Donald J. Treffinger

Today, more than ever before, we must all be able to think creatively, manage change, and solve complex, open-ended problems. Education today is different in its structure and practice than it was in any previous generation, not just because of the impact of technology and the Internet, but also because, across the lifespan, every person studies, works, and plays in a global community that was previously unknown to most generations. Although organizations worldwide recognize that their success both now and in the future depends on a workforce capable of effective thinking, problem solving, and innovation, educational practice still lags behind our knowledge in these areas. Educating for Creativity and Innovation is a powerful resource to close the gap between research and practice and to promote understanding and effective practice relating to creativity and innovation. In short, this is a book whose time is now!

When parents need the most authoritative information on raising gifted kids, they can turn to Parenting Gifted Children: The Authoritative Guide From the National Association for Gifted Children, a gifted education Legacy Award winner. This comprehensive guide covers topics such as working with high achievers and young gifted children, acceleration, advocating for talented students, serving as role models and mentors for gifted kids, homeschooling, underachievement, twice-exceptional students, and postsecondary opportunities. The only book of its kind, this guidebook will allow parents to find the support and resources they need to help their children find success in school and beyond. Written by experts in the field of gifted education and sponsored by the leading organization supporting the education of gifted and advanced learners, this book is sure to provide guidance, advice, and support for any parent of gifted children. Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented 2011 Legacy Book Award Winner - Parenting

Everything your students need to solve problems, manage change and deliver innovation using the Creative Problem Solving framework This text is the most comprehensive and contemporary overview and description of Creative Problem Solving (CPS) available today. Friendly and highly practical for a broad base of researchers and practitioners, the book provides a framework, language, guidelines, and set of easy-to-use tools for understanding challenges, generating ideas, and transforming promising ideas into action. New and Hallmark Features The authors expanded their emphasis on CPS as a flexible, dynamic process that enables users to select and apply CPS tools, components, and stages in a meaningful way that meets their actual needs. A framework for problem solving that has been tested and applied across ages, settings, and cultures allows readers to apply a common approach to process across many traditional "boundaries." Specific objectives in each chapter provide a clear focus for instruction or independent learning. Practical case studies introduced at the beginning of each chapter and then completed as a "rest of the story" toward the end of the chapter provide an application anchor for the reader. New enhanced graphics: Updated and refreshed tables, figures, and illustrative images provide "pictures" to go along with the authors' words.

Creative Problem Solving is a process that allows people to apply both creative and critical thinking to find solutions to everyday problems. Creative Problem Solving eliminates the tendency to approach problems in a haphazard manner and, consequently, prevents surprises and/or disappointment with the solution.Used by thousands of group leaders seeking a friendly introduction to using Creative Problem Solving, this book is a time-honored classic. Creative Problem Solving: An Introduction is based on more than five decades of extensive research, development, and field experience in educational settings, businesses, and many other organizations.Written for both group leaders and individuals seeking a systematic way to build innovative and effective solutions, Creative Problem Solving is perfect for any type of setting.This definitive guide shows you how to find successful solutions to important challenges. Creative Problem Solving (CPS) can help your students to approach problems and deal with change in a deliberate and constructive way, building their confidence and success in working with complex issues.This revised and updated fourth edition includes:easy-to-follow instructions for using Creative Problem Solving; practical tools for understanding the challenge, generating ideas, and preparing for action; expanded guidelines for planning your approach to Creative Problem Solving; strategies that ensure successful group dynamics; the latest trends in creative thinking and group problem solving; and practical suggestions for those new to Creative Problem Solving.Educational Resource

We are all concerned with addressing detailed state or national standards in every curricular or content area. It is possible to meet those standards and, at the same time, engage your students' creative and critical thinking skills. This series of books is filled with activities that help students apply creative and critical thinking to traditional subject area content. In addition to the reproducible, ready-to-use activities contained in this book, the authors explain how creative and critical thinking can be infused into any content you teach. This is a must-have resource for teachers wanting to infuse thinking skills into the traditional curriculum. Each book provides a variety of sample teaching activities, with step-by-step procedures and a reproducible student page, illustrating how the generating and focusing tools from the problem solver's toolbox can be applied to specific content standards. You can also use this book as a model to guide you in your own efforts to link creative and critical thinking skills with other content standards. For older students, refer to Thinking With Standards - Middle and Thinking With Standards - Secondary. Educational Resource

This book includes 50 situations that present interesting opportunities and challenges to stimulate students' creative and critical thinking. The brief, practical, everyday situations provide motivating starting points for practicing Creative Problem Solving with groups of many ages.These problems were designed to represent a variety of different tasks or challenges in an open-ended, invitational format that we describe informally as a "Messy Situation." These Messy Situations, like many of life's everyday opportunities and challenges, take a variety of forms, sizes, and shapes. They might concern a variety of situations in which people find themselves day in and day out. Thus, some of the Messy Situations in this book are people tasks (that is, situations involving the interactions or relationships among people). Others are planning tasks (that is, concerning more effective ways of organizing or managing a situation), and yet others are product tasks (that is, challenges that call for designing, inventing, or producing a new product of some kind).Each of these one-page problems can help students learn and apply CPS components, stages, and tools in an engaging and enjoyable way. Choose the problems that are best suited to your group's interests and needs. The challenges in Practice Problems for Creative Problem Solving and several helpful worksheets are reproducible for classroom use.Grades 3-8

This book offers teachers plenty of ready-to-use activities for introducing teens to Creative Problem Solving. Designed by a classroom teacher, the exercises in this book have been field-tested with students in grades 6-12. Each activity provides an opportunity to broaden your students' understanding of the problem-solving process and, in turn, expand their future options as they apply the process to real-world issues. Creative Problem Solving is a process that allows people to apply both creative and critical thinking to find solutions to everyday problems. CPS can eliminate the tendency to approach problems in a haphazard manner and, consequently, prevents surprises and/or disappointment with the solution. The authors designed these activities specifically to be relevant for adolescents. Activities focus on issues such as gaining more independence, dealing with conflict, and evaluating interests and talents. The exercises encourage both creative and critical thinking. The book provides a set of suggestions for teachers and then presents 31 reproducible classroom activities, each of which can be completed in 30-40 minutes. For more information on Creative Problem Solving, refer to Creative Problem Solving: An Introduction, Creative Problem Solving for Kids, CPS for Kids, CPS in the Classroom, and the Creative Problem Solver's Guidebook. Grades 6-12