MODULE 1

INTRODUCTION TO CREATIVE PRACTICE: TOOLS, METHODS, TECHNIQUES AND APPLICATION

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the module, you should be able to:

1. recognize the importance of creative thinking

2. explain the different creative practices
3. identify the tools used in enhancing creativity
4. list down the methods and techniques in creative practice

Introduction

Creative Practice: Tools, Methods, Techniques and Application is a subject focused on enhancing and
developing creativeness and the way of its application.

This module aims to consider the different creative practices and its methods, techniques, and tools for
improving creativity and to produce work for any purpose, as we all aware that every individual is unique and
have different ways to handle problems and challenges in life.

Lesson – Different Creative Practices

What is THINKING?

 It refers to the process, able to think intelligently about complicated things

 the action of using your mind to produce ideas, decisions, memories, etc. 
 the activity of thinking about something
 opinion or judgment 

UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE AND STRUCTURE OF THINKING

 SIX (6) TYPES OF THINKING

1. Creative Thinking a kind of thinking which aims to produce something new &
useful; something better than before, which may be carried
through to a valuable, beneficial productive results.

2. Critical Thinking the careful and deliberate determination of whether to accept,

reject, or suspend judgement about a claim.
Purpose of
3. Logical Thinking a form of thinking based on logic or logical reasoning. Thinking:
4. Lateral Thinking a form of thinking that thinks “around” a problem.
5. Autistic Thinking a type of thinking characterized by daydreaming, fantasies,
and delusions. It is typically self-centered, subjective, * To arrive at
accompanied by marked withdrawal from reality. a solution to a
6. Nomothetic or a form of thinking based on the Word of God. problem
monotheistic Thinking * To decide on
something
* To generate ideas
* To make plans
* To judge the worth of a thing or idea
* To initiate action
* To answer a question
* To invent, create, or discover new things
* To learn or to recall materials to mind.

SIX (6) ELEMENTS OF THINKING

1. Thinking Operations the type of mental activity which involves complex

strategies to find meaning, and the way we direct & control
such activity.
2. Thinking Tools a thinking activity that serves as a device that helps us use
to carry out thinking operations.
3. Thinking Structures a type of thinking that describes the way we organize or
pattern our thoughts. (e.g. Logical Thinking operations)
4. Attitudes it is the way we feel or value things, towards anything
around us.
5. Principles are “rules” that we use to guide what we need to do and
what not to do.
6. Habits the routine procedures we apply to thinking about things.

Components of Thinking:

Mental Operations

Most experts agree that thinking consists of some type of mental activity. This activity can be described in
terms of operations.
There are of two types: cognitive & meta-cognitive.

The former consists of those operations used to generate meaning. The latter involves the directing of one’s
efforts to find or make meaning, such as planning, monitoring, and assessing one’s thinking.

There are 3 important knowledge components of thinking

One, knowledge of general heuristics, i.e., rules of thumb on how to execute various thinking operations.

Two, knowledge about the nature of knowledge itself.

Finally, knowledge of the subject area about which one is thinking.

Attitudes

To apply the above thinking components, we need certain attitudes or dispositions to effectively carry out our
thinking goals or tasks.

THINKING STRATEGIES:

Problem Solving – involves several steps – from problem-finding and classifying to identifying a solution &
checking it.

Decision-making – is often considered to be identical to problem solving. Experts see decision making as a
process that differs considerably from problem-solving. It involves:

1. choosing from a number of acceptable alternatives when there is generally no accepted, best, or correct
alternative;

2. simultaneous evaluation of alternatives rather than serial testing;

3. use of non-experimental, qualitative, and quantitative criteria in analyzing various alternatives; and

4. repeated reference to values in applying these criteria.

Conceptualizing – Essentially, this involves identifying the key or critical attributes of several members of a
class or category of phenomena, and then, by continued application of these attributes to additional specific
examples of the phenomena, building a generalized mental image that articulates the common features of the
examples and their interrelationships.

Thinking Skills: Creative Thinking Skills, Critical Thinking Skills

Creative Thinking & Critical Thinking are not the same thing. Whereas creative thinking is divergent;
critical thinking is convergent; functionally, Creative Thinking seeks to generate something new, Critical
Thinking seeks to assess worth or validity in something that exists.

Operationally, Creative thinking is carried on often by violating accepted principles while critical thinking is
carried on by applying accepted principles. Although creative thinking and critical thinking may very well be
different sides of the same coin, they are not identical! (Barry K. Beyer, 1988, p. 62)

FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THINKING:

• Environment
• Food & drugs
• Values
• Mental habits
•
Many elements in the environment can catch our attention:

• loud and irritating noise or sounds that distract us from what we are thinking;
 • unusual icons & images that might get our interest & attention;

• people who are of significant interest to us, glittering & flashes of lights, etc.

FOOD & DRUGS

CULTURAL VALUES

Ours is a culture of self. Money is the "means” to acquire what the heart desires.

These are only 5 characteristics that identify our current culture of self:

1. Sex
2. Sports
3. Food
4. Drink
5. Religion

MENTAL HABITS

A habit is any activity that is so well established that it occurs without thought on the part of the individual.
The habits of mind are those well-established thinking behaviours and patterns characteristic of methodical &
logical thinking. Specifically: problem solving, communicating, reasoning, and making connections.

Strong mental habits can be a barrier to creative and effective thinking!

THINKING STYLES

THINKING STYLES are foundational in all people. Interests, Attitudes, Values, and Natural Behaviors
interact w/ Thinking Styles to drive our Motivations.
Adaptive Behavior
 FIVE (5) STYLES OF THINKING

1. THE SYNTHESIST Synthesist are integrators. They like to discover two or more
things that to other people may appear to have little or no
relationship, and find ways to fit them into a new, creative
combination. What they look for is some perspective that will
produce a “best fit” solution, linking the seemingly
contradictory views, not compromise, consensus or
agreement on the “best solution to a problem.
2. THE IDEALIST Idealists are people who like to take a broad view of things!
They tend to be future-oriented and to think about goals, i.e.,
“where are we going and why?” Like Synthesist they are
interested in social values, rather than facts. They understand
that people differ, but they like to believe that arguments and
differences can be reconciled by emphasizing the similarities
that can be found even in opposing views. They also tend to
have a strong ethical sense or value.
3. THE PRAGMATIST concerns with ‘workability as the test for usefulness. They
excel at finding new ways of doing things with the materials
that lie at hand. They tend to approach problems in a
piecemeal, incremental fashion, one thing at a time. They are
interested in “getting from here to there”, in making do and in
looking for shortcuts and the quick payoff.
4. THE ANALYST sees the world as logical, rational, ordered, and predictable.
When a problem is presented, the Analyst will look for a
method, a formula, a procedure, or a system that can solve it.
They prefer to concentrates on objective data, procedures,
and planning, finding on the proven best method.
5. THE REALIST They are empiricists, i.e., what is “real” to them is what can be
felt, smelled, touched, seen, heard, personally observed or HOW DO WE
experienced. Their motto is, “facts are facts.” THINK?
They want to get things done by proceeding on the facts that
are at hand; rather than by gathering over more data; Realist
is inductive and empirical; the Analysts is deductive and STAGES OF THE
analytical. THINKING
The Synthesist asks: “What are the basic assumptions in this PROCESS
situation?” But the Realist asks: “What are the facts!”

UNDERSTANDING THE QUESTION

 Ask questions.
 Insufficient data can lead to difficulties.
 Asking clarification questions.

RECALL WHAT YOU ALREADY KNOW ABOUT THE SUBJECT

 Ask, “what do I know about this?”

 Response limited to info contained in the brain.
 More association, more connection and recall.
PRODUCE AN ANSWER IN A FORM WHICH BEST MATCHES THE QUESTION.

• Analogous to preparing “pandesal”:

information is ingredient; baking & mixing is the
processing.
• Brain searches, sorts, calculates, reject, test
& compare available information.
• Thinking process requires effective matching to
interpret the new subject or produce a
response.
• The way we organize knowledge in our brain
shapes our thinking.