Thinking Preferences and Arts-Based Strategies to Enhance 21st Century Skills         
Christine Boyko Head
Mohawk College, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
The Osborn-Parnes Creative Problem Solving model has helped organizations and businesses innovate for over 60 years. What if? this model could be adapted to help learners overcome writing blocks, essay anxiety, thesis anguish and proposal paralysis? This workshop shares research findings on the application of thinking preferences and arts-based strategies to enhance 21st Century skills in learners. This fun, fast-paced workshop uses creativity tools from the Mind the Gap project to guarantee a ‘first out-of-the-block’ creative-critical thinking process good for all communication tasks.
 
Christine Boyko-Head (Ph.D McMaster) teaches in the Liberal Studies department at Mohawk College, ON. Her work min(E)s the gaps between education and innovation through arts-based, creativity strategies empowering learner success. An OCQAS auditor, curriculum specialist, Design Thinking, CPS and Foursight Thinking Preferences facilitator, she has published, consulted and presented nationally and internationally. She recently taught 150 educators in Turkey on how to apply cognitive preference theory and creativity tools to differentiate instruction.