Creative Thinking
When thinking creatively, you generate an original idea. Brand, spankin’ new.
Creative thinking can be viewed in terms of synthetic thinking where separate ideas are stitched together to form something of your own creation.
You ask a new question or take a novel approach to solving a problem.
Once that question has been answered or the approach decided, you put on your critical thinking cap and evaluate the quality and merit of your creativity. If that quality or merit is lacking, go back to the drawing board.
Example:
Creative Thinking
What happens if I combine a bunch of different ingredients of varying
proportions? I get a cake!
Critical Thinking
The cake is not tasty. I need to return to the drawing board and change up my
ingredients and their proportions.
How to think Creatively
- Try generating as many ideas as you can. Don’t concern yourself with an idea being “silly”
- You can get rid of “silly” ideas when you evaluate them for merit
- It’s okay to take risks with creative thinking!
- Being concerned with “silly” ideas can stifle creativity, keeping you from thinking outside the box or taking a different approach to answering a question or solving a problem
- Get moving! Research shows that movement helps in the creation of new ideas
- Write. It. Down
- Ideas can appear suddenly and unexpectedly. Then can leave suddenly and unexpectedly
- Take breaks. The solutions and/or ideas we’re looking for will often present themselves when we distance ourselves from the problem
Questions to Ask:
- What would happen if __________?
- What’s a new approach to __________?
- How can this be done differently?
Cuseo, Joseph B, Aaron Thompson, Michele Campagna, Viki Sox Fecas. Thriving in College and Beyond: Research-Based Strategies for Academic Success and personal Development. Dubuque: Kendall Hunt Publishing Company, 2016.
Ellis, Dave. Becoming a Master Student. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006.