Unit One: Critical and Creative Thinking

Interdisciplinary Studies for Autonomous Students

IDC4U

Compiled by Mrs. D. Wittmann

Critical Thinking (IQ)

“Me Critical” = Analyzes facts. Makes comparisons.

Evaluates arguments. Draws conclusions.• Advanced vocabulary

• Good memory

• Learns quickly and easily

• Large fund of information

• Generalizes skillfully

• Comprehends new ideas readily

• Receives similarities, differences, relationships

• Makes judgments and decisions

Creative Thinking (CQ)

“Me Creative” = generative thinking• Questions: Curious about many topics

• Has many ideas

• Offers unique and unusual ideas

• Adds details; elaborates

• Transforms or combines ideas

• Sees implications or consequences easily

• Risk-taker; speculates

• Feels free to disagree

• Finds subtle humour, paradox, or discrepancies

“possibilities and alternatives thinking”

Autonomous (Task Commitment)

• Sets own goals, standards• Intense in involvement in preferred problems and tasks• Enthusiastic about interests and activities• Needs little external motivation• Refers to concentrate on own interests/projects• High level of energy• Perseveres• Completes, shares products• Eager for new projects/challenges• Assumes responsibility

What Is Thinking?

Mental activity that helps to formulate or

solve a problem, to make a decision or to

seek understanding.

Involves critical and creative aspects of the

mind, both the use of reason and the

generation of ideas.

Higher Level Thinking: Bloom’s Taxonomy

To Increase Thinking

Knowledge - refers to the memory of facts and informationList, match, write, tell, recite, memorize, find, identify, label, choose, pick

Comprehension - is the ability to explain, interpret, andextrapolate ideas, concepts and informationExplain, summarize, interpret, estimate, paraphrase, conclude,prepare, demonstrate

Application - is the ability to apply understanding to newsituations and solve problemsApply, experiment, organize, construct, solve, put together,model, select, put to use interview

Analysis – is the ability to break down facts, ideas, andconcepts into parts, to examine relationships among parts,to compare and contrast, and to create categoriesOutline, compare and contrast, divide, classify, categorize,analyze, inspect, simplify, survey

Synthesis – is to create a new whole, see a new pattern ofrelationships, develop a new and unusual approachCreate, form, compose, produce, rearrange, predict,hypothesize, imagine, invent, develop

Evaluation – is to establish criteria and make judgmentsand decisionsRank, judge, evaluate, decide, critique, assess, grade,recommend, defend, conclude, determine

Six Thinking Hats

Six Thinking Hats® is a simple, effective parallel thinking process that helps people be more productive, focused, and mindfully involved.

Once learned, the tools can be applied immediately.

You and your team members can learn how to separate thinking into six clear functions and roles. Each thinking role is identified with a colored symbolic "thinking hat." By mentally wearing and switching "hats," you can easily focus or redirect thoughts, the conversation, or the meeting.

Parallel Thinking (originated by Edward DeBono)

The Six Thinking Hats

White Hat Thinking White Hat thinking focuses on data, facts, information known or needed.

Black Hat Thinking Black Hat thinking focuses on difficulties, potential problems. Why something may not work.

Red Hat Thinking Red Hat thinking focuses on feelings, hunches, gut instinct, and intuition.

Green Hat Thinking Green Hat thinking focuses on creativity: possibilities, alternatives, solutions, new ideas.

Yellow Hat Thinking Yellow Hat thinking focuses on values and benefits. Why something may work.

Blue Hat Thinking Blue Hat thinking focuses on manage the thinking process, focus, next steps, action plans.

Used to simplify thinking by allowing a

thinker to deal with one thing at a time – to

allow a switch of thinking – put on your

“thinking cap”

Single Use: the hats are used as symbols

to request a particular type of thinking

Sequence Use: the hats can be used in a certain sequence

• Any hat can be used as often as you like

• There is no need to use every hat

• The sequence can be made up of two, three, four, or more hats

• Typically – begin and end with the BLUE hat

Making Connections

Can you make connections between the six hats and Bloom’s taxonomy?

i.e. White hat and Bloom’s Knowledge

Part One:

Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is the process of evaluating

propositions or hypotheses and making

judgments about them on the basis of well-

supported evidence.

Three Elements to Developing Critical Thinking Skills

1. A Curious and Open Mind

“Millions saw the apple fall, but Newton was the one who asked why.” Bernard Baruch

For every challenge undertaken, whether a win or a loss, asuccess or a failure; invaluable experience is gained.

“Life was meant to be lived. Curiosity must be kept alive.One must never, for whatever reason turn his back on life.” Eleanor Roosevelt

2. Thinking through Issues

First, facts and data are gathered. Then,assumptions and risks are considered. Finally,an informed decision is made and appropriateaction is taken to achieve a goal. Thissystematically process is known as a stream oflogic. The more critical the challenge, the morethinking is required.

"It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves."Sir Edmund Hillary

3. Analyze Issues from Multiple View Points

Almost all issues can be looked at several ways.Different perspectives (also known as view points)help provide better solutions to issues. Commonquestions to ask yourself:• Are there other perspectives that I can view this from?• What are these other view points?• How can I use these perspectives to resolve this

challenge?• Do I understand the cause and effect of decisions made,

or actions taken?

The Seven Decision Making Steps

Step 1: Gather the Facts and Data

Step 2: Make your assumptions

Step 3: Identify your Options

Step 4: Use logic and common sense

Step 5: Incorporate your feelings

Step 6: Make your decision

Step 7: Modify or change your decision if needed

The Eight Problem Solving Steps

These 8 Problem Solving Steps are for

doing projects and achieving objectives:

Part I: Define your project or objective

Part II: Structure your problem solving

steps, then do it

Step 1: Use your past knowledge

Step 2: Visualize your desired results

Step 3: Frame your project or objective

Step 4: Collect the facts and data

Step 5: Determine your available options

Step 6: Pick a solution and implement

Step 7: Modify or change if required

Step 8: Review your lessons learned

Einstein is quoted as having said that if he had one hour tosave the world he would spend fifty-five minutes definingthe problem and only five minutes finding the solution.

This quote does illustrate an important point: beforejumping right into solving a problem, we should step backand invest time and effort to improve our understanding ofit.

What is the most important step in problem solving? Clearlydefining the problem in the first place!

Part Two:

Creative Thinking

Creative Thinking• Creative thinking is the process which we use when we

come up with a new idea

• Creative process can be accidental or deliberate

• Without using special techniques creative thinking still does occur

• Using special techniques deliberate creative thinking can be used to develop new ideas

Wallace Stevens wrote a poem called “Thirteen ways of looking at a blackbird” in which he wrote thirteen verses, all describing a blackbird from different angles.

Thinking Tools

Creative thinking tools

can help to 'release'

latent creativity we all have

Enhancing Critical and Creative Thought: CoRT

• CoRT stands for Cognitive Research Trust which was established in 1970 in Cambridge, UK. by Edward de Bono

• CoRT can also be regarded as being short for cortex where all thinking takes place in the brain.

The CoRT programme is divided into six parts of ten lessons each

CoRT 1 - Breadth

CoRT 2 - Organisation

CoRT 3 - Interaction

CoRT 4 - Creativity

CoRT 5 - Information & Feeling

CoRT 6 - Action

William’s Taxonomy

To Develop Creative and Divergent Thinking

Williams’ Taxonomy has eight levels, also

arranged in a hierarchy, with certain types

of student behavior associated with each

level:

• Fluency: generating a great many ideas, related answers or choices.

• Flexibility: changing everyday objects to generate a variety of categories, by taking detours and varying sizes, shapes, quantities, time limits, requirements, objectives or dimensions.

• Originality: seeking new ideas by suggesting unusual twists to change content or coming up with clever responses.

• Elaboration: expanding, enlarging, enriching or embellishing possibilities that build on previous thoughts or ideas.

• Risk Taking: dealing with the unknown by taking chances, experimenting with new ideas or trying new challenges.

• Complexity: creating structure in an unstructured setting

or building a logical order in a given situation.

• Curiosity: following a hunch, questioning alternatives, pondering outcomes and wondering about options.

• Imagination: visualizing possibilities, building images in the mind, picturing new objects, reaching beyond the limits of the practical

Techniquesto Enhance Creativity

SCAMPER (defined by Robert Eberle)

SCAMPER is an acronym for useful list of

words that can be applied as stimuli to make

you think differently about the problem area

• Substitute – person? place? thing?

• Combine – what? combine purposes? ideas?

• Adapt – reshape? tune-up? tone down?

• Modify – magnify? minimize?

• Put to other uses – new use?

• Eliminate – remove? omit? simplify?

• Rearrange – change order? reverse? plan? scheme?

Example: I want to invent a new type of pen

• Substitute - ink with iron, nib with knife• Combine - writing with cutting, holding with

opening• Adapt - pen top as container• Modify - body to be flexible• Put to other uses - use to write on wood• Eliminate - clip by using velcro• Rearrange - nib to fold outwards

Ideabox

Leonardo DaVinci’s grotesque heads and famous caricatures are an example of the random variations of the human face made up of different combinations of a set number of features.  He would first list facial characteristics (heads, eyes, nose, etc.) and then beneath each list variations.  Next he would mix and match the different variations to create original and grotesque caricatures. 

Example

Brainstorming (originated by Alex Osborn)

Suggest that the creative process involves two

steps:

1. Idea generation

2. Idea evaluation

Four basic principles of brainstorming:

1. Criticism is ruled out

2. Free-wheeling is welcome

3. Quantity is wanted

4. Combination and improvement are sought

• Brainstorming works best when everyone comes together to share ideas AFTER they have had time to work independently.

• Each member then brings their ideas to the group to shape and build upon ideas.

Divergent Thinking

Many possibilities developing from one startingpoint (curiosity, inventiveness, activity)

• Defer Judgment• Look for lots of ideas• Accept all ideas• Make yourself stretch for ideas• Take time to let ideas simmer• Seek combinations – be a hitchhiker

Convergent Thinking

Many thoughts or varieties converging on asingle answer (knowledge, decision, evaluation)

• Be deliberate• Be explicit• Avoid premature closure• Look for sneaky spots• Develop affirmative judgment• Do not lose sight of your goals

Synectics (developed by William Gordon)

• SYN – bring together

• ECTICS – diverse elementsPrinciple that by connecting seemingly irrelevant elements

of thought, synectics can spark new ideas that may de

developed into feasible solutions to problems.

“Making the familiar strange and making the

strange familiar”

Socratic Method

• Pose debatable, open-ended, provocative questions

• Socratic questioning seeks to get the other person to answer their own questions by making them think and drawing out the answer from them.

Creative Think (created by Roger von Oech)

• The Explorer is your role for discovering the resources you will use to create new ideas

• The Artist is your role for transforming your resources into new ideas

• The Judge is your role for evaluating an idea and deciding what to do with it

• The Warrior is your role for implementing your idea

History

Looking back at the beginnings

of the creative thought

process

The Creative Process:Stages of Creative Thought

Graham Wallas, in his work Art of Thought,

published in 1926, presented one of the first

models of the creative process. In the

Wallas stage model, creative insights and

illuminations may be explained by a process

consisting of 5 stages:

(i) preparation (preparatory work on a problemthat focuses the individual's mind on the problemand explores the problem's dimensions),(ii) incubation (where the problem is internalizedinto the unconscious mind and nothing appearsexternally to be happening),(iii) intimation (the creative person gets a 'feeling‘that a solution is on its way),(iv) illumination or insight (where the creative idea burstsforth from its preconscious processing into consciousawareness); and(v) verification (where the idea is consciously verified,elaborated, and then applied).

Joseph Rossman and the seven-step model (1931)

1. Observation of a need or difficulty

2. Analysis of the need

3. A survey of all available information

4. A formulation of all objective solutions

5. A critical analysis of these solutions for their advantages and disadvantages

6. The birth of the new idea - the invention

7. Experimentation to test out the most promising solution, and the selection and perfection of the final embodiment by some or all of the previous steps.

Osborn's Seven-Step Model for Creative Thinking (1953)

“The most direct way to develop creativity is by practicing creativity…by actually thinking up solutions to specific problems.” –Alex F. Osborn

•Orientation: pointing up the problem •Preparation: gathering pertinent data •Analysis: breaking down the relevant material •Ideation: piling up alternatives by way of ideas •Incubation: letting up, to invite illumination •Synthesis: putting the pieces together •Evaluation: judging the resulting ideas

Creative Problem Solving: CPS (developed by Osborn-Parnes 1953/1979 and later refined by colleagues)

Six Stages of problem-solving:

1. Objective Finding (Mess-finding): What is the goal, wish, or challenge upon which you want to work?

2. Fact Finding: What is the situation or background? What are all the facts, questions, data, and feelings that are involved?

3. Problem Finding: What is the problem that really needs to be focused on? What is the concern that really needs to be addressed?

4. Idea Finding: What are the possible solutions for how to solve the problem?

5. Solution Finding: How can you strengthen the solution? How can you select the solutions to know which one will work the best?

6. Acceptance Finding: What are all the action steps that need to take place in order to implement your solution?