Four Dimensions of Creativity

             The four dimensions that J.P. Guilford used to describe creativity are fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration. Among these four dimensions, I personally find myself struggling with Fluency the most. Fluency is known as “the ability to generate many ideas, in order to loosen up the creative wheels.” I often do not struggle with originality, and am able to produce unique, one of a kind ideas, but when it comes to brainstorming in order to have a variety of creative options, I usually find myself being limited to one or two options. Fluency is a very important dimension of creativity, as it is the very first step. By brainstorming with classmates, group members, peers, etc., ideas are shared among the group, allowing for others to branch off from these thoughts as well. I believe I have the hardest time with this dimension because I am not a naturally creative person, and once I come up with an idea, I tend to stick with that one idea. In EDIT 2000, we use the “Chalk Talk” tool in order to create fluency among the class and generate numerous ideas. “Chalk Talk” also allows our class to elaborate upon our ideas and others', which is the fourth dimension of Creativity. By Blogging and building our own personal google site, we are applying Originality and Flexibility. When we build these sites, it reflects our personalities, and allows us to be as original and creative as we like. By viewing other individual's blogs and sites, we are often able to see the world in a different light, thus applying Flexibility to creativity. Every single one of the creativity tools listed in this article could be extremely beneficial to teachers and students. By using these resources, teachers can learn and incorporate outside knowledge and techniques into their classroom, while also potentially sparking creativity within themselves.