Creativity and Critical Thinking

Educators get hands-on practice in the effective use of the Internet to facilitate higher-order thinking — moving beyond copy & paste assignments to strategies encouraging creative and critical thinking.

Topics include:

Why creativity is more important than ever in a connected world
The link between critical thinking and creativity
Crafting good (essential) questions to filter the flood of information
Use of inquiry and authentic problem based learning
Harnessing Web 2.0 technologies — blogs, wikis, and forums — to support collaboration and stimulate creativity

Upon completion of this workshop you will be equipped with strategies for responding to the challenges of teaching and learning in a technology enhanced environment. You will be able be to:

evaluate the implications of today's connected world and the link between creativity and critical thinking
explain the importance of crafting good questions to sift through oceans of information in a competitive global economy
apply the use of inquiry and authentic-problem based instructional strategies to enhance student achievement
harness Web.2 technologies- blogs, wikis and forums to support collaboration and stimulate creativity.

Questions to explore include:

How has the Internet changed the learning landscape?
What is the difference between creativity and artistic expression?
How are creativity and critical thinking linked? And why are they essential life skills today?
What's wrong with so-called "topical" research?
How do I construct a good question where the potential for learning is optimized?
How can inquiry-based instruction motivate student learning and performance?
Why is the pedagogy of inquiry-based instruction lend itself so well to an online-enhanced learning environment?
How does authentic problem solving encourage creativity and critical thinking?
What is the teacher's role in an inquiry driven instructional environment
What are the challenges to implementing inquiry-based instruction?