Brainstorming

Instructions:

1. Introduce the problem and explain it to the students.
2. Students think about the problem individually and write down their thoughts. Time: 1-3 minutes.
3. Students form pairs and share their thoughts. Time: 5-10 minutes.
4. Each pair joins another pair to form a group of four. They discuss the similarities and differences in their ideas. Time: 5-10 minutes.
5. Ask some groups to share their results and hold a brief discussion.

Instructions:

1. Introduce the theme of the class.
2. Create the agenda. Invite students to come forward, take a sticky note, and write down a problem, topic or question they would like to discuss within the group. Students place the sticky notes on a flipchart. The student who suggests a topic becomes the host for that discussion and ensures key points are documented.
3. Once the agenda is full, the group breaks up into smaller group sessions. Students can join the discussion groups for topics they find most interesting. Groups work together to generate ideas, solutions and discussion points. If a group has a good flow, they may continue beyond the suggested time. Time: 10 minutes per session.
4. After each session, students record their findings on the main flipchart. After this, a new session begins. There can be multiple sessions.
5. Encourage students to move freely between discussions. If they are neither learning nor contributing, they should join a different group. This gives students the freedom to talk about topics that they find interesting.
6. After the sessions, summarise the key findings and address any questions from students.

Instructions:

Option A:

1. Introduce the central theme of the session and provide explanations where needed.
2. Divide students into smaller groups of up to six students.
3. Ask students to draw a 3×3 grid in the centre of the flipchart, resulting in a square with 9 boxes. Ask students to write the central theme in the middle box.
4. Students brainstorm ideas related to the theme and write down 8 ideas or solutions in the boxes of the grid.
5. For each of these 8 ideas, students create a new 3×3 grid. The goal is to generate 8 new ideas for each of the 8 initial ideas.
6. Once complete, bring the groups together to discuss their findings.

Option B:

1. Introduce the central theme of the session and provide explanations where needed.
2. Create a 3×3 grid with the central theme in the middle.
3. Ask students to suggest concepts connected to the central theme. Write these in the boxes around the middle box.
4. Optional stage: Conduct voting. For example, give each student three votes to allocate to the concepts they wish to explore further in the next phase. Students may assign all votes to one concept or spread them across several.
5. Select the most popular concepts for further discussion. Divide students into groups, each focusing on one concept.
6. Reconvene and have each group present their outputs to the class. Discuss the findings.

Instructions:

1. Introduce the topic for brainstorming.
2. Ask students to draw a cube on their paper.
3. For each of the 6 sides of the cube, write down the following prompts:
   a. Describe the topic
   b. Compare the topic
   c. Connect the topic
   d. Classify the topic
   e. Argue for or against the topic
   f. Personalise the topic
4. Ask students to draw conclusions from their brainstorming and discuss them with the group.