CONTACT
9780 2202 / 9118 3014
aikkwang@singent.com.sg / kwang@idearesort.com
Blk 481, #07-401, Pasir Ris Drive 4, Singapore 510481
Officially, I can be addressed as Dr Ng Aik Kwang, since I have a PhD in Psychology from the University of Queensland (Australia). But I prefer to be known simply as “Kwang”. After I obtained my PhD (or became “Permanently Head Damaged”), I returned to Singapore, where I’m born, to lecture at the National Institute of Education (NIE).
During this time at NIE (1999 – 2005), I wrote a few books on creativity, including a controversial bestseller Why Asians are less creative than Westerners (which has been translated into Chinese and Bahasa Indonesia). I also received the 2001 Early Career Research Award from the International Council of Psychologists for a provocative research paper which is interestingly entitled Why Creators are Dogmatic People, “Nice” People are not Creative and Creative People are not “Nice”.
In 2005, I resigned from my full-time job at NIE to set up The Idea Resort – A Haven For Learners. It provides practical and interactive workshops for school teachers, students, parents, employees and anyone who’s interested in creativity. As an academic-author-entrepreneur, I’ve conducted training and given keynote speeches on creativity in different primary & secondary schools, junior colleges, polytechnics and Institutes of Technical Education. I’ve also lectured part-time in different universities like Singapore Management University, Nanyang Technological University and SIM University.
Over the years, besides keeping myself busy doing all these things, I still managed to squeeze in some time to visit the Jurong Bird Park. I hope you like this picture of me with my bird-friends!
Educational Qualification
- Bachelor of Arts, National University of Singapore (1991)
- Bachelor of Social Science, National University of Singapore (1992)
- Doctor of Philosophy, University of Queensland, Australia (1998)
- Postgraduate Diploma of Teaching in Higher Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (2001)
Previous Work Experience
- Senior Officer, National Productivity Board, Singapore
- Senior Tutor, Department of Psychology, University of Queensland
- Assistant Professor, National Institute of Education
- Adjunct Professor, Singapore Management University
- Part-time lecturer, SIM University & NIE/NTU
Awards / Recognition
- 2001 Early Career Research Award, International Council of Psychologists
Books
- Why Asians Are Less Creative Than Westerners (2001)
- Liberating the Creative Spirit in Asian Students (2004)
- Creative Problem-Solving for Asians: A Practical Guide to Develop Your Creativity as an Asian (2007)
- Asian and Western Paths to Happiness: How to be Creative and Live the Good Life (2008)
- Creativity: Questions & Controversies (2009)
- Psychology of Creativity (2013)
Workshops
- How to Nurture Creative Students – A Creative Problem-Solving Approach
- How to Nurture Creative Students – A Personality Approach
- How to be a Happy and Creative Teacher – Insights from Positive Psychology
- How to be a Creative Student – A Creative Problem-Solving Approach
- How to be a Creative Student – A Personality Approach
- How to Raise Happy and Creative Children – A Psychological Guide for Parents