Divergent Thinking Across the Curriculum

1. Divergent Thinking Across the Curriculum Draft Ideas 2-5-11

2. What is Divergent Thinking? • Thinking that moves away from one idea in new directions, often leading to innovative ideas and answers. • Generating many new ideas from one idea. • It’s often contrasted with “Convergent Thinking” which involves pulling together information from many sources into one idea. • Convergent thinking is often associated with “getting the right answer” while divergent thinking is associated with developing new or unexpected answers.

3. Role in Creativity • Divergent thinking tests are often used as a measure of creativity, as reported by Kuhn and Holling (2009). • This may have been due to the difficulty early on to think about ways to study creativity in a laboratory. • “Once established, tests of divergent thinking became, for the sake of convenience, tests of creativity; and findings using these scales were often discussed, without badly needed qualifying remarks, as if applicable to creativity in general.” (Arne & Riarne, 2010)

4. Role in Creativity • Newer research suggests that divergent thinking is not a definition of or synonym for creativity, but likely a predictor of creativity. • Dineen, Samuel, and Livesey (2005) suggest that creativity requires both divergent/productive thinking, leading to novel ideas, “and convergent/reproductive thinking, to ensure appropriateness.”(Reported in Kampylis et al., 2009) • A review of the literature on 72 experiments linking creativity – and divergent thinking specifically – to brain activity suggests that divergent and convergent thinking are integrally connected, and usefulness in considering them in an “either or” fashion may be limited. (Arne & Riarne, 2010)

5. Role in Creativity Divergent thinking ability is not equivalent to creative ability, but it is indicative of the potential for creative performance according to Runco (2001. p. 346). http://www.dixonsclass.com/Lissa/4.%20Flexibility%20and%20Originality%20in%20Children%27s%20Divergent%20Thinking..pdf

6. Brainstorming • Show a brainstorming map

7. “What if” Questions? • Photo of Students questioning

8. Re-imagining objects • Photo of Using a hairbrush as a microphone or something

9. Beyond Creativity • Research by Kuhn and Holling (2009) suggests all cognitive abilities studied, except memory, were statistically significant predictors of divergent thinking. • Processing speed was most strongly related to divergent thinking. (Strict time limits on the assessments might have influenced this finding.) • Some gender differences were seen – girls showing more divergent thinking – although results were mixed, suggesting that gender differences may vary with social environment.

10. Neurocognitive Basis • Divergent thinking – accepted as just one component of creativity, itself seems to be composed of different cognitive or mental processes. • EEG studies to not confirm an often reported special role of the right hemisphere in divergent thinking. (Arne & Riarne, 2010) In fact they find no evidence for laterality. • A closer look at frequency ranges associated with types of brain functioning reveals little consistent data to shed light on the process; it’s described as “hit and miss” by Arne & Riarne (2010). • Functional neuroimaging studies consistently report activation of prefrontal regions, however attempts at further localization have pointed to a wide variety of areas, further supporting the idea that a wide range of mental processes are involved (Arne & Riarne, 2010).

11. Arne & Reiarn conclude that a multitude of processes and brain regions are involved in the computation of ideational combinations (2010). • Further, before we can better understand the neurocognitive basis of creativity and related skills – including divergent thinking – there is a need for current models on the neural basis of creativity to be developed further (2010).

12. Measuring Divergent Thinking • Number of ideas • Originality of Ideas • Ideational flexibility – a heterogeneous pool of ideas

13. Development of Divergent Thinking Ability • Ideation is a cognitive process, but independent of IQ; effort and strategy play a role, as concluded by Runco (2001.) • Runco also posed the question of the role of specific stimuli – audio, visual, mixed, three-dimensional (2001.)

14. Classroom Implications • While progress continues on the research front in order to understand what mental processes underlie creative thinking skills, they continues to be a focus in the classroom:

15. The Learning Experience • Four key conditions for creative learning are proposed by Lucas (2001). Below, we’ve suggested links between each of these and Brain Targets proposed by Hardiman: • challenge (BT 5) • appropriate feedback (BT 6) • the ability to live with uncertainty (BT1) • and the elimination of negative stress (BT 1)

16. Creating the Right Environment • An international study for IBM analyzed factors important for creating the right working environment for stimulating and sustaining creativity. They identified three things: • Increasing levels of local empowerment, and this was greatly influenced by the degree of Risk-Taking, Freedom, Idea-Time, and Debate. • Focusing more on consumer needs (rather than technology) when driving innovation, and this was greatly influenced by higher levels of Idea-Support and Freedom. • -Approaching, rather than avoiding, ambiguous innovation projects, and this was influenced mostly by reduced levels of Conflict and higher levels of Risk-Taking and Idea-Time.

17. BT-1 • To the extent that creativity and divergent thinking are related, these conditions for creativity seem to translate effectively into a school environment in the following ways: • Support student leadership in identifying challenges and inquiries • Focus on answers and products rather than processes to get there • Embrace ambiguous questions by encouraging risk-taking and providing enough time for exploration.

18. Other BT 1 Considerations

19. BT- 5: Teaching for Application • The Arts

20. BT- 5: Teaching for Application • The Sciences

21. BT- 5: Teaching for Application • The Humanities

22. BT-6 Evaluation • Diagnostic assessment was held to increase learner confidence and intrinsic motivation, leading to increased creativity, according to research by Dineen, Samuel, & Livesey (2005). • Summative assessments, however, undermined the creative process. • ‘Students haven’t got the feeling throughout the course that they can develop and actually go off down blind alleys ... they’re much more constantly under surveillance’ according to a study subject reported in Dineen, Samuel, Livesey (2005).