📷 Malala Yousafzai speaks at World Bank headquarters on the International Day of the Girl - World Bank Flickr
Linda and I have been collaborating quite a bit lately. During our recent brainstorm, we kept getting pigeonholed into uninspiring project ideas. We were discussing a new research project on inspiring youths that the class was about to undertake. They would be responsible for finding and researching someone under the age of 21 that has done something remarkable or inspiring in their community. This was paired with the reading of Iqbal and a general class study on Anne Frank and Malala Yousafzai.
We’ve seen what her students are capable of and telling them to make something specific seemed to do them a disservice. So instead, I suggested that we ask the class what they wanted to create out of their research. Linda was in! And so at 11:00am I joined her class and facilitated a brainstorm.
An Awesome Storm ⛈️
Our first task as a class was to get all our ideas on the board… it started slow, but as more ideas were generated, the riffing started and the ideas just flowed onto our mind map! It can be hard to force a good idea, so we focused on bad ideas first. Everything that was said went up on the board, regardless of the feasibility or quality of the idea. I find this is important in gaining the confidence of the group.
Cutting Through the Noise 💥
Next, I gave everyone 30 seconds to write down the three ideas they were most interested in doing. Once settled, everyone took turns adding checkmarks next to their top three ideas on the board. (not pictured! 😖) Some people call this a dotmocracy.
Synthesizing Themes 💿
From there, I took the top ideas and synthesized them into three major themes. This helped the class solidify ideas of what they wanted to create. I continued the conversation and we agreed to remove ideas that didn't resonate with anyone in the class.
The three themes turned into:
- A Scrapbook Map 🗺️ - This idea was a collaboration of a few students who wanted to map out important events in the person’s life with artifacts and evidence of their bravery. I loved how this idea came up because there was no way Linda and I could’ve guessed this would resonate.
- TEDTalk or Newscast Style Presentation 🗣️ - This idea was backed by students who wanted to orally present their research. We narrowed it down to a TEDTalk (solo) or Newscast / Interview (group) to accommodate different styles of voice.
- Mock Instagram Account or Newspaper Spread 📰 - For those who wanted to produce something graphic or written, we narrowed it down to two styles. A mock Instagram account for the individual and story in first person or a newspaper spread documenting their achievements in third person.
Defining the Process 🪜
Finally, we outlined the process for researching, editing information, and creating their project. This was a brief outline that was later elaborated on in Google Classroom along with the screenshots of our brainstorm.
Going through the process of brainstorming, distilling, synthesizing and planning with the class gave the students a sense of ownership that wouldn’t have been there if we just described the plan to them. Although their products will all be different in the end, Linda now has the whole class excited and engaged with the research project.
Oh! One more thing, the last discussion we had before wrapping the class was deciding on a project name. They came up with Youth inspiring YOUth.
Love it. 🤩
How to Brainstorm 🧠
Session Labs has compiled a fantastic library of facilitation activities. Here’s a list of brainstorming methods you could use with your students… or if you’re brave, at your next staff meeting!
Header Photo: Malala Yousafzai speaks at World Bank headquarters on the International Day of the Girl - World Bank Flickr