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Abstract

Research in design cognition and in modeling creative design on the computer suggest some of the resources, reasoning, attitudes, and social context that are needed to be creative. Research on promoting science learning suggests some ways to structure activities and facilitation to help youngsters learn scientific reasoning. Observations of middle schoolers in formal and informal learning environments provides examples of children's abilities to be creative, some of their difficulties in being creative, and what it looks like when they are being creative. In this talk, I will pull together highlights from across each of these endeavors and propose a set of guidelines for designing learning environments to help pre-college youth (middle school through high school) develop creative dispositions. Included in the guidelines will be suggestions about software, activities, and facilitation that are needed. I'll pull from my own studies of the past two decades.

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