Role of the university teacher in promoting creative thinking
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62305/alcon.v6i1.1025Keywords:
: creative thinking, higher education, university teacher, didactic strategies, creativity, university pedagogyAbstract
Creative thinking is one of the most demanded competencies in 21st century higher education; however, its systematic development in university classrooms remains an ongoing pedagogical challenge. This theoretical review article analyzes the role of university teachers as mediators and facilitators of creative thinking, drawing on four fundamental theoretical frameworks: Ken Robinson's view of creativity as a universal capacity inhibited by the educational system, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's flow theory and the conditions that foster it, Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences and its relationship with diverse forms of creative expression, and Lev Vygotsky's sociocultural approach and his concept of the Zone of Proximal Development. Through the review and synthesis of recent scientific literature (2020–2025), concrete didactic strategies that university faculty can implement to foster student creativity are identified, as well as classroom environment conditions that enhance or inhibit such development. The results show that teachers play a tripartite role as creative facilitators, models, and mediators, and that the integration of active methodologies, the establishment of a safe and stimulating classroom climate, and the design of open-ended tasks constitute the pillars of a creativity-oriented pedagogy. The findings of this review contribute theoretical foundations to the research project "Strengthening the Didactic-Pedagogical Level of Teachers in Educational Institutions of the Jipijapa Canton", by providing a solid conceptual framework for the diagnosis and improvement of teachers' pedagogical competencies in the territory. Likewise, its conclusions support the outreach project "Literacy and ICT Integration in Pedagogical Practices of Educational Units and Communities of Southern Manabí", by grounding the need to incorporate creative and innovative strategies into teacher training and community accompaniment processes in the region. It is concluded that fostering creative thinking in higher education requires both a transformation of individual pedagogical practices and institutional changes that recognize and value creativity as a transversal and priority competency.
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