Creativity for Critical Thinkers

Book excerpt: This unique book is a concise introduction to creativity--the art of expanding possibility. Covering such practical methods as multiplying options, brainstorming, lateral thinking, reframing problems, and many others, it offers provocative and effective methods for constructive and expansive kinds of thinking. These methods are illustrated and reinforced through exercises and applications that range from science and technology to the arts; from the small aggravations of everyday life to the largest difficulties in politics, the family, and the future; and from "creative good citizenship" to "creativity to change the world." Creativity for Critical Thinkers is an ideal supplement for any general course in thinking skills, and in particular for courses in critical thinking, as it frees them from a preoccupation with "critical thinking" as merely criticism. It can be used in creative writing and design courses as well, and provides a quick and engaging introduction to creative thinking for workshop participants and general readers. It shows readers who have been trained to think "in the box" how to think "out of the box"--freely and imaginatively. By looking at the world or some part of the world as it could be, creativity offers an entirely new view of the world as it is.