Understanding Janusian Thinking: Theory and Application

In this rapidly-changing world, the knowledge and skills needed in the future are very likely to be unavailable or even unknown at the time a person studies at school. Consequently, schools cannot limit themselves to offering prescribed information and concepts because they may be obsolete rather soon. To prepare our students for the dramatic change in modern times, creative thinking should be incorporated into all content areas at all grade levels. However, there have been inadequate research studies on the instructional methods integrated with creative thinking processes. This book delves into a ubiquitous but neglected creative thinking process, Janusian thinking, which was first proposed Albert Rothenberg in 1971. In addition, this book also displays studies on the application of Janusian thinking in English vocabulary learning and Chinese epigram creation. The instructional activity integrated with Janusian thinking is not only entertaining but also edifying. A well-balanced combination of theory and practice, this book can lead readers who are interested in creativity or teaching for creativity to a colorful world of creativity.

Dr. Chen-Yao Kao is currently a full professor of the Department of Special Education at the National University of Tainan, Taiwan. He teaches the graduate and undergraduate courses regarding creativity, intelligence, and gifted education. His research interests have been focused on analogy, creativity, and conceptual combination in recent years.