Creativity; What, Why, and How (PDF)

Creativity: What, Why, and How  Creativity: What, Why, and How To create: To bring into being out of nothing  Creativity: What, Why, and How To create: To bring into being out of nothing Creativity: Thinking skills that lead to create something  To create: To bring into being out of nothing Creativity: Thinking skills that lead to create something Creativity in Science and Engineering: A mental process involving the generation of new ideas or concepts, or new associations between existing ideas or concepts. Creativity: What, Why, and How  To create: To bring into being out of nothing Creativity: Thinking skills that lead to create something Creativity in Science and Engineering: A mental process involving the generation of new ideas or concepts, or new associations between existing ideas or concepts. Creativity is one of the essential attributes we would like our graduates to have – all others are useless without creativity. Innovation and Invention are impossible without creativity. Creativity: What, Why, and How  Convergent vs. Divergent Thinking Divergent thinking: the creative generation of multiple solutions to a given problem. In Science and Engineering, this is followed by evaluation of the answers and a choice of optimal solution. Convergent thinking: the deductive generation of the optimum solution to a given problem, usually where there is a compelling inference.  Divergent thinking: the creative generation of multiple solutions to a given problem. In Science and Engineering, this is followed by evaluation of the answers and a choice of optimal solution. Convergent thinking: the deductive generation of the optimum solution to a given problem, usually where there is a compelling inference. Scientists and Engineers typically prefer convergent thinking while artists and performers prefer divergent thinking. Convergent vs. Divergent Thinking  Divergent thinking: the creative generation of multiple solutions to a given problem. In Science and Engineering, this is followed by evaluation of the answers and a choice of optimal solution. Convergent thinking: the deductive generation of the optimum solution to a given problem, usually where there is a compelling inference. Scientists and Engineers typically prefer convergent thinking while artists and performers prefer divergent thinking. Perhaps this is why many students in CS do not speak of the field as creative. Yet we must have DT to invent and innovate! Convergent vs. Divergent Thinking  A man who lived on the 10th floor of an apartment building took the elevator to the ground floor every summer morning in order to get to work. When coming home in the late afternoon, the man took the elevator to the 5th floor and walked up the stairs to his apartment on the 10th floor except on rainy days when the man took the elevator all the way to 10. How do you explain this behavior? Example of Divergent Thinking  1. The man was a little person (p.c. form of midget) and could only reach as high as the 5th floor button. On rainy days, though, he could use his umbrella to hit the 10th floor button. Example of Divergent Thinking  1. The man was a little person (p.c. form of midget) and could only reach as high as the 5th floor button. On rainy days, though, he could use his umbrella to hit the 10th floor button. 2. The man enjoyed the exercise of walking up steps but could only manage 5 floors at a time. On rainy days he would create a muddy mess in the hallway so he took the elevator to 10 then. Example of Divergent Thinking  1. The man was a little person (p.c. form of midget) and could only reach as high as the 5th floor button. On rainy days, though, he could use his umbrella to hit the 10th floor button. 2. The man enjoyed the exercise of walking up steps but could only manage 5 floors at a time. On rainy days he would create a muddy mess in the hallway so he took the elevator to 10 then. 3. The stairs from the 5th to 10th floor are outside and unprotected. The man took the stairs when convenient to enjoy the late afternoon sun and view overlooking the Pearl river. On rainy days that was out of the question. Example of Divergent Thinking  1. Rain connects with umbrella umbrella connects with long stiff rod long stiff rod connects with enabling a higher reach this suggests solution 1. 2. Rain connects with mud mud connects with mess mess is to be avoided this suggests solution 2 3. Absence of rain connects with sun sun connects with pleasure outdoors this suggests solution 3 Making Connections is Important!  Three travelers go into a hotel and are charged $30 for a room. They each contribute $10. That evening the hotel manager realizes that the men were overcharged: they should have received a group discount and paid $25. So the manager sends a bellhop up to the room to return $5. But, the three travelers cannot equally split the $5, so they give the bellhop $2 as a tip and keep $3 which they split among themselves - $1 each. Observe each traveler has paid $9, for a total of $27 and the bellhop has $2 so only $29 is accounted for. Where has the 30th dollar gone? Making Wrong Connections Can Be Fatal!  Three travelers paid $30. But now the discounted rate is $4 so they get back $26. Since 26 is not divisible by 3, they decide to split $24 among themselves ($8 each) and let the bellhop have a $2 top. Now each traveler has paid $2 (10-8), for a total of $6. The bellhop has $2. That makes $8 accounted for... far from the original $30 they paid. In other words, now $22 are missing! What is going on? Making Wrong Connections Can Be Fatal!