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Peter, it's not about creative thinking. Give kids the encouragement they need and they'll be as creative as their individual abilities will take them. It's the ability to be able to think critically and clearly about a subject which is seriously lacking in students (and in the general population as a whole). Being able to look at a subject, no matter how outrageous it might seem and to judge the strength of that subject based on its merits (value of the data, internal consistency etc etc), rather than on opinion and subjective reasoning. This is also where lateral thinking comes in handy because sometimes seeing the merits of a subject requires that you think outside of the box, taking a tack you wouldn't ordinarily otherwise consider. Being able to see the connections even if they appear obscure and not necessarily linear in function.
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