This document provides strategies for developing creativity and critical thinking in students. It suggests five strategies for creativity, such as not providing all information to students and allowing them to discover and create, as well as starting with the end goal in mind and allowing student input. It also recommends encouraging risk-taking and making learning real-world and relevant. The five strategies for critical thinking include starting with lower-level questions, requiring students to read thoroughly to understand questions, varying instructional strategies, allowing student collaboration, and acting as a facilitator rather than sole source of knowledge.

1. STRATEGIES FOR
DEVELOPING CREATIVITY
AND CRITICALTHINKING
University of Phoenix
MED 560
Morris Hargrove
1

2. Strategies for Developing Creativity and
Critical Thinking
The information shared is an aid for new faculty in
implementing strategies for developing creativity and
critical thinking. Please note that this does not
represent a conclusive list, rather a brief collection of
approaches that may be of benefit.
2

3. Strategy #1 - Creativity
Do not always provide students with all the information. Require
them to think, discover, apply, and create.
3

4. Strategy #2 - Creativity
•Starting with the end in mind, or backwards
design is one way to spark creativity in your
students. Once you realize what you want them
to learn and be able to do, you then design
meaningful learning tasks and assessments.
Allowing students to provide input into possible
tasks and assessments will foster creativity.
4

5. Strategy #3 - Creativity
• Encourage risk-taking. When students do not feel restricted or
inhibited, they will often do some of their best and most creative
thinking. Teach them that it is not always the answer that is
important, but the process by which they derived the answer.
5

6. Strategy #4 - Creativity
• Creativity is often sparked when students are able to make real-
world connections that are relevant to them. When learning is real
and relevant, student are typically more inclined to be engaged and
give attention to the work.
6

7. Strategy #5 - Creativity
Integrating information technology is part of 21st
century learning. Today’s students are digital
natives, and being such means that they often
times utilize technology in ways that their
teachers would never think of. Teachers should
capitalize on these strengths and allow students
to use their digital knowledge creatively.
7

8. Strategy #1 – Critical Thinking
Start with lower-level questions as a beginning
assessment. Doing so will allow students to move up on
Bloom’s Taxonomy and build their confidence while
doing so. Activate students’ knowledge and as higher-
level questions are presented, students will be required
to think.
8

9. Strategy #2 – Critical Thinking
Reading for understanding is important. Students cannot think
deeply and critically if they do not truly know what a question is
asking. Require students to read and re-read before attempting to
answer questions and require them to prove their answers.
9

10. Strategy #3 – Critical Thinking
Vary your instructional strategies. Varying the ways students are
provided information requires that they also vary their levels of
thinking when providing information back to you.
10

11. Strategy #4 – Critical Thinking
Collaboration is a key component of an
effective classroom and makes for critical
thinking. Allowing students opportunities to
collaborate, communicate, and even disagree
often provides varying perspectives and allows
others to think reflectively on the ideas and
ways of thinking of others.
11

12. Strategy #5 – Critical Thinking
Act as a facilitator. As a practitioner, while you
are full of knowledge, so are students. Allowing
them to share and apply their knowledge helps
them to be active learners, and allows you to be
a facilitator of learning.
12

13. References
Anderson, L. W. & Krathwohl, D. R. (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: A
revision of Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. New York, NY: Longman.
Pearson Learning Solutions, (2013). Encouraging high school students to think. Retrieved
October 25, 2013, from
http://media.pearsoncmg.com/pcp/pls_1256499544/video/index.html?wf=1&item=1
13