In this article, the authors explore the corpus of literature on creative thinking and applied creativity in higher education to help composition teacher-scholars and writing center practitioners improve the application of creativity in written, visual, and multimodal composing practices. From studies of creative thinking investigated across…

Adapts Edward de Bono's "Intermediate Impossible" strategy--for considering ideas that normally would be discarded as stepping-stones to new ideas--for use as a prewriting activity to enhance creative problem solving. (HTH)

Delineates various conceptions of and arguments about problem solving and proposes a means for dealing with these conflicts. Argues that composition studies should strive to find a common language with which proponents of opposing views can communicate with each other. (MS)

Discusses guidelines for the investigation and subsequent writing of a problem centered report. Examines technical writing theory and how it applies to example reports. (HTH)

Argues that since invention in scientific research is discovery of the unknown, and since invention in writing is discovery of ideas within existing knowledge, then scientific research cannot be viewed as a part of prewriting in the scientific writing process. (KEH)

For several years a number of instructors at the University of Cincinnati have experimented with the concept of problem-based learning (PBL) in their composition courses. The concept, rooted as it is in Socratic method and the hands-on problem-solving advocated by John Dewey, is not new, and though some of its applications may call for adjustments…

As a result of public pressure to assess student learning, college administrators are becoming more insistent in their demands that faculty members become involved in learning outcomes assessment. Most faculty members, however, think of assessment as another name for standardized testing--a procedure with little to do with the critical thinking…

This paper describes part of a course for college freshmen entitled "Computation, Reasoning, and Problem Solving," which uses the LOGO programming language to integrate computer programming skills, collaborative problem solving skills, and writing skills. Discussion of the computer programming component includes two of the LOGO problem…

In preparing students for business writing, a technical writing class should foster (1) a sensitivity to audience and an understanding of the business or technical organizational audience, (2) analytical problem solving that precedes any but the simplest writing task, (3) understanding of the patterns of organization that make information clear to…

Describes a technical proposal writing assignment modeled after the conditions in industry. Provides a paradigm of government project proposals and then outlines the stages of the assignment that allow student to rework and revise, thereby discouraging students from writing formulaic and superficial proposals. (SRT)

The composing processes of four freshmen writers of varying proficiency who had been taught problem-solving strategies for one semester were traced to see whether they would differ in how they set up and followed through with strategic options. Each of the four students produced a think-aloud protocol as he or she planned and wrote an assignment…

Describes a technical writing assignment designed to teach (1) audience awareness, (2) strategies for analytical problem solving, (3) an understanding of the patterns of organization that make the information clear to the intended audience, and (4) a mastery of the editing skills needed to make writing correct and concise. (SRT)

Describes some of the key intellectual actions that underlie the process of revision in writing and that most affect its practice. Provides a working model of revision and discusses diagnosing problems and devising solutions. (HTH)

Considers how computing and composition combine for a new form of interdisciplinary learning and intramural cooperation. Offers a description of the analogous processes of problem solving and programming in an introductory computer science course and the writing process typically used in introductory English composition courses. (Author/LRW)

What are textbooks that teach? How can they help solve pedagogical problems? How can their pedagogical design be improved? These questions were used to develop a problem-solving model of textbook design. Textbooks that teach evoke learner activities designed to achieve contemporary cognitive goals. Suggestions for using textbooks to help solve…