Experiencing Your Topic

What's the Big Idea? - Week 2

Observing and Thinking

1. Define and give examples of thinking skills:
1. Observing - This chapter was taking the time to notice the details in an object, and in doing so seeing that object differently. The book provided a picture that look like abstract art at first glance, but actuallly contained an image of a bird. I tried to keep this concept in the forefront of my mind when taking pictures for the Veja Du exercise.
2. Imaging - This thinking skill described the ability of an individual to visualize a problem and resolve the problem in the mind as if they were working with something physical. The book gave several examples of scientist, artist, and writers who were able to visualize their work in its entirety.
2. How do these thinking skills affect my creativity?
1. Observation: I am inspired by the complexity of simple things. There is commonality that everyone can relate to when describing simple things, and when you can find something new about simple things, it makes it interesting.
2. Imaging: I utilize creativity very similar to example provided in the book. It is definitely something that I tap into in a professional capacity. I work as a technical trainer, and I work extensively with training deleivery tools, and I am able to understand how to use and integrate different systems in my mind. I also like to write poetry and when I am inspired to writem the poem is feels like it is revealed to me, yet it exists in my mind as a complete entity.
3. My ability to teach creatively is impacted in these ways:
1. Observation: I use observation in the classroom to pay attention to comments that made, body language, the level of interaction. All of these things give me information as an instructor to adjust the message that I am sending so that I can communicate more effectively. In the future, I plan to use the Observation tool as a method of engage the class participants and encourage discussion.
2. Imaging: After reading the chapter, I identified with the feeling of frustration shared among highly visual people. In my job I often struggle with explaining a solution that I am working on, because it usually involves more than the immediate problem. When I am trying to resolve an issue, I typically thinking 5- 7 consequential problems as well. What I got from this book that I think would help me, is understanding that everyone doesn't process problems visually. Many of my coworkers would prefer an algebraic approach. Testing and controling every variable. From now on I plan to be more descriptive whn explaining a solution to help create the picture that I have in my mind. Additionally, this skill can be used to help other think creatively by using strong pictures help illustrate learning point in the classroom. Since many people are visual thinkers, pictures would them understand.

Veja Du - Week 2

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54046258@N07/

What’s the big idea? - Week 1

Defining and Examples of Thinking Skills:
Please excuse my robotic approach to this task, but I don't want to miss anything.
Observing: Just watching that which is going on around you. I personally do a lot of this, and I perceptive about changes in what I observe.


Imaging: Your ability to visualize your feelings and emotions. For instance, one of the things that makes me a good cook is that I visualize the taste that should go together by assign ing a color in my mind to the taste. This seems like a good way to teach abstract ideas to children.Similar to Alphabet characters.

Abstract Thinking: Creating ideas or theories that are not easily represented in reality.I struggle with this kind of thinking becasue I have the desire to ground everything in reality. So I think I can best utilize Abstract Thinking in a Transformational way. Where I use analogy or imaging to explain abstract ideas.

Recognizing Patterns: Discovering Gravity. Noticing that objects that are different sizes fall at the same speed.Recognizing patterns is a good teaching tool because to give your audience clear methods of identfying and reconciling their own answers. By simply helping them to identify patterns for themselves.

Forming Patterns: Combining two or more consistent operations and creating new ideas. E.g. Cameras involve the understanding light and how it travels combined with capturing the image on film.

Analogizing: Using what you know something to draw comparisons and assumptions to a similar idea.

Body thinking: Smelling, Tasting, Seeing

Empathesizing: Looking from another perspective
Dimensional Thinking: Studying principles of aerodynamics and designing a car that is less resistant to wind.
Modeling: Structured exercise designed to simulate real life.
Playing: Involves role playing and having fun with real life situations. Playing is a creative exercise.
Transforming: The process of moving from one thinking tool to another. Moving from modeling to playing.
Synthesizing: Integrating multiple thinking tools to produce a deeper perception or thought. This differs from transformation, because process is not changing into a different process along a linear plane. Synthesis happens with the integration of multiple processes simultaneously.

Having these tools in you arensenal, gives many ways of reaching people

Veja Du - Week 1

For my Veja Du assignment I thought I'd examine something I look at everyday, but pay very little attention to, my mirror.

Here is the link to my Flickr photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/54046258@N07/