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CTCTC Definitions

Critical thinking and creativity are integrated processes that are required for problem solving in academics and everyday life. Critical thinking involves systematically reasoning and making sound judgments by examining purpose, arguments, evidence, and potential biases. It considers multiple perspectives and uses data to support inferences. Creativity involves open-ended thinking to generate novel and useful ideas through processes like fluency, flexibility, risk-taking, and imagination. Creativity can occur at different levels from significant innovations to small personal insights and is developmental in nature. Both critical thinking and creativity can be cultivated through education and are important for learning and solving problems.

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51 views2 pages

CTCTC Definitions

Critical thinking and creativity are integrated processes that are required for problem solving in academics and everyday life. Critical thinking involves systematically reasoning and making sound judgments by examining purpose, arguments, evidence, and potential biases. It considers multiple perspectives and uses data to support inferences. Creativity involves open-ended thinking to generate novel and useful ideas through processes like fluency, flexibility, risk-taking, and imagination. Creativity can occur at different levels from significant innovations to small personal insights and is developmental in nature. Both critical thinking and creativity can be cultivated through education and are important for learning and solving problems.

Uploaded by

kitano4626
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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CTCTC

Defining Critical Thinking and Creativity


Consistent with the Center’s Mission
CTCTC Mission: to advance performance and productivity in diverse communities by
enhancing critical and creative thinking in schools.
Definitions
Creativity and critical thinking are integrated processes. Both are required for problem
solving in all academic disciplines and in everyday life: Should I be persuaded by this
advertisement, editorial, pundit, web page, study, news report, textbook, photo, art
object? What would make a more compelling argument, solution, presentation? Does
my solution or product meet appropriate criteria?
As educators, we assume that critical thinking and creativity can be cultivated. Our
definitions should emphasize cognitive processes that can be learned.
Critical Thinking
A number of definitions exist for critical thinking and address processes involved in
reasoning and evaluating. A synthesis might be:
Critical thinking is the systematic reasoning needed for making sound judgments
to guide beliefs and actions. Critical thinking processes include examining purpose,
assumptions, arguments, evidence, methods, and sources in terms of reliability,
accuracy, aesthetics, ethics, or bias. Critical thinkers consider multiple perspectives,
use data to support inferences, distinguish relevant from irrelevant data, weigh
implications and consequences, and reflect on their work.
Creativity
The literature offers a wide range of models and definitions that variously focus on
person, process, situation, product, or a combination of these elements. The Center’s
rationale for enhancing creativity concerns society’s need for creative solutions as well
as the individual’s personal growth and satisfaction.
Creative thinking is engaging in open-ended thinking processes to generate
novel ideas appropriate for the task. Processes include fluency, flexibility,
elaboration, synthesis, making connections, analogical/metaphorical thinking, divergent
thinking, risk taking, imagination, visualization, and problem finding. Creative products
are original and useful and at the highest level, elegant and transformative.
Creativity is developmental in nature and defined with levels of impact: “Big-C” (e.g.,
Einstein, Mozart), “little-c” (e,g., winning a high school poetry prize), and “mini-c”
(e.g.,personal “ahas”). Mini-c creativity—combining ideas or seeing things in new ways
—is an important aspect of everyday learning and a foundation for the higher levels.
Sources
Beghetto, R. A. (2008). Creativity enhancement. In J. A. Plucker & C. M. Callahan
(Eds.), Critical issues and practices in gifted education (pp. 139-153). Waco, TX:
Prufrock Press. (levels of impact)
Sternberg, R. J., & Lubart, T. I. (1996). Investing in creativity. American Psychologist,
51(7), 677-688. “Creativity is the ability to produce work that is both novel (i.e., original
or unexpected) and appropriate (i.e.,useful or meets task constraints)” (p. 677)
Critical Thinking as Defined by the National Council for Excellence in Critical Thinking,
1987A statement by Michael Scriven & Richard Paul for the {presented at the 8th
Annual International Conference on Critical Thinking and Education Reform, Summer
1987. http://www.criticalthinking.org/aboutCT/define_critical_thinking.cfm

"Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing,
applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by,
observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and
action. In its exemplary form, it is based on universal intellectual values that transcend subject
matter divisions: clarity, accuracy, precision, consistency, relevance, sound evidence, good
reasons, depth, breadth, and fairness." (Scriven & Paul, 1987)

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