Creative thought can be promoted by an attitude of mind, the implications of certain philosophy of science trends notwithstanding. Since such an attitude should obviously be encouraged, various ways of accomplishing this are suggested. (Author/JN)

This document summarizes a study attempting to understand the critical skill of creative visioning. In the study, 20 people who were involved in creativity or creative visioning were interviewed for 1.5-4 hours. Seven central themes emerged from the interviews: (1) the meaning of creative visioning; (2) trusting; (3) imagination; (4) connections;…

Research is reviewed on identifying the characteristics most important to inventive ability, focusing on intelligence, visualization, persistence, joy in manipulating materials, originality, curiosity, and observation. A screening device developed to assess inventive potential demonstrated significant differences between inventors and…

Seven principles are presented for improving creative thinking, based on assumptions of creativity as a perceptual shift resulting from a metamorphic mental image. Principles include (1) the future initiates and pulls creative thought; (2) initial fact finding is best postponed; (3) problem redefinition is often retrospective; and (4) metaphors…

This book presents first-person accounts of 20 young female inventors. Most have won prizes for their inventions; some have even obtained patents. Part 1 "Inventors and Their Inventions," focuses on the young inventors and their lives, how they came up with their ideas, who helped them, what problems they faced, and how they solved their problems.…

Discussed is the role of serendipity in the scientific method. Several examples from science history are provided. Described is the value of intuition on the part of the scientist. Six quotes from famous scientists are included. (CW)

Background information to help K-12 teachers use objects found in the Smithsonian Institution or in other museums to stimulate students' creative thinking is provided. To encourage creative thinking, teachers must provide students with divergent problems, i.e., problems that are expansive, allow for a variety of responses, and have no fixed…

The Invent America program addresses the need to provide K-8 students with opportunities to learn critical and creative thinking skills through the process of inventing. Students apply problem-solving skills as they turn their own creative ideas into inventions. It is an effort to integrate the curriculum, help students synthesize knowledge, and…

The Invent America program addresses the need to provide K-8 students with opportunities to learn critical and creative thinking skills through the process of inventing. Students apply problem-solving skills as they turn their own creative ideas into inventions. It is an effort to integrate the curriculum, help students synthesize knowledge, and…

The Invent America program addresses the need to provide K-8 students with opportunities to learn critical and creative thinking skills through the process of inventing. Students apply problem-solving skills as they turn their own creative ideas into inventions. It is an effort to integrate the curriculum, help students synthesize knowledge, and…

The Invent America program addresses the need to provide K-8 students with opportunities to learn critical and creative thinking skills through the process of inventing. Students apply problem-solving skills as they turn their own creative ideas into inventions. It is an effort to integrate the curriculum, help students synthesize knowledge, and…

Museum objects can be the springboard for exercising critical thinking. There are four main thought processes associated with critical thinking: (1) fluent thinking, the ability to produce many ideas; (2) flexible thinking, the ability to view something in different ways; (3) original thinking, the ability to produce unique ideas; and (4)…

Ways by which teachers can enhance creativity skills of children in the classroom are addressed in this monograph. An overview of creativity first sets the stage for discussions on the child, curriculum, teacher, and environment. The goal is to show the many faces of the development of creativity in children and to recognize ways to enhance the…

A practical guidebook of ideas, lesson materials, and related resources for developing imaginative and productive thinking skills of children is presented to assist teachers and parents. Emphasis is placed on the use of strategies and techniques that enhance originality, mental imagery, reverie, reflection, humor, novel playfulness, and divergent…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether an instructional unit on inventing affected the inventive abilities of fifth and sixth graders and investigate the possible effects of the unit on students' creativity scores and attitudes towards science. Concomitantly, this study attempted to determine whether relationships existed between…