Three staples of management and organizational behavior classes are units on creativity, problem solving, and group decision making. This article presents an experiential exercise in creative problem solving in which the participants attempt to create a cartoon caption both individually and in small groups. The cartoons all come from "The New…

Engineering design has been central to technology education. Currently, online collaborative platforms for designers are widely used as digital forms of an engineer's notebook. However, traditional forms are still valued as the medium of engineering design during the conceptual phase of design since a paper notebook and pen or pencil allow…

We implemented a STEM task that highlights the engineering cycle and engages students in productive struggle. Students problem solved in productive ways and saw tangible benefits of revising their work to achieve mathematical goals.

Brainstorming is a teaching method covering concepts such as critical thinking, decision taking, putting forward proposals for a solution to a problem, generating ideas and creative thinking. Through this method, students can hypothesize about the events, analyze events, make connections between topics, and reach accurate, reliable and definitive…

The title of this book is an acronym that serves to describe the mental activity the games of the book are intended to bring about. Each of the seven letters in "scamper" is the initial letter for the word phrases making up the checklist used to create the Scamper games. Sections of the book include: (1) "Scampering with the Experts--Thinking and…

This lesson helps participants examine their own attitudes and feelings about being faced with an unplanned pregnancy and understand the difficult choices involved when women need to make a decision about unplanned pregnancy. The lesson uses brainstorming, discussion, an examination of "case studies," and role-playing to help participants develop…

This book is a sequel to the book "Scamper" by the same author and builds upon the ideas of imagination development introduced in the first book. SCAMPER is an acronym with each of the seven letters serving as the initial letter or word phrases that form an idea-spurring checklist. The checklist provokes children's minds and spurs the production…

This essay describes the use of I Ching hexagrams as a focus to improve the ability of college student groups to evolve creative solutions and improve decision-making skills. The philosophy of I Ching is briefly explained, and examples are given of hexagram interpretations which are applicable to group discussion and problem solving. (DB)

Preservice teachers and current teachers alike face daily challenges that necessitate problem-solving skills. Conducting problem solving as a part of a group of professionals and the child's family can be beneficial because it encourages the offering of many perspectives, which allows for better understanding of the problem context. However, a…

This book presents a logical problem-solving process and contains many tools and techniques to help groups identify, analyze, and solve problems successfully. It is meant to be used by anyone engaged in this activity whether they be facilitators, leaders, or members of problem-solving groups, or managers who have an interest in the problem-solving…

Noting that the ability to think critically and creatively can be encouraged even in the very young, this book provides practical strategies and lesson plans for introducing children in kindergarten through grade 3 to the fun and rigors of skillful thinking. The first set of four lessons is designed to start children thinking and to lay the…

This book, designed for grades 2-8, teaches students the creative problem-solving (CPS) method. Each step in the process is outlined in detail and is illustrated with 30 reproducible classroom activities. The levels of the problem-solving approach addressed in the book include: (1) "Sensing Problems and Challenges"; (2) "Fact Finding"; (3)…

Describes classroom projects in a second-grade classroom based on the Foxfire approach to instruction. Projects planned and implemented in the classroom by students included: (1) sub shop; (2) recycling; (3) Black cemetery; and (4) garden. Students engaged in brainstorming, creating webs, weekly planning, and writing about their activities. (KS)

Teachers of vocational agriculture students should focus on developing problem-solving and decision-making capacities, rather than on rote learning. Such preparation would include instruction in transferring lessons learned to today's and tomorrow's problems. Several factors are involved in facilitating transfer: experiential learning, adequacy of…

Students from science, engineering, and technology programs should be able to work together as members of project teams to find solutions to technical problems. The exercise in this paper describes the methods actually used by a project team from a Biomedical Instrumentation Corporation in which scientists, technicians, and engineers from various…