Encouraging creative thinking 3rd experimental

ITC INTERNATIONAL“ENCOURAGING CREATIVE THINKING and

PROBLEM-BASED THINKING”Paris, 6-10 July, 2015

Prague, 20-24 July 2015

Katerina Kaiktsi, Georgia-Maria Vaitsi, Athina Vrettou (Paris)Vasilis Neofotistos (Prague)

Creativity, Neuroscience and Neurocognitive Informatics

Mysterious mind … What features of our brain/minds are most mysterious?Consciousness? Imagination? Intuition? Emotions, feelings? Thinking?

Masao Ito (director of RIKEN, neuroscientist) answered: creativity.

MIT Encyclopedia of Cognitive Sciences (2001) has 1100 pages. 6 chapters about logics & over 100 references to logics in the index. Creativity: 1 page (+1 page about „creative person”). Intuition: 0, not even mentioned in the index.

In everyday life we use intuition and creativity more often than logics.

Insights and brainsActivity of the brain while solving problems that required insight and that could be solved in schematic, sequential way has been investigated. E.M. Bowden, M. Jung-Beeman, J. Fleck, J. Kounios, „New approaches to demystifying insight”. Trends in Cognitive Science 2005.After solving a problem presented in a verbal way subjects indicated themselves whether they had an insight or not.

An increased activity of the right hemisphere anterior superior temporal gyrus (RH-aSTG) was observed during initial solving efforts and insights. About 300 ms before insight a burst of gamma activity was observed, interpreted by the authors as „making connections across distantly related information during comprehension ... that allow them to see connections that previously eluded them”.

EEG and creativityHow to increase cooperation between distant brain areas important for creativity?John H. Gruzelier (Imperial College), SAN President

a-q neurofeedback produced “professionally significant performance improvements” in music and dance students. Neurofeedback and heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback benefited performance in different ways.

Musicality of violin music students was enhanced; novice singers from London music colleges after ten sessions over two months learned significantly within and between session the EEG self-regulation of q/a ratio.

The pre-post assessment involved creativity measures in improvisation, a divergent production task, and the adaptation innovation inventory. Support for associations with creativity followed improvement in creativity assessment measures of singing performance.

Why? Low frequency waves = easier synchronization between distant areas; parasite oscillations decrease.

CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVINGPURPOSE:

To develop the awareness and the skills necessary to solve problems creatively.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:1. Define creative problem solving.

2. Be familiar with common mental blocks to creative thinking process.

3. Explore ways to be more creative.4. Know the steps to the creative problem

solving process.

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DEFINITION

“Creative problem solving is - looking at the same thing as everyone else and thinking something different.”

Adapted from a famous quote from a former Nobel prize winner, Albert Szent-Gyorgi.

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EXERCISE

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A SOLUTION

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LET’S TALK ABOUT:

Why don’t we think creatively more often?

What are the barriers that get in our way?

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BARRIERS THAT GET IN OUR WAY

• Time• Why change?• Usually don’t need to be creative• Habit• Routine• Haven’t been taught to be creative

What are some other barriers that get in our way?

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MENTAL BLOCKS

Mental blocks are reasons (attitudes) why we don’t “think something different.”

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MENTAL BLOCK # 1

1. The right answer.

Only one?

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MENTAL BLOCK # 1

1. The right answer.

Only one?

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MENTAL BLOCK # 2

1. The right answer.

2. That’s not logical.

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MENTAL BLOCK # 3

1. The right answer.2. That’s not logical.

3. Follow the rules.

Why rules should be challenged:

1. We make rules based on reasons that make a lot of sense.2. We follow these rules.3. Time passes, and things change.4. The original reasons for the generation of these rules may no longer exist, but because the rules are still in place, we continue to follow them.

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MENTAL BLOCK # 4

1. The right answer.2. That’s not logical.3. Follow the rules.

4. Be practical.

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MENTAL BLOCK # 5

1. The right answer.2. That’s not logical.3. Follow the rules.4. Be practical.5. Play is frivolous.

“When do you get your best ideas?”

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MENTAL BLOCK # 6

6. That’s not my area.

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MENTAL BLOCK # 7

6. That’s not my area.7. Avoid ambiguity.

AMBIGUITY

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MENTAL BLOCK # 8

6. That’s not my area.7. Avoid ambiguity.8. Don’t be foolish.

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MENTAL BLOCK # 9

6. That’s not my area.7. Avoid ambiguity.8. Don’t be foolish.9. To err is wrong.

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MENTAL BLOCK # 10

6. That’s not my area.7. Avoid ambiguity.8. Don’t be foolish.9. To err is wrong.10.I’m not creative.

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CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING PROCESS

STEP 1. State what appears to be the problem.STEP 2. Gather facts, feelings and opinions.STEP 3. Restate the problem.STEP 4. Identify alternative solutions.STEP 5. Evaluate alternatives.STEP 6. Implement the decision!STEP 7. Evaluate the results.

TOOLS AND TEQNIQUES:• Brainstorming• Mind-mapping

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METACOGNITION & METACOGNITIVE STRATEGIESliterally means: cognition about cognitionor more informally: thinking about thinking

How can you help your students to develop their learning process by implementing metacognitive skills in your lessons?1. Ask Questions 2. Foster Self-reflection 3. Encourage self-questioning4. Teach strategies directly 5. Provide autonomous learning 6. Provide access to mentors 7. Solve problems with a team 8. Think aloud 9. Self-explanation 10. Provide opportunities for making errors 11. Learning portfolio 12. Individual learning 13. Test debriefing by students 14. Give clear instructions 15. Modeling

MODELING EXAMPLERead the article and describe the metacognitive

processes in your head = how you think about the text = what are the mental processes in your head

while reading the text

Put your thoughts on post-it papers.

MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCIES Howard Gardner (*1943) articulated seven criteria for a behavior to be considered an intelligence

- potential for brain isolation by brain damage- place in evolutionary history- presence of core operations- susceptibility to encoding (symbolic expression)- a distinct developmental progression- the existence of savants, prodigies and other exceptional people- support from experimental psychology and psychometric findings

and chose eight abilities that he held to meet these criteria:

MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCIESWhat type(s) of intelligencies have you

got? And your students? How do you know?

Try Multiple intelliengies test!What is/are your strongest intelligency/ies?

Link: www.achievegoalsettingsuccess.com

BLOOM’S TAXONOMY