METHOD

Brainstorming

Students come up with as many ideas as possible together.

The method is great for creating a creative space without judgment and for fostering a sense of community within the group, as everyone gets the chance to contribute.

1

Introduce the brainstorming method and its purpose: To generate as many ideas as possible without evaluating them. Go through the rules:

  1. All ideas are welcome – even those that seem silly or unrealistic
  2. No ideas may be criticized or judged during the brainstorming
  3. Feel free to build on others’ ideas to create more possibilities
2

Present or ask the students to choose the challenge or question they want to generate ideas for.

3

Set a time limit (e.g. 5–10 minutes) and/or tell the students that they must come up with a minimum number of ideas (e.g. 20 ideas). The short time frame and high idea count help keep the energy level high and allow ideas to flow more freely.

4

Hand out an A3 sheet or a flip chart page to each pair/group, along with post-its and writing tools. The students write the question or challenge on their paper/flip chart.

5

Students brainstorm together. Taking turns, they say an idea out loud and write it down on a post-it (one idea per post-it), placing it on the A3 sheet or flip chart.

6

Continue until the time is up or until the students have come up with a set number of ideas.

Didactic tips:

  • Students can stand around a table or a whiteboard to engage their bodies in the process.
  • Optionally, ask students to say “Good idea!” whenever a classmate shares an idea, and “Yes, and…” to help build on it.
  • If students struggle to make space for each other’s ideas, the method Round Robin can be used to give everyone a chance to speak one at a time.
  • Students can also write their ideas directly on A3 paper, a flip chart, or a whiteboard, but using post-its makes it easier to sort, categorize, and prioritize the ideas afterward.
  • After brainstorming, students can go through all their ideas and sort them using the Similarities and Differences method, and group them into categories using the Category Development method.
  • Optionally combine with variations such as Silent Brainstorming, Reverse Brainstorming, Role Brainstorming, and Visual Brainstorming.
Tags: Generating ideas, creating ideas
You must be logged in to use this feature.
Create

MODES OF ORGANISATION:

  • Pair
  • Group

TOOLS / MATERIALS:

  • Post-its
  • A3 paper or flip chart
  • Writing tools