As an international student you will learn how to think analytical. Universities are very good in explaining why a+b=c. This is called `Left brain thinking`, as scientists have found out that we use the left part of our brain for logic. People who prefer to think with their left part of the brain have no problem with things like: detail oriented, facts rule, words and language, present and past, math and science, can comprehend, knowing, acknowledges, order/pattern perception, knows object name, reality based, forms strategies, practical. We call this convergent thinking, as we have many problems that we bring back (using logical thinking) to one best solution.

 

However we also think with the other part, the right side of the brain. This part is about: uses feeling, "big picture" oriented, imagination rules, symbols/images, Present & future, philosophy & religion, can "get it" (i.e. meaning), believes, fantasy based, presents possibilities, impetuous, risk taking. We call this divergent thinking as we have one stimulus, one problem, leading to many possible answers.  If you are a left side of the brain thinker, this text would have made perfectly sense to you. However if you are a right brain thinker, you tend to think more in images. So you would prefer me to explain things to you like this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 We call this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We call this:

 

 

 

 

Creative Thinking

Creative thinking is mostly done by the right part of the brain as we need to be able to shift perception. We must look at things from another angle, break through commonalities, think outside the box. Look at the pictures beneath and try to look at it from multiple angles, also show your friends and ask what they see:

 

 

 

 

 

 What do you see (three things)?

 

 

 

Turn your laptop upside down to discover something when looking at things from a different perspective...

 

As you’ve probably found out by now:  people can perceive things rather different. At school and Univerisity we learn to think with our left side of the brain. We un-learn to think with the right side, but for business and other professions we need to learn to think with the whole brain:

 

 

 

Next week I will write about how you can improve your creative thinking.