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Brainstorming
Directing the creative energy in your classroom
The best way to have a good idea
is to have lots of ideas.
Linus PAULING, American scientist
Many teachers avoid brainstorming, as they
associate it with noise or discipline problems.
This may be true at the outset, but once you see
how it works and how much fun it can be,
brainstorming will become a firm classroom
favourite. Here are a few basic tips to help you
make your learners fall in love with brainstorming.
Start incorporating it into your classes and you
can bet that sooner or later you will hear your
students say: Teacher, can we brainstorm this?
What is brainstorming
and what is it not?
Your students are full of creative energy. The
challenge is to help them channel this energy and
use it in an organised way. Brainstorming should
never turn into criticism. Perhaps the most precise
definition of brainstorming is: All ideas that come
up before any discussion or judgment takes place.
What are the benefits?
The average learner finds it difficult to come up
with a variety of ideas in response to a problem.
Imagine a solitary child staring at a blank sheet
of paper. A lonely place, indeed! However, that
same child feels less pressured and less alone
when working in a group and is much more likely
to come up with different ideas, solutions
and connections.
Great! Can you count
the oceans and the
continents?
Yes, 70
percent
are oceans!
Seas cover a
really big
surface.
The continents are
coloured. We are
yellow.
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What will brainstorming bring
to my CLIL classes?
The advantages of brainstorming in CLIL are
twofold. With respect to language and content
it will provide:
a natural situation for communicating in English.
an opportunity to actively use and revise
content vocabulary.
a chance to learn new concepts or vocabulary
from other students.
Yet, brainstorming goes beyond language and
content teaching. Your students also learn how to:
really listen to others.
negotiate and be tolerant towards different
opinions.
develop critical thinking skills.
All these are real-life skills. Your learners future
managers, scientists, salespeople, artists,
journalists will remember with gratitude the
teacher who taught them how to use and develop
these vital interpersonal communication skills.
Create a relaxed atmosphere
Make sure that everybody understands that it is
not a competition. Give each group a huge sheet
of blank paper and different colours to note down
their ideas.
Encourage learners to volunteer for the role
of moderator and secretary. If there are no
volunteers, consider choosing a shy learner as
secretary and an extrovert learner as a moderator.
Classroom management tips
Having a visual focus can really help younger
learners. Give each group a photo, an image
or any kind of realia connected with the
brainstorming topic.
Try putting on music in the background.
The best option is some fun, upbeat,
instrumental music. Music without words
can help to create a sense of play without
the distraction of lyrics.
Define the problem and remind
them of the objective
The rules of the game
You can introduce a brainstorming session when
your objectives are:
generating ideas on a given topic.
tapping into and diagnosing prior knowledge.
Make sure that the subject of brainstorming is
clearly defined and that everybody understands it
(e.g. How many things can you think of that are (...)?,
What if there was no ?) Whatever the topic of the
brainstorming session is, the objective will always
be the same: to generate as many ideas as possible.
introducing a new topic.
Brainstorming turns into an enjoyable and efficient
learning experience if you follow this basic 3-step
model.
Tell your learners that brainstorming is a game
and as such has rules.
Step 1: Before
Work in small groups and choose
a group coordinator
Brainstorming with the entire class is not a good
option. The ideal group size is 4-5 learners. Choose
a moderator who moderates the session and
makes sure the rules are followed, and a secretary
to write down the ideas.
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Step 2: During
All ideas are accepted
Even if one or more learners think that an idea
wont work, they shouldnt criticise it. That idea
may be a stepping-stone to another, more useful
answer and they need to hear it out.
Write down all ideas
A secretary writes down the ideas clearly so that
everybody can see them. This will give the learner
who proposed an idea the confirmation that the
idea has been accepted, or, at least, listened to.
Everybody needs to have equal opportunity
to contribute.
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Brainstorming
Step 3: After
Conclude the session
Remember!
The worst and the most frequently made mistake
during a brainstorming session is to end it without
any kind of conclusion. In this final phase the
teacher should intervene and help learners to be
more critical towards their ideas and to agree
on a summary.
Non verbal communication plays an important
role in group work. You can increase their
sensitivity to gestures and facial expressions
by bringing into the classroom photographs
representing different emotions and discussing
these with them. Ask them questions such as:
Review, summarise and select
Tell your students that summarising involves
three steps:
eliminating duplications.
summarising two or more very similar ideas
into one.
removing all ideas the group feels are no
longer appropriate.
The teachers role
in brainstorming
As teachers, we take the lead: ask questions,
monitor, field questions and keep the what if
spirit thriving. Give a gentle, encouraging push
whenever you see that your students are not
looking beyond the obvious answers. Show your
enthusiasm for their creative solutions even when
you know that these will not work.
The best way for your students to learn is to learn
from their own mistakes.
How does this person express himself?
Do you think this is correct?
Would you like to work with this person?
What would be a better reaction?
Do you think that this person is listening?
Can you mime active listening?
How do you show that you dont like the idea?
Suggested activity
If you have never used this technique before,
involve learners in the creation of the
brainstorming rules from the very beginning!
For example, the topic of the first session
could be Think of the rules which help us
brainstorm successfully!
You can use the photocopiable sheet on the
next page. First, tell your students to brainstorm
on the rules using the words above and then
to make up the sentences.
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This is how we come up with a lot of great ideas!
Listen
Creative
Together
Everybody
Write down
Accept
Ideas
Stronger
Different opinions
Tolerant
Competition
Talking
EDELVIVES Photocopiable sheet
Our brainstorming rules
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