Spider Web

Creative Techniques

Pedagogical Strategies:

Creative Thinking

  1. Brainstorm, Reverse BS: Top Ten Lists
  2. Simulations, Creativity License Cards, Six Hats
  3. Wet Inking, Freewriting, or Diaries
  4. Role Plays & Assigning Thinking Roles
  5. Forced Wrap Arounds
  6. Semantic Webbing or Mapping
  7. Idea-Spurring Questions, Think Sheets
  8. Metaphors, What Ifs, Analogies
  9. Checkerboarding, Attribute Listing
  10. Exploration and Web Link Suggestions

Activities—Creativity Tasks

  1. Metaphorical Thinking
  2. New Perspectives
  3. Webbing
  4. Just Suppose
  5. Creativity Awareness
  6. Creative Dramatics
  7. Creative Writing and Story Telling
  8. Wet Ink or Freewriting
  9. Brainstorming
  10. Reverse Brainstorming

For example:

  1. Attribute Listing, Modification, and Transformation (Davis pp. 178-186)
  2. Attribute Webbing/Listing: "XYZ" shapes, colors, sizes, purpose, numbering
  3. Attribute Modification: "XYZ"--after listing attributes, think of ways to improve each
  4. Alternative Uses: Uses for "XYZ" for this class or for teaching in general (find the second best or third best suggestion)
  5. Attribute Transferring: "XYZ"--transfer ideas from one context to the next (with idea spurring questions--p. 80; Davis 184-186) (What else is this like? What have others done? What else is this like? What could we copy? What has worked before? What can we borrow from a carnival, funeral parlor, track meet, wild west?)
  6. Idea Spurring Questions: how MAXimize, MAGnify, arrangeRE, combine-adapt, subtutesti,EEEXXXAAGGGGGEEERRRAAATTTEEE, add new twist, modifie, ChAnGe

Rearrange facts/what if (Pick one and write for a minute):

  1. What-if no one studied creativity and we had no understanding of creative processes?
  2. What-if no one assessed creativity? There were no cr measures or researchers?
  3. Just suppose you were in charge of curriculum? How would you address cr?
  4. What if we had standardized creativity or coop. learning tests in Indiana?
  5. What-if creative thinking was more prevalent in dogs than human beings?
  6. If people didn't need to sleep, would we be more creative in morning or at night?
  7. Suppose the Japanese were well known for creativity and creativity assessment?
  8. What-if more creative people lived 20 years longer than non less creative?
  9. What-if in 20 years, creativity became equated with intelligence?
  10. What would teaching creative thinking be like if we lived life in reverse...???
  11. Just suppose Indiana assessed the level of dept. thoughtfulness? Would tchg be different? Which items would you like on your teacher report card?
  12. Just suppose teachers were asked to assess the level of student thinking? Select questions that could be added to a student report card. What would teaching be like? What would learning be like?
    13. Flexibility/Breaking Set Activity a. New Perspectives, Metaphoric Thkg, Analogies, Synectics, Breaking Set, Imagery, Aesthetics,Finding New Patterns, Juxtaposing Ideas, Seeing Functional Fixity, etc... (See: Word games; Which one is different; Nine dots; Flying Pig; Davis pp. 125 & 133); Synectics: Direct, Personal, and Fantasy Analogies; Concealed colors, sentences/words; 13 original colonies

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