...approach does not leave much room for creative or critical thinking and does not allow learners to take full responsibility for their learning. With the paradigm shift in education, creativity has become more valued. The modern world is changing quickly and a person who can think creatively and find innovative solutions for everyday problems can adjust more easily. This essay describes very broadly only a few of the factors that influence student creativity in schools. There is no standard definition of creativity. However, the main two criteria are the singularity and usefulness of the creative activity’s result. Creativity has been grouped into two main categories: Big-C Creativity and little-c creativity. Big-C encompasses mostly people with very unique talents and/ or skills (Mozart, etc) and scientific discoveries, paradigm shifts, etc. Little-c is a term for a much more widespread kind of everyday creativity. For example finding new ways to use ordinary items. A more specific example: turning a car into a sauna. Little-c creativity is the kind of creativity that everyday life in schools should pay attention to and develop. The type of thinking that is associated with creativity, is divergent thinking. It often happens spontaneously and generates lots of ideas, associations, etc. Unfortunately, mostly only convergent thinking has traditionally been encouraged in most school subjects. Convergent thinking follows certain steps to find the right answer. It is a myth...
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...remains illusive, it has been established as a multifaceted phenomenon (Kitto, Lok & Rudowicz, 1994). One facet that is an important component of creative potential is divergent thinking (Vosburg, 1998), this is the ability to generate several alternative solutions to a problem. The mental processing involved occurs in such a way as to activate as many mental representations as possible, maintaining only a weak connection to the original stimulus (Molle, Marshall, Wolf, Fehm & Born, 1999). One of the more popular methods for assessing creative potential then, is through the administration of divergent thinking tests (Mumford, Marks, Connelly , Zaccaro & Johnson, 1998). In these tests people are requested to generate as many alternative answers as possible to a series of ill-defined, open-ended problems (Brown, 1989). The number of ideas used in answering the problem are counted, and can be taken as a performance measure of creative thinking. On the other side of the scale is convergent thinking. Here, very strong mental associations are maintained which upon activation come to a single conclusion that can only be either right or wrong , with a clear connection between the mental representation and the original stimulus (Molle et al., 1999). Thus, two opposite modes of thinking seem to exist, each serving a different function and each having tests that tap into this function. What is of interest, however is the fact that little physical evidence has...
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...Creativity CREATIVE THINKING—DOWN ROADS LESS TRAVELLED Original ideas have changed the course of human history. Much of what we now take for granted in art, medicine, music, technology, and science was once regarded as radical or impossible. How do creative thinkers achieve the breakthroughs that carry us into new realms? Creativity is elusive. Nevertheless, psychologists have learned a great deal about how creativity occurs and how to promote it. We have seen that problem solving may be mechanical, insightful, or based on understanding. To this we can add that thinking may be inductive (going from specific facts or observations to general principles) or deductive (going from general principles to specific situations). Thinking may also be logical (proceeding from given information to new conclusions on the basis of explicit rules) or illogical (intuitive, associative, or personal). What distinguishes creative thinking from more routine problem solving? Creative thinking involves all of these thinking styles, plus fluency, flexibility, and originality. Let’s say that you would like to find creative uses for the millions of automobile tires discarded each year. The creativity of your suggestions could be rated in this way: Fluency is defined as the total number of suggestions you are able to make. Flexibility is the number of times you shift from one class of possible uses to another. Originality refers to how novel or unusual your ideas are. By counting the number of times you...
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...Most recently, divergent thinking has grown in popularity as opposed to convergent thinking, primarily because it focuses on the notion that there are multiple ways of looking at a problem. As opposed to the traditional way that is convergent thinking, where its emphasis is on the solution rather than analyzing the problem. Divergent thinking teaches you to analyze the problem at hand. In the understanding of what the shortcomings are, whether that may be a project you are working on, or perhaps a situation you are facing, it allows you to see that the solutions go beyond what might be apparent to the eyes. The problem is looked beyond a singular answer, but rather a jungle gym of different options waiting to be explored. In looking at the traditional method of convergent thinking, which has been taught over for so many years; it’s apparent to me why there has been a shift over time...
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...Entrepreneur ambidexterity Ambidexterity = the ability both to explore and “search for new, useful adaptions”, and exploit through “the use and propagation of known adaptions”. This is vital to the survival and performance of organizations. Firms should maintain a balance between exploration and exploitation. There has been scant attention to what makes an individual ambidexterious. Several reasons warrant the examination of entrepreneur ambidexterity in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs): 1. Small business have limited resource endowments. Since exploration and exploitation compete for scarce resources, attention and organizational routines, the situation is likely to heighten the paradoxes facing entrepreneurs. 2. Most SMEs are owned and managed by one individual or a very small group of individuals: the owner-manager makes virtually all the strategic decisions. Ambidexterity: 1. Literally: the ability to use both hands with equal ease. 2. In management: used to refer to an organization’s ability to do two seemingly paradoxical things simultaneously: * To explore and exploit * Be efficient and be flexible * Align and adapt Distinction between exploration and exploitation (March): * Exploration: includes things like research, variation, risk-taking, experimentation, play, flexibility, discovery, innovation. * Exploitation: includes thing like improvement, choice, production, efficiency, implementation, execution...
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...2004 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands Divergent and Convergent Idea Generation in Teams: A Comparison of Computer-Mediated and Face-to-Face Communication DAVID S. KERR Department of Accounting, Mays School of Business, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-4353, USA (E-mail: d-kerr@tamu.edu) UDAY S. MURTHY School of Accountancy, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Avenue BSN3403, Tampa, FL 33620-5500, USA (E-mail: umurthy@coba.usf.edu) Abstract Many tasks and decisions in business, including management consulting, are performed in group settings. Computer-mediated communication (CMC) tools (e.g., Lotus Notes) are increasingly being used by businesses to support teams in a variety of settings. Considerable research in information systems has demonstrated the advantages of “electronic brainstorming” (EBS) for generic tasks involving only divergent thinking. However, it is unclear whether the benefits of CMC extend to tasks that require both divergent and convergent processes. Per task–technology fit theory (TTF) (Zigurs and Buckland 1998), the use of computer-based group communication support tools, including “chat” systems in wide-spread use today, may be less effective for convergent processes than for divergent processes. This study experimentally compares the performance of computer-mediated and face-to-face (FTF) teams on tasks requiring both divergent and convergent processes. Consistent with theoretical predictions, the results...
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...10 Modern Teaching Skills Posted on October 25, 2013 by patrick Do you possess Modern Teaching Skills? As with most professions today, there are rapid developments in teaching that are being driven by social and technological changes. Keeping up to date with these developments within education will pay dividends with improved teaching skills. The skills needed to be a great teacher have now changed; modern teachers need to be competent in many new skill sets that were unknown to their predecessors. So here are, in our opinion, the 10 skills Modern Teachers need to know. Traditional Teaching Skills These first 6 teaching skills (in red in the image) are not new, but their importance has increased significantly for the modern teacher. # 1 Commitment: It is essential that teachers are committed to their work and to the education of young people. The responsibility that lies in the hands of a teacher is huge, so a modern teacher must always be aware of this and be truly engaged in their profession. # 2 Preparation: There used be a time when the right temperament enabled you to become a teacher. Nowadays it’s nigh on impossible to find a teacher without formal academic training. This requirement is increasing as education levels improve in society. The better prepared you are as a teacher, the more effective you’ll be, so you should pursue you studies with this ethos in mind. # 3 Organization: Good organization and the planning of a course in advance are key factors for...
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...such as, divergent and convergent thinking, black hat, and devil’s advocate techniques. These processes have helped me to seek the solutions I need to come to a final solution to the renal billing problem. Generating Solutions and Alternative Solutions Introduction The main issue of my problem involves renal claims being filed incorrectly. Since there are a variety of claims that Solutions Healthcare files, it is imperative that the claims be filed correctly the first time. I have used a fishbone diagram to address this problem and it helped me address possible reasons as to why the renal claims are continuing to be filed incorrectly. I have noticed that the staff from Portland and Solutions Healthcare needs additional training on the processes used to bill these types of specialized claims. I am now aware that the inconsistencies with management, the lack of resources that are available, and the lack of organization within both facilities are reasons that have enhanced this problem. I have looked deeply at the results of the fishbone diagram and the five problem restatement techniques. With that being said, I have incorporated those results to help find an appropriate solution to this problem. When continuing through the decision making process, the findings will hopefully, give me the additional insight that I need to complete this process effectively and efficiently. Divergent Thinking Divergent thinking...
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...issues of those belonging to an environment or land different from their own. A person who is raised in India is going to have a different culture than someone raised in the United States. People from India find it difficult to adapt to the United States and vice versa. Divergent thinking and convergent are similar, but different. Divergent thinking starts off with imagining all possibilities, during which the analyzing of the problems comes from convergent thinking. In turn after analyzing the problems, it helps you select all possible solutions. Apparently, the divergent and convergent thinking processes are the yin and yang of creative problem solving. One is not better than the other. They are just more suitable for the job at hand. Both processes are important to the eventual outcome of any group brainstorming session. It’s important to understand the benefits of the processes. If you are able to understand, you will be able to recognize under what kind of thinking is actually taking place. You will also be able to make the decision as to which method of thinking would be most effecting to use. (Creativity: When east meets west, 2004) In a short time frame, a brainstorming group can use divergent thinking to generate new ideas. While doing...
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...The ability to create or discover something that is novel and has some value for the society is called creativity. For example, the discovery of penicillin is formulation of the concept of relativity, creation of television, Tagore's work Gitanjali and the link are acts of creativity. The definition of creativity stated that something that is created should be novel and of some value. Novel means the unusual nature of the thing that is created whether it is penicillin, the concept of relativity or Gitanjali. The emphasis is on the production of something new. Equally important is the value which means that products of creativity should be of some value to human beings. Creativity can bring forth new products and procedures, remedy conflict and even create opportunity where none exists. Thus, creativity is and always be the most valuable asset. In general, every person is creative to a certain extent. However, everyone does not have the same ability to come up with better ideas provided by a more economical use of time. It is fine to have the ability to count on our creative subconscious for an occasional idea or solution. But to develop spontaneous creativity, we need to do away with assumptions, boundaries and unspoken rules, which are taken for granted. Often, finding a creative solution to a problem requires a creative look at the definition of the problem in hand. Hence, we need to look and think of the problem in different ways and from different angles before we start...
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...constantly changing business environment. It is essential to handle this resource carefully and to act target oriented in order to gain a sustainable competitive advantage. Nevertheless, it is important not to lose focus on the core business and to keep the balance between exploitation and exploration. Therefore, it is important to apply creativity in the right way. This application should preserve the stable and working organization from being too chaotic. A general way to divide the various approaches is to cluster them into divergent and convergent techniques. Divergent techniques aim at generating a high number of ideas in order to have a wide range of possible solutions to choose from. In comparison, convergent techniques deal with a certain problem and search step-by-step for a single right solution.1 In the beginning of this paper I want to explain one divergent concept in detail and briefly introduce a few other techniques. Afterwards I will focus on a convergent solution and shortly explore some more approaches. Moreover, I will explore examples of problem solving techniques in reality. To complete the picture I will explain my personal view on creativity in the end. Divergence vs. Convergence The Techniques Divergence Brainstorming...
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...Divergent thinking is provoked by critical thinking. Critical thinking is the process of having an original thought or idea that has value. Divergent thinking is essential in the capacity for creativity. It is the ability to see lots of possible ways to give an answer to a problem, or interpret something. It’s looking at things laterally not linear. Multiple answer not one. Critical thinking is affected by divergent thinking, because a vast majority of people that were asked questions that called for facts to be recalled did not get involved in most class discussions or otherwise. People prefer ‘open ended” questions that require thinking that is not so generalized. This allows people to think on a level that is deeper than memory. Questions that are “close ended” like convergent thinking, also received a less effective responds. The workplace is not general the environment for divergent thinking. Work environments that are high-pressure naturally want only a few resources that are simple, and solutions that are depleted quickly. For example, if an employee states, “Can we research new ideas” is normally greeted with “We do it like this around here”. This is probably not a position that’s competitive, but used often in workplace scenarios’. References Gardiner, L. F. (1994). Redesigning higher education: Producing dramatic gains in student learning. Report No. 7. Washington, D.C.: Graduate School of Education and Human Development, the George Washington University. Resnick...
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...Assignment 2.1 Rodolfo Vargas University of the Potomac Business 202: Critical Thinking and Decision Making 7 February 2016 Professor Garetino Assignment 2.1 Part I 1.) Receptivity, immersion, seeing questions, utilization of errors, and detached devotion are necessary for creative insight because they allow one to open their mind, think deeply on the issue while at the same time taking a step back so what they see will stay fresh. This allows the person to find errors and question what they have found so eventually they can either solve the problem or find new ideas about the problem. 2.) Grace, accident, association, cognitive, and personality perspectives are consistent with each other because they are all some sort of action. With grace, creativity is something that occurs naturally to you, while creativity by accident is something you do by accident. Creativity by association happens because one connects two points together and cognitive creativity happens when one gains empirical knowledge on a subject and is able to form their own ideas from it through deep thought. Creativity through personality is something that can be learned through practice. 3.) Cognitive creativity is a process when one thinks of ideas or solves problems through their deep thought of a subject. The index metaphor takes this approach deeper by using “creative problem-solving aids to help ideas emerge” (Greenberg 2013). The creative problem-solving aid that is referred is...
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...Critical Thinking and Ethics Tasia Sims GEN/201 August 1, 2015 Diane Vickers Critical Thinking and Ethics What is Critical thinking and Ethics? Critical Thinking is clear reasonable thinking and it is a part of everyday life and living. It’s a skill that will never go out of style. It frees us from nonsense and self-deception. Being a critical thinker can go beyond such self-justifying statements. Acquiring the ability is a major goal you should have. It informs reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Within having the critical thinking ability or skill you should know there are six levels of thinking: Remembering, Understanding, Applying, Analyzing, Evaluating, and Creating, which are always useful. These levels will bring you to know the two types of thinking. Convergent and Divergent. Convergent involves narrowing down the process. Divergent is the opening up process. Ethics, the branch of philosophy that involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong conduct in an area of study that’s deals with and is based on ideas about what is good and bad behavior, or what is right and what is wrong. There are three major areas of study within ethics you should know. Meta-ethics, Normative ethics, and Applied ethics. Meta-ethics concerns the meaning and reference of moral propositions. Normative ethics concerns practical means to determine a better course of action. Applied ethics concerns what a person is obligated to do in a situation. When...
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...significant new value for customers and the corporation” (Kotelnikov: 2001). It is a holistic approach consisting of an organized set of practices that motivate imaginative teams to think outside the box and challenge the tyranny of the given (Kao: 1997 in Bonn: 2001). Innovation becomes strategic when it has become a deliberate repeatable process that creates a significant difference in the value delivered to consumers, customers, partners and the corporation. It is also the juncture where an organization can be said to have it as a competitive advantage (Thompson, Strickland& Gamble: 2008). Strategic innovation therefore challenges the organization to break its established business boundaries and mental blocks and to be divergent in its thinking rather than being convergent (Erupting Mind: 2010). As far as Professor Stephen Brown of Ulster University is concerned, marketers place excessive emphasis on researching and customer satisfaction at the expense of development of strategic innovation. The argument holds some merits. First, being strategically innovative will make it possible for marketers to achieve a capability that can be reproduced in better tools assemblage, processing and idea generation than competitors. Second, building capability in strategic innovation will enable the organization to achieve differentiation and hence be able to increase its margins as margins fall when firms become more alike. This is a positive impact on the bottom line. Third, differentiation will...
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