Big Tools for Young Thinkers : Using Creative Problem Solving Tools with Primary Students

Children in the primary grades can learn and apply a wide variety of powerful thinking tools for generating options or for focusing their thinking. The tools presented in "Big Tools for Young Thinkers" have been successfully applied with both adults and children for more than four decades. Creative Problem Solving is a process that allows people to apply both creative and critical thinking to find solutions to everyday problems. It is a way to enhance creative behavior and also is a systemic way to organize information and ideas in order to solve problems. The overall goal of CPS training is to improve creative behavior and problem-solving behavior. "Big Tools for Young Thinkers" includes 18 lessons, with activities for introducing and practicing the tools with young children. There are two lessons on the basic guidelines for generating and focusing ideas, followed by two lessons for each of eight different tools (brainstorming, braindrawing, forced relationships, SCAMPER, hits, highlighting, ALoU, and the evaluation matrix). The two lessons for each tool are followed by guidelines for going beyond an introduction to the tool. These guidelines will help apply the tool to any problem-solving situation.