The starting point of the program, as well as its main goal, is to prepare children for the new, dynamic and ever-changing world of the 21st century. To achieve that, we must develop children's intrinsic belief that they can be creative, as well as their ability to adapt to changes, to work in unfamiliar environments, to be resourceful and to persist in problem solving.
In the last 6 years the SEISEI method has been implemented with young children and youths throughout Israel. SEISEI currently works with over 12,500 children in a variety of programs, ranging from integration as part of schools’ curriculum to after-school activities and summer camps. It has included every type of student from those who are gifted, to those who require additional support. The program is also implemented in all the diverse segments of Israeli society; including Arab, Ultra Religious orthodox and Druze. All programs are supported by teachers, management teams and pedagogical supervision.
The SEISEI method is based on 5 principles: Creative Thinking, Self-Worth, Resourcefulness, Working in Changing Environments, and Perseverance. These five principles join together to create compound skills and capabilities which enable creative insights that are necessary for the 21st century. We believe that in our accelerated world, each one of us can and arguably must, have a creative and independent worldview of their own.
The program was developed by Dr. Eyal Doron, a researcher andlecturer with expertise in developing creativity and leadership skills. The method was empirically proved during Dr. Doron’s post-doc studies in Haifa University where he conducted a series of short-term interventions that were meant to enhance childrens’ and adolescents’ creativity. These dealt with the development of creative thinking in children and teenagers. The studies set out to examine how to increase indicators of creativity, emotional and social skills in schoolchildren of varying age groups, using the model which was developed by Dr. Doron. The results of the research showed a dramatic increase in creative thinking ability amongst the children who participated.
Research:
Short Term Intervention Model for Enhancing Divergent Thinking among School Aged Children