The role of basic conceptual systems (for example, colour, shape, size, position, direction, number, pattern, etc.) as psychological tools for analytic coding, thinking, learning is emphasised, and a proposal for a teaching order of BCSs in kindergarten and primary school is introduced. The first part of this article explains briefly main aspects…

This paper offers analysis and evaluation of "Creative Science Teaching (CST) Labs III", a unique and immersive approach to science teachers' continuing professional development (CPD) designed and run by a London-based organisation, Performing Arts Labs (PAL), involving specialists from the arts, science and technology as integral. Articulating…

This study had two objectives. The preliminary objective was to further test the psychometric properties of the short-version self-directed search that was intended to be a brief research tool for measuring Holland [Holland, J. L. (1973). "Making vocational choices: A theory of careers." Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall; Holland, J. L. (1994).…

The purpose of this study was to examine prospective middle and secondary teachers' preferences for unique versus relevant student responses during classroom discussions. Results indicate that, on average, prospective teachers (N = 70) preferred relevance to uniqueness in student responses. In addition, results of regression analysis indicate that…

References to the past have taken one or another of two general forms, which we call mythic and historical, or a mix of the two. We tend to think of mythic accounts of the past as belonging to oral cultures and historical forms to be one of the "consequences of literacy." Mythic accounts have tended to refer to an original beginning whose events…

This paper reports focused findings from a qualitative scoping study undertaken in four sites in England focusing on progression in creative learning (PICL) (February 2005-January 2006), funded by Creative Partnerships, a national development programme. The study sought to explore how progression in creative learning can be described in two…

Fostering pupils' competencies in inventive thinking and problem-solving has remained a rather unresolved issue in traditional schooling, mainly because many people regard creative thinking as a God-given ability, something an individual either possesses or does not possess, but can only be slightly learned or improved. The current study is aimed…

This paper offers part of the findings of a qualitative, interpretive Ph.D. study, which used a case study approach to explore and illustrate the conceptions of and approaches to creativity of three expert specialist dance teachers working with late primary age children. The specialists had extensive expertise as dance educators in different…

Creativity is usually defined in terms of the production end of ideas or products, yet a neglected aspect of creativity, though no less vital, is the process by which creative products are critically evaluated, selected, altered or dismissed by the creator. Any attempt to promote creative thinking skills in schools needs to also address this…

Teaching for the development of students' thinking is not a straightforward matter. It requires pedagogical skills, which are different from those of normal good quality teaching for conceptual development. It follows that providing professional development (PD) for teachers of thinking is a "hard case"--we can learn much of general value to…

This paper presents the first phase of a study in teacher education, which explored how a conceptual framework for creativity with information and communication technology (ICT) might be developed and expressed in professional development for primary education pre-service and newly qualified teachers. The Creativity and Professional Development…

Connecting to current work in the area of creative pedagogies, this paper reports findings of an exploratory study that sought to identify what characterises possibility thinking in young children's learning experiences and how teachers' pedagogical practice fosters this critical aspect of creativity. It focuses in particular on pedagogy, seeking…

One important aspect of teacher effectiveness, of course, is formal knowledge of one or more academic disciplines. But another aspect of teacher effectiveness may be informal, or tacit knowledge of how to handle challenging situations, or even crises, that arise in the classroom. Tacit knowledge is what a person needs to know to succeed in an…

The present study had three purposes. The first was to further explore the psychometric properties of the Preferred Thinking Styles in Teaching Inventory [Zhang, L. F. (2003). "The preferred thinking styles in teaching inventory." Unpublished test. The University of Hong Kong: Hong Kong]. The second was to test the hypothesis that the preferred…