Deck 2: Creative Thinking

Question 1

Left-brain-oriented teachers are more likely to provide hands-on activities for their students.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Which of the following would be classified as a right-brain activity?

A) using language
B) writing music scientifically
C) learning kinesthetically
D) breaking down a whole into parts

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Vertical thinking involves:

A) building a linear body of knowledge.
B) memorizing facts and figures.
C) arriving at a conventional, accepted, convergent answer.
D) brainstorming all possible answers or solutions.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Creative thinking is:

A) abstract and reserved for adults.
B) a skill that helps children prepare for life in the 21st century.
C) confined to authors, artists, scientists, and inventors.
D) limited to visual art, music, dance, and performance.

Question 5

Elaborate thinkers add details to their ideas.

Question 6

Creative thinking stimulates the brain, making reasoning skills stronger and improving mood, behavior, and concentration.

Question 7

A child's intelligence is fixed at birth.

Question 8

The human brain continually adapts to its environment.

Question 9

Open-ended questions require children to operate at the higher levels of Bloom's Taxonomy.

Question 10

High behavioral expectations for children are part of a psychologically safe environment.

Question 11

Five-year-old Joseph draws a picture of his family. The stick figures representing his mother, father, and seven-year- old brother are identical, whereas the figure representing Joseph is much smaller and includes details such as facial features. Which of the following best describes the brain processing in this vignette?

A) The left hemisphere is dominating.
B) The right hemisphere is dominating.
C) Both hemispheres are processing at the same level.
D) The corpus callosum is dominating.

Question 12

Providing creative role models is one of the best ways to encourage creativity in children.

Question 13

The corpus callosum is:

A) a thin branch of nerves that serves as a communication system between the two hemispheres of the brain.
B) the side of the brain responsible for rational and logical thinking.
C) the side of the brain responsible for nonrational, intuitive thinking and spatial relations.
D) a thick covering that protects the brain from injuries and infection.

Question 14

To facilitate creativity, the daily schedule should be divided into short blocks of time.

Question 15

Open-ended questions are those that aim for one right answer.

Question 16

According to Chapter 2, outlets for creative thinking include:

A) play, the expressive arts, thought, and language.
B) play, the expressive arts, sports, and language.
C) play, thought, language, and crafts.
D) sports, crafts, and the expressive arts.

Question 17

Creative thinking occurs primarily in:

A) the right hemisphere of the brain.
B) the left hemisphere of the brain.
C) the corpus callosum.
D) both hemispheres of the brain.

Question 18

Because brain dominance is not established at birth, it is important that early childhood teachers provide experiences that will:

A) develop creative thinking in the right side of the brain.
B) develop creative thinking in the left side of the brain.
C) develop logical thinking in the left side of the brain.
D) integrate the functioning of both sides of the brain.

Question 19

The left hemisphere of the brain controls creative abilities, body awareness, and spatial orientation.

Question 20

Most schools are set up to facilitate convergent thinking.

Question 21

Which of the following mental qualities are shared by creative or divergent thinkers?

A) fluency, impulsivity, responsiveness, and elaboration
B) fluency, intuitiveness, flexibility, and imagery
C) originality, spontaneity, flexibility, and responsiveness
D) fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration

Question 22

Modeling creative thinking for young children includes:

A) taking them through a sequence of questions designed to stimulate creativity.
B) creating problems so you can show the children your creative solutions.
C) sharing your frustrations and setbacks as well as your creative solutions to problems.
D) integrating creative problem-solving activities throughout the curriculum.

Question 23

Which of the following would best encourage divergent or creative thinking?

A) a coloring book
B) a painting easel
C) a jigsaw puzzle
D) a computer game

Question 24

Space is needed to facilitate creative thinking in an early childhood classroom so that:

A) children have room to lay out materials.
B) children have places in the classroom to work alone to complete their plans and projects.
C) children have places in the classroom to work with a partner or a small group to complete their plans and projects.
D) all of the above

Question 25

Guidelines for including creative thinking activities in the curriculum include all of the following except:

A) allowing think time.
B) explaining to children that you expect unusual responses.
C) working only with individual children so that pacing can be adjusted to suit each child's needs.
D) rewarding and encouraging thoughtful responses, rather than right ones.

Question 26

Teachers can help children value their own creative thinking by helping children to:

A) stand up for their ideas in the face of criticism.
B) resist peer pressure.
C) respect the ideas of others.
D) all of the above

Question 27

In order to facilitate creative thinking, the classroom schedule should:

A) include large blocks of time for exploration, play, and reflection.
B) include small blocks of time to ensure children's close attention to activities.
C) be evenly divided between academic and arts-related activities.
D) be different each day, according to curriculum themes and topics.

Question 28

According to Sternberg and Lubart (1995), the best way for a teacher to foster young children's creative thinking in the classroom is to:

A) provide creative role models.
B) integrate creative thinking opportunities throughout the curriculum.
C) engage children in critical thinking.
D) pose problems requiring creative solutions.

Question 29

Children who do not have opportunities to engage in convergent thinking will:

A) quickly develop the abilities needed for divergent thinking.
B) become conforming individuals.
C) lack access to a core body of knowledge needed for school success.
D) realize their creative potential.

Question 30

To facilitate creative thinking, the classroom environment should:

A) include private spaces for reflection and group spaces for movement and group involvement.
B) be fluid and flexible, according to the demands of the activity.
C) be able to sustain noise, messiness, and excitement.
D) all of the above

Question 31

A psychologically safe environment facilitates children's creative thinking by:

A) creating classroom rules.
B) removing toxic materials from the classroom.
C) removing fear of criticism, rejection, or failure.
D) involving parents in their children's learning experiences.

Question 32

A psychologically safe environment is important in an early childhood classroom because:

A) it limits the fear of rejection and failure that would inhibit creativity.
B) it prevents accidents and limits safety hazards.
C) children can learn to resist bullying.
D) it provides structured guidelines for children's creative impulses.

Question 33

When choosing activities to encourage creative thinking, early childhood teachers:

A) try the activities themselves first.
B) make the children's participation voluntary.
C) include the activities during different times of the day.
D) all of the above

Question 34

Divergent thinking is:

A) creative thinking.
B) when many possibilities or options result.
C) open-ended, allowing for an array of possibilities.
D) all of the above

Question 35

Which of the following would be classified as a left-brain activity?

A) processing tones and sounds
B) responding to the negative moods of others
C) recognizing faces and patterns
D) time awareness

Question 36

Children who act silly during creative thinking activities are likely to be:

A) testing the teacher's commitment to creativity and nonconformity.
B) lacking the ability to think creatively.
C) bored.
D) demonstrating their high IQ.

Question 37

To encourage the development of the whole child, schools should encourage:

A) conformity and convergent thinking.
B) creativity and divergent thinking.
C) a balance between convergent and divergent thinking.
D) neither convergent or divergent thinking.

Question 38

As part of a psychologically safe classroom environment, autonomy involves:

A) children acting independently of adults.
B) a structured curriculum in which children participate in activities assigned by adults.
C) children acting freely but in responsible ways.
D) children and adults involved in joint decision-making.

Question 39

In order to facilitate young children's creative thinking, time during the school day should be:

A) structured according to curriculum demands.
B) viewed as fluid and flexible.
C) allocated to academic subjects first and creative activities second.
D) spent only in ways that the children choose.

Question 40

When evaluating a child's creativity, originality and elaboration are more likely to:

A) be identified during games of creative thinking.
B) be present in a child's artwork.
C) allow teachers to determine a grade for the child's report card.
D) be used by the teacher.

Question 41

Which of the following is an example of an open-ended question?

A) How many wheels are on your car?
B) What color is the sky?
C) What do you think will happen next?
D) What was the name of the boy in the story?

Question 42

A teacher asks a group of young children to consider what would happen if refrigerators ate the food we store inside them. The teacher is encouraging what type of thinking?

A) fluency
B) flexibility
C) originality
D) elaboration

Question 43

In creative thinking, flexibility refers to:

A) coming up with many possibilities.
B) the uniqueness of an idea.
C) making an idea rich or complex.
D) coming up with very different responses.

Question 44

In creative thinking, elaboration refers to:

A) coming up with many possibilities.
B) the uniqueness of an idea.
C) making an idea rich or complex.
D) coming up with very different responses.

Question 45

Which of the following is a teaching strategy to support right-brain thinking?

A) outlines of the information to be learned
B) lecture and discussion
C) manipulatives
D) prepared time schedules

Question 46

After reading a story to her preschoolers, Mrs. Curtis asks the children to decide which of the characters are good or nice and which are bad or naughty. Mrs. Curtis is trying to encourage:

A) creative thinking.
B) problem solving.
C) teachable moments.
D) critical thinking.

Question 47

Open-ended questions:

A) invoke children's imaginations and are actively constructed.
B) seek one right answer or correct response.
C) require answers previously stored in children's memories.
D) involve answers known to adults.

Question 48

A teacher asks a group of young children to think of ways they could make their favorite toy even better. The teacher is encouraging what type of thinking?

A) fluency
B) flexibility
C) originality
D) elaboration

Question 49

Which of the following is an example of flexible thinking?

A) having many ideas of solutions
B) having unique and unusual ideas
C) adding details to ideas
D) having different ideas that cross categories and break boundaries

Question 50

Which of the following is not a way in which teachers can facilitate young children's creative thinking?

A) helping children build on each other's ideas
B) providing a thoughtful evaluation of the ideas children come up with
C) providing think time, during which the teacher remains silent and waits for the children's reply
D) discussing the pros and cons of the ideas children generate

Question 51

Which of the following does not describe how the two hemispheres of the brain work together?

A) One hemisphere may dominate the other.
B) The two hemispheres may compete.
C) The two hemispheres may not be aware of each other.
D) The two hemispheres may cooperate and divide the task.

Question 52

The corpus callosum is:

A) the section of the brain responsible for creative thinking.
B) a thick branch of nerves that serves as a communication system between the two hemispheres of the brain.
C) the section of the brain responsible for convergent thinking.
D) the part of the brain that facilitates differential functioning.

Question 53

In creative thinking, originality refers to:

A) coming up with many possibilities.
B) the uniqueness of an idea.
C) making an idea rich or complex.
D) coming up with very different responses.

Question 54

In creative thinking, fluency refers to:

A) coming up with many possibilities.
B) the uniqueness of an idea.
C) making an idea rich or complex.
D) coming up with very different responses.

Question 55

Curriculum may not be valued in contemporary schools because:

A) the current curriculum emphasis is on accountability and basic academic skills.
B) its measure is not recorded on report cards or school records.
C) it is not valued by the public in general.
D) all of the above

Question 56

Lateral thinking is defined as:

A) multidimensional processing.
B) learning more about a specific subject.
C) a way of using your mind that leads to creative thinking.
D) arriving at one accepted answer to a problem.

Question 57

Which of the following activities, introduced after reading a story in class, would most encourage creative thinking in young children?

A) creating their own ending to the story
B) drawing a picture of their favorite part of the story
C) describing the setting and characters of the story
D) identifying the author and illustrator of the story

Question 58

Teachers can facilitate the creative thinking of young children by:

A) providing technology-based materials in the classroom.
B) including daily creativity lessons in the curriculum.
C) providing information on right and wrong answers.
D) integrating, modeling, and valuing creative thinking in all parts of the curriculum.

Question 59

A teacher asks a group of young children to think of different ways to describe the class's pet gerbil. The teacher is encouraging what type of thinking?

A) fluency
B) flexibility
C) originality
D) elaboration

Question 60

Schools that do not value creativity are set up to support:

A) left-brain functions.
B) right-brain functions.
C) connections between the hemispheres.
D) divergent thinking.

Question 61

Which of the following is not a result of creative thinking?

A) a leap to the next stage of cognitive development
B) increased concentration
C) improved mood
D) improved behavior

Question 62

A child's intelligence fluctuates throughout life depending on:

A) who the child is with.
B) the environment and chemical reactions in the body.
C) the nature of the activity in which the child is participating.
D) the curriculum used in early childhood.

Question 63

Which of the following is not part of a psychologically safe environment for children?

A) trust
B) empowerment
C) punishment
D) high behavioral expectations

Question 64

List strategies to support children's creative thinking in the early childhood classroom.

Question 65

How will you set the stage for creative thinking in your classroom?

Question 66

Explain what the term "whole learning" means in an early childhood classroom.

Question 67

In a left-brain-oriented school, which two subject areas form the core of the curriculum?

A) language arts and mathematics
B) art and music
C) science and social studies
D) mathematics and science

Question 68

For children younger than age four, the creative process begins and ends with:

A) play.
B) scribbling.
C) thinking.
D) exploration.

Question 69

Think time is most important to children for:

A) self-esteem.
B) answering open-ended questions.
C) answering closed-ended questions.
D) answering both open- and closed-ended questions.