Brainstorming
Process for generating creative ideas and solutions through intensive and freewheeling group discussion. Every participant is encouraged to think aloud and suggest as many ideas as possible, no matter seemingly how outlandish or bizarre. Analysis, discussion, or criticism of the aired ideas is allowed only when the brainstorming session is over and evaluation session begins.
Suggested teaching phases
You can often get the best results by combining individual and group brainstorming, and by managing the process carefully and according to the "rules" below. That way, you get people to focus on the issue without interruption (this comes from having everyone in a dedicated group meeting), you maximize the number of ideas you can generate, and you get that great feeling of team bonding that comes with a well-run brainstorming session. Try to use this technique in order to introduce the topic of your lesson, in the middle of the lesson so as to discuss a topic and generate new ideas as well as in the end of the lesson in order to evaluate the knowledge acquired by your students.
Digital Tools
Συλλογή web 2.o εφαρμογών
Bubbl.us
Voicethread
Wallwisher
Brainstorming Toolbox
http://tagul.com/
http://www.wordle.net/
Bubbl.us
Voicethread
Wallwisher
Brainstorming Toolbox
http://tagul.com/
http://www.wordle.net/
Suggested uses of digital technological tools
Brainstorming is facilitated and enhanced through digital tools since they provide additional capabilities. Students can except for expressing simple ideas, adding images and videos. They help students with visual representations in ordr to understand better the connections between the ideas listed earlier.
Useful Tips
To run a group brainstorming session effectively, do the following:
- Find a comfortable meeting environment, and set it up ready for the session.
- Appoint one person to record the ideas that come from the session. These should be noted in a format than everyone can see and refer to. Depending on the approach you want to use, you may want to record ideas on flip charts, whiteboards, or computers with data projectors.
- If people aren’t already used to working together, consider using an appropriate warm-up exercise or ice-breaker.
- Define the problem you want solved clearly, and lay out any criteria to be met. Make it clear that that the objective of the meeting is to generate as many ideas as possible.
- Give people plenty of time on their own at the start of the session to generate as many ideas as possible.
- Ask people to give their ideas, making sure that you give everyone a fair opportunity to contribute.
- Encourage people to develop other people's ideas, or to use other ideas to create new ones.
- Encourage an enthusiastic, uncritical attitude among members of the group. Try to get everyone to contribute and develop ideas, including the quietest members of the group.
- Ensure that no one criticizes or evaluates ideas during the session. Criticism introduces an element of risk for group members when putting forward an idea. This stifles creativity and cripples the free running nature of a good brainstorming session.
- Let people have fun brainstorming. Encourage them to come up with as many ideas as possible, from solidly practical ones to wildly impractical ones. Welcome creativity!
- Ensure that no train of thought is followed for too long. Make sure that you generate a sufficient number of different ideas, as well as exploring individual ideas in detail.
- In a long session, take plenty of breaks so that people can continue to concentrate.
Critique
During the course of Collaborative Learning and New Technologies, a collegue tried to apply the technique of brainstorming concerning the topic of Death Penalty. We freely expressed our thoughts. We were informed that there is no correct or wrong answers. The teacher chose to use word in order to write our thoughts. I think that even though the topic was quite interesting, word was not the best tool for brainstorming. Wallwisher or bubbl.us would be better choice. In addition, brainstorming lasted 45 minutes, while suggested time for brainstorming usually lasts 10 minutes.