CREATIVITY IN CHILDREN--By Maya Pines
They are all World famous: 100 young concert pianists, Olympic swimmers, tennis players & research mathematicians who reached the top of their fields between the ages of 17 & 35. But their names are the secret of a research team at the University of Chicago that promised anonymity in order to investigate how these exceptionally talented people got where they are.
After completing their analysis of the life histories of these outstanding people, the investigators, headed by Professor Benjamin S. Bloom, have identified several conditions that stand apart from native gifts &, in nearly every case, appear crucial in producing creativity.
The data indicates that most human beings are born with enormous potential--in one area or another--& also demonstrates the extraordinary power of parents.
These environmental conditions vary somewhat for different kinds of talent, Bloom said in an interview, but in all cases they involve these factors:
* Parents who greatly value & enjoy either music, sports, art or intellectual activity & view it as a natural part of life, so that the child learns its "language" as easily as he learns to speak.
* Parents who believe in the work ethic.
* A first teacher who is warm & loving, who makes the lessons seem like games & lavishes rewards. This teacher need not be highly skilled. For the pianists, it was a neighbourhood teacher; for the mathematicians, it was usually their father. But the instruction must be given on a one-to-one basis & the parents must take great interest in it.
* A second teacher who emphasises skills & self-discipline. Again, instruction must be individualised. For the mathematicians, the best teacher is one who answers their questions, gives them books to read & lets them work independently.
Although many of the people interviewed were unquestionably more talented than average as children, none was a child prodigy. "They could not have been picked out from a much larger group of active children at the age of five or even ten," said Laureen Sosniak, the research coordinator.
As far as the researchers could tell, none of their subjects was pressured to learn a great deal at an early age. Bloom points out that people who are force-fed--such as William James Sidis, a "boy wonder" who entered Harvard University at the age of 11 in 1909 & died destitute after a series of obscure jobs--sometimes deteriorate as they grow older.
Early Experiences Crucial
Bloom has spent much of his working life investigating the development of human potential. His previous work has indicated that children's experiences during their preschool years largely determine their intelligence & learning ability, & that the ideal condition for learning is one-to-one tutoring.
Originally, the investigators thought their subjects would have shown outstanding ability as children, & would therefore have received special instruction & attention. But in fact, it seems to have worked the other way around. The children developed their ability because of the instruction & attention.
According to Bloom, the key factors in motivating children are: What does the home value? And how much encouragement does the child receive at an early age?
Parents of successful pianists liked listening to music, & bought their children records & musical toys. They sang together. They showed their children how to play & read notes. One mother recalled that she had given her daughter a toy piano, which she kept close to where the girl played. "It wasn't any time before she could pick out songs herself," the mother said. "She could play 25 songs by the time she was four. If you have an instrument where they can get at it, they'll learn it."
As soon as the children began to show such proficiency, members of their families made a great fuss about it. And the children realised early that they were on the surest road to attention & praise. They also received early exposure to the work ethic. Sloane points out that the parents drilled into the children the notion that "you always have to do the very best you are capable of, that anything less is not enough." This combination gave them a head start not only in basic skills, but also in the willingness to work hard--qualities their teachers would later prize.
Most of the future pianists started music lessons by five or six, & the future swimmers were in organised swimming programs by eight. The pianists' first teachers were "local, not very musically sophisticated." Sosniak reported. They were chosen for convenience & because they were very good with children. "She carried a big bag of Hershey bars & gold stars for the music, & I was crazy about this lady," one of the pianists recalled. "All I had to do was play the right notes in the right rhythm, & I got a Hershey bar."
Some of the parents attended lessons with the children, & nearly all supervised daily practice. The pianists' mothers often sat at the keyboard with their young children, offering encouragement or corrections. Those who did not feel qualified to tutor found other ways to help. One mother recalled how her son learned to play a funeral march. "He would say, `You've been to funerals. Do you think this is a good speed?' So I would play along, walking across the room like a walking metronome."
By the time the talented teenager found, & was accepted by, a master teacher, the student was spending 20 to 25 hours a week on intensive practice. If this meant there was no time for dating, or no college-track classes, both the student & the parents accepted it.
"It's almost a vocation in the religious sense," Bloom said. He emphasised that such people represent extremes, perhaps one person in 500,000, but that some form of dedication to a talent is good for the child & good for society. "There is great satisfaction in excelling," he declared, "& such efforts are the source of most human achievement."