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creativity oil pastelsIn today's competitive environment businesses have come to rely on creative thinking to stay ahead of their competitors. 

This means that creative thinking is a highly valued skill in most organisations and today's creative problem solver frequently becomes tomorrow's executive.

The only problem with creativity is that it's rather mysterious and hard to explain.

Ask any artist, poet, scientist or inventor how they come up with great ideas and they'll find it really hard to describe their creative process.

 

Over the years there has been plenty of research into the theory behind creative thinking, but we were curious about how you translate this theory into practice. We spoke to Dee Whitby, principal of Orana Steiner School, a Preschool to Year 12 independent school in Weston Creek known for turning out students who are innovative in their thinking.

 

According to Dee there are two sides to creative problem solving; firstly, the ability to adapt whatever you have on hand to solve the problem; and secondly, recognising that there can be more than one correct answer to a problem.

"Something else to recognise is that habit can sometimes get in the way of solving a problem or innovating," cautions Dee.

"For example, you may hear people complain that music today all sounds very similar.

"While these observations might actually reflect personal taste, there is also an element of truth in it.

"You can be constrained by habits of thinking, which means that film makers, photographers and writers keep producing work along similar lines.

"Think about how often you can predict the ending of a movie or book," says Dee, "sometimes expert knowledge actually gets in the way because you see everything through a narrow view of the world".

 

Girls in veggie patch

According to Dee, where a problem requires a completely new approach, a good way to spark new ideas is to involve people who have a broad or diverse range of knowledge.

A lot of innovative ideas are inspired by other disciplines and then modified and built upon. For example, Swiss engineer George de Mestral got the inspiration for his invention of Velcro[1] from nature. He studied the burrs that covered his dog after a hunting trip and discovered a simple design of hooks that nimbly attached to his pet's fur.

"For this reason at Orana we don't encourage subject specialisation too early; rather we encourage students to explore a wide range of subjects first and then only choose electives from Year 9."

"One thing that is important for creativity is the foundation of imagination. Truly creative problem solving skills evolve from a combination of imagination and the willingness to try new things and take risks.

"In the primary school particularly our curriculum is designed to foster imagination and to encourage all students to give everything a go," says Dee.

 

According to Dee constraints are also important in the creative process.

"The idea that creativity should operate in an environment of total freedom is actually not true," says Dee.

"Research has shown that applying some constraints and focus actually produces better results.

"At Orana we challenge students to use their own imagination and creativity, for example in the Kindergarten there are actually very few traditional toys; rather we provide toys that are flexible in that they are made from natural materials that can be morphed into many different things.

"This means the children may create a pirate ship one day and a doll's house the next, using their imagination and the materials they have on hand," says Dee.

Photo collage

Orana teachers also challenge students to think beyond their comfort zone by encouraging them to explore 'what if' questions and think about problems from different angles before they dive in with a solution.

"I think one of the biggest boosts to creative thinking is actually having the time to ponder solutions," says Dee.

"You also need to be highly motivated to find a solution and push through the frustration of many failed attempts.

"Teaching resilience and the ability to persist at a task is an important part of what we teach and we start developing this skill from as early as Kindergarten.

"In class one this might take the form of teaching a child to knit. If the child drops a stitch the teacher doesn't immediately fix it for the child, instead they are taught to unpick and fix their mistakes.

"This really stands a child in good stead, especially when they get to high school and are faced with completing their Year 12 project, an in-depth research investigation into a topic of their choice that reflects their insight and creativity," says Dee.

Dee concludes that teaching creative thinking from a young age is crucial for meeting the challenges of the future and to this end Orana is focused on providing an outstanding education that lasts a lifetime.


[1] http://www.bloomberg.com/slideshow/2013-08-18/14-smart-inventions-inspired-by-nature-biomimicry.html#slide2

 

About Lighthouse Business Innovation Centre
Lighthouse has a strong track record of supporting entrepreneurs, researchers and inventers on the path from concept to commercialisation. Since July 2008, Lighthouse has worked with over 990 distinct enterprises and provided group and peer based services to over 3400 enterprises and individuals. For over five years Lighthouse has successfully delivered business advice, education, mentorship and networking opportunities to help these businesses commercialise their ideas and grow their companies. Lighthouse also delivers programs such as the ACT Microcredit Program for the ACT Government. Visit www.lighthouseinnovation.com.au for more information.