Fluency

Fluent thinking is the mental flow of ideas and thoughts. It is the ability to produce a lot of creative ideas. Fluency tasks cause a search through the learner's storehouse of knowledge and experiences for all possible responses. The reason for promoting fluent thinking is that the more responses that are produced, the greater the likelihood of producing an original idea or producing a satisfactory solution. Fluency leads to creating an abundant number of ideas. Brainstorming and making lists is one way to become more fluent. Example: List as many uses as you can for a soda straw.

Flexibility

Being flexible is one way to sharpen your thinking skills. According to a study done at Colgate University, students who took math tests while lying on the floor with their feet slightly raised finished their tests 8% faster and their answers were 14% more accurate than the students who took the same test while sitting upright at their desks. Flexibility requires a variety of thought categories and the ability to shift from one category to another to generate more ideas. Example: Use the word "light" and it's different meanings to come up with as many sentences as you can.

Originality

Originality leads to clever and unique ideas. It's difficult to define, because everyone has his or her own opinion of what it means. It's not very common. The most original idea can naturally be produced or it can come when learners are pushed for one last response. Example: Think of how the world would be different if people had two heads, or if the grass was pink instead of green.

Elaboration

Elaboration is the process of building on ideas by expanding them, adding details, and refining them. It is a creative thinking skill because the learner is required to ask more questions. You can elaborate by changing the sentence "I walked home" to "I peacefully sauntered down the rough sidewalk all the way to my cozy house." Elaboration (and originality) is when a simple doodle is elaborated by lines or letters. The more you elaborate, the more complex and creative the doodle is and becomes. Example: How can you combine a chair with a can opener? What would it do?