Celebrating 50 years of Reflective Practice: Versions of Creative Problem Solving

Abstract

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Beyond belief: Structured techniques prove more effective than a placebo intervention in a problem construction task

“…It is largely based on the early work of Osborn (1953), which stemmed from the desire to explicitly define the creative process and provide a structured approach to enhancing creative problem solving ability. Since then, whilst others have worked to develop and refine the framework (see e.g., Buijs, Smulders, & van der Meer, 2009;Isaksen & Treffinger, 2004;Puccio, Murdock, & Mance, 2005) there has been some general agreement that the process often begins with problem construction (see, Basadur, Graen, & Graen, 1982;Reiter-Palmon & Robinson, 2009). Problem construction includes the anticipation of problems, identifying problems when none are evident, and structuring an ill-defined problem so problem solving efforts can proceed (Mumford, Reiter-Palmon, & Redmond, 1994;Runco & Nemiro, 1994).…”

Associating creativity, context, and experiential learning

“…Drawing from theories of situated cognition, this aligns with and promotes our natural way of engaging with the world. Several studies have shown that classroom teachers who encourage creativity also improve student reasoning, memory, problem-solving and student engagement, all of which lead to improved learning and personal success in school (Guilford 1967;Isaksen and Treffinger 2004;Karpova, Marcketti and Barker 2011;Moran 2010;Torrance 1963). It has been hypothesised that these improvements happen due to the increased number of cognitive connections and associative networks that are developed when multiple ideas and methods are combined in creativity-fostering environments (Runco 2007).…”

“…Moreover, the school structure itself, by way of prioritising standardised testing, emphasises the role of achieving content standards over and above the use of meaningful problem-solving and creative thinking exercises.If teachers feel pressure to 'teach to the test' they may not want to embrace teaching techniques to enhance or foster creativity. Though there is a promising body of literature that provides a hope for how to foster creativity (Isaksen and Treffinger 2004;Parnes 2000), the current educational climate and structure may not allow for a means to do so. Teachers feel constrained in the types of activities and depth of learning they can foster within their students.…”

The Effects of Performance Incentives and Creativity Training on Creative Problem-Solving Performance

“…Further, depending on the type and number of cognitive and affective processes involved, creativity training can be long or short (cf. Clapham, 1997;Isaksen & Treffinger, 2004). Although researchers generally assume that an individual's skills, such as math and verbal communication, tend to remain stable and develop slowly over time (Bonner & Sprinkle, 2002), some creativity skills may be learned faster because they involve changing 21 Some of the companies cited in the study include Frito Lay, Du Pont, and Texas Instruments.…”