The term officially started yesterday, although I don't register until tomorrow and have induction on Friday. I decided to start by reading some of the articles I have collected. It seemed easiest to start with the As so I read about a range of topics yesterday. Here's a short summary (I intend to do this every few days, so I have a record of my reading that I can't lose):
Abedi, Jamal 2002 A latent-variable modeling approach to assessing reliability and validity of a creativity instrument in Creativity Research Journal Vol 14 No 2 pp 267-276
This article described an assessment of a new multiple-choice, pen and paper Creativity Test based on the constructs of the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (the most popular test used by researchers). The new teat aims to cut down on the time it takes to administer a test of creativity. It was administered, along with the Torrance test and the Villa & Auzmendi Creativity Test to 2270 students in Spain and results compared. All 3 tests rate participants on 4 sub-scales Fluency, Flexibility, Originality and Elaboration. The researchers found mostly moderate (internal consistency) reliability coefficients for the new test, but noted that both reliability and validity estimations improved when measured using Structural Equation Modeling rather than traditional statistical approaches.
Alter, Frances; Hays, Terence & O’Hara, Rebecca 2009 The Challenges of Implementing Primary Arts Education: What our teachers say in Australasian Journal of Early Childhood Vol 34 No 4 pp 22-30
A qualitative research study investigated 19 Australian primary school teachers' personal arts experiences and training as well as their own arts pedagogy. They found that the value of art-based learning is often overlooked and discussed the difficulties of fitting the arts into a crowded curriculum. Teacher confidence and past experiences in the arts (dance, music, visual art and drama) were examined and shown to have a large impact on the quality of their teaching in the arts areas. The preparedness of non-specialist teachers in teaching the creative arts was questioned and there were calls for improvements through a range of measures, including better teacher training in the arts.
Anthony, Marcus 2008 The case for Integrated Intelligence in World Futures Vol 64 No 4 pp 233-253
This was a thought provoking article, although it was probably not relevant to my research. Building on Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences Anthony puts forward a case for transpersonal dimensions of intelligence, which have been neglected since The Enlightenment. He believes that recent changes in the global economy and needs of populations have created a need for an expanded theory of intelligence and more intuitive thinking. He feels that cosmic forces are ignored and ridiculed by most academics, but a more open discussion of these possibilities is now needed.
Amorino, James S. 2008 An Occurrence at Glen Rock: Classroom Educators Learn More about Teaching and Learning from the Arts in Phi Delta Kappan Vol 90 No 3 pp 191-195
This was a short summary of some of the aspects of a five-year powerful professional development experience for educators in the Glen Rock district in America. It was built around integrating the arts into all types of instruction and led to teachers reinventing their own practice. 3 key questions were asked at the start of the programme: Can you teach creativity? Does creative thinking embody an intellectual behaviour which emerges from a specific set of conditions? Can these conditions be recreated in the classroom?
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