Purpose: This study explored students' experiences of creative problem-solving using a design thinking approach in higher education, mainly focusing on the importance of empathetic approach in the problem identification and definition phase. Design/methodology/approach: The authors used a descriptive qualitative research design and thematic…

In the light of urgent global sustainability challenges, vocational education is searching for new approaches that are more just and future proof. At least a part of the answer seems to lie in so-called collaborative learning arrangements where students together with societal actors explore sustainability-related challenges. The amount of this…

Recognising the importance of developing creativity in education, the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) included an assessment of creative thinking for the first time in its 2022 cycle -- with the results summarised in the PISA 2022 Results (Volume III) report. While that report focused on comparing countries' performance on…

In an online graduate-level early childhood education course, the authors sought to playfully disrupt and transform educators' conceptions of children's "dark play," as provoked by contemporary popular culture. Embracing the imaginative potential of darkness and liminality, the course participants problematized and expanded their…

Creativity can be broadly defined as a combination of interacting individual and environmental resources leading to the production of valuable solutions. This paper concentrates on the type of creativity that can be expressed in solving social problems. After reviewing the potentially relevant psychological and contextual variables intervening in…

Synectics is a method of creative problem solving through the use of metaphor and apparent irrelevancy developed by William J. J. Gordon. The process involves rational knowledge of the problem to be solved, irrational improvisations that lead to fertile associations creating new approaches to the problem, and euphoric state that is essential in…

The Future Problem Solving Program has a noncompetitive Primary Division that challenges gifted children in grades K-4 to think creatively about society issues, develop research skills, interact as a team, develop oral and written communication skills, become interested in the future, think critically, and solve problems. (JDD)

The impact of project-based learning has been shown to be effective in increasing pupil motivation, improving problem-solving skills and thinking skills in studies by Barrows and Williams. "Project Hour" was set up in order to conduct a longitudinal study over the course of one academic year, to observe and record progress and…