Thinking Skills Strategies

Strategy One: Solicit many diverse thoughts about issues or ideas

• The use of issues or essential questions rather than topics encourages diverse or more creative thinking.

Strategy Two: Engage students in the exploration of diverse points of view to reframe ideas.

• The discussion of bias and propaganda are important concepts for students to understand as they begin to explore diverse points of view.
• Recognition of diverse points of view can be explored using a variety of templates or thinking webs.
• See http://cfge.wm.edu/curriculum.htm#literature (College of William and Mary, Literature Web)

Strategy Three: Provide opportunities for students to develop and elaborate on their ideas.

• The “Socratic Method” is an excellent strategy to assist students in developing and elaborating on their ideas

In addition, there are several models for the teaching of creative thinking that might be useful as the teacher designs lessons to enhance creativity in the classroom. In general, they include the following steps (adapted from Wallace, 1926).

1. Preparation
   1. Teacher heightens curiosity and anticipation.
   2. Teacher presents an idea or problem within a content area.
   3. Teacher makes connections to something meaningful in the students’ lives.
   4. Teacher encourages brainstorming, gathering information, identifying and experimenting with ideas.
2. Incubation
   1. Teacher provides time for ideas to develop; often creative ideas come when the person is doing something else.
   2. Teacher encourages and assists in processing new information.
   3. Teacher accepts multiple solutions and idea.
   4. Teacher praises the process and does not judge the ideas.
3. Production
   1. Student’s ideas come together in a solution and/or a product.
   2. Student’s ideas are novel or original to the student.
4. Verification
   1. Student checks solution or product for effectiveness and appropriateness.
   2. Student elaborates and fine-tunes solution or product.