1. Strategies for Developing
Creativity and Critical
Thinking
For the New Faculty Members

2. Overview
Definition of creativity and critical
thinking
Quick easy strategies to put in place
Seamless to add to your current lessons
Can fit most any classroom

3. Creativity
To achieve intense absorption and deep satisfaction,
individuals must fully understand the rules of the
discipline area and be able to freely use the tools and
constructs available to them (Fletcher, 2011).
Creative thinking may then be thought of as the
process of developing new ideas, explorations and
solutions through the combination of know
information, tools and constructs in novel ways.

4. Critical Thinking
To think critically is to decide what to believe
or do in a reasonable reflective way (Hager,
et al, 2003)
Critical thinking may then be thought of as the
process through which a determination is
made as to what method, strategy, and/or
information is correct.

5. TO DEVELOP CREATIVITY
Strategies

6. 6. Allow students to develop group response
Give students the opportunity to learn from each other.
Sometimes students need help with the response.
5. Allow students to have “judgment free”
discussions
There is no right or wrong answer during discussions.

7. 4. Create interest based groups
Allow students to work with others that have similar
interests.
3. Provide open ended questions
Open ended questions allow for more thinking and
expanding on answers.

8. 2. Jigsaw Activities
Allows students from different groups to exchange ideas.
This helps them realize there are different strategies to any given
problem.
1. Allow students to design, hypothesis and test
their own experiment
Students will be highly engaged when they are in charge
of their learning. They will be searching for answers to their own
questions.

9. TO DEVELOP CRITICAL
THINKING
Top Five Ways

10. 6. Activate knowledge with low level question
bell ringer.
This helps set the tone and the focus of the lesson.
Provide materials for students to use.
5. Cooperative learning groups
Small groups help students discuss the topic, ask each
other questions and learn from the perspective of others.

11. 4. Socratic seminar discussions.
These type of discussions help to develop critical thinking
skills as well understand the perspective of others.
3. Have students justify their answers.
When students have to providence evidence and support
for their answers they will give a more thorough response.

12. 2. Create a bulletin board.
Have a list of hierarchy of questions that experts in the
field use so students can use it as a reminder having discussions.
1. Allow room to fail and retest hypothesis.
Students need the opportunity to have a productive struggle.
Students need to learn that out of failure will come
knowledge and success.

13. Fletcher, T. S. (2011, Spring). Creative thinking in schools:
Finding the "just right" challenge for students. Gifted Child
Today, 34(2), 37-42.
Hager, P., Sleet, R., Logan, P., Hooper, M. (2003). Teaching
critical thinking in undergraduate science courses. Science &
Education, 12(), 303-313