Brainstorming…..A Brain's Best Friend!

A storm releases tension. It is a disturbance of normal atmospheric conditions, manifesting itself by strong winds and often accompanied by rain, thunder and lightning, snow, hail, or sleet.

A brainstorm is also a 'disturbance' of normal mental conditions, or better yet, a disturbance of mental 'conditioning.' We 'normally' filter and edit our own potentially creative thoughts for a variety of reasons, most of them grounded in the belief that there is something wrong with our idea or, more often, in the belief that someone else will think there is something wrong with our idea. This 'conditioning' eventually builds mental tension and stifles creativity. The brain needs a storm of sorts to clear the head and release a rain of fresh and original ideas. Hence, the term 'brainstorming.'

According to Linda Flowers, in Problem Solving Strategies for Writing, p. 80-82:

Brainstorming is a form of creative, goal-directed play and its purpose is to stimulate creative thought…. Brainstorming is not free association; it is a goal-directed effort to discover ideas relevant to your problem. Above all else, turn the editor off!

As a procedure it has three rules that try to protect those half-formed suggestive ideas we often censor. Those rules are:

1. Don't censor any possibilities; just write them down.

2. Don't try to write polished prose when you are brainstorming.

3. Keep your eye on the problem or question that you have set for yourself.

Brainstorming in teams presents added tension unless everyone agrees to keep the problem foremost and keep all editors off. Editors, evaluators, commentators, judges, and any other form of 'normal' inhibitors will slow or stop the flow of ideas.

In theory, which is often born out in practice, brainstorming permits new and creative solutions to emerge from the divergent thinking that occurs during the process. Crazy ideas may hold the seed of a sensible solution. Most of the ideas will eventually be discarded, but they will have served their purpose as stepping-stones to real solutions.

The Delights and Dilemmas of Diversity

Jigsaw and Brainstorm

Structure: Each of 25 participants will be designated a number and a letter -

1A, 2A,3A, 4A, 5A. 1B, 2B, 3B, 4B, 5B. 1C, 2C, 3C, 4C, 5C.

1D, 2D, 3D, 4D, 5D, 1E, 2E, 3E, 4E, 5E.

1. As a whole group, all participants will model good brainstorming by generating a list of all the possible ways students may be diverse from one another and from the teacher.

2. With the list of diversities in mind, participants will assemble in groups by number, all 1's, 2's, etc. They will brainstorm all the delights this diversity would present to a classroom and to a teacher.

3. Participants will reassemble as a whole group and share the lists briefly and by group.

4. Participants will then re-form into groups, this time all A's, all B's, etc. They will now brainstorm a list of all the dilemmas that this diversity would present to the classroom and to the teacher.

5. Participants will once more re-form in a whole group and share their responses. From this activity, the dynamic of a diverse classroom will be examined both as a positive energy and a problem to be solved.

Jigsaw is a classroom strategy that generates ideas, builds teamwork, enlivens the class, and invigorates discussion. It should be followed up with independent work that extends the problem-solving begun in the groups.