Organic Creativity in the Classroom

Besides this book, currently in its third edition, Jane Piirto is the author of Understanding Those Who Create (two editions); Understanding Creativity; Luovuus; "My Teeming Brain": Understanding Creative Writers; A Location in the Upper Peninsula (collected poems, stories, and essays); The Three-Week Trance Diet (novel); Postcards from the Upper Peninsula, and several poetry and prose chapbooks. An award-winning poet, novelist, and scholar, she is a Trustees' Professor at Ashland University in Ohio, where she is Director of Talent Development Education. She is a former member of the board of directors of the National Association for Gifted Children, and has been in the field of the education of the gifted and talented since 1977 as a program coordinator, principal of the Hunter College Elementary School in New York City, and teacher trainer. She is a national and international speaker and consultant. In August of 2007, Dr. Jane Piirto was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Mensa Education and Research Foundation. The award, only the fifth given, recognizes outstanding professionals who have contributed a lifetime to scholarly pursuits in intelligence, giftedness, or creativity.

Creativity can be taught and nurtured, and we can build classrooms in which creativity thrives. This philosophy acts as a central thesis in a new book, Organic Creativity in the Classroom, edited by award-winning author Jane Piirto, Ph.D.

Preface: What Is Organic Creativity? Part I: Organic Creativity in Academic Domains Chapter 1: Naïveté, Imagination, and a Glimpse of the Sublime: Organic Creativity in Teaching Literature Chapter 2: The Mess of Mathematics: Organic Creativity in Teaching Advanced Mathematics Chapter 3: Thinking Outside the Blocks: Organic Creativity in Teaching Social Studies Chapter 4: Once Upon a Time, There Were No Acids: Teaching Science Intuitively and Learning Science Creatively Chapter 5: Beginning With the Totally Unexpected: Organic Creativity in Teaching Physics Chapter 6: Let the Beauty We Love Be What We Do: Organic Creativity in Teaching World Languages Part II: Organic Creativity in the Arts Chapter 7: Looking for Artistry Chapter 8: Learning to Be a Cairn Chapter 9: Embracing Vulnerability: Organic Creativity in Teaching Theatre Chapter 10: Inside the TARDIS, Outside the Box: Organic Creativity in Teaching Theatre and Improvisation Chapter 11: Tapping Into the Sounds of the Universe: Organic Creativity in Music-Making and Songwriting Chapter 12: I Channel a Child in Me: Organic Creativity in Teaching Music Chapter 13: The Magic of Writing: Organic Creativity in Teaching Fiction Writing Chapter 14: Inviting Creative Writing: Organic Creativity in Teaching Poetry Writing Chapter 15: On Ideas: Organic Creativity in Teaching Visual Arts Part III: Organic Creativity in the Teacher, the Classroom, and the School Chapter 16: Cars on Blocks and Roadkills: Organic Creativity in Teaching in the G/T Resource Room Chapter 17: Toward a More Holistic Approach to Teaching: Organic Creativity in Teaching Educational Psychology Chapter 18: Visceral Creativity: Organic Creativity in Teaching Arts/Dance Education Chapter 19: The Mirror: Creativity as Seeing and Being Seen: Autoethnography of a Teacher Chapter 20: The Missing Link: Teaching the Creative Problem Solving Process Chapter 21: That ¿Uh-Oh¿ Feeling: Organic Creativity in School Counseling Chapter 22: Imagining School Communities: Organic Creativity in Elementary School Administration Final Thoughts Endnotes References About the Editor Index