Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
SpringerLink
Log in

Creativity in Mathematics Education

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Mathematics Education

Definition

In the field of professional mathematics, the creative mathematician is a rarity. At this level mathematical creativity implies mathematical giftedness, but the reverse is not necessarily true (Sriraman 2005). Usiskin’s (2000) eight tiered hierarchy of creativity and giftedness in mathematics further shed some light of this view of the relationship between creativity and giftedness in professional mathematics. In his model, mathematically gifted individuals such as professional, working mathematicians are at level five, while creative mathematicians are at level six and seven. However, the relationship between giftedness and creativity has been the subject of much controversy (Leikin 2008; Sternberg and O’Hara 1999) as some see creativity as part of an overall concept of giftedness (Renzulli 1986). In this entry the relationship between mathematical creativity and giftedness and ability will be looked at through a synthesis of some recent articles published in ZDM. First,...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 499.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 649.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Babaeva JD (1999) A dynamic approach to giftedness: Theory and practice. High Ability Studies, 10(1):51–68

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benbow CP, Arjmand O (1990) Predictors of high academic achievement in mathematics and science by mathematically talented students: a longitudinal study. J Educ Psychol 82(3):430

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown SW, Renzulli JS, Gubbins EJ, Siegle D, Zhang W, Chen C (2005) Assumptions underlying the identification of gifted and talented students. Gifted Child Q 49:68–79

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ching TP (1997) An experiment to discover mathematical talent in a primary school in Kampong Air. ZDM 29(3):94–96

    Google Scholar 

  • Coleman LJ, Cross TL (2005) Being gifted in school, 2nd edn. Prufrock Press, Waco, TX

    Google Scholar 

  • Csikszentmihalyi M (2000) Becoming adult: how teenagers prepare for the world of work. Basic Books, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Feldman DH, Czikszentmihalyi M, Gardner H (1994) Changing the world: a framework for the study of creativity. Praeger Publishers/Greenwood Publishing Group

    Google Scholar 

  • Feldhusen JF (2006) The role of the knowledge base in creative thinking. In: Kaufman JC, Baer J (eds) Creativity and reason in cognitive development. Cambridge University Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Hong E, Aqui Y (2004) Cognitive and motivational characteristics of adolescents gifted in mathematics: comparisons among students with different types of giftedness. Gifted Child Q 48:191–201

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kattou M, Kontoyianni K, Pitta-Pantazi, Christou C (2013) Connecting mathematical creativity to mathematical ability. ZDM 45(2):167–181

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaufman JC, Beghetto RA (2009) Beyond big and little: the Four C Model of creativity. Rev Gen Psychol 13:1–12

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim H, Cho S, Ahn D (2003) Development of mathematical creative problem solving ability test for identification of gifted in math. Gifted Educ Int 18:164–174

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kontoyianni K, Kattou M, Pitta-Pantazi D, Christou C (2011) Unraveling mathematical giftedness. Proceedings of seventh conference of the European research in mathematics education (Working group 7: Mathematical potential, creativity and talent). University of Rzeszów, Rzeszów, Poland

    Google Scholar 

  • Kozhevnikov M, Kosslyn S, Shephard J (2005) Spatial versus object visualizers: a new characterization of visual cognitive style. Mem Cogn 33(4):710–726

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krutetskii VA (1976) The psychology of mathematical abilities in schoolchildren. University of Chicago Press, Chicago

    Google Scholar 

  • Leikin R (2007) Habits of mind associated with advanced mathematical thinking and solution spaces of mathematical tasks. In Proceedings of the fifth conference of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education?CERME-5 (pp. 2330-2339). Larnaca, Cyprus: Dept. of Education, University of Cyprus

    Google Scholar 

  • Leikin R (2008) Teaching mathematics with and for creativity: an intercultural perspective. In: Ernest P, Greer B, Sriraman B (eds) Critical issues in mathematics education (pp. 39–43). USA: Information Age Publishing Inc. & The Montana Council of Teachers of Mathematics

    Google Scholar 

  • Leikin R, Lev M (2013) Mathematical creativity in generally gifted and mathematically excelling adolescents: what makes the difference? ZDM 45(2):183–197

    Google Scholar 

  • Mann, E. (2005). Mathematical Creativity and School Mathematics: Indicators of Mathematical Creativity in Middle School Students (Doctoral dissertation, University of Connecticut)

    Google Scholar 

  • Mayer RE (1999) Fifty years of creativity research. In: Sternberg RJ (ed) Handbook of creativity (pp. 449–460). Cambridge University Press, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller AL (2012) Conceptualizations of creativity: comparing theories and models of giftedness. Roeper Rev 34:94–103

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (2000) Principles and standards for school mathematics. Reston, VA

    Google Scholar 

  • Niss M (1999) Kompetencer og uddannelsesbeskrivelse. In: Uddannelse 9. Undervisningsministeriet

    Google Scholar 

  • Pitta-Pantazi D, Sophocleous P, Christou C (2013) Prospective primary school teachers’ mathematical creativity and their cognitive styles. ZDM 45(2):199–213

    Google Scholar 

  • Plucker J, Beghetto R (2004) Why creativity is domain general, why it looks domain specific, and why the distinction does not matter. In: Sternberg RJ, Grigorenko EL, Singer JL (eds) Creativity: from potential to realization (pp. 153–167). American Psychological Association, Washington, DC

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Renzulli JS (1986) The three-ring conception of giftedness: a developmental model for creative productivity. In: Sternberg RJ, Davidson J (eds) Conceptions of giftedness. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, pp 51–92

    Google Scholar 

  • Renzulli JS (2005) The three-ring conception of giftedness: a developmental model for promoting creative productivity. In: Sternberg RJ, Davidson JE (eds) Conceptions of giftedness (pp. 246–279). Cambridge University Press, New York

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Sriraman B (2005) Are mathematical giftedness and mathematical creativity synonyms? A theoretical analysis of constructs. J Second Gifted Educ 17(1):20–36

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sternberg RJ, O’Hara LA (1999) Creativity and intelligence. In: Sternberg RJ (ed) Handbook of creativity (pp. 251–272). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, MA

    Google Scholar 

  • Sternberg RJ (ed) (1999) Handbook of creativity. Cambridge University Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Tannenbaum AJ (2003) Nature and nurture of giftedness. In: Colangelo N, Davis GA (eds) Handbook of gifted education (3rd ed., pp. 45–59). Allyn & Bacon, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor C (1988) Various approaches to and definitions of creativity. In: Sternberg RJ (ed) The nature of creativity (pp. 99–121). Cambridge University Press, New York, NY

    Google Scholar 

  • Terman LM (1925) Genetic studies of genius, vol 1, Mental and physical traits of a thousand gifted children. Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA

    Google Scholar 

  • Treffinger DJ, Young GC, Selby EC, Shepardson C (2002) Assessing creativity: a guide for educators (RM02170). The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT

    Google Scholar 

  • Usiskin Z (2000) The development into the mathematically talented. J Second Gifted Educ 11:152–162

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mathematical Sciences, The University of Montana, 32 Campus Dr, Missoula, MT, 59812-0864, USA

    Bharath Sriraman

  2. University of Tromso, Tromso, Norway

    Per Haavold

  3. Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea

    Kyeonghwa Lee

Authors
  1. Bharath Sriraman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Per Haavold
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Kyeonghwa Lee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bharath Sriraman .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Education, Centre for Mathematics Education, London South Bank University, London, UK

    Stephen Lerman

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this entry

Cite this entry

Sriraman, B., Haavold, P., Lee, K. (2014). Creativity in Mathematics Education. In: Lerman, S. (eds) Encyclopedia of Mathematics Education. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4978-8_33

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4978-8_33

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-007-4977-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-007-4978-8

  • eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and Law

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation