Brainstorming: A toolkit for the classroom and beyond

STUDY TECHNIQUES

Advertising baron Alex F. Osborn introduced the term Brainstorming in 1939. Originally used widely in military and business establishments, it is now also used by hockey and cricket coaches during off-field training sessions with their teams. Since it is relevant everywhere, let us explore the multiple uses of this simple tool in the classroom and beyond in the educational sphere. 

Brainstorming is a technique for generating the most ideas in the shortest time possible. A five-minute session can generate 20 to 30 ideas, while a 20-minute session provides a bag full of around 100 possibilities.

The four rules

Brainstorming is based on four rules, as laid down by Osborn. The first and the chief principle is Deferred Judgement, whereby evaluation or judgement of the ideas is postponed till all the ideas are in. Secondly, Free-wheeling is encouraged and welcome. The wilder the ideas, the better.

The next rule suggests that Quantity is wanted as ‘quantity helps quality.’ The greater the number of ideas generated, the greater the chance of producing an effective solution. Finally, Combinations and Improvements are sought. Here, members will spontaneously ‘hitch-hike’ on one another’s ideas, one idea inspiring the next.

Brainstorming enables critical thinking and creativity. A simple practice session to encourage critical thinking is to split the class into small groups or rows. Next, the group picks slips wherein everyday usage items are written and include a brick, a box, a pillow, a brown sheet, a mug, a plate, and a piece of string. You will be surprised at the number and variety of ideas jotted down by the students. 

As students like to earn some pocket money or do part-time jobs, another practice session is to generate ideas on the theme ‘Earn while you Learn.’ Do not be surprised if someone eventually starts a new business venture.

The three steps

Brainstorming follows three simple steps: a) Statement of the problem, where the leader or teacher explains the rules and writes the topic or question on the board; b) Brainstorming (Idea Generation), where participants call out at random solutions which are immediately recorded on the board or notebook. This step, the key one, continues until the ideas stop flowing.; c) Evaluation and Screening, where a small group is appointed to select the more promising ideas from the list for further consideration.

Brainstorming in a classroom setting invariably generates new ideas and approaches to studying the topics. It can be used for any assignment, project, essay, presentation, group discussion, case study analysis, or problem-solving activity. Present a real-world issue related to the subject and ask students to brainstorm possible solutions. Use brainstorming to generate arguments for and against a topic before a debate.

In co-curricular areas, it can be used for event planning, community engagement projects, campus-based start-ups, competitions, and art and culture pursuits. In Event Planning, clubs and student organisations can brainstorm themes and activities for campus events. Student councils can use brainstorming to collect ideas for campus improvements. Besides, ideas can be generated for shortlisting locations and spots for study tours and excursions.

Canteen experiment

The college canteen is a place to generate ideas, among other things. But how about generating ideas for the canteen itself? With this in view, the writer posed the question ‘How to improve the College Canteen?’ to a group of undergraduate students. Within no time, all the students came out with suggestions ranging from the obvious to improve the menu and unlikely (unlikely to be implemented) ideas of having open bars and cabaret shows. 

A safe environment needs to be created so that students have no fear of being judged by others when they share wild ideas. The teacher must set a positive, unthreatening tone and tell students to reserve criticism for a later stage. No suggestion, however absurd or crazy, must be set aside nor ridiculed or commented upon. 

Brainwriting

A variation of brainstorming is brainwriting, where participants write ideas on cards (or paper) and then pass their idea cards to the next person, moving the cards around the group in a circle as participants build on the ideas of others. It is useful for shy or introverted individuals as it removes the obstacles of verbal brainstorming. 

Another variation is individual brainstorming, which is useful when it’s not possible to gather group members for a session or when the topic can’t be discussed. The procedure is similar: Keeping to the principle of deferred judgement, jot down as many ideas, even crazy ones, that may come to your mind and leave the selection for another day.

The best ideas often come from the young—children, students—and people who dare to think differently. To sum up, brainstorming promotes communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking, the Four Cs of the learning skillset required to meet the demands of the 21st century. 

(The author is a retired dean and associate professor at the School of Social Work, Roshni Nilaya, Mangaluru)