Problem-Solving and
Creativity
Learning Outcomes:
Explain the four criteria of creativity by
Torrance
Practice creative thinking
Apply problem-solving skills
Activity
Remove 8 matches to leave just two squares, which
should not touch.
Activity
The result of removing only the 8 matches leaves
just two squares
EDWARD PAUL TORRANCE
Known as the "Father of
Creativity" for his nearly 60
years of research that became
the framework for the field of
gifted education.
He was professor emeritus of
educational psychology
He invented the benchmark
method for quantifying
creativity
Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking
Activity
What would happen if humans had one more eye
at the back of their head?
Birds Eye
Birds that have eyes on the
sides of their heads have
overlapping visual fields
in the front, and for some
birds, the back as well
A huge portion of the
visual information we get
is from the fovea. We
notice this so much
therefore to everything not
visualized via the fovia as
“peripheral” vision
Advance Organizer
Problem Solving/
Creativity
Torrance’s
Creative Problem
Creativity
Solving (CPS)
Framework
Fluency
Six Stage of
Flexibility CPS
Elaboratio
n
Originality
Torrance Framework for
Creative Thinking
Fluency
Fluency refers to the production of a great
number of ideas or alternate solutions to a
problem. Fluency implies understanding, not
just remembering information that is
learned.
Fluency
Key words
compare, convert, count, define, describe,
explain, identify, label, list, match, name,
outline, paraphrase, predict, summarize
Application activities
Trace a picture and label its parts.
Write an outline in an article
you find on your topic.
Fluency
List 15 things that are commonly red or contain
red.
Example: Apple, blood, brick, caboose, cherry,
Christmas stocking, exit sign, fire alarm, flag,
heart, red nose reindeer, rose, tomato
Flexibility
Flexibility refers to the production of ideas that
show a variety of possibilities or realms of
thought. It involves the ability to see things
from different points of view and to use many
different approaches or strategies.
Flexibility
• Key words
Change, demonstrate, distinguish, employ,
extrapolate, interpolate, interpret, predict.
Application ideas
What would happen if
there were no
automobiles
How would a ... dog look to a flea?
How is _______ like ________?
How would you feel if ... you were
invisible for a day?
Flexibility
How would you group the ideas about
"red" into categories?
Example: fruit, safety features, vehicles
Flexibility
Once categories are identified, fluency may be
further demonstrated by generating more ideas
about the idea red within categories. Even a
modest attempt could result in the following
lists, recognizing that the creative thinking
process may shift the mind in a spiral way
between all four aspects of creativity.
Flexibility
Red fruit Red safety features Red vehicles
apple exit sign caboose
cherry fire alarm fire truck
raspberry stop sign tricycle
wagon
tomatoe tail lights
Elaboration
Definition
Elaboration is the process of
enhancing ideas by providing more detail.
Additional detail and clarity improves
interest in, and understanding of, the topic.
Elaboration
Key words
Appraise, critique, determine, evaluate,
grade, judge, measure, select, test.
Application ideas
1. Tell your neighbor about your last family trip
using as many details as possible.
2. What can you add to_______ to improve its
quality or performance?
3. Describe all the possible characteristics of
the red quality in a car
Example: Shade, finish, texture, uniformity.
Elaboration
Describe all the possible characteristics of
the red quality in a car
Example: Shade, finish, texture, uniformity.
Originality
Originality involves the production of ideas
that are unique or unusual. It involves
synthesis or putting information about a
topic back together in a new way.
Originality
Key words
Compose, create, design, generate,
integrate, modify, rearrange, reconstruct,
reorganize, revise.
Application ideas
Find an original use for_________.
What would be the strangest way to get
out of bed?
Design a new___________ that is better
than the one you have
Originality
Write an unusual title for the ideas about
red.
Example: Revolutionary "Red" Representation.
Creative Problem Solving
• Is an intentional process for solving problems and
discussing opportunities.
• It espouses the use of creativity in the 1950’s
Alex Osborn described this process in his book,
Applied Imagination.
• Osborn opened the process in the public domain
which means anyone can use it.
1. Mess Finding
• Sensitise yourself (scan, search) for issues
(concerns, challenges, opportunities etc.) that
need to be tackled.
1. Mess Finding
• Convergent techniques include the
identification of hotspots (Highlighting),
expressed as a list of IWMs (‘In What Ways
Might…’), and selection in terms of
ownership criteria
• (e.g. problem-owner’s motivation and ability
to influence it) and outlook criteria (e.g.
urgency, familiarity, stability).
2. Data finding
• Gather information about the problem
2. Data Finding
• Divergent techniques include Five Whats and
Whos (Who, Why, What, When, Where, and How) and a
listing of wants, sources, and data:
• List all your information ‘wants’ as a series of
questions; for each, list possible sources of
answers; then follow these up, and for each
source, list what you found.
• Convergent techniques again include: identifying
hotspots (Highlighting); Mind-mapping to sort and
classify the information gathered; and also
restating the problem in the light of your richer
understanding of it.
3. Problem Finding
• convert a fuzzy statement of the problem into a
broad statement more suitable for idea finding.
3. Problem Finding
• Divergent techniques include
asking ‘Why?’ etc. – the repeatable
questions and Five Whats and Whos
• Convergent techniques
include Highlighting again, reformulation
of problem statements to meet the
criteria that they contain only one
problem and no criteria, and selection of
the most promising statement
4. Idea Finding
• generate as many ideas as possible
4. Idea Finding
• Divergence using any of a very wide range
of idea-generating techniques. The general
rules of classical brainstorming (such as
deferring judgment) are likely to underpin
all of these.
• Convergence can again involve hotspots or
mind-mapping, the combining of different
ideas, and the short-listing of the most
promising handful, perhaps with some
thought for the more obvious evaluation
criteria, but not over-restrictively
5. Solution Finding
• Generate and select obvious evaluation criteria
(using an expansion/contraction cycle) and develop
(which may include combining) the short-listed
ideas from Idea Finding as much as you can in the
light of these criteria.
Thank you