What Next? Futuristic Scenarios for Creative Problem Solving

Ignite your students' imaginations with exciting, future-oriented activities. Imagine your students designing a television commercial in order to evaluate the growing power of mass media. Or, imagine your class working in small groups to develop a character sketch that probes the weaknesses of rampant consumerism. Or, stand back as your students prepare speeches that project current technology trends 20 years into the future. These activities are designed to improve students' communication and problem-solving skills and to enlarge and enrich their images of the future.

R. E. Myers began his career in education as an elementary teacher in Santa Cruz County, California. From there he moved to Los Gatos, California, and became a middle-school teacher and coach. Then he started a quest for higher degrees, which led to moves to Oregon and Minnesota, where he was fortunate enough to become a graduate student of E. Paul Torrance. That association led to a variety of experiences in the field of creative thinking, including the publication of Creative Learning and Teaching, the prize-winning book he co-authored with Dr. Torrance.
Dr. Myers became a college and university professor and simultaneously launched a career as a writer and curriculum specialist, eventually ending up in Oregon as a researcher, filmmaker, and curriculum specialist. In recent years he has concentrated on writing creative thinking materials for primary and intermediate grades and writing materials for the character education curriculum, including his Respect Matters, which was honored with a Teachers Choice Award.

Dr. E. Paul Torrance is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of the University of Georgia. He has worked with gifted students at all levels, from kindergarten through graduate school. Dr. Torrance is the author of more than 40 books and 1,500 journal articles. He was the founder of the Future Problem Solving Program and has received many awards for his pioneering work in creativity and gifted education.