Creative Thinking

Creative ThinkingBy: Andrea Weaver : 

Creative ThinkingBy: Andrea Weaver “The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.” -Albert Einstein

Three Basic Principles : 

Three Basic Principles Creative thinking is divided into two kinds of skills: cognitive and aesthetic creativity. The three basic principles of creativity are: New ideas are composed of old elements, Not all new ideas are on a par, and Creativity is enhanced by the ability to detect connections between ideas.

New ideas are composed of old elements : 

New ideas are composed of old elements A new idea might be a new theory, new product, new solution to a problem, or conception for a piece of art. New ideas are old ideas that are rearranged in a new way. Ideas are composed of different elements and are also you can join ideas together, we delete some elements, or replace some elements by other ones.

New ideas are composed of old elements cont. : 

New ideas are composed of old elements cont. Practical implication-the ingredients for creativity depends on the store of ideas that are available for recombination. If you have a limited domain of knowledge, then you will have fewer resources to draw from in forming new ideas. Intellectual curiosity and a wide knowledge base can significantly enhance one’s creativity.

Not all new ideas are on a par : 

Not all new ideas are on a par This kind of creativity has the ability to come up with new and useful ideas. Artistic creativity consists in the creation of artwork and expressing one’s ideas and emotions through various forms of art. Cognitive creativity is a matter of coming up with solutions to practical or theoretical problems.

Not all new ideas are on a par cont. : 

Not all new ideas are on a par cont. Cognitive creativity has two parts-the generation of new ideas, and the evaluation and modification of new ideas. Critical thinking is a necessary condition for cognitive creativity. It determines the relevance and effectiveness of the idea.

Creativity is enhanced by the ability to detect connections between ideas : 

Creativity is enhanced by the ability to detect connections between ideas You need to have a wide knowledge base. We should ensure that our learning processes should aim at a deep understanding of the connections between key concepts. Make sure that you look at the information from different angles, reformulate them systematically in a way to achieve better understanding.

The creativity cycle : 

The creativity cycle Step 1-Research Obtain relevant information from the scientific literature or experts. Study the history of the problem. Do case studies of people who have dealt with similar problems. Think about analogous situations. Talk to the people who are involved.

The creativity cycle cont. : 

The creativity cycle cont. Step 2-Explore the connections between ideas Step 3-Relax and wait Step 4-Apply, review, and follow up Review the whole process to see how you can do better.

Heuristics for creative thinking : 

Heuristics for creative thinking 1-Feature list-it is for an object or process; is simply a list of its main features. Then one can examine the features one by one and consider how it might be changed. 2-Analogy-It might help imagine new features. 3-Search-Sometimes solving a problem is a matter of searching through a long list of possible solutions. 4-Perspective shift-Involves thinking about different ways of formulating a problem.

Resources: OpenCourseWare on critical thinking, logic, and creativity. (2004-2009). Creative Thinking. Retrieved October 21, 2009, from http://philosophy.hku.hk/think/creative/ : 

Resources: OpenCourseWare on critical thinking, logic, and creativity. (2004-2009). Creative Thinking. Retrieved October 21, 2009, from http://philosophy.hku.hk/think/creative/