What is Creative Thinking?

Creative Thinking for me is perhaps even more important than Critical Thinking, although perhaps that's something akin to saying that education is preferable to common sense, sure you can get a job without common sense (although you'll annoy all of your work colleagues a great deal), but you'll probably get rundown the next time you cross the street.  In my opinion (which doesn't count for much I'll admit) creative thinking is the primary skill that allows entrepreneurs to do what they do, sure they have critical thinking in spades, they need to take everything they've learned and experienced throughout their lives, to solve the problems that allow them to capitalise on the next big thing.  But it's the creative thinking that separates the unique ideas from the "me too" ideas.

If you're not clear on how critical and creative thinking differ from each other, here's a quick reminder from University of Michigan:

Critical Thinking is the process we use to reflect on assess and judge the assumption underlying our own and others ideas and efforts. 

Identifying and challenging assumptions.Recognizing the importance of context.Imagining and exploring alternatives.Developing reflective skepticism. 

Creative thinking is the process we use to develop ideas that are unique, useful and worthy of further elaboration

Creative Thinkers:
Consider rejecting standardized formats for problem solving.
Have an interest in a wide range of related and divergent fields.
Take multiple perspectives on a problem.
Use trial-and-error methods in their experimentation.
Have a future orientation.
Have self-confidence and trust in their own judgment.

For me these two concepts seem to go together very well, and have a very close relationship, for me, Critical Thinking is about building ourselves a judgement methodology that we can have self-confidence in, and to be objectively self-critical.  Ot might also be tempting to try and nail down the order of the process that we use, for example to say that Creative Thinking comes first followed by Critical Thinking, but it's exactly preconceptions like these that we tend to use that box us in.  The truth is that that either could come first.  Take a look at the lists above, for my own personal set of standards, the above skills, are certainly skills I'd like to see my own kids develop, but teaching to test, however you'd like to look at it, doesn't have the scope to allow kids to explore alternatives, or encourage multiple perspectives on a problem in free form fashion, to indulge a kids natural curiosity and wonderment about the world.