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Brainstorming & Creativity

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Edutopia-kipp-criticalthinking-toolsforct-socraticseminarconnectors. Creative. Creativity Now!:Assessing Creativity. Lesson 19 — Enhancing Creativity « Wisdom 101. Being deeply involved in creative activity is one of the most enjoyable experiences we human beings can have. What’s more, it allows us to put something back into the pot of life, to give something of value to others. For many people, though, creativity seems mysterious and out of reach — a gift given to some people and not to others. The truth is that it is not a rare gift, but a quite understandable process — one that any of us can use to enhance our enjoyment of life. Different writers have different views about what creativity is, and about how the creative process works. Some make distinctions between different kinds of creativity. Here I address two kinds: One is production-related creativity: the production of something novel or unique that has value.The other is discovery-related creativity: the discovery, through human insight, of some new fact, law, or feature of the world.

Discovery-related creativity is a little harder to pin down. Preparation. 16. 17. 18. 19. Like this: Creative Exercises For Artists. Design Thinking for Educators. GoCreate.com. Top 9 Free Web Tools to Develop Students Creativity. Tribute to Theo Jansen’s kinetic sculptures - STE[+a]M | STE[+a]M. MAKE. Appendix A. Creativity Traits: The 8 Types Of Imagination. It has been said that imagination is more important than knowledge, and for any experienced classroom teacher it is easy to see daily evidence of this. In the June issue of Edudemic Magazine for iPad , we’re going to take a look at the role of imagination (and curiosity) in the learning process, and strategies for leveraging each.

In doing research, I happened across an article published over at the international news blog IntoEastAfrica on the different types of imagination, and it occurred to me that though I often think of intelligence and understanding as fluid and diverse, I hadn’t thought of imagination that way. Our Imaginations In the blog post, Dr. Murray Hunter of the University of Malaysia Perlis has listed the 8 types of imagination we use on a daily basis, with explanations for each. Dr. “Imagination is a manifestation of our memory and enables us to scrutinize our past and construct hypothetical future scenarios that do not yet, but could exist. 8 Types of Imagination 1. 2.

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DS_Invent_DesignProcess_Poster_ENG. The Engineering Design Process. The engineering design process is a series of steps that engineering teams use to guide them as they solve problems. Anyone can do it! To determine how to build something (skyscraper, amusement park ride, bicycle, music player), engineers gather information and conduct research to understand the needs of the challenge to be addressed. Then they brainstorm many imaginative possible solutions. They select the most promising idea and embark upon a design that includes drawings, and analytical decisions on the materials and construction, manufacturing and fabrication technologies to use. They create and test many prototypes, making improvements until the product design is good enough to meet their needs. Engineers design and build all types of structures, systems and products that are important in our everyday lives.

Understand the need: What is the problem? Engineers use their science and math knowledge to explore all possible options and compare many design ideas. Ten Steps to Better Student Engagement. Tristan de Frondeville As a teacher, my goal was to go home at the end of each day with more energy than I had at the beginning of the day. Seriously. Now, as I travel the country coaching teachers on how to successfully use project learning, my goal remains the same. And I try to teach educators the strategies they need to achieve this goal in their own classrooms. A teacher in one of my workshops said, "When my students and I are in the flow, then I don't feel like I have to work as hard. " I heartily agree. Project-based classrooms with an active-learning environment make such in-the-flow moments more common. The good news is that the strategies for creating and managing high-quality project-learning environments are productive in any classroom, whether project learning is a central part of the curriculum or not.

Create an Emotionally Safe Classroom Students who have been shamed or belittled by the teacher or another student will not effectively engage in challenging tasks. Strategy List: 35 Dimensions of Critical Thought. S-1 Thinking Independently Principle: Critical thinking is independent thinking, thinking for oneself. Many of our beliefs are acquired at an early age, when we have a strong tendency to form beliefs for irrational reasons (because we want to believe, because we are praised or rewarded for believing).

Critical thinkers use critical skills and insights to reveal and reject beliefs that are irrational. In forming new beliefs, critical thinkers do not passively accept the beliefs of others; rather, they try to figure things out for themselves, reject unjustified authorities, and recognize the contributions of genuine authorities. They thoughtfully form principles of thought and action; they do not mindlessly accept those presented to them. If they find that a set of categories or distinctions is more appropriate than that used by another, they will use it. Independent thinkers strive to incorporate all known relevant knowledge and insight into their thought and behavior.

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Brainstorming/Flowcharts. Six Strategies for Differentiated Instruction in Project-Based Learning. Project-based learning (PBL) naturally lends itself to differentiated instruction. By design, it is student-centered, student-driven, and gives space for teachers to meet the needs of students in a variety of ways. PBL can allow for effective differentiation in assessment as well as daily management and instruction. PBL experts will tell you this, but I often hear teachers ask for real examples, specifics to help them contextualize what it "looks like" in the classroom. We all need to try out specific ideas and strategies to get our brains working in a different context. Here are some specific differentiation strategies to use during a PBL project. 1. We all know that heterogeneous grouping works, but sometimes homogenous grouping can be an effective way to differentiate in a project. 2.

Reflection is an essential component of PBL. 3. This is probably one of my favorites. 4. 5. Formative assessments can look the same for all students. 6. Brainstorming. What this handout is about This handout discusses techniques that will help you start writing a paper and continue writing through the challenges of the revising process. Brainstorming can help you choose a topic, develop an approach to a topic, or deepen your understanding of the topic’s potential. Introduction If you consciously take advantage of your natural thinking processes by gathering your brain’s energies into a “storm,” you can transform these energies into written words or diagrams that will lead to lively, vibrant writing.

Below you will find a brief discussion of what brainstorming is, why you might brainstorm, and suggestions for how you might brainstorm. Whether you are starting with too much information or not enough, brainstorming can help you to put a new writing task in motion or revive a project that hasn’t reached completion. When you’ve got too much: There are times when you have too much chaos in your brain and need to bring in some conscious order. Freewriting Cubing. Scamper - Creativity tools from MindTools. Improving Products and Services This tool can help you develop new products and services. © iStockphoto/aladin66 It can often be difficult to come up with new ideas when you're trying to develop or improve a product or service. This is where creative brainstorming techniques like SCAMPER can help. This tool helps you generate ideas for new products and services by encouraging you to think about how you could improve existing ones.

We'll look at SCAMPER in this article. About the Tool SCAMPER is a mnemonic that stands for: Substitute.Combine.Adapt.Modify.Put to another use.Eliminate.Reverse. You use the tool by asking questions about existing products, using each of the seven prompts above. Alex Osborn, credited by many as the originator of brainstorming, originally came up with many of the questions used in the technique. Note: Remember that the word "products" doesn't only refer to physical goods. How to Use the Tool SCAMPER is really easy to use. First, take an existing product or service.

Adapt. DO IT - A Simple Creativity Process - Creativity Techniques from MindTools. A Simple Process for Creativity Follow this 4-step process. © iStockphoto/3dbrained DO IT is a process for creativity. Techniques outlined earlier in this chapter focus on specific aspects of creative thinking. These help you to get the best out of the creativity techniques. DO IT is an acronym that stands for: D – Define problem.O – Open mind and apply creative techniques.I – Identify best solution.T – Transform. These stages are explained in more detail below: 1. This section concentrates on analyzing the problem to ensure that the correct question is being asked.

Check that you are tackling the problem, not the symptoms of the problem. 2. Once you know the problem that you want to solve, you are ready to start generating possible solutions. At this stage of DO IT we are not interested in evaluating ideas. You can use the whole battery of creativity techniques covered earlier in this section to search for possible solutions. 3. 4.

Many very creative people fail at this stage. Key Points. SWOT analysis. A SWOT analysis, with its four elements in a 2×2 matrix. A SWOT analysis (alternatively SWOT matrix) is a structured planning method used to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats involved in a project or in a business venture. A SWOT analysis can be carried out for a product, place, industry or person. It involves specifying the objective of the business venture or project and identifying the internal and external factors that are favorable and unfavorable to achieve that objective. Some authors credit SWOT to Albert Humphrey, who led a convention at the Stanford Research Institute (now SRI International) in the 1960s and 1970s using data from Fortune 500 companies.[1][2] However, Humphrey himself does not claim the creation of SWOT, and the origins remain obscure. The degree to which the internal environment of the firm matches with the external environment is expressed by the concept of strategic fit.

Matching and converting[edit] Use[edit] Strategy building[edit] Ten Steps for Boosting Your Creativity. Creative Problem Solving Basics: the technique. Preface I wrote this article on creative problem solving (CPS) in 2010. However, not long after writing it, a growing unhappiness with the method as a creativity technique caused me to analyse the CPS methodology in detail, identify its flaws and devise a better approach. In 2011, I did that with anticonventional thinking (ACT).

I believe that ACT is a far better method for generating highly creative ideas than is CPS. To learn more about the flaws of CPS (and it's simpler variation of brainstorming), read this. Nevertheless, a large number of creativity consultants and others swear by CPS. Creative Problem Solving (CPS) Basics Creative ideas do not suddenly appear in people's minds for no apparent reason.

Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Edison and other creative geniuses have always worked in the same way. This approach has been formalised as Creative Problem Solving (CPS). However, there are numerous different approaches to CPS. CPS Steps 1. Five Whys And More Questions Criteria. Step by step guide to brainstorming. By Jeffrey Baumgartner Preface: Brainstorming Is Not an Effective Creativity Tool Before you read the article below, there is one thing you should know.

Brainstorming is not a very good way to generate creative ideas. This has been demonstrated in a number of scientific studies performed over the years. To learn more about why brainstorming does not work, read this. The article below was first written in 1997. Meanwhile, I leave the original text of the Step by Step Guide to Brainstorming below for archival purposes.

The Step by Step Guide to Brainstorming Brainstorming can be an effective way to generate lots of ideas on a specific issue and then determine which idea – or ideas – is the best solution. A brainstorming session requires a facilitator, a brainstorming space and something on which to write ideas, such as a white-board a flip chart or software tool. Brainstorming works best with a varied group of people. Step by Step Define your problem or issue as a creative challenge. Your Future Depends on Your Creative Mind. Your future, and your children's future, depends on your being able to add value where computer software cannot. This means that you and your children need to be creative thinkers and, even more importantly, recognise the potential value of creative ideas. The biggest threat to your job and your working future is not outsourcing to China or India. It is not reckless bankers. It is not even idiot politicians (though they come close!)

A Brief History of Technological Advancement For the past 200 years, technology has been replacing jobs. Of course, technology also improved the efficiency of factories. As long as productivity generally grows along with technological development, this works just fine. To put it in a nutshell, technology has been replacing jobs relentlessly for two centuries. The the jobs replaced by technology have not been intellectually demanding, so that labourers, who typically do not have higher educations, can quickly learn new tasks. Where Is It All Going? Index. EyeWire Creativity Cards.