CREATIVITY IN MATHEMATICS EDUCATION

Course Information
TitleΔΗΜΙΟΥΡΓΙΚΟΤΗΤΑ ΣΤΗ ΜΑΘΗΜΑΤΙΚΗ ΕΚΠΑΙΔΕΥΣΗ / CREATIVITY IN MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
CodeΕΠΜ153
FacultyEducation
SchoolPrimary Education
Cycle / Level1st / Undergraduate
Teaching PeriodWinter/Spring
CoordinatorDespoina Desli
CommonNo
StatusActive
Course ID600026653

Programme of Study: PPS Tmīmatos Dīmotikīs Ekpaídeusīs Merikīs Foítīsīs (2026-sīmera)

Registered students: 0
OrientationAttendance TypeSemesterYearECTS
KORMOSElective Courses115

Programme of Study: PPS Tmīmatos Dīmotikīs Ekpaídeusīs (2024-sīmera)

Registered students: 0
OrientationAttendance TypeSemesterYearECTS
KORMOSElective Courses115
Class Information
Academic Year2025 – 2026
Class PeriodWinter
Faculty Instructors
Class ID
600274046
Course Type 2021
Specific Foundation
Mode of Delivery
  • Face to face
Digital Course Content
Language of Instruction
  • Greek (Instruction, Examination)
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to: • Identify creativity in mathematics, demonstrate knowledge of the main theoretical models that describe it, and understand the methods by which it can be cultivated. • Design instructional activities that foster creativity in mathematics. • Evaluate and adapt educational materials with the aim of promoting creativity in mathematics. • Select and implement teaching practices that enhance creative thinking.
General Competences
  • Apply knowledge in practice
  • Retrieve, analyse and synthesise data and information, with the use of necessary technologies
  • Adapt to new situations
  • Make decisions
  • Work autonomously
  • Work in teams
  • Work in an interdisciplinary team
  • Generate new research ideas
  • Design and manage projects
  • Be critical and self-critical
  • Advance free, creative and causative thinking
Course Content (Syllabus)
The course focuses on the nature of creativity and its significance in the educational process, as well as on the factors that support its cultivation in schools, with an emphasis on the teaching of mathematics in primary education. It explores the creativity indicators proposed by Torrance and Guilford, along with the characteristics of creative teachers and students. The Four-C and Sheffield models of creativity are presented, while particular emphasis is placed on mathematical activities and processes that promote creativity (e.g., seeking multiple and/or original solutions to open-ended problems, employing diverse problem-solving strategies, applying non-algorithmic thinking, generalizing mathematical content, formulating problems, and constructing new knowledge). Additionally, the course examines teaching practices that support the development of creative thinking. Students are encouraged to evaluate mathematical activities based on the opportunities they offer for fostering creativity, to design tasks that cultivate creativity in mathematics, and to adapt existing activities with the goal of enhancing creative thinking.
Educational Material Types
  • Notes
  • Slide presentations
  • Book
Use of Information and Communication Technologies
Use of ICT
  • Use of ICT in Course Teaching
Course Organization
ActivitiesWorkloadECTSIndividualTeamworkErasmus
Lectures78✓
Seminars10✓
Reading Assigment20✓✓
Written assigments21✓✓
Exams21✓
Total150
Student Assessment
Student Assessment methods
  • Written Exam with Short Answer Questions (Summative)
  • Written Exam with Extended Answer Questions (Summative)
  • Written Assignment (Summative)
  • Performance / Staging (Summative)
Bibliography
Additional bibliography for study
Ζιώγα, Μ., & Δεσλή, Δ. (υπό δημοσίευση). Δραστηριότητες ανοιχτής απάντησης και καλλιέργεια της δημιουργικότητας στα μαθηματικά: Οι επιλογές των εκπαιδευτικών. Πρακτικά 10ου Πανελλήνιου Συνεδρίου της Εν.Ε.Δι.Μ. Ζιώγα, Μ., & Δεσλή, Δ. (2022). Δημιουργικότητα στα μαθηματικά: Εφαρμόζεται η θεωρία στην πράξη; Πρακτικά 9ου Πανελλήνιου Συνεδρίου της Εν.Ε.Δι.Μ. (σελ. 209-218). Βόλος: ΕΝΕΔΙΜ. Ζιώγα, Μ., & Δεσλή, Δ. (2019). Καλλιέργεια της δημιουργικότητας στα μαθηματικά στο δημοτικό σχολείο: μελέτη περίπτωσης μιας εκπαιδευτικού της Α’ Δημοτικού. Πρακτικά 8ου Πανελλήνιου Συνεδρίου της Εν.Ε.Δι.Μ. (σελ. 305-313). Λευκωσία: ΕΝΕΔΙΜ. Κάττου, Μ., Χρίστου, Κ., & Πίττα-Πανταζή, Δ. (2019). Αξιολογώντας την αποτελεσματικότητα ενός παρεμβατικού προγράμματος προς ενίσχυση της μαθηματικής δημιουργικότητας. Πρακτικά 8ου Πανελλήνιου Συνεδρίου της Εν.Ε.Δι.Μ. (σελ. 582-590). Λευκωσία: ΕΝΕΔΙΜ. Desli, D., & Zioga, M. (2015). Looking for creativity in primary school mathematical tasks. In K. Krainer & N. Vondrová (Eds.), Proceedings of the 9th congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (pp. 989-995). Czech: Prague. Zioga, M., & Desli, D. (2025). Fostering mathematical creativity in primary education: impact of an educational program on teachers’ classroom practices. European Journal of Mathematics and Science Education, 6(2), 97-112. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmse.6.2.97 Zioga, M., & Desli, D. (2019). Improving mathematical creativity in the classroom: a case study of a fourth-grade teacher. In M. Nolte (Ed.), Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Mathematical Creativity and Giftedness (pp. 242-248). Hamburg: Germany. Singer, F. M. (2018). Mathematical creativity and mathematical giftedness. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73156-8 Beghetto, R., & Sriraman, B. (2017). Creative contradictions in education. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21924-0 Levenson, E. (2013). Tasks that may occasion mathematical creativity: Teachers’ choices. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 16, 269-291. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10857-012-9229-9 Levenson, E., Swisa, R., & Tabach, M. (2018). Evaluating the potential of tasks to occasion mathematical creativity: definitions and measurements. Research in Mathematics Education, 20(3), 273–294. https://doi.org/10.1080/14794802.2018.1450777
Last Update
15-05-2025