Educational experiences which facilitate the development of original thinking and learning are (1) the "open system" of education which stresses freedom at home and at school; (2) the emphasis on sensory awareness of the environment; (3) the development of curiosity and sense of wonder; (4) the growth of imaginative powers and original thinking experiences--reflection and meditation; (5) the recognition of the "contentual aspects of cognition" and "competence motivation"; (6) the immersion of the teacher in the subject; (7) an empathetic relationship between the teacher and the child in any creative endeavor; (8) the development of a "structural-cognitive" approach that fosters divergent thinking--spontaneity, flexibility of response; and (9) the cultivation of a creativity which produces "effective surprise." (A selected bibliography is included.) (JM)