ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses reasons why the development of creative thinking is important in vocational education and training. From this perspective, cognitive theory and theories of creative thinking are integrated to present a model which explains cognitive processes involved during creative problem-solving. The chapter presents a model to explain cognitive activity during the creative and complex task of designing. The model presented may be used as a scaffold for this process in a number of ways. The categories and procedures characterising creative problem-solving provide the practitioner with ready-made sets of cognitive action concepts which may be considered when undertaking creative tasks. The chapter presents a model for creative thinking which preserves flexibility without over-simplifying the complex act of creative problem-solving. Such a model is extremely useful for domains that have traditionally been viewed as ill-structured, such as original design.
