Teaching Creative Problem Solving in 21st Century Classrooms
Research highlights that student attitudes and beliefs greatly affect creative problem-solving outcomes. Beyond technical knowledge, students must develop resilience, curiosity, and confidence to thrive in today's world. Creative Problem-Solving (CPS) projects engage multiple skills and character traits at every stage.
Why Creative Problem Solving Matters
CPS nurtures both competencies and character—from research and collaboration to resilience and innovation. Well-crafted CPS projects stretch students intellectually and emotionally, creating a robust foundation for 21st-century learning.
Seven Foundations of CPS Projects
Projects built around seven core questions can fuel deep learning:
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Skills to be honed
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Prior knowledge applied
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Competency-building
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Character trait development
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Elasticity for tinkering and innovation
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Data research engagement
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Handling uncertainty post-completion
Teachers who guide design through these points create powerful, transformative learning experiences.
Teacher Mindset & Risk-Taking
Educator mindset influences project design. Those comfortable with risk craft flexible, exploratory tasks. Others may minimize failure risk with rigid plans—limiting creativity. Encouraging controlled risk helps students build innovation muscle.
Building Essential Attitudes Through Projects
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Accepting Failure
CPS builds resilience, as students repeatedly test and iterate solutions. -
Seeing “Viable Solutions,” Not Right/Wrong
Students learn to negotiate ideas and recognise multiple valid approaches. -
Breaking Entitlement
Embedding feedback processes and peer review helps develop humility and perspective-taking. -
Building Agency
Maker-centred CPS projects empower learners to experiment—fostering ownership and future readiness.
FAQ
A teaching approach where students tackle open-ended, hands-on problems—developing competencies, creativity, and resilience.
Start with clear skill goals and ensure projects allow tinkering, failure, reflection, feedback, and student agency.
CPS nurtures innovation, critical thinking, collaboration, adaptability, and self-regulation—key skills for modern learners.
