WELCOME

A Challenge• Please write a One Sentence Definition of CREATIVITY

Creativity

Sternberg & Ben-Zeev (2001): “Creativity is the ability to

produce work that is novel (original and unexpected),

high in quality, and appropriate (useful and meets the

task constraints of tasks).”

Sir Ken Robinson. “Creativity is the process of having

original idea that having value”.

Types of creativity

a) The “combinational” creativity that involves new combinations of familiar ideas.b) The “exploratory” creativity that involves the generation of new ideas by the exploration of structured concepts.c) The “transformational” creativity that involves the transformation of some dimension of the structure, so that new structures can be generated.

• There are six eggs in the basket. Six people each take one of the eggs. How can it be that one egg is left in the basket?

Creativity and Innovation

• “Creativity and innovation are normally complementary activities,

• Creativity generates the basis of innovation, • Which, in its development, raises difficulties that must be

solved once again, with creativity.• (European Commission 1998). “It is not possible to

conceive innovation without creative ideas, as these are the starting point.”

Identify Faces???

Objectives of Creativity

• To think beyond existing boundaries, • To awake curiosity, • To break away from rational, conventional ideas and

formalized procedures, • To rely on the imagination, the divergent, the random

and to consider multiple solutions and alternatives (Candy 1997, Schlange and Juttner 1997).

Word Patterns

Steps involved in creative thinking

1.Preparation (preparatory work on a problem that focuses the individual's mind on the problem and explores the problem's dimensions),

3.Intimation (the creative person gets a "feeling" that a solution is on its way), 2.Incubation (where the problem is internalized into the unconscious mind and nothing appears externally to be happening), 4.Illumination or insight (where the creative idea bursts forth from its preconscious processing into conscious awareness); and

5.Verification (where the idea is consciously verified, elaborated, and then applied).

Wallas’ description of creative thinking, suggests a model in five stages:

Read the following paragraph

• Read the following paragraph:• “Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabridge Uinvervtisy, it

deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the litteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a ttoal mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is besauae ocne we laren how to raed we bgien to aargnre the lteerts in our mnid to see waht we epxcet to see. The huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but preecsievs the wrod as a wlohe. We do tihs ucnsoniuscoly wuithot tuhoght.“

Conti…

• In our paragraph, your brain takes a bit of information (the first and last letters) and activates the “word” channel and you see and understand the word. This is why when we sit down and try to will new ideas or solutions, we tend to keep coming up with the same-old, same-old ideas. Information is flowing down the same ruts and grooves making the same-old connections producing the same old ideas over and over again.

Competencies essential for creative expression

• Creativity expert Robert Epstein, a visiting scholar at the University of California, San Diego, has identified four competencies essential for creative expression:

Capturing—preserving new ideas.

Challenging—giving ourselves tough problems to solve.

Broadening—boosting creativity by learning interesting new things.

Surrounding—associating with interesting and diverse things and people.

Characteristics of the Creative Person

• Curious • Seeks problems• Enjoys challenge• Optimistic • Able to suspend judgment • Imaginative • Sees problems as opportunities • Doesn't give up easily

Out of the box concept

• Link the 9 dots with 4 straight lines without ever taking the pen off the paper.

• Draw no more than 4 straight lines • without lifting your pencil from the paper • cross through every dot once

Solution for 9 dots

Conti…

Conti…

Conti…

Conti…

Conti…

MAN in coffee bean??

According to cognitive scientists:• If you can find the man’s head within 3 seconds, then

your right brain is more developed than normal people.• If you can find the man’s head within 1 minute, then

your right brain is developing normally.• If it takes you longer than 1 minute, then your left brain

is more developed than normal.• If you still can’t find it, then try looking in the lower part

of the picture, between the left side and the middle.• If you still can’t find it, then I suggest you make an

appointment with your optometrist.

• There are six eggs in the basket. Six people each take one of the eggs. How can it be that one egg is left in the basket?

• The last person took the basket with the last egg still inside!

How to boost your creativity

1. Commit Yourself to Developing Your Creativity

2. Become an Expert

3. Reward Your Curiosity

4. Realize that Creativity is Sometimes Its Own Reward

5. Be Willing to Take Risks

Conti…

6. Build Your Confidence

7. Make Time for Creativity

8. Overcome Negative Attitudes that Block Creativity

9. Fight Your Fear of Failure

10. Brainstorm to Inspire New Ideas

Conti…11. Realize That Most Problems Have Multiple Solutions

12. Keep a Creativity Journal

13. Create a Mind Map

14. Challenge Yourself

15. Look for Sources of Inspiration

Conti…16. Create Opportunities for Creativity

17. Consider Alternative Scenarios

18. Create a Flow Chart

19. Try the Snowball Technique

20. Try the "Six Hats" Technique

Tests of creativity

Consequences test (Guilford, 1954): Imagine all the things that might possibly happen if all national and local law were suddenly abolished.

Remote Associates Test (Mednick,1962): Find a fourth world that is associated with each of these three words

Dew - comb - bee - Dream - break - light -

Remote Associates Test (Mednick,1962): Find a fourth world that is associated with each of these three words

Dew - comb - bee - Honey Dream - break - light - Day

Unusual Uses Test (Guilford,1954): Name as many uses as you can think of for: - toothpick

1. Wood filler2. Touch up furniture and

woodwork3. Repair ornaments4. Fill small holes5. Sew buttons6. Mark tapeCleaning uses7. Clean brushes8. Clean cracks and gaps 9. Clean the phone10. Clean keyboards11. Wash your hands 12. Add sequins and jewels 13. Stir tiny paint cans14. Finish or fix projects

15. Make doll furniture16. Build a remote control yacht17. Make a sculpture18. Build a bridge19. Make a box20. Teach math 21. Plant an avocado22. Repair a bent stem23. Repair a garden hose leak 24. Test soil moisture25. Deter cutworms

• Word Association Test (Getzel and Jackson, 1962): Write as many meanings as you can for each of the following words: Alone:When alone, books give good company.Youth alone brings changes in society

Obstacles to creativity

Obstacles to creativity stem from • Perceptual• Cultural• Emotional blocks

Perceptual blocks

• Perceptual blocks prevent people from seeing what the real problem is.

• Difficulty is experienced in isolating the problem and distinguishing between cause and effect.

• Perceptual blocks cause people to miss the relationships between different aspects of the problem and potential solutions, and they fail to use all their senses in observing.

Cultural blocks• Cultural blocks occur when people are constrained

by traditions and beliefs.• The desire is to conform to the adopted pattern

and people are wary about being seen as either too inquisitive, or too accepting.

• Difficulties arise both from over-generalizing and from placing too much faith in statistics.

Emotional blocks• Emotional blocks occur when people are limited by

their insecurities.• Fear of making mistakes or looking foolish holds

people back. • We may feel pressured by time constraints and

grab the first idea that comes along in the desire to succeed quickly.

• Emotional blocks also can result in a lack of drive to see the problem through to completion and implementation of a solution.

• Rigid thinking and a distrust of colleagues can also hold people back.