Class Notes on Creative Thinking Skills
Producing and Considering Many Alternatives
How to Have a Good Idea
An ability to generate many and varied ideas and possiblities moves our thinking beyond the first idea. In fact, it’s a great idea to get well beyond the first idea when looking for a new idea. The best way to get a great idea is to have a lot of ideas. It is in having multiple alternatives from which to draw on that we are best able to get to the best solution.
To simplify, having a lot of options expands opportunities and possibility. In order to generate a lot of ideas, its it imperative to defer judgment and evaluation. Perhaps the most popular idea generating tool is brainstorming, especially because the last third of ideas is where the really great ideas emerge.
Another powerful tool for idea generation is the additive exercise, “yes, and.” I am always amazed at where a group ideation exercise ends up because what starts as one thought, for example, “a bouquet,” could quickly and easily transform and become something special for mom. A random bouquet is completely different than a bouquet that I (albeit imaginarily) craft in collaboration with my colleagues for mothers. Wow. This points to the absolute beauty of thinking creatively: that we come to a place that could not have been otherwise considered. The imagination is a cool thing. Yep, creativity IS human superpower.
Natural Stimulants for Thinking
When it comes to inspiration for ideas, nature is, well duh, a natural resource. No pun intended. Seriously, though, nature solves a lot of problems and is an expansive resource for thinking, not only to stimulate new random ideas, but also to help us apply its problem solving processes to manmade problems. Biomimicry is the use of nature in problem solving. In class, students used a variey of random objects from their surroundings to recreate un homme naturel. Quite adorable, right?!
What else emerged from this lesson? That through calm and playful collaboration, things go smoothly and someting completely new can be discovered. That teamwork, listening, failing, trying and trying again is the process for crafting something novel and useful. In this instance, the novel part is obvious. Who makes human forms out of nature’s debris after all?
Less obvious perhaps, though equally relevant especially when the thinking becomes deliberate, l’homme naturel emerges as a medium for learning, thinking, reflecting and becoming a critical thinker, the skill we all need in the 21st century.
Organized thinking is key for complex problem solving. Just like it is impossible to drive and hit the break at the same time, but both actions are required to drive a car, organized thinking separates when to go for a lot of ideas and when to focus on what stands out and evaluate before moving forward, as an example.
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WoC Students use a variety of resources to make l’homme naturel
Getting to the best ideas through brainstorming
Sentence starters for idea generation and divergent thinking.
Tanya Knudsen teaching creatively for Creativity.
Tanya Knudsen is a creative consultant,
educator, polyglot and PhD candidate for creative leadership. Her quest is to ignite creative thinking, our super power and highest order thinking skill to maximize creative potential for everyone. This blogpost series is from Creativity Through English, a course Tanya teaches at Wings of Change in Nosy Be, Madagascar.
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