alone - yes, no

In points 4,5,11,13,14,16,17,18,19,20 - the assessment is carried out as follows: for the answer “yes” 0 points are awarded, for the answer “no” 1 point. A child’s tendency to be creative is made up of such qualities as a variety of interests, independence and flexibility of mind, curiosity, and perseverance.

Diversity of Interests

1,4,8,15

1 degree-0 - 1 point (weakly expressed)

2nd degree - 2 -3 points (moderately expressed)

3 degree-4 points (explicitly expressed)

Curiosity

3,12,16

1 degree-0 - 1 point

2nd degree - 2 points

3 degree-3 points

Methodology for assessing attention stability

using 25-digit single-color tables.

This technique allows you to quickly assess such indicators of attention as its distribution and stability at the same time. In the cells of these tables, numbers from 1 to 25 are placed in random order. The procedure for applying the technique is as follows.

The subject looks through the first table first, finds in it all the numbers from 1 to 25. Then he does the same with the others. The speed of operation is taken into account, i.e. the time spent searching for all the numbers in each table. The average time with one table is determined. It is a numerical index of the child’s attention distribution. To assess the stability of attention, it is necessary to compare the time spent viewing each table. If from the first to the fifth table this time changes slightly, does not exceed 10 seconds, then attention is considered stable. In the opposite case, the conclusion is made about insufficient stability of attention.

The results showed that the greatest creative activity of students is observed in educational activities. Moreover, according to some criteria, assessing creative activity, it was noticed that at the end of the year the activity falls, so teachers need to adjust the work of students throughout the year. Personal activity is characterized by a variety of manifestations in educational activities:

Active and independent acquisition of knowledge, active search actions when solving problems. For example, the strength and comprehension of knowledge largely depends on the ability to work with a textbook. In turn, the ability to work with a textbook is associated with students’ mastery of logical operations, which is achieved by certain methodological techniques and means. So, if the text is saturated with factual material, it is necessary to direct the student’s work to calculate the main thing in the text, and such questions as self-control require the student to demonstrate maximum independent thinking, the ability to generalize facts, and draw conclusions.

Developmental education must necessarily include targeted, methodologically thought-out laboratory work; they allow students to carry out the necessary research observations of various biological objects. It seems to me that the widespread use of laboratory work in the educational process improves the quality of developmental education, strengthens the practical orientation, and contributes to the development of students’ cognitive activity.

Teaching aids that allow students to develop the ability to analyze, compare, compare objects, phenomena, and establish cause-and-effect relationships include special didactic materials. These can be analytical, comparative and generalizing text tables, herbarium materials, collections.

The use of comparative schemes contributes to increased mental activity. Their construction makes it possible to clarify similarities and differences, which contributes to the development of mental activity.

Cards - tasks used in the lesson include questions that require knowledge of factual material, tasks that involve the application of previously acquired knowledge, require a demonstrative answer and acquire the ability of logical thinking, increasing the cognitive activity of students (Biology at school No. 5, 1996),

Cognitive activity as a pedagogical phenomenon is a two-way interconnected process: on the one hand, it is a form of self-realization of the student, on the other hand, it is the result of the special efforts of the teacher in organizing the cognitive activity of students.

However, different students have different degrees of active cognition. This zero level- students with this level of cognitive activity are not characterized by aggression; as a rule, they are passive, have difficulty engaging in academic work, expect the usual pressure from the teacher, and do not show interest.

Relatively active level. U Students of this level become interested in certain learning situations related to an interesting lesson topic. Their inclusion in activities is associated with emotional appeal, and is not supported by volitional efforts. Such students willingly begin new types of work, but when faced with difficulties, they also easily lose interest in studying.

The attention of such children can be kept by questions that the children themselves ask. Some students in this group are often afraid to begin a task because it seems difficult to them. Therefore, you can allow them to complete only part of the task. Students with active attitude towards cognitive activity usually loved by teachers. Such students usually complete assignments, readily engage in the forms of work offered by the teacher, are willing to participate in learning activities, often propose original solutions, and work primarily independently.

The main advantage of these students is stability. Studying is easy for them, but the ease is apparent - this is the result of the student’s earlier efforts, his ability to concentrate. These students begin to get bored in class if the material being studied is quite simple or the teacher is busy with weaker students. The main techniques that stimulate students can be called search situations that are created in the lesson. However, it is quite difficult to create problematic situations in each lesson, so such students can create role-playing situations, for example, taking on the role of an “expert”, an observer” who monitors the pace of the lesson: a “sage” who sums up the lesson.

Working with students who have creative level cognitive activity differs from all of the above. Pedagogical work is based on special techniques that stimulate creative activity. An interesting form of communication is extracurricular activities. In biology: this is KVN, "Happy Chance", "What? Where? When?", "Brain - Rings". Many children from our school try their hand at writing research papers and take part in the scientific and practical conference “Children-Creators of the 21st Century”. So in 2000-2001, a student of our school, Nurgalieva Ainagul, was awarded at a practical conference for the originality of her research on the topic “Viruses”. Children take part in school and regional competitions. Two years ago, my student Yura Gvozdenko took third place in the regional Biology Olympiad. Now he is a student at the Agricultural University, Faculty of Agronomy. The work aimed at developing the creative activity of students is yielding results - over the past four years, five students have entered the OSHA faculties - zootechnical, agricultural, and veterinary departments; three students have entered the medical college in the faculties - nursing and paramedic-laboratory assistant, where they are successfully studying.

The school hosts subject weeks, excursions, theatrical evenings, quizzes on the subject - which promotes the creative activity of students.

In the educational process I try to introduce:

Intellectual warm-up, which allows you to develop creative thinking;

Problem-based presentation of material in lessons;

Research work, study groups, writing essays that allow students to increase their creative activity in learning.

The ability to be creative and create something new has always been highly valued in society. And it is not surprising, since people who have this gift are unique generators of the development of human civilization. But creativity also has subjective value. A person endowed with them creates the most comfortable conditions for existence, transforms the world, adapting it to his needs and interests.

It would seem that everything is simple: you need to actively develop these abilities. However, humanity has been struggling for hundreds of years with the question of what is the secret of creativity, what makes a person a creator.

Before we talk about creativity, let's first understand what abilities are in general.

• There are general abilities needed in different areas, e.g.
• And there are special ones associated only with one specific activity. For example, a musician, singer and composer need an ear for music, and a high sensitivity to color discrimination is needed by a painter.

The basis of abilities are innate, natural inclinations, but abilities are manifested and developed in activity. To learn to draw well, you need to master painting, drawing, composition, etc., to achieve success in sports, you need to engage in this sport. Otherwise, in no way, the inclinations themselves will not become abilities, much less turn into.

But how is creativity related to all this, since this is not a special type of activity, but rather its level, and a creative gift can manifest itself in any area of ​​life?

Structure of creative abilities

The totality of creative abilities and their active manifestation in the life of an individual is called creativity. It has a complex structure that includes both general and special abilities.

General level of creativity

Like any other abilities, creative ones are associated with psychophysiological inclinations, that is, the characteristics of the human nervous system: the activity of the right hemisphere of the brain, the high speed of nervous processes, the stability and strength of the processes of excitation and inhibition.

But they are not limited to innate qualities and are not a special gift received by us from nature or sent from above. The basis of creativity is the development and active, persistent activity of a person.

The main area in which creativity is manifested is the intellectual sphere. A creative person is characterized by a special, different from the standard, including logical. Various researchers call this thinking unconventional or lateral (E. de Bono), divergent (J. Guilford), radiant (T. Buzan), critical (D. Halpern) or simply creative.

J. Guilford, a famous psychologist and creativity researcher, was one of the first to describe the unique type of mental activity inherent in creative people. He called it divergent thinking, that is, directed in different directions, and it differs from convergent (unidirectional), which includes both deduction and induction. The main feature of divergent thinking is that it is focused not on searching for one single correct solution, but on identifying multiple ways to solve a problem. The same feature is noted by E. de Bono, T. Buzan, and Ya. A. Ponomarev.

Creative thinking - what is it?

They studied throughout the 20th century, and a whole range of features of the mental activity of people who are characterized by this type of thinking was identified.

• Flexibility of thinking, that is, not only the ability to quickly switch from one problem to another, but also the ability to abandon ineffective solutions and look for new ways and approaches.
• Shifting focus is a person’s ability to look at an object, situation or problem from an unexpected angle, from a different angle. This makes it possible to consider some new properties, features, details that are invisible with a “direct” look.
• Reliance on the image. Unlike standard logical and algorithmic thinking, creative thinking is figurative in nature. A new original idea, plan, project is born as a bright three-dimensional image, only at the development stage acquiring words, formulas and diagrams. It is not for nothing that the center of creative abilities is located in the right hemisphere of the brain, which is responsible for working with images.
• Associativity. The ability to quickly establish connections and associations between the task at hand and information stored in memory is an important feature of the mental activity of creative people. The creative brain resembles a powerful computer, all of whose systems constantly exchange impulses carrying information.

Although creative thinking is often opposed to logical thinking, they do not exclude each other, but complement each other. It is impossible to do without logical thinking at the stage of checking the solution found, implementing the plan, finalizing the project, etc. If rational logical thinking is undeveloped, then the plan, even the most ingenious one, most often remains at the level of an idea.

Creativity and Intelligence

When talking about a person’s ability to think, they most often mean. If the connection between intelligence and the development of logical thinking is the most direct, then the same cannot be said about creative potential.

According to the standard intelligence quotient (IQ) test, people who score less than 100 (below average) are not creative, but high intelligence does not guarantee creativity. The most creatively gifted people are in the range from 110 to 130 points. Among individuals with an IQ above 130, creatives are found, but not often. Excessive rationalism of intellectuals interferes with the manifestation of creativity. Therefore, along with the IQ, the creativity quotient (Cr) was also introduced, and, accordingly, tests were developed to determine it.

Special abilities in creativity

The presence of general abilities in creative activity ensures the novelty and originality of its product, but without special abilities it is impossible to achieve mastery. It is not enough to come up with an original plot for a book; you also need to be able to present it literary, build a composition, and create realistic images of the characters. The artist must embody the image born in the imagination in the material, which is impossible without mastering the technique and skills of visual activity, and the development of a scientific and technical invention presupposes mastery of the basics of the exact sciences, knowledge in the field of mechanics, physics, chemistry, etc.

Creativity has not only a spiritual, mental, but also a practical side. Therefore, creativity also includes applied, special abilities that develop first at the reproductive (reproducing) level. A person, under the guidance of a teacher or independently, masters specific methods and techniques of activity that were developed before him. For example, he learns notation, masters playing a musical instrument or art technique, studies mathematics, the rules of algorithmic thinking, etc. And only after mastering the basics of a specific activity, developing the necessary skills and gaining knowledge, can a person move to the level of creativity, that is create your own original product.

Special abilities are needed for a creative person to become a master, and his activity (any activity at that) to become art. The absence or underdevelopment of special abilities often leads to the fact that creativity is not satisfied, and creative potential, even quite high, remains unrealized.

How to determine if you have creative abilities

All people have a predisposition to creativity, however, creative potential, as well as the level of creativity, is different for everyone. Moreover, placed in certain strict conditions (for example, while performing a task), a person can use creative methods, but then not use them either in professional or everyday life and not feel any need for creativity. Such a person can hardly be called a creative person.

In order to determine the presence and degree of development of creative abilities, there are many test methods developed by psychologists. However, in order to adequately evaluate the result obtained using these methods, you need to have knowledge in the field of psychology. But there are a number of criteria by which everyone can assess their own level of creativity and decide how much they need to develop their creative abilities.

Levels of intellectual and creative activity

Creativity presupposes a high level of intellectual and creative activity, that is, not only the ability for mental activity, but also the need for it, independent use of creative thinking techniques without pressure from others.

There are 3 levels of such activity:

• Stimulating and productive. A person at this level conscientiously solves the tasks assigned to him and tries to achieve good results. But he does this under the influence of external stimuli (an order, a task from above, the need to earn money, etc.). He lacks cognitive interest, passion for work and internal incentives. In his activities, he uses ready-made solutions and methods. This level does not exclude some random original solutions and findings, but having used the method he found once, a person subsequently does not go beyond its scope.
• Heuristic level. It assumes a person’s ability to make discoveries empirically, through experience, often reducing to trial and error. In his activities, the individual relies on a reliable, proven method, but tries to refine it and improve it. He values ​​this improved method as a personal achievement and a source of pride. Any found interesting, original idea, someone else’s idea becomes an impetus, a stimulus for mental activity. The result of such activity can be very interesting and useful inventions. After all, man invented the airplane by watching birds.
• The creative level involves not only active intellectual activity and problem solving at a theoretical level. Its main difference is the ability and need to identify and formulate problems. People at this level are able to notice details, see internal contradictions and pose questions. Moreover, they love to do this, possessing a kind of “research itch” when a new interesting problem arises and forces them to postpone activities that have already begun.

Despite the fact that the creative level is considered the highest, the most productive and valuable for society is the heuristic one. Moreover, the most effective is the work of a team in which there are people of all three types: the creative gives birth to ideas, poses problems, the heuristic refines them, adapts them to reality, and the practitioner brings them to life.

Parameters of creative talent

J. Guilford, who created the theory of divergent thinking, identified several indicators of the level of creative talent and productivity.

• Ability to pose problems.
• Productivity of thinking, which is expressed in the generation of a large number of ideas.
• Semantic flexibility of thinking is the rapid switching of mental activity from one problem to another and the inclusion of knowledge from different areas into the thought process.
• Originality of thinking is the ability to find non-standard solutions, generate original images and ideas, and see the unusual in the ordinary.
• The ability to change the purpose of an object, improve it by adding details.

To the characteristics identified by J. Guilford, another important indicator was later added: ease and speed of thinking. The speed of finding a solution is no less, and sometimes more important, than its originality.

How to develop creativity

It is better to start developing creative abilities in childhood, when the need for creativity is very strong. Remember with what delight children perceive everything new, how they enjoy new toys, activities, walks in unfamiliar places. Children are open to the world and, like a sponge, absorb knowledge. Their psyche is very flexible and plastic; they do not yet have stereotypes or standards on the basis of which the thinking of adults is built. And the main tools of children’s mental activity are images. That is, there are all the prerequisites and opportunities for the effective development of creative abilities. This process is especially successful if adults encourage children to express their creativity and organize joint activities and games themselves.

As for adults, in this case it is also possible to increase the level of creativity, make professional activity more creative, or find an opportunity to realize your need for creativity in some kind of art, hobby or hobby.

The main thing for an adult is precisely the presence of a need, since people often complain that God deprived them of talent, but do nothing to find an area in which their personality could be realized. But if you realize the need to develop your potential, then there is such an opportunity.

Any abilities develop through activity and require mastery of skills, that is, training. Considering that creative abilities are primarily a set of qualities and properties of thinking, it is the thinking abilities that need to be trained.

Entire trainings have been developed specifically for the development of creativity and thinking, and exercises from them can be performed independently, especially since they often resemble an exciting game.

Exercise “Chain of Associations”

Associative thinking plays an important role in creativity, but it is most often involuntary, spontaneous, so you need to learn to manage it. Here is one of the exercises to develop the skills of consciously working with associations.

1. Take a piece of paper and a pen.
2. Choose a word. The choice should be arbitrary; you can simply open the dictionary on the first page you come across.
3. As soon as you read the word, immediately “catch” the first association for it in your head and write it down.
4. Next, write down the next association in the column, but for the written word, and so on.

Make sure that the associations are consistent, for each new word, and not for the previous or the very first. When there are 15-20 of them in a column, stop and carefully read what you got. Pay attention to what sphere, area of ​​reality these associations belong to. Is this one area or several? For example, the word “hat” may have associations: head - hair - hairstyle - comb - beauty, etc. In this case, all associations are in the same semantic field, you could not get out of the narrow circle, jump over stereotypical thinking.

And here is another example: hat - head - mayor - thought - thinking - interest - reading - lessons, etc. There is an associative connection, but thinking is constantly changing its direction, entering new areas and areas. Undoubtedly, the second case indicates a more creative approach.

When performing this exercise, achieve similar transitions, but do not think about the birth of associations for too long, because the process should be involuntary. The game with associations can be played in a group, competing to see who will have more associations and more original transitions over a certain period of time.

Exercise “Universal object”

This exercise helps develop a whole range of qualities: originality of thought, semantic flexibility, imaginative thinking and imagination.

1. Imagine some simple object, for example, a pencil, a pot lid, a spoon, a box of matches, etc.
2. Having chosen an item, think about how it can be used, other than its intended purpose. Try to find as many uses as possible and try to keep them original.

For example, a lid from a saucepan can be used as a shield, as a percussion instrument, as a basis for a beautiful panel, as a tray, as a window in the absence of one, as a hat, as an umbrella, as a carnival mask if you drill holes in it for the eyes... Can you continue?

Just like the first exercise, this can be done in a group, giving it the form of a competition. If the group is large enough, for example, a class, then you can offer to name the new functions of the object in turn. The player who cannot come up with a new one is eliminated. And in the end, the most creative ones will remain.

These are just examples of exercises. Try to come up with such games yourself, and this will also be good training.