TEC 830

Creative Problem Solving

 

Lesson Three

 

THE CREATIVE PERSON

 

Many types of people are highly creative.  Some, including several technical people, do not realize the creativity required in their work and everyday life.  In this lesson, we will consider the characteristics of a creative person and the effect that creativity has on our imagination and ability to produce high quality ideas.

 

 

Important Terms:

 

Characteristics of a Creative Person (from Kneller, The Art and Science of Creativity):

 

§         Intelligence – at least average

 

·        Awareness – sensitive to one’s environment

 

·        Fluency – produces many ideas

 

·        Flexibility – thinks of unusual uses of things

 

·        Originality – produces unusual ideas or solves problems in a unique way

 

·        Elaboration­­­­­­­­­­­­­ – follows up on ideas

 

·        Skepticism – tendency to not trust old ideas

 

·        Persistence – ability to sustain over a long period of time

 

·        Intellectual “Playfulness” – ability to ‘toy’ with ideas to see where they may lead

 

·        Humor – reacts spontaneously, pleasant, non-aggressive

 

·        Nonconformity – less conventional, independent thinker

 

·        self-confident – believes in the worth of his/her  work

        

 

 

 

Stages of Creative Growth (according to psychologist Jean Piaget)

 

            First two years – Sensory Motor Intelligence– motor actions only

            Ages 2 to 4------ Perceptual Thought -----------can not reason from specific to general

            Ages 4 to 7 ----- Intuitive Thought --------------has  intuition

            Ages 7 to 11 ----Concrete Operations ----------develops reasoning ability

            Ages 11 to 15 -– Formal Operations ------------reasons with data/draws implications

 

Creativity reaches its peak between ages 4 and 5, grows again from first through third grades, declines in fourth grade (culturally-induced), peaks again in late adolescence

 

Superior creative “products” usually occur about age 30 (with many exceptions)

 

 

References:

 

           

1.      Selected books, professional articles, Internet resources

 

    2.    The Art and Science of Creativity by Kneller

 

    3.              Selected additional resources, particularly Internet resources

 

 

Assignment:

 

  1. Prepare a discussion in which you describe the creative characteristic assigned during online time and tell why you think this characteristic contributes (or does not) to creative behavior.
  2. Describe someone that you consider to be a creative person and explain why.
  3. Come up with an idea for doing something (innovation) or for some product (invention) that might be used in your occupational area.  Briefly describe your idea.
  4. Place your responses to 1, 2, and 3 above in your Portfolio and label as Lesson 3 – The Creative Person.

 

  1. Be prepared to share your perception of the characteristics of a creative  

 

person with the class during online time.