Class Notes on Creative Thinking Skills

Looking At Things Another Way
Creative Thinking Skill

Perspective matters. Seeing things from multiple points of view stimulates thinking in terms of possiblity, bringing new insights, depth, and with all that pooled, options from which solutions can be developed. 

Perspective taking also helps with building empathy. When we can step into others’ shoes, we sense what else could be happing in a situation beyond our own exprience.

Simple tricks like rearranging a classroom, sitting under the class table or making living pictures bring a resonance in concept learning that easily builds visual literacy and deeper understanding.

Pizza perspective is a great tool for developing different points of view along with developing empathy. In working with students, I learned an imaginary grandma convention would require fluffy pillows and bingo. Who knew? Well, the team that developed thinking for that group, of course!

Unless its 1+1 or sequential, most problmes in life are complex and multiple answers are possible. Taking perspective means considering what might be all the questions, what might be all the answers or both.

At their conventions, business leaders probably don’t want the same things as grandmas…and that’s important to know! Knowing the wants and needs of clients is key in delivering customized services.

Each Creative Thinking Skill has a distinct purpose. Specific tools and language for each skill are important for guiding thinking in a particular way.

WoC students experiment with different ways to make a circle

Pizza perspective for ieational fluency.

To practice looking at things another way,
try these sentence starters:

“Let’s take another perspective.”
“Let’s change perspective for a minute.”
”Let’s look at it another way.”
”How might (insert person) see that?”

Tanya teaches Creativity Through English at Wings of Change, a vocational hospitality school and hotel via Zoom in Nosy Be, Madagascar. These pictures are taken directly from class and display how Creative Thinking Skills are easily taught along side the subject, English, for developing two 21st century skillsets, English, and a competency for critical thinking.