Abstract:

Creativity can be considered an essential skill for addressing everyday social, technological and scientific challenges. Therefore, implementing this discipline in the educational field can promote meaningful learning and encourage advanced critical thinking among students. This study, developed in collaboration with A. Maiz-Iginitz, analyses the effects on the learning of 1st year of high school students in the subject of Physics and Chemistry when active methodologies that stimulate creativity are introduced.

The case study covers the topics of sustainability and environmental impact within the theoretical framework of polymer chemistry and green chemistry principles. Thus, based on a constructivist approach, students are asked to design a biodegradable plastic material and apply the concepts they have learned, to find an alternative to the problem of mass plastic use. The work integrates scientific rigor and methodologies that drive creative processes to work in a committed manner with highly relevant real-life case studies.

To encourage creativity, the SCAMPER technique is proposed, which allows divergent thinking to be implemented systematically through the activities that make up its name: substitution, combination, adaptation, elimination and reorganization. The proposals must be carried out in groups to encourage cooperative work where, to begin with, the physical and chemical properties of various everyday commercial plastics must be analyzed. Based on the results, students must reflect on the environmental implications of each sample and propose sustainable and feasible solutions using the scientific method. The aim is to encourage each student's autonomy and cognitive flexibility when solving multidisciplinary problems.

To assess the level of creativity involved in each piece of work, the Saturnino Test is implemented. This test is key to uniformly determining the different dimensions involved in the creative process, such as fluidity, flexibility, originality, and the development of proposals. In this way, the effects of implementing creative techniques on metacognitive reflection, self-assessment, and increasing the value of the work are evaluated.

This work describes a solid teaching approach that can be easily replicated in different subjects and academic contexts. Applying these simple techniques results in improved understanding of scientific content and higher quality work by students. It should therefore be emphasized that including creativity-related skills does not hinder scientific knowledge but, on the contrary, complements knowledge and improves practical applications to achieve more meaningful learning.

Keywords:

Creativity, constructivist approach, cooperative work, metacognitive reflection.