Most people aren’t good at creative problem solving for two reasons: (1) They are not trained in how to be creative. (2) They don’t understand group strength well enough to harness（驾驭）their power to maximize group creativity.
A key element of creativity is applying existing knowledge to a new problem. The more people getting involved in solving it, the more knowledge there is to work on it. Unfortunately, research shows that the traditional brainstorming methods fail to achieve that goal. When groups get together to exchange ideas, they actually come up with fewer ideas overall than if they each had worked alone.
To fix this problem, you should consider the two stages of group problem-solving: divergence（分散）and convergence（集中）. Divergence happens when the group considers as many different potential solutions as possible. Convergence happens when the various proposed solutions are evaluated and reduced to a smaller set of candidate solutions to the current problem.
The essential principle of group creativity is that individuals working alone diverge, whereas group members working together converge. In groups, once a member states a potential solution, that makes others think about the problem similarly. That is why groups working together diverge less than individuals working alone.
Therefore, be aware of when to diverge and when to converge. For example, early in the problem-solving process, have group members work alone to write down statements describing the problem. Then get them back to discuss their descriptions. The group discussion will lead everyone to accept one or a small number of these statements to work on—this is healthy convergence.
When starting to generate solutions, you again want divergence. Have people work alone to start. Then collect people’s initial ideas and send them around to others and allow the divergence to continue as everyone individually builds on the ideas of other members.
Finally, let the group discuss the resulting ideas. This discussion will gradually lead the group to converge on a small number of candidate solutions.
This simple method works effectively, because it respects what individuals and groups do best.
【小题1】Research shows that the traditional brainstorming methods ______.| A．actually limit group creativity |
| B．greatly encourage group creativity |
| C．enable people to form more ideas together |
| D．prevent people’s involvement in the problems |
| A．think the other way round |
| B．follow his way of thinking |
| C．be more confident in their own ideas |
| D．be less willing to share their own ideas |
| A．Discuss the problem. | B．Simplify the problem. |
| C．Put down group statements together. | D．Write down their individual descriptions. |
| A．By adding in collected evidence. | B．By reorganizing his own words. |
| C．By drawing on others’ ideas. | D．By making his statement briefer. |
| A．To advocate a way to make group thinking more effective. |
| B．To demonstrate the difficulty in organizing group thinking. |
| C．To highlight the differences between divergence and convergence. |
| D．To show the advantage of group thinking over individual thinking. |
Families need to budget (预算) carefully to pay all their costs and save for the future. Making plans is very important. But there are also creative ways to keep costs down in your daily life.
Made with love
People spend a lot of money buying gifts. Cards and gifts for holidays or birthdays can be expensive.
You can：
Do you know how much it costs to own and use a car? Depending on what kind of car you drive and how much it is used, gas can cost more than $2，000 per year. And insurance costs even more on top of that.
You can: Walk or ride a bike. It’s free.
A walk in the park
You can: Get close to nature and go camping at state and national parks. The cost of admission (门票费) to a national park is usually about $20 per family, no matter how many days you stay. This means four people could take a sevenday trip to a national park for just $20 in admission tickets.
| A．On the move |
| B．Make your own gift |
| C．Buy gifts for your family |
| D．Find out how much money you have spent |
| E．Vacations can not only be a lot of fun but also be expensive |
| F．The same trip to an amusement park would cost $2，800 in tickets alone |
| G．You save money and help the environment when you don’t take a car ride |
Teaches should assess every student's ability authentically.
Give cards a try. Cards are a great way to know where your students are in their learn- ing. Ask students to answer one or two questions on a card on the way into class as a warm- activity, on the way out of class, or as homework.
Use a variety of tracking tools. There are a variety of low-and high-tech tools that can
help you track your students' progress. Technology lovers use applications lik Easy Grade Pro to track Particular skills. Others prefer a more traditional approach.
Do your own assessments.
| A．Take advantage of students' interests. |
| B．You can then quickly review the cards. |
| C．Try to learn many things as quickly as possible. |
| D．You don*t have to base assessments on your teaching standards. |
| E．This assessment goes beyond getting the “right" answers on tests. |
| F．They use pen and paper to track students' progress at any given time. |
| G．Set aside time for kids to reflect and write about their own progress. |
It is never too late to develop great study habits. However, starting to make some changes is hard. Even if you want to do well enough in school and improve your grades, you’re probably having trouble getting started in the first place!
Plan your time carefully. Make a list of your weekly tasks. Make a schedule of your time. Then decide on good, regular time for studying.
Find a good place to study. Choose one place for your study area. It may be a desk or a chair at home or in the school library, but it should be comfortable and quiet. When you begin to work, you should be able to concentrate on the subject.
Skim before you read.
Develop a good attitude to tests. The purpose of a test is to show what you have learned about a subject.
There are other skills that might help you with your study. Share with your classmates some of the skills you have found to be helpful.
| A．Study regularly |
| B．Make good use of your time in class |
| C．There are several ways that can help you |
| D．Develop a positive lifestyle by setting realistic goals |
| E．This weekly schedule may not solve all of your problems |
| F．This means looking over a passage quickly before you begin to read it more carefully |
| G．The world won’t end if you don’t pass a test, so don’t worry too much about your grade |
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