Creative and critical thinking stimulate problem-solving abilities, all necessary for our fast-paced future. Over my fifteen years of teaching art at the university level, I have observed a slow erosion of imagination and innovation exhibited by my students. When asked where the best ideas come from, students too often reply, “The Web.” Is this low-level of students’ curiosity and innovation a possible result of high-stakes testing and one-size-fits-all curriculum? Or is it due to the daily bombardment of mind-numbing social media? Students demonstrate a reluctance toward projects that require original thinking, even when the topic focuses on themselves. Since the finished products cannot be found on the Internet, students seem unsure as to how to rely on their own imaginations to even get started. To combat such apprehension, I have designed projects of increasing difficulty and unfamiliarity for non-art majors to utilize internal reliance and self-analyses to enhance visual problem-solving. Through samples of student projects, I will share how a combination of instructor and peer feedback, both during studio worktime and individual presentations, provides the supportive environment in which originality and creativity potential begin to emerge.
Keywords: Creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, imagination;
References:
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