A method of teaching thinking skills in which the skill is presented and then examples of its use are given.

Skills aimed at aiding students to be critical, logical and evaluative thinkers. They include analysis, comparison, classification, synthesis, generalization, discrimination, inference, planning, predicting, and identifying cause-effect relationships.

An activity in which problem solvers are asked to identify the next steps to implement their creative ideas. This step follows the idea generation stage and the narrowing of ideas to one or more feasible solutions. The process helps participants to view implementation as a viable next step.

A problem-solving technique in which participants are challenged to generate a two-word phrase related to the design problem being considered and that appears self-contradictory. The process of brainstorming this phrase can stimulate design ideas.

A problem-solving process in which participants are asked to consider outlandish, fantastic or bizarre solutions which may lead to original and ground-breaking ideas.

A problem-solving technique in which an individual is challenged to become part of the problem to view it from a new perspective and identify possible solutions.

A problem-solving technique in which an individual is asked to consider the ways problems of this type are solved in nature.

The combining of two unrelated attributes or elements.

SCAMPER stands for Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify-Magnify-Minify, Put to other uses and Reverse or Rearrange. It is an idea checklist for solving design problems.

A generic list of possible solutions to creative or design problems. Examples include Idea Spurring Questions (Osborn, 1963) and SCAMPER.