Brainstorming and Discussion
Tate’s description of brainstorming and discussion includes many different social learning methods like cooperative learning, group discussion and communities of interest. The theoretical framework almost exclusively focuses on the benefits of discussion, not brainstorming. A couple of the activities Tate suggests do more closely resemble the “brainstorming” familiar in all kinds of work situations. The DOVE guidelines: defer judgment, one idea at a time, variety is encouraged and directing energy to the task are typical of these more familiar brainstorming sessions.
Brainstorming has been sold to businesses, organizations and community groups as a way of generating more ideas and more diverse ideas, but the research has shown that solostorming, focusing on a question of problem by yourself, can be just as and often even more effective than brainstorming.
Application: I have been involved in several Innovate Extension events throughout the country. While discussion and interaction are critical to these events, we do not approach brainstorming in the typical way. Our approach recognizes that human interactions do not follow a script. You cannot get an outcome, like more or better ideas, just by throwing people together, giving them some guidelines and saying, “Get to it!” In the Innovate Events we begin with team/trust-building exercises that are extremely low risk, like building a LEGO structure based on a prompt. This activity allows participants to get to know the others in their group and to get to know how those people work on a task. Instead of jumping into brainstorming, we start with solostorming, a quiet time when participants each focus on a question or problem and try to write down as many possible solutions as they can. Next, each participant in a group reads their possible solutions, ALL of their possible solutions uninterrupted as the others in the group take notes. Once everyone has shared the group begins brainstorming, “Where there any solutions that stood out?,” “Were there any solutions that could be combined?,” “What if we thought of the problem differently?,” “Are there any solutions that would be better if the problem was bigger or smaller, or shorter-term or longer-term?” We find this approach leads to more divergent thinking, which in turn leads to better ideas.
Assessment: What? So What? Now What? Journal (Barkley & Major, 2016, pp. 388-392)
The What? Now What? So What? Journal would be a good assessment for the “brainstorming” and discussion used in Innovate Extension events. Because the events are one-time experiences, this assessment might be a single entry rather than a journal kept over the course of a learning experience.
References
Barkley, E. F., & Major, C. H. (2016). Learning assessment techniques: A handbook for college faculty. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Tate, M. L. (2012). “Sit and Get” won’t grow dendrites: 20 professional learning strategies that engage the adult brain. (2nd Ed.) Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.