Thinking Skills and Creativity
It is not surprising that now more than ever, there are a great number of successful Asian art students. They have been trained well in their craft because of the intensive, long hours of disciplined art education, which include detailed directions and specific techniques in terms of drawing and painting. However, individual creativity is not stressed or even encouraged because of their high expectation within a short period of time. A lesser skilled student may have more potential to be creative and produce higher level of artwork with their own voice. It does not mean that the instructor in Asia does not value creativity. It is more about a’cultural character,’ which is based on, among other things, quick and impressive results (Holliday, 2013). Without creative solutions of the artists the institute would not survive from the brutal competition.
The creative activity of students and their artwork is directed and planned, not by students but by directions from their teachers. Therefore, the final work of art looks great, but the student voice is missing in many cases. This type of education relies on memorization and following the direction rather then understanding of the subject or creative art resulting from their own thoughts (Gardner, 1994; 1997). In this way, the student’s thinking skills are minimized and ability of visualization cannot be developed (Boden, 2009, 2010). Therefore, less formalized instruction may help students to use their creative part, which they do not have much opportunity to use and develop (Csikszentmihalyi, 1997; 1998).
In a mind boggling world, knowledge visualization and visual thinking are gaining in significance in every aspect of science, business, and society. Simple and advanced visual methodologies are aimed at the backing of the creation, application, and correspondence of knowledge and bits of knowledge, especially in circumstances where individuals from distinctive instructive, social, and expert foundations team up (Boden et.al, 2009). Whilst Information Visualization (IV) concentrates on the utilization of machine based devices to investigate substantial information sets, Knowledge Visualization (KV) and Visual Thinking examine (a) how to make and exchange experiences in the groups of people and inside gatherings, (b) how to oversee and decrease unpredictability and to permit comprehension, and (c) how to help learning, correspondence, and cooperation through new methodologies and procedures. Knowledge visualization encourages the common exchange of certainties, experiences, encounters, values, desires, points of view, conclusions, and expectations. Specialists and professionals in the areas of knowledge visualization and visual thinking create methodologies, instruments, and strategies to make knowledge noticeable and to enhance forms through which knowledge might be distinguished, gotten to, evaluated, imparted, talked about, and connected to easily manageable tasks (Florida, 2014).