What is creative thinking?

In the context of studying at university, creative thinking is about applying imagination to finding a solution to your learning task.

Listen to this audio clip on creative thinking which is based on material from: ‘Skills for Success: The Personal Development Handbook’, by Stella Cottrell, (2003).

Having listened to the audio clip, you will now understand that creativity is much more than the preserve of great artists, musicians, designers and inventors. In other words it does not take a ‘special’ kind of person to arrive at innovative ways of seeing and thinking. Creative thinking embodies a relaxed, open, playful approach and is less ordered, structured and predictable than critical thinking. Therefore it also requires some risk-taking as there is a chance that you will make ‘mistakes’ or not come up with an answer at all. You need to be prepared to cope with the resultant risk, confusion and disorder. If you are generally ordered and organised this may take some getting used to. Creative thinking skills are as much about attitude and self-confidence as about talent.

Some approaches involved in creative thinking skills

Creative thinking skills involve such approaches as:

• Engaging in reflection. (See unit, ‘Reflective learning: keeping a reflective learning journal’)
• Looking for many possible answers rather than one.
• Allowing yourself to make wild and crazy suggestions as well as those that seem sensible.
• Not judging ideas early in the process - treat all ideas as if they may contain the seeds of something potentially useful.
• Allowing yourself to doodle, daydream or play with a theory or suggestion.
• Being aware that these approaches necessarily involve making lots of suggestions that are unworkable and may sound silly.
• Making mistakes.
• Learning from what has not worked as well as what did.

Note: For more on de Bono’s ‘Six thinking hats’, see unit, ‘Solving problems and making decisions.’