101 Activities For Teaching Creativity And Problem Solving

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152 101 Activities for Teaching Creativity and Problem Solving


101 Activities for Teaching Creativity and Problem Solving.Copyright © 2005 by John Wiley &
Sons, Inc. Reproduced by permission of Pfeiffer, an Imprint of Wiley. http://www.pfeiffer.com

Parts Purge Handout


Suppose you want to improve a table lamp. First, list major attributes and subattributes:


  • Name: table lamp

  • Parts: base, bulb, cord, shade, switch

  • Shapes: round, cylindrical, pleated

  • Functions: illuminates, heats, collects dust

  • Material: cloth, metal, rubber


Next, free-associate using one or more of the attributes. For example:


  • Table lamp: lantern, cow, tipsy, shed, fire, Chicago

  • Base: acid, soda, water, bottle, drink

  • Switch: spank, paddle, ping pong, table, games

  • Illuminates: lights, sky, stars, rockets, gravity

  • Metal: heavy, light, air, breath, oxygen


Finally, use these free associations to generate ideas to improve a table lamp:


  • A lampshade with shutters to create different lighting effects (from “lantern”)

  • A lamp with a swivel base to allow reading light adjustments (from “tipsy”)

  • Lampshades with panoramic pictures of major cities (from “Chicago”)

  • A lamp with video games built in (from “games”)

  • A magnetically levitated lamp (from “gravity”)

  • A hovercraft lamp that can be moved easily around a large table (from “air”)


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