The role of NCCP time for enhancing children's creativity in technology

The focus of our research project was the question Can children‘s creativity be enhanced by including a period of non-conscious cognitive process (NCCP) time? During this non-thinking time the brain makes connections between independent ideas, forgets inappropriate responses, and makes available more relevant responses for problem solving. The research generated cases of several primary school classrooms as the teachers incorporated NCCP time in their design technology sessions. Children were observed and teachers interviewed about their perceptions of children‘s creativity as the children designed and produced recycling devices. The cases revealed an optimum time frame of several days for nonconscious cognitive processing. These findings have implications for teachers of technology who assign the same day and time each week for technology learning. During the non-task time, which included the NCCP time, children were able to discuss their ideas with family members. As children learn in socio-cultural contexts, these discussions can be fruitful. The teachers indicated that peer discussions also played an important role after the generation of designs.