A study examined the relationship between the creative thinking of 114 13 to 14-year-old females and scientific problem-solving ability. The students did well in the "preliminary trialing" stage and were more proficient in "interpreting" and "performing" process skills. The other three components, "communication,""planning," and "reflecting,"…

A study investigated whether it would be possible to increase creative output of 43 eight-graders by teaching a portion of the Future Problem Solving (FPS) process, the identification of problems, as part of a middle school curriculum. Results indicated that fluency and flexibility could be taught utilizing the FPS process. (Author/CR)

Mind Mapping can be called the Swiss Army Knife for the brain, a total visual thinking tool or a multi-handed thought catcher. Invented by Tony Buzan in the early 1970s and used by millions around the world, it is a method that can be a part of a techniques repertoire when teaching information literacy, planning, presenting, thinking, and so…

Originality is a necessary part of creativity, but creative things are more than just original. They also solve a problem, or more generally are somehow fitting or appropriate. Yet previous research found an inverse relationship between ratings of originality and ratings of appropriateness. The present investigation employed a different…

The aim of the present study was to explore the hypothesized relationship between divergent thinking (DT) and two types of evaluation: interpersonal (judgments about others' ideas) and intrapersonal (judgments about one's own ideas). Divergent thinking and evaluation skills were measured by means of a GenEva (Generation and Evaluation) task. There…

The development of reason has long been an important aim for education. This is possibly reflected in the emphasis on the importance of explicit verbal reasoning in definitions of "Exploratory Talk", a concept that has had some influence on classroom teaching. In this paper I argue from transcript evidence that, while Exploratory Talk is a…

This listing of "what students should know and be able to do to learn effectively and live productively in an increasingly digital world" includes guidelines for six subject areas: (1) Creativity and Innovation; (2) Communication and Collaboration; (3) Research and Information Fluency; (4) Critical Thinking, Problem-Solving & Decision-Making; (5)…

Support for reflective practice (Dewey, 1910; Schon, 1983) as a way of reviewing, articulating and informing practice, is well-established within teacher education and research, though there is still much to learn from the individual experience of the practitioner who grapples with the reflective process. This paper highlights the deliberations of…

In order to investigate the relationship between mental imagery and creative problem solving, a study of 44 separate accounts reporting mental imagery experiences associated with creative discoveries were examined. The data included 29 different scientists, among them Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking, and 9 artists, musicians, and writers,…

This book provides an overview of the creative problem-solving process and exercises to put the process the work. The illustrated, reproducible pages guide students through each step of the problem-solving process by using evaluation grids to track their ideas, solutions, and plans. The activities can be used in a variety of ways including for the…

Drama is a means to develop imagination and empathy. Simulated experiences can affect profoundly one's judgment and understanding, adding insights and expanding the frame of reference. The name game is a good beginning exercise, especially if participants do not know one another. Each player states his or her name and a favorite object that begins…

In the late 1980s an American newspaper reported that by one measure--the number of patents cited by successive inventors--Japan overtook the United States in the number of inventions produced during the 1970s. The reasons for this are not clear, but educational efforts promoting creative behaviors in school children are probably essential and…

Design is not getting the attention it deserves in industrial arts, at a time when designed products are everywhere. Design is creative problem-solving to meet a specific need. Integrating design concepts into the industrial arts curriculum is not difficult; the author explains how to do it. (AJ)

Subjects for which aesthetics and creative performance are critical curricular dimensions (such as art, physical education, music, and technology education), and which are accommodative of students across the range of intelligences (Gardner, 1999) are not readily or completely captured by content standards. Therefore content knowledge in these…

This research involved the observation and audio-recording of 30 ninth-grade mathematics students recommended as being outstanding by their mathematics teachers. Each student was presented with five different problem situations for which he or she was to make mathematical conjectures. During the interview, the students thought aloud and all of…