A 20-year study of 31 artists as students and as professionals reveals that skills in finding and formulating problems are significantly related to creative achievement. Accordingly, educators should turn their attention to teaching such skills. (MCG)

"Diagraming Analysis of a Fuzzy Technique" (DAFT) is a model rectifying two problems associated with Future Problem Solving Bowl activities, namely problem definition by teams and evaluation of team responses. (MC)

In this interview, Edward de Bono says critical or logical thinking in lockstep fashion is necessary but not sufficient because we need not only the ability to critique ideas, but to create them. Creative or lateral thinking arrives at solutions by attacking problems "laterally" or "sideways." (DCS)

This is a satire on students' ability to think. Children can in fact think, but teachers often don't give them a chance or encourage them to do so. Questioning techniques are very important in getting children to think. A good starting point for children's thinking is their observations. (BR)

Tested the hypothesis that increasing problem complexity elicits strategies of greater efficiency from older adults. Responses of older and younger adults were compared in a version of "Twenty Questions." No evidence was found that older adults seek more efficient strategies. Both groups maintained the same strategies. (Author/JAC)

Ss were administered Thinking Creatively in Action and Movement (TCAM), traditional Piagetian measures of conservation of number and mass, modification Piagetian tasks, and the Sequential Assessment Mathematics Inventory. Among findings was that creative thinking ability, as assessed by the TCAM, significantly predicts cognitive performances that…

Considers the definition and assessment of creativity, a framework for understanding what occurs during the creative thinking process, and how the caregiver, educator, or helping professional can develop creativity to find solutions to caregiving or managerial problems. Discusses the attributes of creative individuals, and is the importance of…

Describes the use of an extended problem-solving assessment task with a Japanese secondary class. Argues that extended problem-solving tasks have the potential to illuminate a much wider range of student performance and to offer learning opportunities almost never realized with more traditional--albeit often quicker--forms of assessment. (ASK)

This article describes a New Zealand elementary school that offers a Friday afternoon "options" class to allow all students the opportunity to solve real-world problems through the development of authentic products and services. One of the classes, an inventions class involving five students (ages 11-12), is discussed. (Contains 9…

Focuses on elementary school teachers' perceptions of creativity and logic and their places within mathematics education. Explores themes arising from the ways in which creativity and logic were talked about, addressing the extent to which the teachers believed that mathematics was creative or logical and whether these two characteristics were…

Recommends that teachers be skilled and respectful in helping students identify the functions of religion. The "Simulated Garbage" technique urges students to consider the qualities that give a religion coherence and meaning, without relation to external criteria of seeming rightness. (RAE)

Managers can improve their decision making skills through training in organizational communication which emphasizes the intuitive processes. The article describes the role of intuitive processes in executive decision making and outlines the four levels of a taxonomy for developing intuition as it relates to creative thinking and problem solving.…

In postindustrial society, flexibility and creativity become more valuable in the work place. "Artists" of every stripe are people who share qualities such as imagination, capacity to work hard, and personal vision. Arts are a necessity in curriculum, not a frill. Cutting arts denies students a learning avenue that promotes the kind of…

Based on the author's experiences, this article presents approaches to aid in developing interactive presentations. Galaxy and funnel methods offer more room for creativity when compared to metaphors such as step, line, and road models. Highlights include diagrams, personal narratives of advantages, disadvantages, and steps taken in creating an…