Knowledge Base Repository

In addition to research papers, the Design Society is developing several valuable resources for those interested in the study of design. These include a repository of PhD theses, a library of case studies and transcripts of design activities, and an archive of our newsletters. Please note that these resources are accessible exclusively to Design Society members.

TEACHING CREATIVITY BY CHANGE OF MIND-SET: FROM GOAL-ORIENTATED TO OPEN AND CURIOUS

Olander, Elin


Type:
Year:
2018
Editor:
Erik Bohemia, Ahmed Kovacevic, Lyndon Buck, Peter Childs, Stephen Green, Ashley Hall, Aran Dasan
Author:
Series:
E&PDE
Institution:
Lund University, Sweden
Section:
Creativity and Innovation in Design and Engineering Education
Page(s):
248-253
ISBN:
978-1-912254-02-6
Abstract:
Creativity is a wildly debated topic among scholars and practitioners, but one that lacks consensus. Many have tried to define, describe and explain creativity, its purpose, effect and use. Is creativity a personality trait you are born with, or can you learn to become creative? As a design teacher with a teaching practice focused on the skills of creativity, this is a relevant question, because if creativity cannot be learned, then it cannot be taught. The results of observations during a design methodology course for undergraduate design engineering students suggest that there are important common conditions in a learning situation that aims to enhance creativity through practice. In this case, it aims to implement a design thinking mind-set in a product development process. From a teacher perspective, this paper discusses the need to break students’ goal-oriented mind-set, learned from the first day of primary school, to enable them to adopt a creative mind-set. In this context, students with a goal-oriented mind-set will immediately start working on finalising the first idea/solution that comes to mind without considering alternatives. Breaking this mind-set can be done by letting the students’ practical experiences intertwine with self-reflection under teacher guidance. The focus is to identify each students’ motivation to change mind-set by teaching the underlying reasons why creating ideas is hard work, not something that happens by chance. Hence, the teacher’s focus is on generating student awareness those mind-set rules over method so they can embrace a different/new road to finding design solutions.
Keywords:

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