Synectics
Chapter Seven
Thinking with Analogies:
Comparisons and Compressions
Bill Gordon and George Prince developed
synectics to bring creative thinking out of a
magical , genetically-driven domain, into
the world of learnable strategies for
approaching problems and demanding
tasks. Gordon brought synectics to
education. Prince focused on institutions,
particularly businesses in many areas of
endeavor.
Analogies, Analogies, Analogies
The only problem with new problems is that we
come to them with old solutions.
One reason to approach life as a creative
investigation is that it helps us figure out whether our
learned solutions are in need of rehab.
One of the best ads we have seen for seeking fresh
approaches to recurring tasks was on a ski slope.
The PA system cheerfully intoned “Why practice
your mistakes? Do come to ski school.”
Analogies, Analogies, and Analogies
Problem is, we DO repeat (practice) our mistakes.
We tend to wedge puzzling problems into familiar
paradigms to which we can apply off-the shelf
solutions. Think of how schools deal with “truancy.”
If a student skips school, he is a law breaker and
punishment is in order, so the school suspends the
person, thus making missing school the result of
missing school. Skip school again, and be
expelled. -- Student practices mistake, district
practices mistake. Lose, lose.
So, how do we get some distance – see things
differently? Gordon says the difficulty begins in
how we define a problem. We have to back off
and see it through new eyes. And, then, instead of
using an old solution just because we have it,
seeking a new one.
Analogies became a gateway to opening our
eyes – to redefine problems (and commonplace
tasks like writing require problem-solving) and find
fresh solutions. -- Look on models of teaching.org
and find a couple of demonstrations, and see the
students generate a few new ideas.