The “Big Picture Question” Project: Explorations in Teaching Creativity within a Force-Field Research Framework

Abstract

This paper describes a semester-long Creativity research project during which experience students the cyclical nature of Creative Problem-Solving by conducting in-depth research addressing a single, major social, cultural or economic “problem”. The cyclical nature of Creative Problem-Solving involves, first, divergent thinking via thorough, research of the problem). This is followed by convergent problem-solving based in identification of potential solutions). The “Big Picture Question Project (BPQP)” enacts both processes. Topics to be covered include: 1) how the project concept was evolved; 2) how the project was framed for students; 3) guidelines for project management and mentoring; and 4) student reactions to the project.