3 Plus 3 Teacher Training Program: Week 7

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This is a short week. You had a short trip to Seoul on Tuesday.

Last week, we learned about collaboration, leadership and the challenges of communicating effectively to accomplish some task. We also read and discussed the story about Asian languages and math.

This week, we will conclude our investigation of the seven skills that young people need to succeed in the future.

CURIOSITY + IMAGINATION = CREATIVITY

The final topic to be explored is curiosity and imagination. I believe these two things put together equals creativity.

Creativity in Korea, it seems, is a hot topic. If you listen to President Park, you know it’s one of her major platforms for reform. Maybe you have read quotes like this: “President Park Geun-Hye called Thursday for a “paradigm shift” to a creative economy.”

Samsung and other groups are re-branding their investments in R&D as part of the creative economy.

Can a corporation radically transform itself from a top down hierarchically managed structure to a creative group because a few wizards wave a magic wand and, like Harry Potter, and utter a mystical chant?

Is it all just window dressing? Perhaps. But one thing is seems clear: creativity is the latest buzzword in Korea.

Let’s explore briefly the concept of creativity. I’d like to argue that creativity is not a gift that a few lucky people have but instead a skill that can be learned through dedication and practice.

SCAMPER

Here is a brief slide show which shows one technique to help people become more creative.

A checklist of idea-spurring questions.

  1. Substitute something.
  2. Combine it with something else.
  3. Adapt something to it.
  4. Modify it.
  5. Put it to some other use.
  6. Eliminate something.
  7. Rearrange it.

Example

“How can …?” “What else …?” “How else …?” If you do this at each step, you can generate many ideas. A paper clip manufacturer wants to improve his product. He would start looking for ideas by asking:

  • What can be substituted in the clip?
  • What can I combine the clip with to make something else?
  • What can I adapt to the clip?
  • How can I modify the clip?
  • What can I magnify or add to the clip?
  • What other uses can I find for the clip?
  • What can be eliminated from the clip?
  • What is the reverse of clipping?
  • What rearrangement of the clip might be better?

One manufacturer substituted plastic for metal, added color, and produced plastic clips in various colors so that clipped papers could be color-coded, thereby creating another use for clips.

 

CREATIVITY CHALLENGE 1

In what way is this class like a peanut? Come up with at least five answers.

Monkey Nuts