Chapter 2: Learning and Creativity

INTRODUCTION: WISDOM AND SKILLS FOR THE LEARNER

Chapter 2 contains five activities that focus on the "why" and "how" of creative techniques for learning to learn. Among them is a tool for intelligent shortcuts in the classroom and on the job, as well as an "aha" experience of why such a tool should be replicated; an elegantly simple tool for creative thinking based on ideation, elaboration, and suspension of judgment; a model for increasing information retention by focusing on what's right instead of what's wrong; high-level exercises for extracting learning from all relationships and situations, and for defining learning value in any interaction; and a clever game-like exercise that's designed to lead the learner to more advanced cognitive levels.

In addition, this chapter includes training aids to help both the seminar leader and the trainee, such as PowerPoint slide masters, trainee handouts (including an interview guide), a meditation guide, inspirational dialogues , and a crossword puzzle template to facilitate a learning game.

An analysis of literature about adult learning suggests that trainees want to be in control of their learning and that an environment of trust and evolving relationships helps bring trainees to the brink of learning. Reflecting, questioning, reinforcing , and sharing with other learners are keys to developing that learner control. These five activities address these elements of adult learning and facilitate the building of cognitive skill.

Creativity literature urges learners to "add to, subtract from, multiply, and divide" ideas to enrich them ”to modify and enlarge concepts through review, analysis, redefinition, reconstruction, simplification, synthesis, and a host of other mind-expanding and adaptive mental techniques.