GT+Weekly+Teaching+Strategy+Creative+Problem+Solving

= GT Weekly Teaching Strategy: Creative Problem Solving = CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING //E. Paul Torrance, an innovator and leader in the study of creativity, defines creativity as a process that resembles the scientific method: “I have tried to describe creative thinking as taking place in the process of (1) sensing difficulties, problems, gaps in information, or missing elements; (2) making guesses or formulating hypotheses about those deficiencies; (3) testing these guesses and possibly revising and retesting them; (4) communicating the results” (Torrance, 1995). // The Creative Problem Solving (CPS) method is a process that can develop creativity using real world situations. It is best to use this process with groups of students. __Creative Problem Solving (CPS) Osborn-Parnes Problem Solving Model __  1. **Mess Finding**: an effort to identify a situation that presents a challenge.   2. **Data Finding**: an effort to identify all known facts related to the situation: to seek and  identify information that is not known but essential to the situation.   3. **Problem Finding**: an effort to identify all the possible problems and then to isolate the most important or underlying problem   4. **Idea Finding**: an effort to identify as many solutions to the problem as possible.  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> 5. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">**Solution Finding**: using a list of selected criteria to choose the best solutions for action. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> 6. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">**Acceptance Finding**: making every effort to gain acceptance for the solution, determine a plan  of action, and implement the solution. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">An **example**, all students participate and contribute to each part of the process: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> 1. __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Mess Finding __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">: The amount of trash in schools: paper, cans, plastic bottles, cardboard, and other recyclables are thrown out daily causing trash bins to fill up and adding to the amount of waste in local landfills. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> 2. __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Data Finding __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">: List what is already known about this topic. Conduct additional research. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> 3. __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Problem Finding __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">: Recyclables are being thrown out with the trash instead of being recycled. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> 4. __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Idea Finding __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">: Bins in every classroom and teachers lounge, rewards for most recycled, recycle master in each room that looks through garbage to check for recyclables, hire people to recycle, contact Denver Recycles and get large recycle bins delivered to every school in the district, have the facility managers recycle before dumping trash, design a recycle-zapping and sorting ray, design special bins for every type of recyclable, design a machine that will sort through trash, etc <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> 5. __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Solution Finding __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">: Place bins in every classroom, lunchroom, playground, and teachers’ lounge, contact Denver Recycles and have bins placed outside of every school with a plan for weekly pick up. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> 6. __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Acceptance Finding __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">: Contact Denver Recycles; work out a contract and time line, educate students and school personnel about recycling, procure and place bins in all areas, work out an incentive plan for classrooms.