Excellence in Education 2008:

Future minds & Creativity

Paris-France (July 1-4, 2008)

Sandra Linke

Organizational Committee Member

"To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, require creative imagination and marks real advance in science."

Albert Einstein

Partnership

This conference was a partnership between the International Centre for Innovation in Education (ICIE) and the Université Paris Descartes. The partnership came about through the ICIE and the university educational institutions interest in promoting excellence in education. It was organized by both Prof. Dr. Taisir Subhi Yamin (Director, ICIE) and Prof. Dr. Todd Lubart (Chairman of the Organizing Committee).

The ICIE

The International Centre for Innovation in Education (ICIE) is committed to the development of all learners as productive world citizens and leaders for the future. The next, second International Conference will take place in Ulm-Germany (August 24-27, 2009). It is already planned and will provide a conference programme with the highest calibre of: Nobel Prize winners, keynote speakers, invited speakers, and a large number of scholars and presenters alongside a selection of exhibitors.

The mission of the ICIE is to empower every person to become a responsible, self-directed, lifelong learner through a positive partnership of families, teachers, scholars in gifted education, ministries of education and community. The ICIE is committed to the following aims and objectives: Screen and identify the gifted and talented as early as possible; Enhance the general public awareness and create a climate of acceptance and recognition that gifted, creative, and talented children are valuable global asset whether disabled or able bodied, from advantaged or disadvantaged backgrounds, or from developing or developed countries; Initiate, conduct, and support research into the nature of giftedness, talent, and creativity, and the education and development of gifted, creative, and talented children; Disseminate the findings of research and provide a database for researchers; Establish means for a continuing worldwide exchange of ideas, experiences, and teaching and teacher-training techniques relevant to gifted education, excellence in education, and e-Learning; Persuade governments to recognize gifted children as a category for special attention in normal educational programmes, and to cooperate with national and other organizations for gifted and talented children who share these purposes (e.g., The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented (NRC/GT), and The International Association of Educators for World Peace); Design, develop and organize activities, forums and programmes that bring together gifted, creative and talented children worldwide; Assist educational system in capacity building and qualify teachers to work with the gifted and talented children; and Provide guidance, counselling, and consultation.

Conference Aims and Objectives:

The theme of the conference "Excellence in Education (2008): Future Minds and Creativity" reflects the aims and objectives of the conference to learn from each other on how to improve collaboration, and to:

• Encourage volunteer spirit;
• Promote excellence and sustain quality;
• Connecting Communities;
• Strive for improvement;
• Evolve responsibly;
• Meet community expectations of quality;
• Sustain competitiveness and viability; and
• Balance innovation with core essentials.

Categories and programme:

The conference took place in Paris and started on July 1, 2008. More than 235 papers were discussed during the conference. The conference's statistics reveal that: seven categories were addressed (e.g., Creativity and Innovation; Gifted Education: models of excellence in education; Learning Environment: standards and curricula, tasks and materials, and communication; Technology and e-Learning; Instructors and Teacher: competencies, teaching methods, and staff development; Learner: competencies, individual differences, intervention and development; Programme Development: examples, planning models and components, implementation and evaluation; Integrated Services: guidance and counselling, community services, and mentorship; and Future Trends: globalisation and networking); 18 pre/ post-conference workshops were conducted; 10 keynote speakers were invited; 350 participants have joined this conference representing 56 countries; 17 posters were presented; 3 seminars were organized; and a number of social events were held for all the participants. The conference did provide the participants with the opportunity to:

• Explore the latest developments in Education;
• Examine the need for sustainable educational systems;
• Integrate the latest technology into the education system;
• Debate the future of education - What are the challenges ahead?
• Learn from innovative case studies where educational institutions and LEA's have taken the initiative;
• Engage in a series of seminars designed to debate the theory and practice of real improvement in education;and
• Participate in pre-conference workshops designed to develop participants' competencies, exchange interdisciplinary ideas in small groups and discuss personal experiences in depth.

Thanks to the very active participation from around the world, we assume that the most important questions on how to improve collaboration were addressed.

Keynote Speakers:

Living With Gifts and Talents

In the first keynote speech, "Living With Gifts and Talents", Joan Freeman looked at what can and did happen to the gifted and talented throughout life from early childhood to mature adults. She examined how pressures, promises and opportunities influence the way individuals approach the world and how that affects the development of their exceptional potential.

Future Possibilities for Education and Learning by the Year 2030

In the second keynote speech, "Future Possibilities for Education and Learning by the Year 2030", Jerome Clayton Glenn (Director, the Millennium Project) addressed a number of questions, including: What might surprise us today about 2030? What are some of the educational and learning possibilities by the year 2030? What might we do today to take advantage of these emerging possibilities? Which country would be in a better position for the emerging global knowledge economy? Which country would have produced more students ready for today's complexities and opportunities?

To answer these questions, the keynote speaker reported the outcomes of the Millennium Project which reviewed futurist thought to design a Real Time Delphi which collected the judgments of 213 experts around the world. This project assessed 19 possibilities: 1. National programs for improving collective intelligence; 2. Just-in-time knowledge and learning; 3. Individualized education; 4. Use of simulations; 5. Continuous evaluation of individual learning processes designed to prevent people from growing unstable and/or becoming mentally ill; 6. Improved individual nutrition; 7. Genetically increased intelligence; 8. Use of global on-line simulations as a primary social science research tool; 9. Use of public communications to reinforce pursuit of knowledge; 10. Portable artificial intelligence devices; 11. Complete mapping of human synapses to discover how learning occurs and thereby develop strategies for improvement of learning; 12. Means for keeping adult brains healthier for longer periods; 13. Chemistry for brain enhancement; 14. Web 17.0; 15. Integrated life-long learning systems; 16. Programs aimed at eliminating prejudice and hate; 17. E-Teaching; 18. Smarter than human computers; 19. Artificial microbes enhancing intelligence These possibilities present a broad array of policy choices and options which can inform the policy-making process.

Educating for Creativity

Educating for creativity can change for the better the way students think. It is therefore alarming that most schools, if anything, discourage such education. In his keynote speech, "Educating for Creativity", Robert J. Sternberg described some basic principles of educating for creativity. Then he described results of studies on (a) teaching for creativity and (b) assessing for creativity, showing that concrete empirical data support the viability of educating for creativity. Finally, he presented the general implications for education and society, including the tragedy of cognitively rigid leaders who waste a lot of useful potential and put the world in peril on a daily basis.

Application of the Schoolwide Enrichment Model

"Differentiation" is on of the contemporary buzzwords in curriculum and instruction, but the reality is that most teachers simply do not have the time necessary to do it well! Remarkable advances in instructional communication technology (ICT) have now made it possible to provide high levels of enrichment services to students who have access to a computer and the Internet. In his keynote speech, "Application of the Schoolwide Enrichment Model", Joseph S. Renzulli described a theory based and research supported program plan called the Schoolwide Enrichment Model and an Internet based application that is built on a learning theory that focuses on the development of creative productivity through the application of knowledge rather than the mere acquisition and storage of knowledge. The program, called the Renzulli Learning System (RLS; www.renzullilearning.com), goes beyond the popular "worksheets-on-line" or courses on line that, by and large, have been early applications of ICT in most school situations. The RLS is a comprehensive program that begins by providing a computer-generated profile of each student's academic strengths, interests, learning styles, and preferred modes of expression.

Recognizing and Nurturing Talent in At-Risk Populations

In the fifth keynote speech, "Recognizing and Nurturing Talent in At-Risk populations", Ken McCluskey focused on several made-in-Canada projects in which Creative Problem Solving and mentoring have been employed effectively with at-risk populations: Lost Prizes turned around the lives and increased the productivity of many talented but troubled dropouts; Northern Lights increased the graduation rates of needy Native youth; and Second Chance markedly reduced recidivism among Native inmates. Current mentoring initiatives targeting students at risk for school failure, dropping out, alienation, and gang involvement are also considered.

The Science of Creative Thinking

Although the concept seems vague and elusive to most people, creativity can be studied scientifically. Creativity encompasses many different cognitive structures, such as conceptual combinations, pre-inventive forms, and mental sets, and processes, such as analogical transfer, restructuring, abstraction, and remote association. There is no Unitary "creative process"; the science of creative cognition deals with the complex interacting components of creative thinking, as is done in other areas of cognitive experimental science, such as memory, language, or decision-making. In his keynote speech, "The Science of Creative Thinking", Steve Smith considered these cognitive elements of the creative process, focusing especially on cross-disciplinary principles of creativity and innovation, and he addressed several common paradoxes of creativity. In addition, he described experimental studies of creative cognition, many focusing on the question of how creative ideas pop into one's head. His approach has focused on the theory that moments of insight represent escape from initial fixation, and that fixation can be caused by implicit memory processes that are difficult to deliberately overcome. So-called "incubation effects" can be caused by escape from fixation, when seductive but obstructing approaches initially used are finally forgotten. He described studies that align experimental methods across levels of complexity, ranging from naturalistic settings to controlled laboratory conditions; such alignment permits laboratory studies to make more ecologically valid conclusions.

Recognizing and Nurturing Creativity: Powerful Tools for Managing Change

The contemporary Creative Problem Solving (CPS) model, drawing on more than five decades of theory, research, and practice, has evolved into a powerful, multi-faceted system for enabling individuals and groups (of all ages and in all settings) to think creatively and critically, solve complex problems, and deal effectively with the realities of rapid change. In his keynote speech, "Recognizing and Nurturing Creativity: Powerful Tools for Managing Change", Donald J. Treffinger addressed methods and tools that build on research and provide practical guidance for individuals and groups in education, business, or other organizations.

Active Learning and Passive Students

In the next keynote speech, "Active Learning and Passive Students", Douglas A. Bernstein introduced a variety of classroom active learning methods will be suggested for use in teaching introductory to advanced courses. This was a talk for faculty and/or graduate teaching assistants who were looking for ways to combat the passivity of students who expect to do no more than sit and listen during class.

Ontogeny of Psychism: Proposition of Two Modes of Information Processing

In the course of his keynote speech, "Ontogeny of Psychism: Proposition of Two Modes of Information Processing", Jean-Pol Tassin suggested the existence of two modes of processing information in the central nervous system. A rapid mode, called analogical, where information is processed and recorded unconsciously, and a slow cognitive mode, where information is consciously analysed before being stored. In a newborn, only the analogical mode is functional and the cognitive mode develops as the individual matures. In an awake adult, the two modes are in constant fluctuation. According to Jean-Pol Tassin, intelligence would correspond to the capacity of each individual to take advantage of these two modes of information processing. Three criteria may be crucial: the rate and the quantity of information which can be processed in the analogical mode, the time length during which cognitive mode can be maintained and the conditions which control the oscillations between the two modes. Among these three criteria, the first two ones are probably genetically determined.

Creative Fun-damentals: Story, Improvisation, and Sample Behaviours to Enhance Creativity

In the last keynote speech, "Creative Fun-damentals: Story, Improvisation, and Sample Behaviours to Enhance Creativity", Greg Farley presented a number of simple behaviours which could be employed to enhance creativity.

The Coming Conference:

The coming conference is a partnership between the International Centre for Innovation in Education (ICIE) and Ulm University in addition to a number of European and international institutions. "Excellence in Education 2009: Leading Minds Creating the Future" will take place in Ulm-Germany (August 23-27, 2009).