Psychology report. Consultation (junior group) on the topic: How to develop artistic abilities in children

T.S. KOMAROVA

Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor, Honored Worker of the Russian Federation,

Head of the Department of Primary Education and Pedagogical Technologies

MGGU M.A. Sholokhova, academician of IASPO

ARTISTIC ABILITIES AND GIFTS IN PRESCHOOL CHILDHOOD

The manifestation of abilities and talent, their nature and the possibilities of their development have long been of interest to humanity. Gradually, the study of these phenomena made it possible to see the structure of abilities and giftedness, their differences.
Several centuries have passed since the emergence of interest in people who have demonstrated a higher level of performance of a particular activity, exceeding the usual norms, who are called gifted, a gift from God. During this period, it was noted by various researchers based on an analysis of the manifestations of outstanding people in various fields of human practice and the statements of these figures themselves about what they owe their achievements to (P.A. Fedotov, P.I. Tchaikovsky, M.V. Lomonosov and etc.).
Scientists have begun to identify those reasons for personality quality that are necessary for the high level of success achieved by outstanding people.

Most researchers both in our country and abroad are convinced that abilities and talent are formations and properties of a person formed during life. But the question arises: what are the conditions for the successful formation of abilities and talent?

Of particular importance is the emotional well-being of children in the classroom, created by content that is interesting to them, the friendly attitude of teachers towards each child, the formation of confidence in his abilities, the respectful attitude of adults towards the products of children's artistic activities, their use in the design of group and other premises of the child care institution, instilling in all children in the group a positive, friendly attitude towards each other, etc.

As the inclinations and prerequisites for the development of abilities and talent, we consider the sense organs (the infant’s perceptual apparatus): visual, auditory, tactile, gustatory, olfactory, sensorimotor. They need to be developed almost from the first days after the birth of a child, as Y.A. wrote about. Komensky, F. Freblel, M. Montessori, our domestic scientists N.M. Aksarina, N.M. Shchelovanov, A.V. Zaporozhets, A.I. Usova, N.I. Sakulina, E.F. Arkhipova, T.S. Komarova, M.B. Zatsepin and others. About this - in the programs developed under our leadership: “Education and training in kindergarten” (edited by M.A. Vasilyeva, V.V. Gerbova, T.S. Komarova, 2004), “From birth before school" (ed. N.E. Veraksa, T.S. Komarova, M.A. Vasilyeva, 2010), "Step into the future" (ed. T.S. Komarova, S.M. Avdeeva, I.I. Komarova ), the tasks of sensory and sensorimotor development of children are determined for all age groups, starting with the first younger group, and are presented in all types of children’s activities.

Each type of ability and giftedness requires intellectual and creative components. In addition, qualities common to many children are hard work, patience, etc.
German psychologist E. Maiman thought about why many children and adults cannot draw. To find out the reasons for this phenomenon, he conducted a series of experiments. Observations of the process of creating a drawing allowed the scientist to identify 9 reasons that prevent a person from creating images.

Summarizing the results of his research, the author explained the inability to draw for the following reasons.
The will to analyze the vision and “notice” the colors of things has not been awakened.
Even with such a will, an analyzing vision is given to a person:
- unsatisfactory (especially incomplete and unclear) visual recalled images, unsatisfactory memory for shapes and colors;
- lack of memory for spatial positions;
- inability to focus attention on visual remembered images, especially during the act of drawing;
- dissatisfaction with the coordination of visual recalled images (and perceived images) with the movements performed when drawing:
- the remembered images are disrupted by the appearance of the emerging drawing and the inconsistency of the latter with the intentions of the drawer;
- the complete absence of mastered patterns for drawing (here we mean the established experience of drawing certain objects, which was later called graphic images by N.P. Sakulina. - T.K.);
- a person does not understand the projection of three-dimensional space onto a plane;
- lack of skill of hand.

E. Meiman noted that these reasons can be combined in different ways in humans. According to his concept, every child can be made into a satisfactory draftsman if his individual shortcomings are identified and overcome through certain formal exercises.
Our research has shown the possibility of forming a number of traits in children of the fifth, sixth and seventh year of life in the process of visual and design activities, which, of course, contributes to the development of abilities and talent. This is revealed in detail in my book “Children's Art Creativity”.

As research on abilities and giftedness expanded, philosophers, psychologists, and teachers began to identify specific components of certain abilities (Fig.).

Our work was aimed at developing abilities for visual arts. From the statements of various scientists and cultural figures (V.M. Bekhterev, D. Diderot, K. Bryullov, P. Chistyakov, etc.) it follows that drawing, modeling, and appliqué are very important for children. No wonder Denis Diderot, one of the prominent representatives of the French enlightenment of the 18th century, who created the world’s first encyclopedia of all sciences, arts and crafts, wrote: “A country in which they taught to draw in the same way as they teach to read and write, would soon surpass all other countries in all sciences, arts and crafts.” As if confirming this idea, research conducted under the leadership of V.I. Slobodchikov in the early 90s, showed that figurative ideas that develop in the process of visual arts, mainly in drawing and design, which, in turn, contribute to the formation of the ability to learn, are of great importance for the formation of prerequisites for educational activities.

At each age stage of a child’s development, from birth to graduation, abilities that are of priority importance for a particular child may appear. Thus, at the stage of preschool childhood, artistic and creative abilities can manifest themselves more clearly: in visual, design activities, etc. This does not mean that they will become the basis of subsequent life, but what children acquire by engaging in activities that are interesting to them will form the basis of the basis of the ability that will determine the direction of his adult life. It also does not follow from this that children’s hobbies should be treated as fateful; they can change.

Our research allowed us to present the structure of abilities for visual activity in preschool children.

The principles on which our work program was built:
- building a program on a scientific basis;
- taking into account the individual psychological characteristics of children, their interests;
- systematicity and consistency in solving the problems of raising and educating children;
- the relationship between teachers and parents as the main institutions of education, upbringing and development of children and preparing them for subsequent education at school;
- integration of all content of educational areas as a means of solid and holistic knowledge about the world, the formation of associative connections that contribute to the formation of generalized ideas and creativity;
- respect for children and their activities and their results.

When developing our system for developing artistic and creative abilities in children, we relied on the following provisions.
1. The formation of artistic and creative abilities is based on the sensory and sensorimotor development of children, the development of imaginative perception, imaginative ideas.
2. Mastery of visual activity is based on the development of mental processes necessary to create an image in drawing, modeling, appliqué, play - dramatization of various objects and phenomena that aroused children's interest and desire to convey their impressions in activities that are meaningful to them.
3. Based on the work of domestic and foreign scientists, as well as our many years of research, we have identified the leading mental processes, without the formation of which a child will not be able to successfully master artistic and creative activities and without the development of which it will not be possible to form the abilities of children. To these we included perception, figurative representation and thinking, imagination, an emotional positive attitude towards art, surrounding activities, mastery of methods of artistic activity, as well as attention, memory and will. All of these mental processes are formed in various types of artistic activity. But not on their own, but under the guidance of a teacher.
4. Experimental work with children according to a prepared research program, which was carried out not by individual teachers, but by the entire team of the preschool institution.

According to the research concept we have developed, the most effective methods and techniques for the formation of artistic abilities seem to us to be a system of methods and techniques created by domestic didactics I.Ya. Lerner and M.N. Skatkin, based on the content of education, aimed at its assimilation and corresponding to the intellectual, artistic and emotional development of a preschool child. Scientists proceeded from the position that a child develops by assimilating the socio-historical experience of many generations of people. This experience includes the content that is presented by the authors in the diagram. It highlights such substantive aspects of experience as knowledge, skills and abilities, creativity, experience of emotional attitude towards the environment. Each content has its own methods.

Children from birth to school need to be taught and developed. The happiness of preschool children is that they love to learn, they like to master a variety of knowledge and skills.

The development of any abilities of preschool children, including children four to five years old, is based on the experience of direct knowledge of objects and phenomena. It is necessary to develop all types of perception, to include in the process of mastering the shape and size of objects, their parts, the movements of both hands (or fingers) in turn, so that the image of the movement of the hands is fixed and based on it the child can create an image. This experience should be constantly enriched and developed, forming imaginative ideas about already familiar objects. The sensory and sensorimotor development of children "a child's mind at his fingertips" is necessary.

In order to develop freedom of creative decision in children, it is necessary to teach them formative movements (hand movements to create images of various shapes, first simple and then more complex). This will allow them to depict a variety of objects and phenomena of the surrounding world. The better a child masters form-building movements in the second junior group, the easier and freer he will be to create images of any objects, showing creativity. It is known that any purposeful movement can be made on the basis of formed ideas about it. The idea of ​​movement made by the hand arises in the process of visual as well as kinesthetic (motor - tactile) perception. The formative movements of the hand in drawing and sculpting are different: the spatial properties of the depicted objects in the drawing are conveyed by the contour line, and in sculpting - by mass and volume. Hand movements when drawing differ in nature (pressure force, scope, duration), so we consider each type of visual activity included in the pedagogical process separately.

So, based on the analysis of various classifications of abilities for visual activity, the components identified by researchers, and our own experimental study of one of the components, we have identified four groups of abilities for visual activity. Of course, not all authors of studies identify components that belong to each of the intended groups, but in different authors we find components that belong to two or three or more. to all four groups.

To the first group we include the ability to perceive objects and phenomena of the surrounding reality, their basic properties: shape, color, color relationships, size and proportions. This also includes the perception of illustration. At the same time, the perception should be emotionally charged, evoking vivid feelings and images in children.

The second group consists of motor abilities, or, as we call them, manual dexterity, which includes the ability to correctly hold a pencil, brush, etc. and coordination of hand movements under visual control. This group of abilities is formed quite early and successfully under the condition of exercises, during which children master various perceptual actions.

The third group includes abilities that can be defined as imaginative thinking.

The fourth group is the ability of imagination. This group requires further special research directly applied to preschool children.

All identified groups are formed more successfully if they are interconnected.

Thus, by artistic and creative abilities we understand such mental properties and personality qualities that are necessary for the successful mastery of various types of artistic activity and the development of creativity. Artistic and creative abilities are characterized by the manifestation of an individual’s artistic and creative activity, aimed at creating beauty in any type of artistic activity and reflected in the desire to express the intended content as fully as possible and more accurately convey the image; These abilities are characterized by interest in artistic activity (or several activities), passion for it, an emotionally positive attitude towards objects of an aesthetic nature (including the process of artistic creativity, which brings joy and evokes a hedonistic feeling). Speaking about artistic abilities, we highlight the general mental processes necessary for the successful implementation of any type of artistic activity (musical, visual, literary, etc.), as well as special ones that are important only for a specific type of activity.

We have determined the conditions for the successful development of children's abilities and giftedness.

The role of the teacher in training, education, and development is very great. It is impossible to replace a teacher or educator with anyone or anything. In order to raise, teach and develop a child, the teacher must learn and develop himself. And for this it is necessary to pedagogize the environment. ST wrote about this. Shatsky, V.A. Sukhomlinsky. In the works of A.P. Chekhov convincingly shows that the teacher is closely connected with the society around him, which influences the formation of his interests, lifestyle, the content of the teacher’s free time and determines his cultural and professional level. K.D. wrote about this. Ushinsky.

The problem of the formation and development of children's abilities and giftedness, from our point of view, can and should be solved in two directions: first, the development of potential capabilities in children in the first days after birth. As potential opportunities, we consider the sense organs and nerve pathways along which impulses from the sensory organs are transmitted to the corresponding centers of the brain.

This path is associated with the sensorimotor development of infants, which is described in foreign and domestic pedagogy, including both in our research and our students, on the problems of education and development of children from birth to three years and further to school, and then at school . In this case, it is necessary to take into account the interests of children, which manifest themselves very early. This can be detected as early as one or two years from birth.

The second direction is identifying gifted children and developing ways for their further support in order to develop giftedness.

To form abilities, it is necessary to develop mental processes and qualities for the successful implementation of priority activities by the child:
sensations, perceptions of the qualities of objects: shape, color, size, the main part of the object and its constituent parts; proportions, position in space, etc., inclusion of comparison operations, establishing similarities and differences;
formation of figurative ideas;
formation of imagination;
development of memory, intelligence;
formation of creativity (development of creative traits);
emotional positive attitude towards created products, drawings, designs;
mastering simple methods of activity, and then more complex and generalized ones;
development of independence;
development of discipline;
the desire to finish the job started;
the desire to improve the results of their activities and supplement the created images and projects with new details.

Analysis of the works of foreign and domestic psychologists and teachers, as well as the results of both my research and my students, made it possible to identify three mandatory components of abilities and talent of any direction. This is an intellectual component, hard work and a sense of rhythm, which is necessary for the implementation of any activity, especially motor, musical, visual, creation of complex projects, collective compositions.

The most important conditions ensuring the development of abilities and talents in children at different age periods:
- careful, respectful attitude towards children who show a higher level of development, a constantly growing interest in one or another area of ​​activity, area of ​​knowledge;
- encouraging children's curiosity, developing interest in finding answers to children's questions;
- individual approach to each child, creation of conditions for free independent activity of children in priority areas for each direction in educational organizations and institutions of additional education;
- inclusion of parents in joint work on the development of giftedness and abilities;
- improving the qualifications of teachers at all levels of education in the direction of identifying gifted children and developing abilities from birth and throughout their education.

In our study, a diagnosis of the level of development of artistic and creative abilities in children of preschool and primary school age was developed and tested.

It is difficult to overestimate the role of the environment as a multicomponent formation. The environment is multifunctional: it allows the child to gain life experience, see the relationship between different objects in an aesthetic development environment (furniture, toys, works of art, etc.), and is aimed at the intellectual, moral, aesthetic (formation of aesthetic perception, aesthetic taste) education and development of children. The environment promotes the development of creativity (organizing an environment for a variety of creative activities), satisfies the child’s needs: beauty, communication, convenience, activity (everything necessary is at hand, etc.), and allows you to establish meaningful contacts with people.

In solving the problems of aesthetic education and the formation of artistic and creative abilities, we attach great importance to the integration of all educational work with art and various types of artistic and creative activities. At the same time, we understand integration as a deep and diverse relationship and interpenetration of the content of the surrounding life of various types of activities and art. The purpose of integration is to promote the diversified development of the child, who, thanks to integration, learns the object from different sides. This ensures the emergence and development of associations based on aesthetic perception, comparison, highlighting the means of expression of each type of art and artistic activity, enriches the artistic and aesthetic experience of children, develops imagination and creativity. The conditions are not limited to this, but we will write about this in the next article.

Z. A. Khapchaeva

PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PEDAGOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF ARTISTIC ABILITIES

PERSONALITY

The work is presented by the Department of Methods of Teaching Art and Graphic Disciplines. Karachay-Cherkess State University named after. U. D. Alieva.

Scientific supervisor - Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor I. M. Radzhabov

The article examines the psychological and pedagogical foundations of the development of artistic abilities, summarizes the views of domestic scientists, and also defines the role of aesthetic education and artistic perception in solving the problem under study.

Key words: artistic abilities, creative thinking, aesthetic education.

PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PEDAGOGIC FOUNDATIONS OF A PERSON’S ARTISTIC ABILITIES DEVELOPMENT

Psychological and pedagogical foundations of artistic abilities development are studied in the article. Opinions of the Russian scientists are generalized, and the role of aesthetic education and artistic perception in solving the problem under consideration is defined.

Key words: artistic abilities, creative thinking, aesthetic education.

The social processes currently taking place in society put forward new demands for personal development. The need of modern society is a creative approach to finding rational, non-standard ways to solve problems in any field of activity, increasing the intellectual potential of each member of society and maximizing the development of a person’s artistic abilities. The development of individual abilities cannot be considered as

an independent process, separate from its complex formation.

When exploring the problems of psychological characteristics of the development of artistic and creative abilities, it is necessary to determine the factors influencing the process of development of artistic abilities, including: heredity, environment, activity, upbringing, education, development, etc.

Analysis of domestic and foreign psycho-pedagogical literature allowed

to conclude that each person is endowed with inclinations on the basis of which individual abilities are formed: artistic, literary, musical, scientific, organizational, sports, etc.

Abilities for each type of activity have a specific structure, which is a complex set of basic and auxiliary properties. For example, in his scientific works B. S. Kuzin identifies some components of such a complex of individual artistic abilities as: creative imagination and thinking, visual memory, which contributes to the creation of vivid visual images in the artist’s mind and helps to successfully transform them into an artistic image, emotional attitude towards the depicted phenomenon, etc.

However, it should be noted that most studies in this area are more often devoted to the very process of perceiving a work of art and do not consider the influence of the perception of works of art on the formation of an individual’s creative abilities. The question of the degree of adequacy of visual perception to the ideological and aesthetic content of works requires taking into account many factors, including the cultural level of consumers (recipients), their tastes and psychophysiological characteristics, the degree of preparedness for the perception of works of art.

One of the most important issues in the psychology of personality development is the question of the influence of heredity and environment on the process of development of artistic abilities of schoolchildren.

A number of psychological studies note that hereditary factors, expressed in the anatomical and physiological basis of abilities, are of great importance. But whether or not the corresponding abilities will develop on the basis of certain inclinations depends to a decisive extent on the conditions of life and activity of a person, on his creative activity, on the conditions of the social environment. However, there are other opinions about the relationship between heredity and environment

in the development of human artistic abilities. The essence of these views is that children have innate abilities that predetermine the further development of abilities, and therefore they need to be taught in accordance with this.

Having determined the decisive role of external factors in the formation of individual abilities and creative potential of an individual, we will consider this impact through the “prism” of education, upbringing and development.

Numerous psychological studies prove that there are no people who are incapable of anything. However, abilities, including artistic and creative ones, can be developed to a greater or lesser extent. Institutions such as kindergartens, schools: general education, art, music, sports, creative centers for children and youth, clubs, etc., i.e. those institutions that carry out pedagogical activities, purposefully influence the mass development of the entire spectrum of children’s abilities . To do this, it is necessary to give the student the opportunity to express himself in various fields of activity, starting from a very early age. This is the most effective way to develop children’s individual abilities and involve them in subsequent active, creative activities.

Teachers and psychologists consider the main condition for the successful development of an individual’s individual artistic abilities to be their constituent components (intellectual activity, search initiative, desire for self-improvement).

Of all the variety of specific types of activities, in our opinion, it is the arts and crafts that are the most significant in the process of artistic development of the individual, since this contributes to the active formation and improvement of its various qualities, opening up wide opportunities for self-realization.

Creative abilities in the process of decorative and applied activities can only be formed taking into account its characteristics. Their purposeful development, as noted

above, should be based on the individual qualities of a person, on his natural inclinations, inclinations, ensuring self-expression, self-improvement and self-development of a growing personality.

The scientific literature identifies several groups of complex personality characteristics:

The first includes the peculiarities of various mental processes characteristic of a given individual (feelings, emotions, sensations, perception, thinking, memory, will);

The second group combines typological properties of personality (features of temperament), which are usually called biologically determined. They are not the main ones, but they play an important role when choosing the type of activity. People of different temperaments (choleric, phlegmatic, sanguine, melancholic) will differ in their work style, moral and physical efforts in achieving results;

The third includes socially determined personality properties (interests, ideals, aspirations, beliefs, worldview), which are formed in the process of education and are defined as the orientation of the individual, which is based on the need-motivation sphere of a person;

Fourthly, the formation of personality is carried out and as a result of its acquisition of knowledge, skills and abilities, which accumulate in the learning process, express the level of development, preparedness, and experience.

All children initially have potential abilities for one or another type of activity. As V. A. Krutetsky writes: “There are innate individual differences in inclinations, due to which some people may have an advantage over others in terms of the ability to master one activity and at the same time may be inferior to them in terms of the ability to master another activity.” Thus, a child who has favorable inclinations in the field of artistic creativity will develop creatively faster, all other things being equal, and will achieve great results.

results than a child who does not have such inclinations.

Arts and crafts classes form and develop the artistic abilities of the individual, provide moral satisfaction, aesthetic pleasure, and the joy of creativity. The beauty of objects of decorative art, having great expressiveness, contributes to the development of taste and the formation of positive personality traits. The feeling of beauty is closely related to the purposeful and conscious artistic activity of a person. The great thinker and founder of many teachings, K. Marx, wrote: “An animal forms matter only according to the measure and needs of the species to which it belongs, while man knows how to produce according to the standards of any species and everywhere knows how to apply the appropriate measure to an object; because of this, man also forms matter according to the laws of beauty.”

In the process of developing artistic perception, students acquire the ability to see the world in all the diversity of its forms, phenomena and colors. Immersion in the world of art cannot be accompanied only by contemplative perception of works of art. Practical, real life in art, mastery of the laws, techniques, and materials of various types of art - this is what students need to prepare for free creativity.

Aesthetic perception of reality can be successfully carried out provided that beauty is included in the activities of an individual or a group as a creative practical task.

In the process of developing artistic abilities, the creative thinking of an individual is also formed. These processes proceed inextricably, therefore they are not opposed to each other and are not considered separately.

Considering the concept of “creative thinking”, we can identify its main components. They fully correspond to the functional levels of human mental activity discussed above. It should be noted that this:

1) analytical components (conceptual thinking): logicality, mobility, selectivity, associativity, intelligence, ability to differentiate, etc.;

2) emotional components (sensory-imaginative thinking): vividness of images, emotional assessment of events, facts, phenomena, works of art, etc.;

3) creative components (visual and effective thinking): search for rational solutions, non-standardism (showing individuality, originality, overcoming stereotypes), the ability to foresee the result, the desire to synthesize the best qualities of familiar products in the created object, choosing the most acceptable solution from possible options and the ability to justify correctness of choice.

The development of artistic thinking is the most important result of the artistic development of the individual and at the same time a prerequisite for ensuring a higher level of

aesthetic education in general. In addition, the teacher’s knowledge of the individual typological characteristics of students largely determines the success of that purposeful, organized and controlled process, which is the development of the artistic potential of an individual through the means of decorative art.

Thus, summarizing the above, it can be noted that no matter how phenomenal the inclinations may be in themselves, outside of activity, outside of training they do not receive maximum development. This is evidenced by the conclusions of scientists based on numerous studies.

Aesthetic education of schoolchildren is ultimately the education of a person’s general culture, a culture of perception of the world within the boundaries in which the subject acts as transforming himself in moral and intellectual development and reality on the basis of improving the social, political, economic and spiritual life of society.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Beda GV. Painting and its visual means: Textbook. aid for students HGF ped. institutions. M.: Education, 1977. 186 p.

2. Wekker M. Psychological processes: Thinking and intelligence: In 2 volumes. L.: Leningrad State University Publishing House, 1976. 344 p.

3. Krutetsky R. A. Psychology of training and education of schoolchildren. M.: Education, 1976 300 p.

4. Marx K., Engels F. About art. M.: Art, 1957. T. 1. 158 p.

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Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation
State Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education "Tyvin State University"
Kyzyl Pedagogical College
Specialty 050704 – “Preschool education”
(increased level)

Artistic abilities for visual activity as a means of developing the personality traits of a preschooler

Course work

Completed by: 3rd “B” year student
Preschool department
Togbool O.M.
Scientific supervisor: Leonova A.I.

Kyzyl-20
Content

Introduction

1.1. Artistic abilities as a means of developing human personality traits
1.2. Abilities for visual arts
1.3.Stages of formation of artistic abilities for visual activity...9...
1.4. Conditions and means for developing artistic abilities
Chapter 2. Empirical research.
2.1. Methodology for studying the artistic abilities of preschool children……………………………………………………………… …?
2.2.Analysis of the research results…………………………………………… ……?
Conclusion…………………………………………………… ………………….?
List of used literature

Introduction

The problem of developing the abilities of preschool children is today in the focus of attention of many researchers and practitioners working in the field of education. This is evidenced by a large number of published articles, teaching aids, collections of games and exercises both on the development of various mental processes at this age (thinking, attention, memory, imagination, emotions), and on the development of various types of general abilities (perceptual, intellectual, creative , mnemonic, cognitive, motor) and special orientation (mathematical, design, musical, visual).
With all the variety of topics, two main trends can be identified, characterizing the creative development of the problem of developing the abilities of preschool children and its entry into practice: the first is associated with the study of individual abilities and mental processes, with the introduction into the preschool education system of special training programs for their development (development of memory, speech etc.); the second - with the integration of individual types of abilities in the subsystem (mental abilities, artistic, aesthetic) and the development of comprehensive methods for their development.
Accordingly, the practical implementation of these approaches differs.
The problem of the development of children's visual creativity was dealt with by A.V. Bakushinsky, D.B. Bogoyavlenskaya, L.A. Wenger, N.A. Vetlugina, T.G. Kazakova, V.I. Kireenko, T.S. Komarova, N.V. Rozhdestvenskaya and others. Research in this area by G.G. is known. Grigorieva, N.A. Dudina, T.V. Labunskoy, T.Ya. Shpikalova and others.
However, the practical aspect of implementing the task of developing the artistic abilities of preschool children by means of visual creativity remains insufficiently disclosed, since many points of view regarding the psychological and artistic conditions for the formation of abilities are rapidly changing, children's generations are changing and the technology of teachers' work must change accordingly.
Modern pedagogical and psychological research proves the need for visual arts classes for the mental and aesthetic development of preschool children. In the works of A.V. Zaporozhets, V.V. Davydova, N.N. Poddyakov established that preschoolers are able, in the process of objective sensory activity, including drawing, to highlight the essential properties of objects and phenomena, to establish connections between individual phenomena and to reflect them in figurative form. This process is especially noticeable in various types of practical activities: generalized methods of analysis, synthesis, comparison and contrast are formed, the ability to independently find ways to solve creative problems is developed, the ability to plan one’s activities, and creative potential is revealed.
This implies the need to practice not only fine arts, but also specific types of visual creativity, including drawing.
This problem is relevant, and it is confirmed by the fact that the work of drawing in modern conditions of the pedagogical process is mainly taken outside the classroom and is practiced in the form of joint or independent activities of children, which contributes to the formation and development of children’s basic knowledge, skills and abilities in drawing.
Observations of teaching practice in the older group showed that children love to draw and draw with great pleasure, but children’s technical and visual drawing skills are assessed at an average level. This occurs due to the fact that in kindergarten, due attention is not paid to drawing classes, and in this case, learning is difficult.
Object of study: the process of development of artistic creative abilities in children of senior preschool age.
Subject of research: means of developing artistic creativity in children of senior preschool age.
Purpose of the study: to explore the artistic creativity of children of senior preschool age.
Research objectives:
1.Analyze the methodological literature on this issue.
2. reveal the concept and essence of artistic and creative abilities.
3.Develop methodological recommendations for educators on the development of artistic creative abilities.
Research methods: test.

Chapter I. Theoretical foundations of the problem of the role of artistic abilities in visual activity as a means of developing personality traits

1.1. Artistic abilities as a means of developing personality traits.

An attempt to determine the content of abilities has been made repeatedly by different researchers.
In psychology, a solid methodological foundation for the study of general and special abilities has been developed, rich factual material has been obtained, and its meaningful interpretation has been given. The psychology of abilities is one of the most theoretically and practically important problems of psychological science. The relevance of work on diagnostics of abilities is determined primarily by the practical significance of this problem. Diagnostic methods are necessary for early diagnosis of capable and gifted children, to identify the expression of their creative artistic abilities.
The main provisions of the theory of abilities are related to the solution of the following questions: What are abilities? What is their content? Structure? Correlation with knowledge, abilities, skills? What are the patterns and conditions for the development of abilities? How do abilities relate to inclinations? What is meant by the makings of abilities?
There are many definitions of ability.
1. Abilities are individual psychological characteristics that distinguish one person from another and are related to the success of performing any activity or many types of activities.
2. Abilities - an ensemble of properties of a human personality, ensuring relative ease and high quality of mastery of a certain activity and its implementation.
3. Abilities are personality traits on which the possibility of implementation and the degree of successful activity depend.
4. Abilities cannot be considered outside of personality. Abilities are part of the personality structure, which, when actualized in a specific activity, determines the qualities of the latter.
5. Artistic abilities - complete the definitions
6. Creative abilities - ??????
The key to revealing the content and structure of abilities is the analysis of the psychological demands placed on a person by various types of activity. In other words, it is necessary to determine without which properties (qualities, characteristics) of a person it is impossible to perform this (or any) type of activity. Consequently, an analysis of activity in general or its specific type is needed. Performing any type of activity requires a certain system of knowledge, skills and abilities. Therefore, when determining the content of abilities, the question of their relationship with knowledge, abilities, skills comes to the fore.
Experts distinguish general and special abilities. They include mental functions (processes) as general abilities: the abilities of sensation, perception, memory, thinking, imagination, attention, psychomotor ability. In a particular person, each of the abilities can be expressed to varying degrees. For example, the ability to perceive is assessed according to the following parameters: volume, accuracy, completeness, novelty, speed, emotional richness. The ability of imagination - novelty, originality, meaningfulness, etc. Psychomotor ability - up to the parameters: speed, strength, pace, rhythm, coordination, accuracy and accuracy, plasticity and dexterity.
Thus, we can conclude that artistic creativity, like others, influence the development of personality traits.

1.2. Abilities for visual arts.
In relation to visual activity, it is important to highlight the content of the abilities that manifest themselves and are formed in it, their structure, and the conditions of development. Only in this case is it possible to purposefully develop a methodology for developmental teaching of visual arts.
An attempt to determine the content of abilities for visual activity has been made repeatedly by different researchers. Unlike the content of abilities for other types of activities, the content and structure of these abilities are to a certain extent revealed and presented in psychological and pedagogical literature.
Visual creativity is a reflection of the environment in the form of specific, sensually perceived visual images. The created image (in particular, a drawing) can perform different functions (cognitive, aesthetic), since it is created for different purposes. The purpose of the drawing necessarily influences the nature of its execution.
The combination of two functions in an artistic image - image and expression - gives the activity an artistic and creative character, determines the specifics of the indicative and executive actions of the activity. Consequently, it also determines the specificity of abilities for this type of activity.
IN AND. Kiriyenko considers the ability for visual activity as certain properties of visual perception, namely:
the ability to perceive an object in the combination of all its properties as a stable systemic whole, even if some parts of this whole cannot be observed at the moment. For example, seeing only a person’s head in a window, we do not perceive it as separate from the body (integrity of perception);
- the ability to evaluate deviations from vertical and horizontal directions in a drawing;
- the ability to evaluate the degree of approximation of a given color to white;
- ability to evaluate prospective reductions.
However, the selected abilities only allow one to form a more or less accurate idea of ​​​​the depicted object and do not make it possible to depict it. Moreover, abilities of this kind do not allow one to create an expressive creative image.
B.S. Kuzin identifies only the leading and supporting properties of abilities for visual creativity. At the same time, he considers the leading properties not only creative imagination, but also thinking, which ensures the selection of the main, essential in the phenomena of reality, generalization of the artistic image, visual memory, emotional attitude to the perceived and depicted phenomenon, purposefulness and will, and the supporting ones are the natural sensitivity of the visual analyzer , which allows you to accurately convey the shape, proportions, light-and-shadow relationships, etc., the sensory-motor qualities of the drawing hand.
In the studies of T.O. Komarova, on the problem of sensory education of preschoolers, studied the relationship between sensory education and teaching children visual activities, presented the content, and proved the possibility of developing a number of their sensory abilities and personality traits. Essentially, the structure of sensory abilities that are manifested and formed in art creativity in the conditions of developmental education for children has been developed:
-the ability of targeted analytical-synthetic perception of the depicted object;
- the ability to form a generalized representation that reflects the characteristics and properties of many objects that can be conveyed in the image;
- the ability to create an image of an object based on an existing representation in accordance with the material, technique and visual capabilities of this type of activity;
- the ability to perform a complex of movements under visual control;
- the ability to perceive a created and completed image and sensory evaluation of it according to the existing idea;
- the ability to create an image based on operating with representations, i.e. attracting previously accumulated sensory experience and transforming it with the help of imagination.
Although these abilities are called “sensory” by the author, analysis from the content shows that the dominant ability of perception is combined with the ability of thinking, memory, ideas, and imagination. Consequently, in real activity, all abilities are in a complex systemic combination, which is determined by the goals and objectives of visual activity.????
Later T.S. Komarova noted manual skill as a unique complex sensorimotor ability that can and should be developed in preschool age. The structure of this ability has three components:
-drawing technique (methods of correctly holding a pencil, brush and mastering rational techniques for using them, mastering the technique of line, stroke, spot).
-shaping movements (movements aimed at conveying the shape of an object).
-regulation of drawing movements according to a number of qualities (tempo, rhythm, amplitude, pressure force.): smoothness of movements, continuity, maintaining the direction of movements in a straight line, arc, circle, the ability to change the direction of movement at an angle, the transition from one movement to another, the ability to subordinate movements in proportion to segments along the length of images or their parts in size.
The development of all movements influences the formation of personal qualities, such as perseverance, independence, discipline, the ability to complete the work started, accuracy, etc.
Thus, abilities for visual activity develop with the development of personality.

1.3. Stages of formation of abilities for visual activity

Identifying children's abilities and their proper development is one of the most important pedagogical tasks. And it should be decided taking into account the children’s age, mental development, educational conditions and other factors.
The development of children's abilities in the visual arts will only bear fruit when teaching drawing and other forms is carried out by the teacher systematically and systematically. Otherwise, this development will follow random paths, and the child’s visual abilities may remain in a embryonic state.
The development of the ability to depict primarily depends on the cultivation of observation, the ability to see the features of surrounding objects, compare them, and highlight what is characteristic. At the same time, one cannot ignore the age of the children and, therefore, demand a complex plot structure from a 3-4 year old child, even if they start training very early. His thinking has not yet reached the required level to solve a problem that an older preschooler, with appropriate training, can easily solve.
But it is known that children of the same age can be at different stages of development. This depends on upbringing and on the general development of the child. The teacher should not forget about this, because... An individual approach to a child is one of the main conditions for successful upbringing and education.
Pedagogy considers the development of a child not as a simple quantitative process of growth, but as qualitative changes in his physical and mental characteristics under the influence of the environment, primarily upbringing and training.
There is a pre-fine period in the development of abilities.
This first stage in the development of children's artistic abilities begins from the moment when visual material - paper, pencil, crayons, cubes - first falls into the child's hands. In pedagogical literature, this period is called “pre-figurative” because there is still no image of the object and there is not even an idea or desire to depict something. This period plays a big role in the further development of visual abilities. The child becomes familiar with the properties of materials and masters the various hand movements necessary to create graphic forms.
If the material first falls into the hands of children 5-6 years old and 2-3 years old, then, of course, the older children come up with an idea faster, because They have more experience in understanding the world around them. On their own, few children can master all the movements and necessary forms available to them. The teacher must lead the child from involuntary movements to limiting them, to visual control, to a variety of forms of movement, then to the conscious use of acquired experience in drawing. This indicates further development of abilities. Through associations, children learn to find similarities in the simplest forms and lines with any object. Such associations may arise involuntarily when one of the children notices that his stroke or shapeless mass of clay resembles a familiar object.
Usually a child’s associations are unstable: in the same picture he can see different objects.
Associations help move towards work as intended. One of the ways of such a transition is to build the form that he got by chance. Having recognized an object in the drawn lines, the child consciously draws again, wanting to depict it again. Such a drawing begins to speak of a new, higher stage in the development of visual abilities, because it came into being as a result of design.
Sometimes there may not be a complete repetition of the entire image, but the addition of some details to the associated form: arms, legs, eyes for a person, wheels for a car, etc.
A big role in this process belongs to the teacher, who, by asking questions, helps the child create an image, for example: “What did you draw? What a nice round ball! Draw another one like this."
The visual period in the development of abilities is characterized by the emergence of a conscious image of objects. It begins when the child begins to recognize the object in the “doodles”. This will be the beginning of the visual period in the development of abilities. The activity becomes creative. Here the tasks of systematically teaching children can be set.
The first images of objects in drawing and modeling are very simple; they lack not only details, but also parts of the main features. This is explained by the fact that a small child still has little developed analytical-synthetic thinking, and therefore the clarity of recreating a visual image, little developed coordination of hand movements, and no technical skills yet.
At an older age, with properly carried out educational work, the child acquires the ability to convey the main features of an object, observing their characteristic form.
In the future, as children gain experience and master visual skills, they can be given a new task - to learn to depict the features of objects of the same type, conveying the main features, for example: in the depiction of people - the difference in clothing, facial features, in the depiction of trees - a young tree and an old one. etc.
Children's first works are distinguished by a disproportion of parts. This is explained by the fact that the child’s attention and thinking are directed only to the part that he is depicting at the moment, without connecting it with the other, hence its inconsistency with the proportions. He draws each part in such a size that it fits all the important details for him at once. Gradually, under the influence of general development and learning, the child acquires the ability to relatively correctly convey proportional relationships between objects and their parts.
Sometimes children deliberately violate the proportions, wanting to convey their own attitude to the image. For example, the commander walking in front is twice as tall as the soldiers. This does not mean that children have already mastered visual skills and can work independently. In this conscious violation of proportions, the first attempt at creativity, at creating an image, is made.???????
At the first stages of development of visual abilities, the child does not think about the arrangement of objects. It places them on its paper space regardless of logical interconnection.
All objects acquire a certain location when their connection is predetermined by the content. For example, a house with a tree growing near it. To combine objects, the earth appears in the form of one line (sometimes the child draws a second line above the first line to fit more objects).
Thus, older preschoolers, having gone through a number of visual stages, begin to try to depict objects and phenomena more realistically, correctly conveying the shape, proportions, color, arrangement of objects, their drawing begins to acquire a creative character.

1.4. Conditions and means for the development of artistic abilities.

By using the phrase “capable children,” we thereby emphasize that there is a certain special category of children who are qualitatively different from their peers. Special literature constantly writes a lot about their exclusivity. Without touching on the substantive side of these discussions, we note that this approach is fair and justified. Indeed, nature does not divide its gifts equally and gives to someone “without measure”, without stinting, but “bypasses” someone.
Man is capable of thinking and acting creatively, and, without a doubt, this is the most wonderful of nature's gifts. Let us note that everyone is marked with this “gift”. But the idea is also obvious that nature rewards some with its gifts more and others less. Capable is usually called someone whose gift clearly exceeds certain average capabilities, the abilities of the majority.
These, at first glance, purely theoretical research ultimately makes it possible to better understand very real practical pedagogical problems. In pedagogical science, at least two practical problems should be associated with the concept of “ability”:
- special training and education of capable children;
- work to develop the intellectual and creative potential of each child.
Therefore, the development of the problem of creative abilities in psychological and pedagogical research should not be considered as a private task aimed at training and educating the child population (2 - 5% according to various estimates) - capable children. This problem concerns the entire public education system.
It is generally accepted that the content determines the forms and methods of work, but in some cases it can be largely predetermined by the organizational approach itself.
General approaches to organizing the education of capable children have this property; all of them can be combined into three main groups:
1. separate education - special educational institutions for capable and gifted children;
2. joint and separate education - special groups, classes for capable children in a traditional educational institution;
3. cooperative learning - an organizational approach in which capable and gifted children are taught in a natural environment, that is, when they are removed from the circle of ordinary peers.
Each of the described strategies has advantages and disadvantages, they are often discussed and widely known.
The first two options are the most popular in modern educational practice due to their logical simplicity and external clarity. But it should be noted that the latter is of great importance. It should be understood that in our country the majority of capable children are traditionally educated in ordinary mass educational institutions. This is happening and will happen not only in rural areas, where other educational options are purely physically inaccessible, but also in big cities, where parents theoretically have the opportunity to choose.
The unique manifestation of creative visual abilities in children is greatly influenced by the child’s environment, the conditions of his upbringing and education.
Psychologists have found that a child more often depicts in his drawings the conditions of the environment in which he grows up, what he sees around him. For example, a child growing up in a dysfunctional family depicts only his father, walks with him, etc., because the mother paid less attention than the father or did not pay it at all.
The mood of a child is very easy to recognize by the color scheme he uses. In the example above, dull, little variety and even gloomy colors are used more often
A child raised in a happy and wealthy family, thanks to the family and its influence, saw and noticed more. Consequently, it will create rainbow drawings and, most often, with an enriched plot.
One of the main conditions for the development of a preschooler’s creative personality is a broad approach to solving problems of aesthetic attitude towards the environment. This task must be solved in all areas of a child’s life: in relation to nature, the man-made world, including art - in all types of activities. Of course, play and artistic activity provide great opportunities for this.
The teacher must make the natural process of a child’s life and activity creative, placing children not only in situations of artistic, but also cognitive, moral creativity. And special work in classes, games, etc. should organically enter the child’s life.
Another most important condition for the development of children’s visual abilities is the organization of an interesting, meaningful life for the child in a preschool educational institution and family, enriching him with vivid impressions, providing emotional and intellectual experience, which will serve as the basis for the emergence of ideas and will be the material necessary for the work of the imagination.
This experience is created by the child’s entire system of life activity (observations, activities, games) and serves as the basis for the realization of creativity in artistic activity.
The unified position of teachers and parents in understanding the prospects for the child’s development and the interaction between them is one of the most important conditions for the development of visual abilities.
Another condition for the development of visual abilities is training, as a process organized by an adult of transfer and active assimilation by a child of visual activity as a whole (motives, methods of action, the entire complex system of imagery), i.e. The scope of training includes the formation of the ability to respond emotionally to the world around us, and the need to express one’s worldview in artistic form.
Nature in all its diversity plays a major role in the development of a child’s creative visual abilities.
You should take your children on excursions more often: to the forest, to the lake, to the country house. It is imperative to attract the child’s attention to its beauty, wildlife, vegetation, and natural phenomena (snow, rain).
When a child is properly introduced to nature, he develops a positive idea of ​​the world around him, emotions, feelings, and this can very clearly affect his visual abilities for the better. Knowledge about nature, love for it, and interest will encourage the child to engage in visual arts. To fulfill a child’s desire to display the beauty of nature he sees, you will not need much: a landscape sheet, pencils, paints or even a pen.
To enrich the child’s knowledge about nature (animals, natural phenomena), about human behavior in it, etc. you should use: slides, videos, cartoons, illustrations, literary works (fairy tales, stories, poems), visual aids and much more. All these means are of great pedagogical and psychological importance. They develop the child’s aesthetic taste and cognitive side. Bright colors can create a great psychological mood and inspiration in a child. It is quite possible that a child’s talents may emerge even in other areas of activity.
Thus, a variety of conditions and means are used to develop creative artistic abilities.

Chapter II. Empirical research.

2.1. Methodology for studying the artistic abilities of preschool children.

The theoretical study of the literature on this issue set us the task of conducting empirical research.
The work was carried out in three stages, representing: ascertaining, formative and control experiments.
The purpose of our study: to identify artistic abilities in children of senior preschool age.
The study was conducted on the basis of kindergarten No.??????city??? area???. Did (number of children) participate in the experiment?, which group?
To conduct the study, we chose the E. Torrance method.
Purpose of the study: to study the creative thinking of children in the older group, manifested in artistic activities.
Exercise 1.

Conclusion

The problem of developing the abilities of preschool children is today in the focus of attention of many researchers and practitioners working in the field of education. This is evidenced by the large number of published articles, teaching aids, collections
etc.................

Form of abilities.

Specificity.

A system of innate and developed operational qualities that ensure successful artistic creativity. May appear at an early age. Thus, Raphael’s artistic abilities withered at the age of 8, van Dyck at 10, Michelangelo at 13.

Structure.

In the structure of visual abilities, leading, supporting and systemic properties are distinguished:

"leading properties": artistic thinking and creative imagination; ability to create vivid visual images; emotionality and aesthetic feeling; determination;

“supporting properties”: the formation of sensorimotor operations;

“systemic properties”: the ability for divergent thinking, speed of learning, the presence of an aesthetic sense, volitional personality traits.

Psychological Dictionary. THEM. Kondakov. 2000.

VISUAL ABILITIES

(English) artistic ability) - type of special abilities, properties personalities, ensuring successful visual activity, artistic . Historically I. s. develop in the process of labor and are determined by the living conditions of a person, the practical need of society for the results of visual activity; in ontogenesis, it is of great importance for the manifestation of I. s. have and training. I.s. can be detected quite early (in Raphael - at 8, van Dyck and Giotto - at 10, Michelangelo - at 13, Dürer - at 15 years). Essential for the successful formation of I. s. has their timely identification and further development.

Structure of I.s. constitute leading (main) and supporting (auxiliary) properties of abilities. Leading properties are: a) properties of artistic thinking and creative imagination, ensuring the selection of the main and most characteristic in the phenomena of reality, specification And artistic image, creation of an original composition; b) the properties of visual memory, providing vivid visual images in the artist’s mind, and on this basis, the successful transformation of an artistic image onto canvas or paper; c) developed emotional attitude (especially aesthetic feelings) to the perceived and depicted phenomenon; d) the presence of purposefulness and strong-willed qualities in the artist. TO supporting properties of i.s. include: a) high natural sensitivity of the visual analyzer, which is improved in the process of artistic activity and ensures the transmission of proportions, features of volumetric and flat shape, spatial relationships, light and shade, rhythm, colors, harmony of tone and color, perspective reductions of volumetric objects, movement; b) sensorimotor qualities of the artist.

The most important indicators of I. s. are the ability to convey in an image the resemblance to the depicted object, the speed of successful assimilation special knowledge,skills And skills, the presence of an expressive composition, the ability to see the main, most characteristic in objects and phenomena, the ability to think figuratively, the ease of depicting something. scenes, events, individuals, landscapes, integrity of the image, great love for visual activity, accompanied by high performance. see also , .

Large psychological dictionary. - M.: Prime-EVROZNAK. Ed. B.G. Meshcheryakova, acad. V.P. Zinchenko. 2003 .

See what “visual abilities” are in other dictionaries:

Visual Abilities- a system of innate and developed operational qualities that ensure successful artistic creativity. They can appear at a fairly early age. Thus, Raphael’s artistic abilities faded at the age of 8... Psychological Dictionary

Capabilities- Abilities are individual properties of a person, which are subjective conditions for the successful implementation of a certain type of activity. Abilities are not limited to the knowledge, skills and abilities an individual has. They are found in... ... Wikipedia

FINE- FUNCTIONS (darstel lende Funktionen), a term used by many people. psychologists to designate that component of expressive activity, which is gradually layered in the process of evolution of the human psyche over a more elementary form... ...

Criticism of judgment- Kantianism Basic concepts Thing in itself, Phenomenon ... Wikipedia

Hormic psychology- G. p. is mainly the fruit of the labors of William McDougall. Mac Dougall defined psychology as “the positive science of the conduct of living beings,” equating the term “conduct” (as behavior subject to certain principles) with... ... Psychological Encyclopedia

Etymology. Comes from Lat. individuum indivisible and Greek. psyche soul + logos teaching. Category. Quite stable features of mental processes in which people differ from each other. Specificity. Range individually... ...

VESICULAR RESPIRATION- VESICULAR BREATHING, a normal breath sound heard during auscultation over healthy lung tissue. Consists of an indistinct blowing noise that occupies the entire period of inhalation, and a short, vague noise during exhalation, heard on... ... Great Medical Encyclopedia

Product of a child's visual activity. Prerequisites for mastering drawing, first of all, the awareness that some objects can leave traces arise at an early age in the context of object-manipulative activities. The first... ... Great psychological encyclopedia

ART- a form of creativity, a way of spiritual self-realization of a person through sensually expressive means (sound, body plasticity, drawing, words, color, light, natural material, etc.). The peculiarity of the creative process in I. is its indivisibility... Philosophical Encyclopedia

Trademark- (Trademark) Revealing a trademark, registration and use of a trademark Information about the concept of a trademark, registration and use of a trademark, protection of a trademark Contents Contents History test like here a trademark test... ... Investor Encyclopedia

Books

• Literary reading. 3rd grade. Textbook. In 2 books. Book 2. Secrets of the birth of an image. Federal State Educational Standard, Matveeva Elena Ivanovna. The textbook for 3rd grade consists of two books. Second book 2 Secrets of the birth of the image. The purpose of the textbook is to introduce children to the world of books, to comprehensively develop their cognitive interests, to form...

The ability to be creative and create something new has always been highly valued in society. And it is not surprising, since people who have this gift are unique generators of the development of human civilization. But creativity also has subjective value. A person endowed with them creates the most comfortable conditions for existence, transforms the world, adapting it to his needs and interests.

It would seem that everything is simple: you need to actively develop these abilities. However, humanity has been struggling for hundreds of years with the question of what is the secret of creativity, what makes a person a creator.

Before we talk about creativity, let's first understand what abilities are in general.

• There are general abilities needed in different areas, e.g.
• And there are special ones associated only with one specific activity. For example, a musician, singer and composer need an ear for music, and a high sensitivity to color discrimination is needed by a painter.

The basis of abilities are innate, natural inclinations, but abilities are manifested and developed in activity. To learn to draw well, you need to master painting, drawing, composition, etc., to achieve success in sports, you need to engage in this sport. Otherwise, in no way, the inclinations themselves will not become abilities, much less turn into.

But how is creativity related to all this, since this is not a special type of activity, but rather its level, and a creative gift can manifest itself in any area of ​​life?

Structure of creative abilities

The totality of creative abilities and their active manifestation in the life of an individual is called creativity. It has a complex structure that includes both general and special abilities.

General level of creativity

Like any other abilities, creative ones are associated with psychophysiological inclinations, that is, the characteristics of the human nervous system: the activity of the right hemisphere of the brain, the high speed of nervous processes, the stability and strength of the processes of excitation and inhibition.

But they are not limited to innate qualities and are not a special gift received by us from nature or sent from above. The basis of creativity is the development and active, persistent activity of a person.

The main area in which creative abilities are manifested is the intellectual sphere. A creative person is characterized by a special, different from the standard, including logical. Various researchers call this thinking unconventional or lateral (E. de Bono), divergent (J. Guilford), radiant (T. Buzan), critical (D. Halpern) or simply creative.

J. Guilford, a famous psychologist and creativity researcher, was one of the first to describe the unique type of mental activity inherent in creative people. He called it divergent thinking, that is, directed in different directions, and it differs from convergent (unidirectional), which includes both deduction and induction. The main feature of divergent thinking is that it is focused not on searching for one single correct solution, but on identifying multiple ways to solve a problem. The same feature is noted by E. de Bono, T. Buzan, and Ya. A. Ponomarev.

Creative thinking - what is it?

They studied throughout the 20th century, and a whole range of features of the mental activity of people who are characterized by this type of thinking was identified.

• Flexibility of thinking, that is, not only the ability to quickly switch from one problem to another, but also the ability to abandon ineffective solutions and look for new ways and approaches.
• Shifting focus is a person’s ability to look at an object, situation or problem from an unexpected angle, from a different angle. This makes it possible to consider some new properties, features, details that are invisible with a “direct” look.
• Reliance on the image. Unlike standard logical and algorithmic thinking, creative thinking is figurative in nature. A new original idea, plan, project is born as a bright three-dimensional image, only at the development stage acquiring words, formulas and diagrams. It is not for nothing that the center of creative abilities is located in the right hemisphere of the brain, which is responsible for working with images.
• Associativity. The ability to quickly establish connections and associations between the task at hand and information stored in memory is an important feature of the mental activity of creative people. The creative brain resembles a powerful computer, all of whose systems constantly exchange impulses carrying information.

Although creative thinking is often opposed to logical thinking, they do not exclude each other, but complement each other. It is impossible to do without logical thinking at the stage of checking the solution found, implementing the plan, finalizing the project, etc. If rational logical thinking is undeveloped, then the plan, even the most ingenious one, most often remains at the level of an idea.

Creativity and Intelligence

When talking about a person’s ability to think, they most often mean. If the connection between intelligence and the development of logical thinking is the most direct, then the same cannot be said about creative potential.

According to the standard intelligence quotient (IQ) test, people who score less than 100 (below average) are not creative, but high intelligence does not guarantee creativity. The most creatively gifted people are in the range from 110 to 130 points. Among individuals with an IQ above 130, creatives are found, but not often. Excessive rationalism of intellectuals interferes with the manifestation of creativity. Therefore, along with the IQ, the creativity quotient (Cr) was also introduced, and, accordingly, tests were developed to determine it.

Special abilities in creativity

The presence of general abilities in creative activity ensures the novelty and originality of its product, but without special abilities it is impossible to achieve mastery. It is not enough to come up with an original plot for a book; you also need to be able to present it literary, build a composition, and create realistic images of the characters. The artist must embody the image born in the imagination in the material, which is impossible without mastering the technique and skills of visual activity, and the development of a scientific and technical invention presupposes mastery of the basics of the exact sciences, knowledge in the field of mechanics, physics, chemistry, etc.

Creativity has not only a spiritual, mental, but also a practical side. Therefore, creativity also includes applied, special abilities that develop first at the reproductive (reproducing) level. A person, under the guidance of a teacher or independently, masters specific methods and techniques of activity that were developed before him. For example, he learns notation, masters playing a musical instrument or art technique, studies mathematics, the rules of algorithmic thinking, etc. And only after mastering the basics of a specific activity, developing the necessary skills and gaining knowledge, can a person move to the level of creativity, that is create your own original product.

Special abilities are needed for a creative person to become a master, and his activity (any activity at that) to become art. The absence or underdevelopment of special abilities often leads to the fact that creativity is not satisfied, and creative potential, even quite high, remains unrealized.

How to determine if you have creative abilities

All people have a predisposition to creativity, however, creative potential, as well as the level of creativity, is different for everyone. Moreover, placed in certain strict conditions (for example, while performing a task), a person can use creative methods, but then not use them either in professional or everyday life and not feel any need for creativity. Such a person can hardly be called a creative person.

In order to determine the presence and degree of development of creative abilities, there are many test methods developed by psychologists. However, in order to adequately evaluate the result obtained using these methods, you need to have knowledge in the field of psychology. But there are a number of criteria by which everyone can assess their own level of creativity and decide how much they need to develop their creative abilities.

Levels of intellectual and creative activity

Creativity presupposes a high level of intellectual and creative activity, that is, not only the ability for mental activity, but also the need for it, independent use of creative thinking techniques without pressure from others.

There are 3 levels of such activity:

• Stimulating and productive. A person at this level conscientiously solves the tasks assigned to him and tries to achieve good results. But he does this under the influence of external stimuli (an order, a task from above, the need to earn money, etc.). He lacks cognitive interest, passion for work and internal incentives. In his activities, he uses ready-made solutions and methods. This level does not exclude some random original solutions and findings, but having used the method he found once, a person subsequently does not go beyond its scope.
• Heuristic level. It presupposes a person's ability to make discoveries empirically, through experience, which often comes down to trial and error. In his activities, the individual relies on a reliable, proven method, but tries to refine it and improve it. He values ​​this improved method as a personal achievement and a source of pride. Any found interesting, original idea, someone else’s idea becomes an impetus, a stimulus for mental activity. The result of such activity can be very interesting and useful inventions. After all, man invented the airplane by watching birds.
• The creative level involves not only active intellectual activity and problem solving at a theoretical level. Its main difference is the ability and need to identify and formulate problems. People at this level are able to notice details, see internal contradictions and pose questions. Moreover, they love to do this, possessing a kind of “research itch” when a new interesting problem arises and forces them to postpone activities that have already begun.

Despite the fact that the creative level is considered the highest, the most productive and valuable for society is the heuristic one. Moreover, the most effective is the work of a team in which there are people of all three types: the creative gives birth to ideas, poses problems, the heuristic refines them, adapts them to reality, and the practitioner brings them to life.

Parameters of creative talent

J. Guilford, who created the theory of divergent thinking, identified several indicators of the level of creative talent and productivity.

• Ability to pose problems.
• Productivity of thinking, which is expressed in the generation of a large number of ideas.
• Semantic flexibility of thinking is the rapid switching of mental activity from one problem to another and the inclusion of knowledge from different areas into the thought process.
• Originality of thinking is the ability to find non-standard solutions, generate original images and ideas, and see the unusual in the ordinary.
• The ability to change the purpose of an object, improve it by adding details.

To the characteristics identified by J. Guilford, another important indicator was later added: ease and speed of thinking. The speed of finding a solution is no less, and sometimes more important, than its originality.

How to develop creativity

It is better to start developing creative abilities in childhood, when the need for creativity is very strong. Remember with what delight children perceive everything new, how they enjoy new toys, activities, walks in unfamiliar places. Children are open to the world and, like a sponge, absorb knowledge. Their psyche is very flexible and plastic; they do not yet have stereotypes or standards on the basis of which the thinking of adults is built. And the main tools of children’s mental activity are images. That is, there are all the prerequisites and opportunities for the effective development of creative abilities. This process is especially successful if adults encourage children to express their creativity and organize joint activities and games themselves.

As for adults, in this case it is also possible to increase the level of creativity, make professional activity more creative, or find an opportunity to realize your need for creativity in some kind of art, hobby or hobby.

The main thing for an adult is precisely the presence of a need, since people often complain that God deprived them of talent, but do nothing to find an area in which their personality could be realized. But if you realize the need to develop your potential, then there is such an opportunity.

Any abilities develop through activity and require mastery of skills, that is, training. Considering that creative abilities are primarily a set of qualities and properties of thinking, it is the thinking abilities that need to be trained.

Entire trainings have been developed specifically for the development of creativity and thinking, and exercises from them can be performed independently, especially since they often resemble an exciting game.

Exercise “Chain of Associations”

Associative thinking plays an important role in creativity, but it is most often involuntary, spontaneous, so you need to learn to manage it. Here is one of the exercises to develop the skills of consciously working with associations.

1. Take a piece of paper and a pen.
2. Choose a word. The choice should be arbitrary; you can simply open the dictionary on the first page you come across.
3. As soon as you read the word, immediately “catch” the first association for it in your head and write it down.
4. Next, write down the next association in the column, but for the written word, and so on.

Make sure that the associations are consistent, for each new word, and not for the previous or the very first. When there are 15-20 of them in a column, stop and carefully read what you got. Pay attention to what sphere, area of ​​reality these associations belong to. Is this one area or several? For example, the word “hat” may have associations: head - hair - hairstyle - comb - beauty, etc. In this case, all associations are in the same semantic field, you could not get out of the narrow circle, jump over stereotypical thinking.

And here is another example: hat - head - mayor - thought - thinking - interest - reading - lessons, etc. There is an associative connection, but thinking is constantly changing its direction, entering new areas and areas. Undoubtedly, the second case indicates a more creative approach.

When performing this exercise, achieve similar transitions, but do not think about the birth of associations for too long, because the process should be involuntary. The game with associations can be played in a group, competing to see who will have more associations and more original transitions over a certain period of time.

Exercise “Universal object”

This exercise helps develop a whole range of qualities: originality of thought, semantic flexibility, imaginative thinking and imagination.

1. Imagine some simple object, for example, a pencil, a pot lid, a spoon, a box of matches, etc.
2. Having chosen an item, think about how it can be used, other than its intended purpose. Try to find as many uses as possible and try to keep them original.

For example, a lid from a saucepan can be used as a shield, as a percussion instrument, as a basis for a beautiful panel, as a tray, as a window in the absence of one, as a hat, as an umbrella, as a carnival mask if you drill holes in it for the eyes... Can you continue?

Just like the first exercise, this can be done in a group, giving it the form of a competition. If the group is large enough, for example, a class, then you can offer to name the new functions of the object in turn. The player who cannot come up with a new one is eliminated. And in the end, the most creative ones will remain.

These are just examples of exercises. Try to come up with such games yourself, and this will also be good training.