Consider your experiences with thinking creatively. In particular, using a personal experience as an example, discuss whether and to what extent one of the strategies in this section for thinking creatively has been or would have been helpful.
Share your thoughts on the discussion forum. Make sure to review and respond to other students' posts, as well.
Through this collaborative approach, I have witnessed firsthand how the synergy of multiple minds working together can lead to greater creativity and innovation. By harnessing the collective intelligence and creativity of the group, we are able to explore a broader range of ideas, overcome creative blocks, and ultimately produce work of higher quality. This collaborative process not only fosters creativity but also promotes mutual learning and growth, as individuals contribute their unique perspectives and learn from one another's experiences. Overall, group creativity has been instrumental in enhancing the quality and creativity of my work and has become an integral part of my creative process.
As a special needs mother, I’ve often found myself navigating unique challenges that problem-solving. One that has been particularly in fostering my creativity is ergent thinking, which encourages generating multiple solutions to a single problem than settling on the first idea that comes to mind.
For instance, when my child faced difficulties in communication, I initially considered traditional speech therapy. However, recognizing that my child had different needs and learning styles, I decided to explore various alternatives. This led me to think outside the box: I incorporated art therapy and even technology-based communication tools into our routine. Each of these methods opened doors to new ways for my child to express themselves, allowing for a richer connection between us.
Through this experience, I learned that divergent thinking not only helps in identifying multiple pathways to a solution but also fosters resilience and flexibility. It reminds me that challenges can often be met with a variety of strategies, helping both my child and me feel empowered rather than constrained by a single approach.
Greta posts
Hello Salvatore,
Your post is very interesting. It reminds me of this unit’s reading which said that the more you know, the more creative you tend to be, because you have more understanding with which to work. You sound very passionate about your work!
I have personally experienced that the more I know, the more creative I tend to be. When we know and understand more, we have more information from which to draw ideas and solutions. Rather than learning from the long route of trial-and-error, when we have more knowledge we can often eliminate unfruitful steps that waste time, energy, and even money. Instead, we are able to draw upon our rich knowledge and reproduce solutions that have been proven to work. Increased knowledge can also help us make wiser choices when determining solutions to try when tackling a problem that we have never before encountered.
I work in education at an elementary school which has an open-concept floor plan. Grades are arranged in “pods,” with each pod containing three classes of the same grade level. Division between the classes in each pod was done using bookshelves, cabinets, and other furniture to designate the boundaries of each class.
One year I was in a classroom that was very disruptive, noisy, and contentious. I had been taking classes in Special Education, and had recently completed a unit on the effects of the classroom arrangement on students’ behavior and performance. I drew on what I had learned in the unit, and got to work developing some new floor plans for my class which would allow students greater accessibility to materials, create more free space between students’ desks, and have a better flow for movement throughout the class.
Once I decided on the best new floor plan, I set about re-arranging the room. The new set-up was a success! There were less squabbles during the day, as students were less crowded and now had ample room in which to move. Accessing materials was done more quickly, as everything was well-organized and easy for the kiddos to reach. Also, the children’s focus improved, since they were spaced in a way that discouraged them from constantly distracting each other.
If I had not acquired the knowledge of the importance of the classroom arrangement on student behavior and performance, I probably would not have found such a great solution so quickly.