Training the Mind: creativity and critical thinking

This is an experiential learning proposal designed for students preparing to enter the workforce who wish to develop the fundamental mental skills required to navigate complex, ambiguous, and rapidly changing professional environments.

The program introduces participants to a structured method for tackling real-world problems, making more informed decisions, and generating effective solutions. Creativity and critical thinking are trained together as two complementary movements of the same process: on one hand, the opening of possibilities; on the other, the ability to analyze, evaluate, and transform them into concrete choices.

Through practical exercises, case studies, and guided reflection, students learn to intentionally use different modes of thought and reasoning. The result is a "mental workout" that strengthens curiosity, independent judgment, and the ability to face new challenges without relying solely on automatic responses or pre-packaged solutions.

Workshop Objectives

• Understand the fundamental principles of applied creativity in academic and professional contexts.
• Develop awareness of various thinking skills and learn to use them intentionally.
• Train critical thinking as a capacity for analysis, source evaluation, and the construction of sound judgments.
• Learn to ask effective questions, recognizing assumptions, biases, and mental shortcuts.
• Integrate creativity, analysis, and decision-making to tackle real challenges in a structured and sustainable way.

Acquired Skills

• Ability to apply the Problem Solving process to concrete issues.
• Greater intellectual autonomy and mental flexibility.
• Skills in the critical analysis of information and available alternatives.
• Practical proficiency in generating, evaluating, and developing ideas.
• The capacity to handle new or uncertain situations without stalling or oversimplifying.