MKJO - Creative problem solving and multiculturalism

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In this workshop we will focus on various aspects of creativity, problem solving and multiculturalism. The workshop will consist of various sessions of hands-on activities and interactive discussion-based lectures.

Schedule

Day 1 (Saturday, 24th Feb.): Creative Cognition

10:00-11:30: Creativity Workshop

Human creativity has always fascinated psychologists and cognitive scientists. In the last fifty years or so, many cognitive aspects of creativity have been studied, and based on them many techniques for stimulating creativity have been developed. In this workshop, you will participate in a creativity-stimulating exercise that is based on one such technique. There are no prerequisites for participating, except to bring a fresh and open mind.

11:45-14:00: Lecture on ‘Thinking like a child’ and discussion

An oft-touted mantra for creativity is: think like a child. We will focus on one particular aspect of child-like thinking here, namely surface similarities. Developmental psychology has convincingly demonstrated, time and again, that younger children use surface similarities for categorisation and related tasks; only as they grow older they start to consider functional and structural similarities. We will consider examples of puzzles, research on creative problem solving, and two of our recent empirical studies to demonstrate how surface similarities can stimulate creative thinking. We will examine the implications of this approach for designing creativity-support systems.

The lecture will be followed by a discussion with audience on various aspects of creativity.

During the first day, the participants will be divided into small groups, will be assigned a mini research topic and given some reading material related to the topic. Each group will be asked to do a presentation on their topic on Day 3 (see: conditions of passing this course section).

Day 2 (Sunday, 25th Feb.): Multiculturalism Incorporating International Study Tours and Exchange Programs

10:00-11:30 Opening activity and lecture

Opening Activity: Multicultural Game

Lecture 1: Global Awareness

Investigating the World

Communicating Ideas

Recognising Perspectives

Taking Action

11:45-14:00

Focus 1: International Relations

Focus 2: Cultural and Intercultural Studies

Focus 3: Global Health Issues

Focus 4: Energy and Environmental Issues

14:30-16:00

Focus 5: Models of Science and Technology Projects

Focus 6: World Heritage Stewardship

Focus 7: Peace Studies and International Conflict Resolution

Each of the above foci will involve a variety of readings and activities.

Day 3 (Monday, 26th Feb.): Expanding Horizons: Models and Case Studies

15:00-17:15

Research Topic Presentations: Each team will make a short presentation (5-10 minutes) about their research topic, followed by a brief open discussion.

Brainstorming session: Interactive session to identify how to incorporate creativity and multiculturalism in education.

The literature will be provided for students during the course. It will concern topics mentioned in the course description.

Students after this course:

1. In the area of knowledge:

• List methods of creative problem solving;

• Describe different aspects of child-like thinking;

• Describe how surface similarities can stimulate creative thinking;

• Lists ideas for stimulating creative thinking;

• Describe chosen aspects of international relations, cultural and intercultural studies, global health issues, energy and environmental issues;

• Give examples of models of science and technology projects.

2. In the area of skills:

• Work in teams to resolve problems;

• Use English terminology from the field of psychology and international studies;

• Create multimedia presentations based on provided materials;

• Present research topics using provided articles and multimedia.

3. In the area of social competences:

• Actively participate in group discussions and tasks;

• Communicate their ideas in an understandable manner, respecting the opinions of other people;

• Take responsibility for their actions and learning.

Conditions of passing this course:

- active participation during all tasks;

- a multimedia presentation regarding a specific scientific problem, basing on the provided materials;

- presenting the given research topic on Day 3, using the above mentioned presentation.