Bisociation: Creativity of an Aha! Moment

Abstract

This chapter presents a new theory of creativity in mathematics education. The theory has been anchored in two foundations: that of teaching practice of Vrunda Prabhu which occasioned surprisingly many Aha! Moments experienced by students in her remedial arithmetic classes in college and that of the Arthur Koestler’s volume The Act of Creation. The Act of Creation introduces term bisociation describing an Aha! Moment and Eureka Experience as “the spontaneous leap of insight which connects previously unconnected frames of reference” by unearthing “hidden analogies”. Whereas Koestler formulated the concept of bisociation within humor, scientific discover and art, we focus primarily on the bisociative creativity in mathematics. We abstract the concepts of the bisociative frame as the two unconnected frames of reference, useful method for (1) identification of heightened probability of creative insight in a given mathematical situation and (2) identification of possible creativity within different theories of learning. The chapter explores Koestler/Prabhu theory of learning through Aha! Moment and applies the bisociative frame to investigate its processes of interaction with several different theories of learning. Uncovered processes of interaction suggest that creativity should be the basis of contemporary learning and teaching.