Idea Resort

Objectives

1. Participants develop a good grasp of the slippery concept of creativity
2. Participants gain insights into their own creative strengths and weaknesses
3. Participants are able to refine and sharpen their creative problem-solving skills
4. Participants can identify & overcome various obstacles to creative problem-solving
5. Participants challenge basic assumptions and learn to “think out of the box”

Who should attend

This course is suitable for those students who wish to become a more creative learner, and develop their creative potential to the fullest.

Profile of trainer

Dr Ng Aik Kwang is an expert on the cultivation of creativity in the Asian classroom and society. He is the author of three popular books on this subject. They include Why Asians Are Less Creative Than Westerners (2001); Liberating the Creative Spirit in Asian Students (2004) and Creative Problem-Solving for Asians: A Practical Guide to Develop Your Creativity as an Asian (2007). Dr Ng received the 2001 Early Career Research Award from the International Council of Psychologists for a provocative paper which is interestingly entitled Why Creators are Dogmatic People, “Nice” People are not Creative and Creative People are not “Nice”. After obtaining his PhD in Psychology at the University of Queensland in Australia, Dr Ng worked as an Assistant Professor at the National Institute of Education (1999 – 2005). Besides lecturing at NIE, Dr Ng has conducted courses on creativity in many schools and learning organizations, including Singapore Management University, Nanyang Technological University and UniSIM. Dr Ng is also an entrepreneur who set up The Idea Resort. This is a training firm which provides practical workshops for teachers and students in areas like creativity, multiple intelligences, critical thinking, classroom management, cooperative learning. Dr Ng’s inspirational sharing on creativity is deeply appreciated by participants, as shown below.

Feedback from students on creative thinking course conducted at Singapore Management University

It helps us to know more about how creative we can be... inspires us to tap on our own creativity.

The way the Prof delivers his lessons is very interesting and unique. He allows us to express our creativity through interesting and challenging activities.

The fact that it helps you to think out of the box, be more open to new experiences and use creative thinking to solve everyday problems. In a world where innovation is critical, CT helps us open our minds and use our thinking and other skills to get ahead.

Very interesting. I learnt a lot about how creativity and personality can be linked. Prof is a very creative person, and I learnt a lot from him.

The fun nature and atmosphere of the class. Very light and de-stressing. I REALLY enjoyed myself during the class!

I had fun working with my group members in the team project. In addition, I get to know myself better and learn how to be a more positive person as I work on my personal portfolio. Overall, the entire course is made very relaxing and refreshing by the Prof.

Very interesting to learn about ourselves, and how to improve our creativity. Especially fun to work in groups to come up with our creative product, or the in-class games.

This course on Creative Thinking is very interesting. It helps me to know more about my own creative strengths and weaknesses through the psychological tests conducted.

The Prof is very helpful in answering all our questions on creativity. I am deeply impressed by his broad and deep knowledge on creativity.

Prof Ng has taught this module using the psychological approach. He gives us an insight on how we can develop the creative part in ourselves which we may have thought we do not have. His way of teaching creativity using the psychological approach has made this module very interesting and enlightening.