Synthesizing: White Paper (Module 8)

Oh, the wonders of Creativity! Everyone has their own take on the creative process. For me, to create something harnesses our ability to transform our ideas into reality. The most remarkable aspect of the Root-Bernsteins book is that it explains the framework of creativity through essential thinking tools. The following is my synthesis of what I have learned in this class, along with specific ways each thinking tool is used to spur creativity:

Observing

Observing seems like a simple enough task, but is it really? I conclude that perhaps it is a bit more complex than what we generally think. The Sparks book states, “Observing, and rendering what we observe in some way, is indeed a function of the mind. We cannot focus our attention unless we know what to look at and how to look at it.” So it would appear that observing takes place on several different levels. It is indeed a process, not to be undertaken lightly at all times.

 The following is a good example of a complex observing exercise:

The Color Quiz

Look at the chart and say the color, not the word.

I am not a teacher in the traditional sense. As an Instructional Designer I design training materials and training sessions. Nonetheless, observing can be used as a productive element on my job, specifically as it pertains to using webinars for training purposes. For example, when I observe a webinar it is key part of the evaluating process. I have to make sure that the webinar does not present misleading visual information. I also have to make sure that the audio portion is consistent with the visual images to prevent any confusion. If the visual, audio and content are presented in harmony then students are going to gain a clear understanding of what they are being taught.
Imaging

The Root-Bernsteins quoted Charles Dickens, who, “declared he simply “saw” his stories and then wrote them down (p. 55).” That statement explains the author’s creative process in a nutshell. It also explains imaging is in an active sense. Imaging occurs on my job quite often. I am often given information about the type of training that is needed and then I must design a workable solution. Like Dickens said, I need to “see” the training or obtain a visual image in my mind and then proceed to design it.

Abstracting

Seeing things from an abstracted point of view is an interesting way to develop a deeper understanding of something. In the Sparks book, abstracting was brilliantly explained with the art of Picasso. They also used the artist’s own words for further definition when stating that “Picasso also cautioned other painters, “To arrive at abstraction, it is always necessary to begin with a concrete reality…You must always start with something. Afterward you can remove all traces of reality. There’s no danger then, anyway, because the idea of the object will have left an indelible mark (79). Creativity is enhanced by the abstraction process. It allows us to see beyond the obvious and analyze things on multiple levels.

Below is an abstract painting of a fall leaf. It’s an interesting take on a very simple object.

Patterns

Patterns are an integral part of our daily lives. Furthermore they are a crucial aspect in the transfer of learning process. One set of patterns that I subscribe to on the job are guidelines called “best practices.” Best practices help me and my colleagues define the most appropriate methods and/or approaches to a specific aspect of training. For me, the best practices that I adhere to are also quite common among educators. Some of them can found through a variety of sources including websites, scholarly journals, and prominent e-learning professionals. Likewise, they can be developed to suit an activity or job responsibility.

Another example of a pattern that exists in my content area topic also allows me to be consistent with how I want to use webinars. It is a general distinction of what separates the webinar from other types of e-learning. Below is an example of a best practice. It is an email reminder to individuals who are assigned to attend an upcoming webinar. The email is delivered a day before the scheduled event.

Analogizing

My content topic is “using webinars to facilitate training.” Webinars have become a popular training tool in recent years and many businesses and educational institutions use them on a regular basis. The term webinar is a shortened name for a “web -based seminar.” One of the benefits of utilizing webinars for training purposes is that they provide trainers with the ability to facilitate a course to a wider audience. Also since webinars are delivered via the Internet, participants do not have to be onsite or even in the same region. 

I discovered many positive aspects of using webinars through analogizing. The Sparks book states that, “In its most general sense, analogy refers to a functional resemblance between things that are otherwise unlike (137).” Take for example how the Internet is needed to deliver a webinar. A good analogy of that is in how a bridge is needed for a car to cross over a large body of water. To extend that analogy one could argue that in most instances, driving a car one hundred miles is cheaper than buying a plane ticket to fly the same distance. This is also a good case for using webinars for appropriate courses. For budgetary reasons, it is much cheaper to deliver content to an audience of people who live in five different cities via a webinar than it is to pay for them all to fly to one place for a face to face class.

Embodied thinking

Embodied thinking often requires us to think outside the box or beyond what is normal. The key tool in this process is our imagination. We need to imagine ourselves as the subject or object of focus. This process isn’t easy however. The Root-Bernsteins imply that, “It is possible to conjure up feelings of body tension or touch or movement in the mind, but most of us overlook these imaginative feelings because we are trained so early to see them or translate them into descriptive words (162).” Embodied thinking requires some effort but it is well worth it in certain learning situations, such as an advanced Psychology course or a Classical Mythology class.

Empathizing

I believe the best definition of empathizing was presented best in the Sparks book by Willa Cather. Her concept of this way of thinking is more of a universal perspective. Cather stated that, “They [writers, actors, and physicians] learn to understand other people not only objectively from the outside but subjectively from the inside (186).” As someone who designs training in a corporate environment, I must engage in empathizing on a routine basis. For example, I am not a Resolution Agent who talks calls all day long, but it is often necessary for me to think like one in order to create a training module for someone who is. Likewise, I do not work as a Repair Technician, but I sometimes must think like one to create training for these type of employees as well.

Dimensional Thinking

The Root-Bernsteins proclaimed, “Dimensional thinking involves moving from 2-D to 3-D or vice-versa; mapping, or transforming information provided in one set of dimensions to another set; scaling, or altering the proportions of an object or process within one set of dimensions; and conceptualizing dimensions beyond space and time as we know them (204).” Their example of the paper airplane made me think of a television program I saw that showed piles of lumber lined up in stacks for the construction of a new home. The next dimension was the completion of a log cabin house using those stacks of lumber.  Also when I think of the authors' examples of scaling I think of taking a training program designed for eight individuals and then redesigning it to accommodate sixteen more people.

Modeling

As far as modeling goes, I like how the book summed it up with detailed information. One example that really hit home with me was the explanation that, “Models can be smaller than life, life-sized, or bigger; physical or mathematical; realistic or not, depending on their intended uses. In almost all cases, the point of a model is to make accessible something that is difficult to experience easily (229).” That is exactly what the designers at GM were able to do with the creation of their EN-V concept car. The video below demonstrates how the idea for the car (which relies heavily on both dimensional thinking and modeling) was inspired, designed, and ultimately created.

Playing

In the Sparks book, play is perfectly defined through the life and work of Richard Feyman. What is presented to us in the book shows how play can be intertwined in a person’s thought process. “Tales of [Feyman’s] scientific (as well as personal) exploits fascinate the layman, for whom physics is normally a dry-as-dust subject (249).” This was all possible because of [his] willingness to indulge in play. Even when he was at work, he infused bouts of play or results of play in his work. A good example of this is in the title of his book, “Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feyman.” Other examples of this type of playful attitude can also be found in contemporary book titles like “French Women Don’t Get Fat” by Mireille Guiliano and “I am America (And So Can You!)” by Stephen Colbert. I use elements of play in the design of my training materials. For example, for fictional characters, I use well known figures like George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Denzel Washington, and Jerry Seinfeld.  

Transforming
Chatter 14 focuses on the transforming process. This chapter is sort of a culmination of what happens when most or all of the thinking tools are used. The example of Mary Leakey’s work was particularly exemplary. The authors explained that, “Leakey and her team played, observed, recognized patterns and anamolies, engaged in dimensional thinking, imagined body movements, play-acted, formed patterns, analogized, and modeled, ultimately transforming the fossil abstractions into kinesthetic, visual, and emphatic images of the hominids who left their footprints at Laetoli (272-273).” When I think of how transforming occurs in the workplace, I consider the entire instructional design process. Within this process, many of the thinking tools mentioned in the Sparks book are involved. The following are a few examples:

Dimensional thinking: taking an idea from concept to reality.
Patterns: incorporating training methods that have worked well in the past into the new training.
Formed patterns: Using familiar templates (A PowerPoint with our corporate logo) and tools (Adobe Connect) for training. 
Play: During the train-the-trainer sessions the trainers engage in role play activities where they take on the role of a trainee.
Observe: Instructional Design team views the role play sessions.

So as I move forward in my profession, I am confident that I will start or continue to use these thinking tools on a frequent basis. The one difference between before and now is that I have a better understanding of the role they all have in creative process.  

References:

Leaf image. Retrieved from

http://www.waldmanphotos.com/portfolio/leaves/leafAbstractIII.jpg