Through using spoken language, people are able to think creatively and
productively together. This ability to 'interthink' is an important
product of our evolutionary history that is just as important for our
survival today. Many kinds of work activity depend on the success of
groups or teams finding joint solutions to problems. Creative
achievement is rarely the product of solitary endeavour, but of people
working within a collective enterprise.
Written in an accessible and jargon-free style, Interthinking: putting
talk to work explores the growing body of work on how people think
creatively and productively together. Challenging purely individualistic
accounts of human evolution and cognition, its internationally acclaimed
authors provide analyses of real-life examples of collective thinking in
everyday settings including workplaces, schools, rehearsal spaces and
online environments.
The authors use socio-cultural psychology to explain the processes
involved in interthinking, to explore its creative power, but also to
understand why collective thinking isn't always productive or
successful. With this knowledge we can maximise the constructive
benefits of our ability to interthink, and understand the best ways in
which we can help young people to develop, nurture and value that
capability.
This book will be of great interest to academic researchers,
postgraduates and undergraduates on Education and Psychology courses and
to practicing teachers. It will also appeal to anyone with an interest
in language, creativity and the role of psychology in everyday life.
