To survive in the 21st century, today's student must develop the thinking skills necessary to adapt to a transforming world and learn how to be a creative problem solver. Future Problem Solving (FPS) prepares the student of today for tomorrow through an educational program that enables students to apply a constructive, deliberate process for…

A school psychologist recommends that programs for the gifted be improved by offering students opportunities to develop creative thinking and problem solving skills and by surveying community resources to locate facilities and people who can aid in developing enrichment activities. (LH)

This report investigates improvement of pupils' creative thinking and problem-solving abilities through direct educational efforts. The sample consisted of 739 pupils and their teachers from 36 fifth grade classes in two Indiana public school systems. Five sub-tests from the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking were administered to all teachers to…

The article describes the theory of synectics, an idea producing process, and shows how upper elementary gifted students can be taught to use synectics in more effective problem solving. Steps in the synectics process are reviewed. (CL)

The study involving 103 fifth graders supported previous findings linking classroom climate with students' creative functioning and indicated that both the Productive Thinking Program (PTP) and activities based on the Creative Problem Solving program were successful in enhancing students' creative problem solving. Teachers preferred the more…

Article considers the causes of happiness and unhappiness in relation to the creative person. (RK)

Attitudes acquired by a child in his early school years influence his later decision to continue schooling or drop out. The Creative Problem Solving Class students are given an opportunity to progress at their own pace. Every creative process is utilized, and a better self-image is the result. (CK)

Discusses the roles of visual thinking, visual rehearsal, and introspection in educational technology, and suggests that instructional designers should externalize their internal representations and involve the internal and external representations of content specialists and learners in the instructional design. Fifteen references are listed. (MBR)

The article discusses some limitations of present assessment procedures for identifying and understanding the further reaches of creative potential, identifies a few abilities of practical importance belonging to those reaches, and suggests some means whereby these talents might be assessed. (DLS)

Discusses creativity under severe limitations by using the Apollo 13 mission as an example to demonstrate a range of principles for creative practice and motivation applicable in any situation. (DB)

Sets forth the nine major steps of problem solving in a proactive, future-focused, and vision-oriented way: defining the problem, identifying the contributing factors, stating why this is a problem, stating the preferred scenario, brainstorming possible alternatives, evaluating pros and cons of the alternatives, choosing an alternative, developing…

The Magic Mathworks Travelling Circus is a touring maths lab--in and of itself, a good thing. When children enter it, they find particular pieces of apparatus captioned with particular challenges--which is perhaps not such a good thing. Students are faced with an apparatus that can do only one thing, and so are not encouraged to look again at…

Specific training may be required to develop creativity in design students. At the very least, training is valuable in developing creativity in first-year students. Creativity is a skill that can be examined, used and taught--and it is one that is central to designing. This paper presents the results of empirical research from a class in creative…

This paper deals with the different aspects of solving technical problems. To solve a technical problem in an optimal way it is not enough to consider the appropriate technical and technological principles, the different organizational, economical, and ergonomical principles must also be taken into account. The didactic aspects of solving…