Elements and Performance Criteria

RANGE STATEMENT
The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.
Questions may include:
are there any boundaries I need to consider?
are there new ideas we can bring to this situation?
how could I solve this problem?
is there a different way of doing this?
what am I or others trying to do?
what do I need to do to make this better?
what extra information do I need?
what is missing?
what is required?
who do I need to talk to about this?
why is this so?
Different perspectives may be those of:
clients or customers
family members
friends
funding bodies
general public
history
organising committees
regulatory authorities
self
specialists or experts
supervisors or managers
work colleagues
Creative thinking techniques may include:
brainstorming:
stop and go
sequencing
buzz session
bulletin board
computer-aided
daydreaming and mental wandering
Edward de Bono's six thinking hats
ego alter or heroes
graphic organisers:
visual maps
webbing
concept fans
lateral thinking games
making associations
mind mapping
morphological analysis
storytelling
sub-culture surfing
trigger words
use of metaphors and analogies
vision circles
visualisation
wishful thinking
word salads
Blockers to creative thinking may be:
cultural
emotional
environmental
family
ideas and perceptions about how we should behave, such as:
play according to the rules
don't ask questions
don't be silly
do as you're told
be practical
(taken from Lotherington 2003: Flicking Your Creative Switch)
intellectual
peer pressure
perceptual
risk aversion
'way it's done round here'
Existing boundaries may relate to:
available resources (human, financial, physical)
established tradition or practice in a given field of activity
communication protocols
procedures and processes
specifications
unspoken agreements about who does what and how
work conditions
Risks with ideas and thought processes might involve:
accepting the limitations of one's own knowledge or capacity
challenging established authority
challenging the continuation of current ways of doing things
changing the rules
exposing oneself or others to possible criticism
facing personal fears and apprehensions
letting go of control
radically changing long established tradition, practice or norms
taking financial risks
taking self or others outside of a comfort zone
Familiar and unfamiliar places may include:
colleagues
community groupings
friends
hardware stores
information sources with little direct link to the question at hand
journals
junk stores
libraries
museums
recycling yards
shopping centres
websites
workshops

EVIDENCE GUIDE
The Evidence Guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
Evidence of the following is essential:
active participation in a range of creative thinking activities, including ability to ask relevant questions and to generate a range of ideas in response to a given situation or issue
understanding of creativity and creative thinking at a basic level, including its impact and importance for individuals, communities and businesses
knowledge and application of different creative thinking techniques and processes to a range of situations.
Context of and specific resources for assessment
Assessment must ensure:
interactions with challenges, situations and scenarios to which creative thinking may be applied (usually this would involve interactions with others to reflect the nature of the creative thinking process).
Method of assessment
A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:
direct questioning combined with review of portfolios of evidence and third party workplace reports of on-the-job performance by the candidate
direct observation of the candidate participating in collaborative creative thinking activities
evaluation of ideas generated by the candidate (with or without others) and of the processes used to generate and test those ideas
evaluation of a presentation made by the candidate articulating the process of developing ideas or pieces of work, plus evaluation of candidate debating and discussing ideas with others
evaluation of a (non-computerised) game developed by the candidate, played with others, challenged and re-invented
oral or written questioning to assess knowledge of creative thinking techniques, concepts and definitions of creativity.
Guidance information for assessment
Creative thinking always occurs in a specific context. Therefore holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is highly recommended. Assessors must, however, retain a strong focus on the creative thinking skills as described in this unit.