Creativity Step 5

Creativity: The use of imagination and the generation of new ideas.

Step 5: I generate ideas by combining different concepts

Outcomes

To achieve Step 5, learners will show that they are able to generate ideas by combining different concepts.

In earlier steps, learners thought about generating ideas when they had been given a clear brief and success criteria, and then when they had to create their own success criteria to improve something. In this step, learners build on this by exploring how they can combine different concepts to generate new ideas.

Learners need to be able to:

Identify the components of ideas and concepts
Combine these components to create something new

Introduction

Ask learners to discuss in pairs/groups what is meant by the terms:
- Combine
- Concept
- Component
Get feedback from the group to help create the definitions:
- Combine: “bring together two or more things.”
- Concept: "A type of idea that is usually quite general or big." For example, if we were designing a team kit, we might say that ‘the concept for the kit is flash'.
- Component: "A part of a whole thing or idea." For example, a bicycle wheel is a component of a bike, so a reflective strip would be part of the concept of a flash themed kit.

Skill Starter

Name of the Game

In small groups, ask learners to come up with a team name.

Structure the task in the following way: individually generate name ideas, then share ideas in pairs and then in a whole group.

The group should then discuss favourite components of each idea and combine components to generate a final team name.

10 mins

Group activity

Discussion

Teach & Apply

When we respond to a brief (as in Step 3) or try to improve something (as in Step 4) we might come up with a complete concept or set of ideas to try to answer that brief or make an improvement.
If we have more than one concept or lots of different ideas, sometimes we might want to choose between them or we might be able to pick the best bits of each and put them all together.
When we combine ideas, it is helpful to think of the components of those ideas and the success criteria that each of those components helps to fulfil.
If we get it right when we combine ideas, we can end up with the best of the both worlds. It can give us the chance to see different ideas for each of the components of the concept and then pick the best one for each of those.
It is always important to review whether the combination of components really is better, or whether some components can’t really be separated.

Optional Activity

Triple Equipment

In groups of three, learners each take a piece of sports equipment and must combine the three objects to create a new sport.

Offer success criteria/constraints on the rules of the game (e.g. the equipment must all be from different sports) or for the ‘something new’ element (e.g. it must be a team sport).

If there is time, two groups can join to take turns playing their sports.

2- mins

Group activity

Discussion

Reflection & Assessment

Embed these strategies across your teaching and coaching to help learners apply what they’ve learnt.

In group activities, ask learners to explicitly identify where different components of ideas have come from and encourage collaboration. “Can you tell me who contributed different parts to your idea”?

Use these ideas for ways of assessing this skill step to help you check learners’ understanding and confidence.

Use conversation with learners to ask questions such as “where did this idea come from?”, “How were you inspired?”, “How could you combine x with your idea?”
Ask learners these key reflection questions:
- What are concepts?
- How can we combine the components of ideas to create new ones?
- What are the advantages/risks of doing this?