Creativity and Critical Thinking

2. 
“Creative thinking is as important as literacy and should be
treated the same.” Sir Ken Robinson
“Every child is an artist, the problem is staying an artist
when you grow up.” Pablo Picasso
Strategies to Develop Creativity and
Critical Thinking

3. 
On critical thinking: “It is the mark of an educated
mind to be able to entertain a thought without
accepting it.” Aristotle
“Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe and
take for granted; nor to find talk and discourse; but to
weigh and consider.”
Francis Bacon, “Of Studies”
Strategies to Develop
Creativity and Critical
Thinking

4. 
 We tend to have general notions of creativity
compared with critical thinking:
Creative Critical
-visual -verbal
-right brain - left brain
-novelty - reasoning
-associative - linear
-nonjudgment - judgment
-subjective -objective
What are we talking about
here?

5. 
 Both creativity and critical thinking are essential!
We need to teach students how to understand claims,
follow or create logic, determine answer(s) and use
evaluation to make choices.
AND
We need to give students tools to explore ideas,
develop new ones, receive other perspectives, consider
alternatives and create multiple answers.
What are we talking about
here?

6. 
 Environment – Create an open, safe, flexible,
inclusive environment of acceptance, where it is
alright to make mistakes.
 Model – Demonstrate respect and acceptance of all
students. Do not dominate conversation.
 Time and materials – Provide students with
sufficient time to ponder, extrapolate, develop and
include materials for the assignment so things are
ready to use/manipulate.
Developing creativity- 5
strategies

7. 
 Value curiosity – Ask open-ended questions and
encourage brainstorming.
 Encourage – Build esteem and independence as well
as mutual understanding and acceptance.
Developing creativity- 5
strategies

8. 
 Environment – Students thrive in similar
environment for creative thinking: Create an open,
safe, flexible, inclusive environment of acceptance,
where it is alright to make mistakes. In addition,
create an atmosphere where questioning is welcome
and expected.
 Facilitate – Avoid lecturing. Model critical thinking
by the way you express your thoughts/reasoning.
Developing critical
thinking – 5 strategies

9. 
 Question – Bring students from Bloom’s lower levels
to higher level thinking through higher order
questioning. Use the Socratic method. Debate.
 Justify and Prove – Have students answer why and
provide evidence of conclusions.
 Write – Give students opportunity to record thought
processes leading to conclusions and revise. Gaining
insight into self development is empowering.
Developing critical
thinking – 5 strategies

10. 
 Fletcher, S. (2011). Creative Thinking in Schools: Finding
the “just right” challenge for students.
 Sir Ken Anderson (2006) “Do Schools Kill Creativity?”
 www.cdl.org/resource-
library/articles/teaching_creativity.php Retrieved July 6,
2014
 www.criticalthinking.org/pages/tacticalandstructural-
recommendations/467 Retrieved July 6, 2014
 Bean, John C., (2011) Engaging Ideas.
 www.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=005378
Quotes. Retrieved July 6, 2014
References