THINKING SKILLS Creativity Problem solving Problem finding Generally

THINKING SKILLS Creativity, Problem solving, Problem finding

Generally our thinking tends to be Re-productive, i. e. based on similar problems encountered in the past, or taught to solve. However, we must learn to do Productive thinking, i. e. generate as many alternative approaches as possible.

LEVELS OF THINKING Low § Knowing § Comprehension § Application or Problem solving § Evaluation or Critical thinking High § Creativity

GIFT OR SKILL ? • “That “creativity” is beyond analysis is a romantic illusion we must now outgrow” – Peter Medawar. • Creativity is a skill which can be developed by practice. Conscious application is needed, not the vagaries of “inspiration”, in order to achieve a creative output. • Creativity is a matter of organizing one’s basic skills, not regretting that one was not born with a “quick” or “logical” mind.

INTELLIGENCE versus CREATIVITY • Marilyn vos Savant (IQ 228 – highest ever) is merely a question and answer columnist for Parade magazine. • Richard Feynman (IQ 122 - less than many runof-the-mill physicists) is a Nobel prize winner and recognized as the last American Genius.

INTELLIGENCE versus CREATIVITY Intelligence and creativity are not the same things. Intelligence in a domain means the ability to function at a high level in that domain, but creativity involves asking new questions and altering the domain. One can be highly intelligent but rigid, noncreative, or lacking in the kind of single-minded passion that drives creators.

Creativity is the ability to look at the same thing as everyone else and think something different.

Description of attitudes with the help of “roses” and “thorns” Optimistic Roses Pessimistic Thorns Realistic Roses and thorns Stoic Roses or thorns Humane Roses for you and Roses for me Selfish Roses for me and thorns for you Sadistic Thorns for you and your blood for me Divine Roses for you and your thorns for me

PRESCRIPTIONS Creativity can be developed by - • Looking at the world in terms of analogies. • Learning about different ways to solve a problem If you have 10 hours for chopping a tree, spend 5 hours sharpening the axe.

Examples of Analogies • Solar system Atomic structure • Brownian motion of dust particles Electrons in a crystal

Different ways of calculating • 2 2 < < 4 (square), 3 < < 2 3 (hexagon) • / 4 = Tan-1 1 = (x – x 3/3 + x 5/5 – x 7/7 + …. ) at x = 1 • Buffon’s needle experiment = 2 x (total drops) / (no. of hits) Education is not about learning diverse subjects, but about learning diverse ways to the same subject Aurobindo

STRATEGIES OF PROBLEM SOLVING § Representation § Logical thinking § Division into sub-problems § Stretch to the extreme

TECHNIQUES OF REPRESENTATION • Reformulation • Graph • Symbolic • Trees • Table: list, matrix • Venn diagram • Other diagrams

REFORMULATION How can you become more productive ? How can you make your job easier ?

PROBLEM Derive the trend in the behavior of plating adhesion on a silicon substrate from the measured data as a function of substrate area and doping level. The adhesion is measured for 0. 5, 1 and 2 cm 2 area, and P+, P, N and N+ doping levels. Each measurement is repeated twice.

TABLE (LIST) Doping P+ Adhesion Strength (106 N / m 2) P N N+ Area (cm 2) Expt 1 Expt 2 0. 5 1 10 7 10. 2 7. 2 2 0. 5 1 2 5 8 4. 3 3 6 9 4. 7 3. 1 0. 5 1 2 4. 1 3. 9 3 2. 9 4. 8 5 5. 8 3. 2 6. 1

TABLE (MATRIX) Area Doping 0. 5 cm 2 1 cm 2 2 cm 2 P+ P 10 8 10. 2 9 7 4. 3 7. 2 4. 7 5 3 6 3. 1 N N+ 4. 1 - 4. 8 - 4. 1 3 5 3. 2 3. 9 2. 9 5. 8 6. 1 Adhesion strength ( 106 N / m 2)

GRAPH Adhesion strength (106 N / m 2) 10 8 1 cm 2 0. 5 cm 2 6 4 2 cm 2 2 0 N+ N P P+

Graph Student action Teaching-learning Process Student question Student response Teacher question Teacher response Teacher talk Using chalkboard Time Using charts Using projections Using multimedia A picture is worth a thousand

PROBLEM FINDING

CONTENTS • Problem solving versus problem finding • Formulation of a problem • Types and attributes of research problems • Sources of research problems

Problem Solving vs Problem Finding a problem • is harder than solving it or doing the actual research; • is often more essential than its solution; • is as much a scholar’s responsibility as that of the guide - a problem must spring from a researcher’s mind like a plant springing from its own seed.

Attributes of Research Problems § Difficulty § Value or usefulness § Originality § Is it interesting (does it deny commonly held assumptions ? ) § Significance / impact (all the above and more) § Cost / equipment / cooperation

LITERATURE SURVEY • Why literature survey • What to read • How much to read • How to read • Note taking

EXPERIMENTAL AND MODELING SKILLS

CONTENTS • Scientific method • Design of an experiment • Need for precision • Errors – types, sources, estimation and elimination • Documentation

SCIENTIFIC METHOD Non-scientific thinking • Authority • Pure logic • Intuition: spontaneous judgment not based on conscious reasoning. common sense: practical intelligence shared by a large group of people These are “practical” rather than theoretical. Scientific results can be counterintuitive

SCIENTIFIC METHOD • Observation • Hypothesis • Experiment • Verification • Observation • Generalization • Inference

SCIENTIFIC METHOD Hypothesis is an imaginative preconception or an inspired guess about some particularly interesting aspect of the world. Every discovery begins as a hypothesis. Experiment is the act undertaken to verify a hypothesis.

SCIENTIFIC METHOD • A way of understanding the world by objective observations. • Its goal is to discover laws and develop theories to explain them.

SCIENTIFIC METHOD • Law: A statement that certain events are regularly associated with each other in an orderly way. • Theory: A set of statements explaining one or more laws, usually including one indirect concept needed to explain the relationship

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Dimensions of Communication • Understanding and agreement • Effectiveness and efficiency

Ineffective Communication “Sir, my employer wants a letter about the completion of my thesis written by you !”

Inefficient Efficient a considerable amount of much the given data in the event that if deposited precipitate the nature of Hoyle’s work is always of a provocative kind always provocative

ORAL COMMUNICATION Verbal: spoken words, pauses, stress and intonation vocal 38 % 7% words 55 % Non-verbal: gesture and facial expression

Attention span of the audience: initial 20 min of concentration, lapse for 10 -20 min, slight recovery and then renewed relapse till the end. It can be increased by adding variety to the talk interaction, diagrams, audiovisuals, pace of speech, pitch of the voice, length of sentences, pauses, repetition; gesturing with hands, humor.

WRITING AND THOUGHT • Writing is the means of discovering new knowledge. • Writing makes people think about their work in a different way. • The only time when we think is when we write ! • A lot is written when little has been achieved.

Prescriptions • Read the editorial of newspapers daily. • Read the newspaper aloud. • Do writing for two hours / week. This could be notes for the lectures that you gave, or description of an important idea. It can also be precis writing.

"I am arrive by passenger train Ahmedpur station and my belly is much swelling with jackfruit. I am therefore went to privy. Just I doing the nuisance that guard making whistle blow for train to go off and I am running with lotah in one hand dhoti in the next when I am fall over and expose all my shocking to man and female women on platform. I am got leaved at Ahmedpur station. This too much bad, if passenger go to make dung that dam guard not wait train five minutes for him. I am therefore pray your honour to make big fine on that guard for public sake. Otherwise I making big report in papers. " Okhil Chandra Sen to Sahibganj Divisional Railway Office (1909)

MANAGEMENT SKILLS

Time management § We cannot say – go and discover the second law of thermodynamics in the afternoon, but if we arrange our schedule so as to set aside time for thinking and experimenting, we put ourselves in the way of discovering something. § Working out a new idea requires much routine work, and to this part of an investigation, we can apply efficiency methods.

Stress management Persistence and the ability to manage boredom and frustration are crucial for research work. Sources of stress § Monotony and repetitiveness of concentrating on the same idea for an extended period of time. § Criticism § Loneliness: “I work alone in a lab, full of people - all research students, all working alone. ”

Professional Ethics • Research, like all good things in life, is never smooth sailing • Plagiarism - cite reference • Credit to co-workers – authorship and acknowledgment

CONCLUSION • During research, the feelings of exploration, excitement, challenge, involvement and passion are frequent, and one gets an enormous feeling of achievement on the award of a research degree. • Research makes you an independent and organized thinker, a good communicator and stress-time manager. • Education is not about learning diverse subjects, but about learning diverse ways to the same subject.

Do not follow where the path may lead Go instead where there is no path ……… Ralph Emerson Questions or comments ?