Creative Problem Solving

Creative Problem Solving
Principles of Creative Problem Solving

The connection between critical thinking and creative problem solving. Critical thinking is necessary for analyzing arguments and for rational decision making. Creative thinking is necessary for developing alternatives to our ways of life. Convergent & divergent thinking. We move back and forth quite often.

What is creative problem solving? Dividing the concept into two parts: Creativity Problem solving

Creativity: “Creativity is a cognitive activity that results in a new or novel way of viewing a problem or situation.” “Creativity is the process of challenging accepted ideas and ways of doing things in order to find new solutions or concepts.”

“Creativity involves changing your assumptions and beliefs.”

“Problem solving is a thinking that is directed toward the solving of a specific problem that involves both the information of responses and the selection among possible responses.”

Creative problem solving is a method by which we can analyze any problem in a creative way.

CPS is as old as man’s existence on earth. The power of CPS: we can do almost anything.

Problem solving is in every corner of human activity. Problems are part of our lives. Creative people have always tried to find solutions. Finding solutions is essential to human race.

Traditional approach has always relied on logical, tested methods. Today things have changed by encouraging creative ability. Why creativity: Need for novel and complex stimulation Need to communicate ideas Need to solve problems.

Most people are creative, but they vary in degree. Some people are naturally creative. We can improve creativity, but hard to go beyond borders.

Creativity requires facts (material) We started from searching for food and shelter to searching for life on other planets. Creativity starts with questioning. Are objects really just what we assume them to be? Recognizing the inherent potential. Connecting the previous unconnected idea

No dominant theory on creativity. According to Wallas creative process has four stages: Preparation: problem identification, facts. Incubation: swim in the winter, ice-skate in the summer. Illumination: solution, decision. Verification: testing, replication.

Creative problem solving plan: Any kind of problem can be solved. We need a positive attitude. All problems can be solved, but not all to a perfection.

Creative problem solving plan: According to Dobroski, the plan has five phases: Information phase, Ideation phase, Evaluation phase, Decision-making phase, Implementation phase.

Teaching creativity: We can become more flexible, but not Mozart. Developing a knowledge base: Newton - apple. Creating the right atmosphere: generating ideas, brainstorming. Searching for analogies.

Cultural barriers to creativity. Open your mind: brake mental barriers. Breaking out routines, being original. See the possible out of the impossible. Lose your fear. Creativity takes nurturing and preparation.

The Information Phase and its Techniques

Open your mind: No prejudices No mental barriers Be open to new connections

Immerse yourself in life: Become part of the idea. Disappear for a while. Connect always with the scene you love

Lose your fear: Don’t think too much what might go wrong. Fear affects your performance. The energy fear can be used positively.

Avoid angriness: Angriness makes us blind. Don’t hate something for no apparent reason. If you don’t enjoy something don’t do it.

Learn to live free: You can’t be forced to learn. Learning without pressure. Learning by having fun. Learning must be emotionally and intellectually moving.

Break out routines: Don’t be Pavlovian. Try talking to children about their wisdom. Ask many questions about objects. Make a habit of choice and not a choice of habit.

Persist: Setting realistic goals. Build on your success inch by inch. Don’t play many games at the same time. Agree with others on the game you want to play. A pawn in a chess becomes a quen.

Resist boredom and indifference: Many people follow the short cut. Boredom can be quite exhausting. Remain fresh all the time with new ideas.

Remove walls of your mind: We shouldn’t build mazes in our mind. Share knowledge, expertise, etc. Develop your imagination.

Shift your social solar system: Don’t give the wrong elements undue importance. We give to the work too much importance. Education should be at the centre of universe. Don’t be stubborn to change if you are wrong.

Secrets of successful people: Successful men are those who deal with people. Rule 1: Treat everyone as very important. Rule 2: Be friendly. Rule 3: Let the other do the talking. Rule 4: Don’t win an argument. Rule 5: Being in other fellow’s shoes. Rule 6: Practise finding good people.

The information phase: Defining the problem – What is the problem? “How” or “in what ways” prepares the creative attack.

Analyzing the problem – The nine-step process: 1. Observation: Use all our senses to assemble all the facts of the problem. No opinions or personal impressions.

2. Definition: Defining the problem properly. Everything clear before beginning to work.

3. Preparation: Organize data. Arrange in order of time. Arrange in order of sequence. Arrange in logical order.

4. Analysis of the problem: Problem broken into parts. Brake parts concretely or imaginatively.

5. The synectic process: Dividing problem into two phases: A) make the strange familiar B) make the familiar strange.

6. Divide-and-conquer procedure: Our mind can work seven attributes at one time.

7. Questioning each part of the problem:

8. Ascertaining the concrete facts: Nothing is a proven fact.

9. Ascertaining the influential factors: Objective or subjective.

Analysis and simplification of the problem: Generalize the problem Narrow it down. Make it as simple as possible.

Redefinition of the problem: Redefine the problem before we start.

Goals in problem solving: Setting goals beside the actual goal of solving the problem.

Preparing yourself to attain the goal: After setting the goal start preparing.

Exercises

What it means being open minded? Why do we have to be open minded? In being open minded we have to take into consideration certain elements. Which one is not one of them? A) No prejudices B) No mental barrier C) Open to new connections D) Being angry.

Some people have discovered something because they have disappeared for a while working on the problem. Which phenomenon explains better this situation? A) opening your mind B) losing your fear C) immersing yourself in life D) shifting your social solar system.

What does it mean losing the fear? What might happen if we think too much that something might go wrong? What is the connection of the fear with your performance? Do you think that we can use the energy of fear positively?

What has angriness to do with creativity? Do you think that being angry can play a positive role on creativity? True / False We can avoid angriness by hating somebody for no reason? You should do something that you don’t enjoy it for reducing angriness?

We can learn to live free if we take into consideration certain elements. Which one of the following is not one of them? A) learning without pressure B) learning by having fun C) learning by force D) learning at your own pace.

True / False We can break out routines if we follow the classical conditioning of Ivan Pavlov. We can break out routines if we talk to children about their wisdom. We should make a choice of habit and not a habit of choice.

What is the input of persistence on creativity? Do you think that these two concepts can go together? If yes, can you justify this?

What is the connection of mental short cuts and creativity? Do you think that someone can be creative although he or she has created so many mental short cuts in his or her mind?

Talk about your personal opinion with regard to sharing our knowledge and expertise with others?

What should be the at the centre of our own social solar system? Personal opinions and justification for opinions held.

According to your own opinion, what makes some people successful and some others unsuccessful? Do you think that the rules on being successful mentioned by Dombroski are acceptable to you?

What do you think about the nine-step process of analyzing a problem presented by Dombroski? What do you think about the synectic process? Do you think that the ends justify the means with regard to the procedure of divide-and-conquer.

Do you think that we can challenge any object in a creative way? Do you think that there are certain facts that cannot be challenged creatively?

Creative Techniques

Creative Techniques Bionics
Is the application of methods and systems found in nature to the study and design of engineering systems and modern technology. The bionic method is based on this perception and attempts to derive direct approaches to solutions from analogous cases in the animal or vegetable kingdom. For example, a great many ideas for aircraft development are taken from insects and birds.

Creative Techniques In 1928 Philip Drinker and Louis A. Shaw of the Harvard School of Public Health designed the iron lung to allow poliomyelitis patients to breathe. Denton Cooley in 1969 and Robert Jarvik in 1982 and 1984 devised artificial hearts for temporary use. The 1961 Nobel Prize winner for physiology or medicine, Georg von Békésy, discovered the mechanisms of stimulation of the inner ear, which enabled the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company to develop the cochlear implant in 1973, bringing varying degrees of hearing to the totally deaf.

Creative Techniques In the late 1980s, U.S. scientists studied the neural systems in order to aid paralysis victims, persons with artificial limbs, and the blind. Kendall D. Wise and David J. Edell experimented with devices that could detect neural commands and transform them into electronic commands to produce movement in paralyzed limbs.

Creative Techniques In the early 1990s Robert Birge of Syracuse University experimented with protein extracted from a saltwater bacterium to develop an artificial eye, and Carver Mead at the California Institute of Technology worked on producing an all-electronic silicon retina. Research on mechanical prostheses continued in the late 1990s, despite advances in the discovery of cloning, which focused scientific attention on the genetic replication of human organs.

Creative Techniques Attribute Listing
Attribute listing is a great technique for ensuring all possible aspects of a problem have been examined. Attribute listing is breaking the problem down into smaller and smaller bits and seeing what you discover when you do.

Creative Techniques Attribute listing is a very useful technique for quality improvement of complicated products, procedures for services. This allows you to focus on one specific part of a product or process before generating a whole lot of ideas.

Creative Techniques List attributes
For the object or thing in question, list as many attributes as you can. Thus, for example, a screwdriver has attributes of 'applies torque', 'metal shaft', etc. It can also be useful to first break the object down into constituent parts and look at the attributes of each part in question.

Creative Techniques Consider value of attributes
For each attribute, ask 'what does this give'? Seek the real value of each attribute. It is also possible that attributes have 'negative value' -- ie. they detract from the overall value of the object.

Creative Techniques Modify attributes
Finally look for ways in which you can modify the attributes in some way. Thus you can increase value, decrease negative value or create new value. Thus, for example, you could modify the attributes of the screwdriver handle to be 'comfortable grip' by adding a rubber sleeve.

Creative Techniques Attribute Listing works as a decompositional approach, breaking the problem down into smaller parts that can be examined individually. All things have attributes which are sometimes overlooked. By deliberately focusing on these, you can find new ways to be creative

Creative Techniques Six Thinking Hats
De Bono considered human cognition and thought to be of several types, approaches, or orientations. He theorized that of these approaches, most people used only one or two of the approaches and that people developed thinking habits which in turn limited people to those approaches.

Creative Techniques

Creative Techniques White hat (Blank sheet): Information & reports (objective) Red hat (Fire): Intuition, opinion & emotion (subjective) Yellow hat (Sun): Praise, positive aspects, (objective) Black hat (Judge's robe): Criticism, negative aspects, (objective) Green hat (Plant): Alternatives, new approaches & 'everything goes' (speculative/creative) Blue hat (Sky): "Big Picture," "Conductor hat," "Meta hat," "thinking about thinking", overall process (overview)

Creative Techniques White Hat: With this thinking hat you focus on the data available. Look at the information you have, and see what you can learn from it. Look for gaps in your knowledge, and either try to fill them or take account of them. This is where you analyze past trends, and try to extrapolate from historical data.

Creative Techniques Red Hat: 'Wearing' the red hat, you look at problems using intuition, gut reaction, and emotion. Also try to think how other people will react emotionally. Try to understand the responses of people who do not fully know your reasoning.

Creative Techniques Black Hat: Using black hat thinking, look at all the bad points of the decision. Look at it cautiously and defensively. Try to see why it might not work. This is important because it highlights the weak points in a plan. It allows you to eliminate them, alter them, or prepare contingency plans to counter them

Creative Techniques Yellow Hat: The yellow hat helps you to think positively. It is the optimistic viewpoint that helps you to see all the benefits of the decision and the value in it. Yellow Hat thinking helps you to keep going when everything looks gloomy and difficult.

Creative Techniques Green Hat: The Green Hat stands for creativity. This is where you can develop creative solutions to a problem. It is a freewheeling way of thinking, in which there is little criticism of ideas.

Creative Techniques Blue Hat: The Blue Hat stands for process control. This is the hat worn by people chairing meetings.

Creative Techniques Problem: Students Talking While Others Are Talking Or Teaching

Creative Techniques 1) White Hat: state the facts - students are talking when Mrs Dyck is talking - there is noise so that others are distracted or can't hear - students don't know what to do after Mrs Dyck has given directions - many students get silly or off task

Creative Techniques 2) Red Hat: state the emotions - Mrs Dyck feels offended - Students are frustrated because they can't hear directions - Those talking enjoy joking around and being heard

Creative Techniques 3) Black Hat: negative aspects - time is wasted - learning is compromised - those who legitimately have the floor feel that listeners don't care about what they are saying - chaos in the classroom

Creative Techniques 4) Yellow Hat: positives of the situation are examined - everyone gets to say what is on their mind - it can be fun - you don't have to wait until you speak and therefore don't forget what you want to say - not just the "smart" kids get to speak

Creative Techniques 5) Green Hat: creative ideas that come with seeing the problem in a new light - Mrs Dyck will be more aware of the amount of time that she "talks" - Mrs Dyck will try to include interaction from many different students, not just the "smart" kids - students will work on resisting the need to say everything that comes into their mind. They will ask themselves if this is "on topic" and "if this needs to be shared at this time. " - students will think about whether their comment will interfere with other people's learning.

Creative Techniques 6) Blue Hat: Sum up what is learned - Mrs Dyck learned that she needs to limit the amount of time she uses "Talking" as a form of teaching - Mrs Dyck needs to involve all students in discussion. She needs to look for the one who rarely offers comments or is quietly waiting to be picked to answer. - students realize that just to "get the laugh" of the moment, they are jeopardizing other people's learning - students learned that speaking whenever you want shows a lack of self-discipline and that not everything that goes through our minds is worth sharing

Creative Techniques Bloom's Taxonomy
Is a classification of the different objectives and skills that educators set for students. The taxonomy was proposed in 1956 by Benjamin Bloom, an educational psychologist at the University of Chicago.

Creative Techniques Bloom's Taxonomy divides educational objectives into three "domains:" Affective, Psychomotor, and Cognitive. Within each domain are different levels of learning, with higher levels considered more complex and closer to complete mastery of the subject matter. A goal of Bloom's Taxonomy is to motivate educators to focus on all three domains, creating a more holistic form of education

Creative Techniques

Creative Techniques Knowledge: observation and recall of information
knowledge of dates, events, places knowledge of major ideas mastery of subject matter

Creative Techniques Comprehension: understand information
grasp meaning translate knowledge into new context interpret facts, compare, contrast order, group, infer causes predict consequences

Creative Techniques Application: use information
use methods, concepts, theories in new situations solve problems using required skills or knowledge

Creative Techniques Analysis: see patterns organize components
recognition of hidden meanings identification of component parts

Creative Techniques Synthesis: use old ideas to create new ones
generalize from facts relate knowledge from several areas predict, draw conclusions

Creative Techniques Evaluation: compare and discriminate between ideas
assess value of theories, presentations make choices based on reasoned argument verify value of evidence recognize subjectivity

Creative Techniques Knowledge: arrange, define, duplicate, label, list, memorize, name, order, recognize, relate, recall, repeat, reproduce state. Comprehension: classify, describe, discuss, explain, express, identify, indicate, locate, recognize, report, restate, review, select, translate,

Creative Techniques Application: apply, choose, demonstrate, dramatize, employ, illustrate, interpret, operate, practice, schedule, sketch, solve, use, write. Analysis: analyze, appraise, calculate, categorize, compare, contrast, criticize, differentiate, discriminate, distinguish, examine, experiment, question, test.

Creative Techniques Synthesis: arrange, assemble, collect, compose, construct, create, design, develop, formulate, manage, organize, plan, prepare, propose, set up, write. Evaluation: appraise, argue, assess, attach, choose compare, defend estimate, judge, predict, rate, core, select, support, value, evaluate.

Developing Creativity

Overcoming barriers: Adapting your thinking process Human beings have a natural tendency to seek quick and simple solutions to problems. We search for the facts to support our chosen solution.

Overcoming barriers: Rule 1: Necessity. Realize that being creative isn’t a luxury for the organization; it’s a necessity. Thus you should always be motivated—for the good of the organization and, consequently, for your own good—to be creative.

Rule 2: Get the data. Do some research and make your case as solid as possible so that it becomes more difficult for someone to reject it out of hand.

Rule 3. Change your perception. Look at a problem from a variety of perspectives. Initially, examine the problem by breaking it into separate pieces. Then find some way to really see (perhaps for the first time) those elements of the whole.

Rule 4. Eliminate distractions. Uninterrupted concentration is important for generating new ideas. Be aware that you may think you’re thinking about the problem when, in fact, you are thinking about something that interferes with your creativity. The distraction of a phone call, a visitor—or even internal distractions like concern about getting your ideas a fair hearing—can stop your creative thinking.

Rule 5. Don’t go after one answer. There may be several solutions to a problem, so don’t just stop after you’ve hit the first answer. Generate as many as you can. The larger the pool of possible solutions, the more likely you will find the winner.

Rule 6. Verbalize. Words are the tools of thought. Don’t just stare at the problem. Write down your ideas, or your route to getting those ideas. Discuss the issue with others.

Rule 7. Take notes. New ideas are ephemeral. They’re easy to forget. That’s why you should record them before they disappear. Since ideas don’t have the courtesy to announce themselves in advance, be ready to trap them when they do appear.

Rule 8. Don’t follow rules. Loosen up. Smash a few icons. Do your thinking in your own way. Everyone is different.

Making the time: Japanese believe that there are four types of managerial time: Operational time (correcting yesterday’s errors). Strategic time (planning for the future). Innovative time (competitive tomorrow). Kaizen time (continuous improvements).

Believing in change: Sometimes we have creative ideas, but scared to go outside the box. We don’t like our ideas to be rejected. The unknown is seen as dangerous. Change involves having the courage to challenge the status quo. Thinking the unthinkable.

Ignoring the ridicule: When you put forward a creative idea, you stand the risk of being called foolish. The fear of looking foolish prevents people from voicing their ideas. Have confidence in your ideas.

Changing your approach: The way you do things is determined by your values – your beliefs. Beliefs are influenced by your culture or your character. If you enjoy structure you resist changes. If you are flexible you will enjoy change.

Learning to change: Some people fight change Some people embrace change Some people wait and see about change Identify the change, commit to the change, resolve obstacles, then take your action.

Exercising your mind: Freeing up your mind. Train your mind to work in new ways. For example, imagine where do you like to be in year’s time. Touch the image, hear, and feel.

Stimulating creative thinking: Our reaction to a problem is instinctive. Pinpoint what you want, so that you can set about achieving it. Think in terms of results you want to achieve. Focus on questions rather than predicting answers.

Using physical activity: Certain types of physical activity can provide the right conditions for creative thinking. Your motor senses keep the body functioning effectively. Chose a sport that you enjoy.

Using mind mapping: It helps change the way you look at complex problems. Impose a model so that you view the problem in a different way. For example, draw the shape of a tree, and write your problems on each branch of the tree.

Unfreezing your mind: Disengage from the problem Allow your sub-conscious mind to work on the issue. Go for a walk, think about something else, make a cup of coffee.

Drawing to create ideas: Visual images are a greater stimulus to creativity than words. Drawing can free up your mind.

Importance of a positive attitude: There is nothing that is impossible.

Flexibility in performance: We must be flexible in our performance. Imagination is the key to creativity.

Idea fluency: Ideas should be written down. Ideas are the raw material Ideas must be generated all the time.

Ideas and reality: There is a great difference between ideas and reality. So many people give up of the idea because it is far from reality. Perseverance is very important to overcome this problem.

Successful-failure syndrome We are taught that failure is bad. Each failure is a step closer to success. Through failure, success will appear.

Lecture Summary

Why there is a need to overcome barriers? Why it is important not to seek quick and simple solutions to problems? What should come first, the solution or searching for facts? What is your opinion with regard to treating creativity as a luxury or necessity?

What are the four managerial times according to Japanese? Do you think that we can apply these four types of managerial time in our case or not? What should be our priority with regard to these four managerial types?

Why are people scared of change? What do you think about the dilemma of living inside the status quo and feeling comfortable and making change and feeling uncomfortable.

What do you think about the ridicule with regard to ideas presented in public? Do you think that this kind of ridicule is quite present in our society? If yes, why do you think that is the case?

Do you think that the approach used so far (whatever that might be) has been quite successful for us with regard to developing our own creativity? From where do we get our beliefs and values? Do you think that we can find a way to make use of our values and beliefs in developing our creativity?

What does exercising your mind mean to you? What is the benefit of training our mind? How can we stimulate our thinking? Is it true that we react to certain problems in an instinctive way? Do you think that setting goals can help us to stimulate our own thinking?

Do you think that physical activity can play any positive role with regard to developing our own creativity? Can you share any personal experience when you felt like physical activities has helped in developing your creative potential?

What is mind mapping? Do you really think that mind mapping can be of significant help in developing our creative potential? If yes, how? In what way?

What does unfreezing your mind mean to you? Do you really believe that such kind of disengagement from the problem itself can help us developing our creative potential?

What is your personal opinion with regard to drawing our ideas? Do you really think that visual images are a greater stimulus to creativity than words?

What is the role of having a positive attitude with regard to challenges that we are facing? Do you really think that everything is possible?

What is your personal opinion with regard to being flexible in our performance? What do you think about the idea fluency? Are we supposed to critique ideas while they get presented?

What is the connection between the ideas and the reality? How can this relation interfere with our generation of ideas?

What do you think about the syndrome of success and failure?

Creative Problem Solving

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