problem solving and creativity

1. Problem Solving and Creativity

2. Learning Outcomes:
 explain the four criteria of creativity by
Torrance
 practice creative thinking
 apply problem solving skills

3. EDWARD PAUL TORRANCE
 Known as the "Father of Creativity" for his
nearly 60 years of research that became the
framework for the field of gifted education.
 He was professor emeritus of educational
psychology
 He invented the benchmark method for
quantifying creativity

4. EDWARD PAUL TORRANCE
 The "Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking"
helped shatter the theory that IQ tests alone
were sufficient to gauge real intelligence. The
tests solidified what heretofore was only
conceptual - namely that creative levels can be
scaled and then increased through practice.

5. EDWARD PAUL TORRANCE

6. Advance Organizer
Problem Solving/ Creativity
Torrance’s Creativity
Framework
Creative Problem
Solving (CPS)
Six Stage of CPS
Fluency
Flexibility
Elaboration
Originality

7. Activity
Remove 8 matches to leave just two squares,
which should not touch.

8. Activity
What would happen if humans had one more eye
at the back of their head?
Hmmmmm

9. Torrance Framework for Creative
Thinking

10. Fluency
Fluency refers to the production of a great
number of ideas or alternate solutions to a
problem. Fluency implies understanding, not
just remembering information that is learned.

11. Fluency
Key words
compare, convert, count, define, describe,
explain, identify, label, list, match, name,
outline, paraphrase, predict, summarize

12. Fluency
Application activities
Trace a picture and label its parts.
Outline an article you find on your topic.
How many uses can you think of a clothes
hanger?

13. Fluency
List 15 things that are commonly red or
contain red.
Example: Apple, blood, brick, caboose,
cherry, Christmas stocking, exit sign, fire
alarm, flag, heart, red nose reindeer, rose,
tomato

14. Flexibility
Flexibility refers to the production of ideas
that show a variety of possibilities or realms of
thought. It involves the ability to see things
from different points of view, to use many
different approaches or strategies.

15. Flexibility
• Key words
Change, demonstrate, distinguish, employ,
extrapolate, interpolate, interpret, predict.

16. Flexibility
Application ideas
What would happen if ... there were no
automobiles
How would a ... dog look to a flea?
How is _______ like ________?
How would you feel if ... you were invisible
for a day?

17. Flexibility
How would you group the ideas about
"red" into categories?
Example: fruit, safety features, vehicles

18. Flexibility
Once categories are identified, fluency may be
further demonstrated by generating more
ideas about the idea red within categories.
Even a modest attempt could result in the
following lists, recognizing that the creative
thinking process may shift the mind in a spiral
way between all four aspects of creativity.

19. Flexibility
Red fruit Red safety features Red vehicles
apple exit sign caboose
cherry fire alarm fire truck
raspberry stop sign tricycle
tomatoe tail lights wagon

20. Elaboration
Definition
Elaboration is the process of enhancing ideas by
providing more detail. Additional detail and clarity
improves interest in, and understanding of, the topic.

21. Elaboration
Key words
Appraise, critique, determine, evaluate, grade,
judge, measure, select, test.

22. Elaboration
Application ideas
Tell your neighbor about your last family trip
using as many detail as possible.
What can you add to_______ to improve its
quality o r performance?
Describe all the possible characteristics of
the red quality in a wagon
Example: Shade, finish, texture, uniformity.

23. Elaboration
Describe all the possible characteristics of
the red quality in a wagon
Example: Shade, finish, texture, uniformity.

24. Originality
Definition
Originality involves the production of ideas that are
unique or unusual. It involves synthesis or putting
information about a topic back together in a new way.

25. Originality
Key words
Compose, create, design, generate, integrate,
modify, rearrange, reconstruct, reorganize, revise.

26. Originality
Application ideas
Find an original use for_________.
What would be the strangest way to get out
of bed?
Design a new___________ that is better than
the one you have

27. Originality
Write an unusual title for the ideas about red.
Example: Revolutionary "Red" Representation.

28. Creative Problem Solving

29. • Is an intentional process for solving and
problems and discussing opportunities.
• It espouses the use of creativity in the 1950’s
Alex Osborn described this process in his
book, Applied Imagination.
• Osborn opened the process in the public
domain which mean anyone can use it.
• Over the years countless people have utilized
the CPS in various fields and endeavors.

30. Osborn’s Checklist, the origin of the Classical
Brainstorming is the root of creative problem
solving (CPS). There are variety of general
structures:
define problem, generate possible solutions,
select and implement the best’ which can be
found extensively, in several different academic
tradition.

31. The following , based on Van Gundy (1988’s)
description, is a very brief skeleton of a very rich
process, showing it in its full ‘6 x 2’ stages form:

32. • Sensitise yourself (scan, search) for issues
(concerns, challenges, opportunities etc.) that
need to be tackled.
1. Mess Finding

33. 1. Mess Finding
• Divergent techniques include ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice If…’
(WIBNI) and ‘Wouldn’t It Be Awful If…’ (WIBAI) –
brainstorming to identify desirable outcomes, and
obstacles to be overcome.
• Convergent techniques include the identification of
hotspots (Highlighting), expressed as a list of IWWMs
(‘In What Ways Might…’), and selection in terms of
ownership criteria (e.g. problem-owner’s motivation
and ability to influence it) and outlook criteria (e.g.
urgency, familiarity, stability).

34. 2. Data finding
• Gather information about the problem

35. 2. Data Finding
• Divergent techniques include Five Ws and H (Who,
Why, What, When, Where and How) and listing of
wants, sources and data: List all your information
‘wants’ as a series of question; for each, list possible
sources of answers; then follow these up and for each
source, list what you found.
• Convergent techniques again include: identifying
hotspots (Highlighting); Mind-mapping to sort and
classify the information gathered; and also restating
the problem in the light of your richer understanding of
it.

36. 3. Problem Finding
• convert a fuzzy statement of the problem into
a broad statement more suitable for idea
finding.

37. 3. Problem Finding
• Divergent techniques include asking ‘Why?’ etc. –
the repeatable questions and Five Ws and H.
• Convergent techniques
include Highlighting again, reformulation of
problem-statements to meet the criteria that
they contain only one problem and no criteria,
and selection of the most promising statement
(but NB that the mental ‘stretching’ that the
activity gives to the participants can be as
important as the actual statement chosen).

38. 4. Idea Finding
• generate as many ideas as possible

39. 4. Idea Finding
• Divergence using any of a very wide range of
idea-generating techniques. The general rules of
classical brainstorming (such as deferring
judgement) are likely to under-pin all of these.
• Convergence can again involve hotspots or mind-
mapping, the combining of different ideas, and
the short-listing of the most promising handful,
perhaps with some thought for the more obvious
evaluation criteria, but not over-restrictively

40. 5. Solution Finding
• Generate and select obvious evaluation
criteria (using an expansion/contraction cycle)
and develop (which may include combining)
the short-listed ideas from Idea Finding as
much as you can in the light of these criteria.
Then opt for the best of these improved ideas
(e.g. using Comparison tables).

41. Dianne Carmela Dela Cruz
Franzel del Mundo