The Paradox of Creative Thinking Skills in the Vocational Technology Classroom: Where do Technology Teachers go Wrong?

Abstract

In light of the growing body of research on the integration of creative thinking skills into technology and vocational subjects, teachers and academics should be given a fundamental understanding of creativity and its significance in these domains. Some of theoretical accounts have called for a study that will deal with basics of creativity in the vocational aspect as most teachers continue to demonstrate low or inadequate conceptualisation. Henceforth, the discussions contained in this study are case-specific and therefore leave no room for generalizations, but their findings have a major impact on how technology learners are trained in their classrooms. We consider it necessary to organize literature on this topic by consulting the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement, an official document for teaching technology in senior phase schooling amongst others. We delve into this conceptual approach to promote the understanding and implementation of creative thinking skills in technology education as a priority aspect of learners' psychomotor skills. Findings indicate that critical thinking skills are severely impaired and that there is still a lack of empirical literature to help teachers foster creative thinking in technology classroom.  It is recommended that teachers conceptualisation of creative thought be taken from its origin as it has gained some distortion in the over the years. Recent contributions about critical thinking skills should wedded with its origins.