101 Activities For Teaching Creativity And Problem Solving

Modular Brainstorming Handout

To illustrate this activity, suppose you are a facilitator who agreed to help a company

improve a common door lock. You ask group members first to list components such as

knobs, latches, pins, tumblers, keys, bolts, springs, and a striking plate. Next, they list

subattributes of each component. For instance, springs have such characteristics as being

spiral in shape, under tension, capable of being stretched, and varied in size.

After group members draw pictures of the individual components, they arrange the

pictures together and examine the collage for stimulation. Thus, the doorknob might sug-

gest a new shape for a handle, and the bolt might be made larger and be designed to

interlock with a different mechanism in the doorjamb.

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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

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