Creativity, or creative thinking, is one of the key skills of the 21st century. The term creativity comes from the Latin creatio – “to create,” creator – “one who creates,” and essentially refers to “the manifestation of a person’s creative ability.” The term creative thinking varies considerably across scientific research and has many different definitions.

According to scholars, creative thinking is an active, disciplined process that involves logic, reflection, and evaluation, and helps distinguish truth from false information. The term was introduced by American philosopher John Dewey, who defined it as “active, persistent, and careful consideration of any belief or supposed form of knowledge in light of the grounds that support it and the further conclusions to which it tends” [4].

Robert Sternberg defines critical thinking as a set of mental processes, strategies, and representations used for decision-making and problem-solving, distinguishing between metacomponents, performance components, and knowledge components [9].

Richard Paul describes creative thinking as disciplined, self-directed thinking that demonstrates improvements in thought consistent with a specific mode or domain of thinking [8].

I.I.Ilyasov defines it as analytical, evaluative, and problematizing thinking [5].
 J. Steele defines creative thinking as the ability to analyze information from the standpoint of logic and a personal-psychological perspective, applying the results both to standard and non-standard situations, asking new questions, and developing evidence-based arguments [10].

According to the teachings of American psychologist Abraham Maslow, creativity is an innate orientation characteristic of all people but lost by many under the influence of existing systems of upbringing, education, and social practice [7].

In our view, creative thinking is the ability to analyze information, evaluate facts, draw reasoned conclusions, and use imagination while completing tasks, an ability to find original approaches to problem-solving.

The first to describe the concept of creativity was the psychologist and member of the American Psychological Association, Joy Paul Guilford. He identified two types of creative thinking: convergence and divergence.

Convergent thinking is the process of selecting, evaluating, and narrowing a range of ideas to one – most logical, practical, and effective – solution. Convergent thinking is necessary when a problem has many conditions but a single correct solution, such as solving a mathematical problem through a sequence of actions. Most people rely primarily on convergent thinking, which is reinforced by school education: there is a correct answer, which must be reached through certain reasoning or known procedures. People who use only convergent thinking tend to accept commonly recognized facts, select information that confirms their beliefs, and reject data that represents an alternative viewpoint.

Divergent thinking operates in many directions simultaneously. With it, one can find multiple solutions to a single problem. Divergent thinking is the ability to generate many varied ideas, approaches, and scenarios [1].

Creative and artistic thinking are often perceived as synonyms, but there are essential differences.
Creative thinking is the ability to generate new, unconventional ideas or find original solutions to problems, usually oriented toward practical outcomes in non-standard situations.
Artistic thinking is associated with creating aesthetically or emotionally meaningful products – paintings, texts, musical works. Here, not only novelty matters but also expressiveness, emotional depth, and personal interpretation. Both types of thinking are important and closely interconnected. The artistic approach inspires and deepens creative solutions, while creativity enriches artistic expression.

How can creativity be developed in students learning a foreign language?

Various training exercises, techniques, and methods can be used to develop creativity. Let us consider them.

EXERCISES

1. Ask yourself unconventional questions. Stimulate thinking to search for original solutions. Examples: What would a car look like if it were invented by someone who had never seen wheels? What could replace the Internet if it disappeared tomorrow? What would happen if animals had their own point of view?
2. Dictogloss. Dictogloss is a supported dictation exercise with its own preparation and implementation system. It requires students to process the text through the lens of their knowledge and skills and reproduce the dictated text based on their own perception. Students retain the main idea of the initial short text and then reconstruct a parallel version using their grammatical and linguistic knowledge. The term dictogloss comes from “dictation” and “gloss” (explanation, interpretation, or paraphrase). It resembles retelling. The essence of dictogloss is reproducing the dictated text while preserving its informational content and, as far as possible, its linguistic accuracy. This exercise requires the active use of a complex of interrelated skills and encourages creativity based on each student’s individual language resources [2].

Dictogloss is a nearly universal exercise because it engages all four types of communicative activity: listening during the initial dictation, speaking during group discussion, reading while reviewing notes, writing while preparing the final version.
The development of lexical and grammatical skills depends directly on the topic being studied. Dictogloss also reinforces vocabulary and grammar relevant to the lesson’s subject matter [1].

TECHNIQUES

1. “Associative Bridge”. Choose two random words (e.g., book and mountain) and find as many connections between them as possible – visual, semantic, or metaphorical.
2. The “Sorbonka” Technique. A double-sided flashcard named after the Sorbonne University with a concept, example, or formula on one side and the answer on the other.
3. Edward de Bono’s “Plus, Minus, Interesting” (PMI). Students complete a table with three columns:

• P – Plus: everything they liked, what was useful, or what evoked positive emotions.
• M – Minus: everything they disliked, found boring, unclear, or irrelevant.
• I – Interesting: curious facts or appealing aspects of the topic, with explanations [4].

4. A story with the same letter. Make up a story where all the words start with the same letter and give it a title

Title: “Silent shadows in the storm”

Silent skies shaded somber streets. Sudden storms started shaking small shacks. Samuel Sparrow silently slipped, seeking shelter. Shadowy shapes slithered, stealing soft sounds. Storm-slicked stones scattered, smashing silently. Still, Samuel stood, staring, strong. Somehow, serenity surfaced, soothing storm’s song.

5. A story in alphabetical order. Make up a story in which each key word follows in alphabetical order from a to z

Title: “Alphabet adventure”

An Brave Cat Danced Elegantly, Facing Giants. He Invited Jumping Kangaroos, Lions, Monkeys. Night Overcame, Peace Quietly Rose. Stars Twinkled, Unicorns Vanished. Wolves X-rayed Young Zebras.

METHODS

1. “Six Thinking Hats” (Edward de Bono). Consider an idea from six perspectives: facts, emotions, criticism, positivity, creativity, and management. This method develops perceptual flexibility.
2. The “Dreamer–Realist–Critic” Method. A technique by Walt Disney that allows ideas to be generated and evaluated from three viewpoints:

• Dreamer – generates bold and limitless ideas.
• Realist – thinks about how to implement them.
• Critic – identifies risks, weaknesses, and clarifies details.

3. 3. A diamond (diamanta) is a non-rhymed poetic form consisting of seven lines. The first and last of which are concepts with opposite meanings, useful for working with concepts that are opposite in meaning. First appeared in 1969 thanks to the American writer Iris McClellan Tiedt.

Rules of writing diamond

• The first and last 7 lines are the shortest, they consist of one word (noun), a key concept or theme of a poem.
• The second line consists of two words (adjectives).
• The third - of three (verbs or participles ending in -ing).
• The fourth (central) line consists of four words (nouns), while the first two words of the fourth line characterize the first key concept, and the second two words - the second key concept.
• The fifth and sixth lines are a mirror image of the third and second and relate to the second key concept.

Alignment of the test of the poem is performed in the center so that the finished poem resembles a diamond in shape, therefore another name for this work is a diamond poem.

Sea
sparkly, blue
rushing, heaving, bobbing
waves, foam, beach,  sand
running,  stoning,  building
mat, brown
Land

CONCLUSION

Thus, the creative exercises, techniques, and methods described above aim to develop essential personal qualities such as reflectiveness, communicative competence, creativity, flexibility, independence, tolerance, and responsibility for one’s own choices and results. They foster analytical, logical, and creative thinking.

The use of creative thinking techniques in foreign language learning improves students’ ability to perceive information, increases motivation and engagement, promotes responsible attitudes toward learning, and enhances their ability to collaborate and think creatively.