Notes Unit 2 Creative Thinking vs Critical Thinking PDF

UNIT 2 CREATIVE THINKING Thinking...is any mental activity that helps formulate or solve a problem, make a decision, or fulfil a desire to understand; it is a searching for answers, a reaching for meaning (Ruggiero, 1998). The terms creativity and creative think...

UNIT 2 CREATIVE THINKING Thinking...is any mental activity that helps formulate or solve a problem, make a decision, or fulfil a desire to understand; it is a searching for answers, a reaching for meaning (Ruggiero, 1998). The terms creativity and creative thinking are often used interchangeably in the literature. They are interconnected in the sense that creative thinking is a process that contributes to, or assists in fostering creativity. Creative thinking is often associated with tools and techniques such as brainstorming, problem solving and 'lateral thinking' which will be discussed in later units. Creative thinking skills involve such approaches as: - Engaging in reflection. (See unit, ‘Reflective learning/keeping a reflective learning journal’). - Looking for many possible answers rather than one. - Allowing yourself to make wild and crazy suggestions as well as those that seem sensible. - Not judging ideas early in the process - treat all ideas as if they may contain the seeds of something potentially useful. - Allowing yourself to doodle, daydream or play with a theory or suggestion. - Being aware that these approaches necessarily involve making lots of suggestions that are unworkable and may sound silly. - Making mistakes. - Learning from what has not worked as well as what did. There is no limit to ways there are of thinking creatively. Some techniques you can begin with are: Brainstorm ideas on one topic onto a large piece of paper: don't edit these. Just write them down as soon as they come into your head. Allow yourself to play with an idea while you go for a walk or engage in other activities Draw or paint a theory on paper. Ask the same question at least twenty times and give a different answer each time.  Combine some of the features of two different objects or ideas to see if you can create several more. Change your routine. Do things a different way. Walk a different route to college. Let your mind be influenced by new stimuli such as music you do not usually listen to. Be open to ideas when they are still new: look for ways of making things work and pushing the idea to its limits. Cultivate creative serendipity. Ask questions such as 'what if….?' Or 'supposing….?'. Keep an ideas book. Inspiration can strike at any time! Ideas can also slip away very easily. If you keep a small notebook to hand you can jot down your ideas straight away and return to them later. Alternatively, you could use the voice recorder on your mobile phone, or send yourself a text message! For example, you may think of a really good idea for an assignment/project while you are listening to a lecture. You should record it as soon as you can after the lecture: otherwise, you could forget it entirely. Creative Thinking VS Critical Thinking While there is no agreed upon definition for these two types of thinking, a comprehensive body of literature confirms that creative and critical thinking are not identical. They involve, more or less, different cognitive processes and have different strategies. Critical thinking (also known as convergent thinking) was subsequently defined by the Delphi Report of Critical Thinking (Facione, 1990) as a purposeful, self-regulatory judgment, a human cognitive process, involving the use of a core set of cognitive skills - interpretation, analysis, evaluation, interference, explanation, and self-regulation - to make judgments. Critical thinking is the use of those cognitive skills or strategies that increase the probability of a desirable outcome. It is used to describe thinking that is purposeful, reasoned and goal directed (Halpern, 1997, p.4). Critical thinking is a capacity to work with complex ideas whereby a person can make effective provision of evidence to justify a reasonable judgement...critical thinking can be seen as a form of learning, in that new knowledge, in the form of the judgement, is formed in the process (Moon, 2008, p.126). Critical thinking enables us to recognise a wide range of subjective analyses of otherwise objective data, and to evaluate how well each analysis might meet our needs. Facts may be facts, but how we interpret them may vary. Main characteristics of critical thinking Critical thinking includes a complex combination of skills. The standards of critical thinking are: accuracy, precision, relevance, depth, breadth, logic, significance and fairness. Critical thinkers display the following characteristics: - They are by nature skeptical. They approach texts with the same skepticism and suspicion as they approach spoken remarks. - They are active, not passive. They ask questions and analyse. They consciously apply tactics and strategies to uncover meaning or assure their understanding. - They do not take an egotistical view of the world. They are open to new ideas and perspectives. They are willing to challenge their beliefs and investigate competing evidence. By contrast, passive, non-critical thinkers take a simplistic view of the world. - They see things in black and white, as either-or, rather than recognising a variety ofpossible understandings. - They see questions as yes-or-no with no subtleties. - They fail to see linkages and complexities. - They fail to recognise related elements. Non-critical thinkers take an egotistical view of the world. - They take their facts as the only relevant ones. - They take their own perspectives as the only sensible ones. - They take their goals as the only valid ones. Some critical thinking strategies 1. Reflection - engage in the reflective process. 2. Rationality - rely on reason rather than emotion, - require evidence, ignore no known evidence, and follow evidence where it leads, - be concerned more with finding the best explanation than being right, and - analyse apparent confusion and ask questions. 3. Self-awareness - weigh the influences of motives and bias, and - recognise your own assumptions, prejudices, biases, or point of view. 4. Honesty - to think critically we must recognise emotional impulses, selfish motives, disreputable purposes, or other modes of self-deception. 5. Open-mindedness - evaluate all reasonable inferences, - consider a variety of possible viewpoints or perspectives, - remain open to alternative interpretations, - accept a new explanation, model, or paradigm because it explains the evidence better, is simpler, or has fewer inconsistencies or covers more data, - accept new priorities in response to a reevaluation of the evidence or reassessment of our real interests, and - do not reject unpopular views out of hand. 6. Discipline - be precise, meticulous, comprehensive, and exhaustive, - engage in active listening and reading practices - resist manipulation and irrational appeals, and - avoid snap judgments. 7. Judgment - recognise the relevance and/or merit of alternative assumptions and perspectives, - recognise the extent and weight of evidence. Creative thinking is Divergent thinking by contrast, is the ability to generate new, varied and unique ideas (Forrester, 2008). It involves the skills of flexibility, originality, fluency, elaboration, brainstorming, modification, imagery, associative thinking, attribute listing, metaphorical thinking, with the aim being to stimulate curiosity and promote divergence (Source: Teacher Tap online, 2007). Creative thinking is divergent, critical thinking is convergent; whereas creative thinking tries to create something new, critical thinking seeks to assess worth or validity in something that exists; whereas creative thinking is carried on by violating accepted principles, critical thinking is carried on by applying accepted principles. Although creative and critical thinking may very well be different sides of the same coin they are not identical. Creativity...involves departing from the facts, finding new ways, making unusual associations, or seeing unexpected solutions Creative thinking embodies a relaxed, open, playful approach and is less ordered, structured and predictable than critical thinking. Therefore it also requires some risk- taking as there is a chance that you will make ‘mistakes’ or not come up with an answer at all. You need to be prepared to cope with the resultant risk, confusion and disorder. If you are generally ordered and organised this may take some getting used to. Creative thinking skills are as much about attitude and self-confidence as about talent. Creativity not critical thinking leads to innovation. While creativity is typically used to refer to the act of producing new ideas, approaches or actions, innovation is thought to be the process of generating and applying such creative ideas within a specific context. Creativity can thus be conceptualised as the "starting point for innovation" and innovation the successful implementation of creative ideas. Innovation is the successful exploitation of new ideas...it is not just the invention of a new idea that we are interested in, but that this idea is actually "brought to market", used, put into practice, exploited in some way, maybe leading to new products, processes, systems, attitudes or services that improve something or add value Creative Thinkers  Consider rejecting standardized formats for problem solving.  Have an interest in a wide range of related and divergent fields.  Take multiple perspectives on a problem.  Use trial-and-error methods in their experimentation.  Have a future orientation.  Have self-confidence and trust in their own judgment. Critical Thinking Involves  Recognizing underlying assumptions.  Scrutinizing arguments.  Judging ideas.  Judging the rationality of these justifications by comparing them to a range of varying interpretations and prospective.  Providing positive as well as negative appraisal. Critical thinking Creative thinking Analytic Generative Convergent Divergent Vertical Lateral Probability Possibility Judgement Suspended judgement Hypothesis testing Hypothesis forming Objective Subjective Answer An answer Closed Open-ended Linear Associative Reasoning Speculating Logic Intuition Yes but Yes and  COMBINING CREATIVE AND CRITICAL THINKING Both creative thinking and critical thinking skills are valuable and neither is superior. In fact, it has been shown that when either is Omitted during the problem solving process, effectiveness declines. For example you could focus on a subject in a logical, analytical way for some time, sorting out conflicting claims, weighing evidence, thinking through possible solutions. Then, while daydreaming, or distracting the mind, but still holding the same problem lightly ‘at the back of the mind’, you may have a burst of creative energy and arrive at an ‘Aha’ moment – even though you were not trying so hard to find the answer. However, the daydream on its own did not achieve anything. So, while it is possible to differentiate creative thinking from other forms of thinking, more recently there has been a move to combine the teaching of these skills in order to develop students who are flexible thinkers, in an economy where people are expected to be both skilled and adaptable to the workplace. The critical and creative functions of the mind are viewed as inseparable as: Creativity masters a process of making or producing, critically a process of assessing or judging. The very definition of the word "creative" implies a critical component...When engaged in high quality thought, the mind must simultaneously produce and assess, both generate and judge the products it fabricates. In short, sound thinking requires both imagination and intellectual standards. Many great breakthroughs and discoveries in art, science and innovation have resulted from combining creative and critical thinking skills. Approaches differ considerably between the skills used in creative thinking and those used in critical thinking. By applying creative and critical thinking approaches to your subject area you will enrich and deepen your learning experiences. Furthermore, creative and critical thinking skills can benefit many other areas of your life from problem solution to decision making.  WHOLE BRAIN MODEL Cerebral System Analytical, mathematical, Imaginative, synthesising, technical problem artistic, holistic, solving conceptual Controlled, Interpersonal, conservative, emotional, planned, organised, musical, administrative spiritual Limbic System Prof. Tony Proctor 2 Prof. Tony Proctor 3