HOW DO YOU DESIGN FOR

CREATIVITY?BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE BUCKET BRIGADE

and a plea to help foster creativity in the classroom

CREATIVITY IS THE PROCESS OF HAVING ORIGINAL IDEAS THAT HAVE VALUE.”

– SIR KEN ROBINSON http://bit.ly/educationbrilliantlyput

“

CREATIVITY IS ALSOTHE PRODUCT OF A DYNAMIC SYSTEM.IF WE WANT TO FOSTER CREATIVITY, WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE ELEMENTS OF THAT SYSTEM INTERACT.

AT ITS CORE, CREATIVITY FLOWS FROM THE INTERACTION OF TWO FORCES.

DIVERGENT THINKING

CONVERGENT THINKING

DIVERGENT THINKING IS THE FREE FORM, OFTEN SPONTANEOUS, EXPLORATION OF MANY NOVEL IDEAS.

CONVERGENT THINKING IS THE SEARCH FOR THE MOST CORRECT ANSWER TO A CLEARLY DEFINED PROBLEM.

DIVERGENT THINKING IS IMAGINING 100 UNIQUE USES FOR A PAPERCLIP.

CONVERGENT THINKING IS YOUR TYPICAL STANDARDIZED TEST.

DIVERGENT THINKING IS IMAGINATION.CONVERGENT THINKING IS REASON.

DIVERGENT THINKING CAN OFTEN LEAD THE PROCESS OF PROBLEM SOLVING, CREATING MANY POSSIBILITIES TO BE WINNOWED DOWN BY CONVERGENT THINKING.BUT TRULY CREATIVE IDEAS ARE OFTEN BIRTHED FROM MANY ROUNDS OF GOING BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THE TWO.

DIVERGENT THINKING REQUIRES THE COURAGE TO MAKE MISTAKES, THE FREEDOM TO PLAY, AND A PUSH TO EXPLORE NEW PERSPECTIVES.

CONVERGENT THINKING REQUIRES NECESSITY, WELL DEFINED OBJECTIVES, KNOWLEDGE, AND REASONING SKILLS.

THE DESIGN OF SYSTEMS AND ENVIRONMENTS THAT FOSTER CREATIVITY IS A PROCESS OF BALANCING EQUAL OPPORTUNITY FOR, AND ENSURING INTERACTION BETWEEN, DIVERGENT AND CONVERGENT THOUGHT.

DIVERGENT THINKING

CONVERGENT THINKING

Encourage Mistakes

Foster an Atmosphere

of Play

Try on New Perspectives

Reward Curiosity Be

Persistent

UrgeNon-conformity

Set Clear Objectives

Provide Building Blocks of Reasoning Skills

FocusAttention

Encourage Melding of Optimal

Solutions

Define the Problem for

Yourself

Ensure Adequate Education

Become Aware of Your Internal

Reasoning ProcessTest,

Measure, and Refine

COLLABORATION IS CRITICAL – AS WE GROW OLDER, WE TEND TO BECOME SPECIALIST THINKERS, RELYING HEAVILY ON A SINGLE MODE OF THOUGHT.GROUPS THAT BALANCE CONVERGENT AND DIVERGENT THINKERS ARE ABLE TO SOLVE PROBLEMS MORE EFFECTIVELY.

SO WHY DOES CREATIVITY MATTER?

CREATIVITY IS THE MEASURE OF OUR RESILIENCE.

IN A WORLD WHERE THE FUTURE IS NOW MORE

UNPREDICTABLE THAN EVER BEFORE, CREATIVITY IS AT

THE CORE OF OUR ABILITY TO WEATHER UNFORESEEN AND

DISRUPTIVE EVENTS.

THE FUTURE DEPENDS ON OUR ABILITY TO DEVELOP A NEW CROP OF CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVERS.

NOWHERE IS CREATIVITYMORE CRITICAL OR INGREATER CRISIS THANTODAY’S CLASSROOM.

WE MUST RE-BALANCE THE EDUCATION SYSTEM.

WE NEED CREATIVE IDEAS TO BRING DIVERGENT THINKING BACK TO THE CLASSROOM.

Encourage Mistakes

Foster an Atmosphere

of Play

Try on New Perspectives

Reward Curiosity

Be Persistent

UrgeNon-conformity

Define the Problem for

Yourself

AND BECAUSE THE FUTURE IS A PLACE WE’D ALL LIKE TO VISIT SOMEDAY,

EACH OF US HAS A PART TO PLAY IN DESIGNING IT.PLUS, IT’S KINDA FUN.

HERE ARE SOME THOUGHTS TO GET YOU STARTED.

EXERCISE YOUR DIVERGENT THINKING, GRAB A PEN AND PAPER AND PUSH YOURSELF TO COME UP WITH 10-20 UNIQUE IDEAS.

IF YOU WANT TO CHANGE A SYSTEM, THE MOST POWERFUL WAY TO START IS BY QUESTIONING THE PARADIGMS BEHIND IT.

WHAT IF CREATIVITY WAS CONSIDERED JUST AS IMPORTANT AS LITERACY?

EXERCISE: WHAT WOULD AN EDUCATION SYSTEM BE LIKE IF IT PUT CREATIVITY AT THE CORE OF ITS VALUES? WOULD IT SPLINTER SUBJECTS INTO DIFFERENT CLASSES? WOULD IT GROUP CHILDREN SOLELY BY THEIR AGE? WOULD STUDENTS SIT IN DESKS? WOULD TEACHERS NEED CLASSROOMS? QUESTION THE MOST BASIC ASSUMPTIONS OF HOW SCHOOL SHOULD BE RUN AND HOW STUDENTS SHOULD BEHAVE.

A SYSTEM IS ONLY AS EFFECTIVE AS THE GOALS IT SETS FOR ITSELF. TODAY’S EDUCATION SYSTEM HAS ONE MYOPIC FOCUS: MATRICULATION.

EXERCISE: SET NEW GOALS FOR EDUCATION AND EXPLORE HOW TO ACHIEVE THOSE GOALS. FOR EXAMPLE, WHAT IF WE EXPECTED SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS TO HELP SOLVE REAL PROBLEMS IN THEIR LOCAL COMMUNITIES? HOW WOULD YOU SET THAT GOAL, HOW WOULD YOU DESIGN INTERACTIONS (GAMES, SCIENCE FAIRS, TRIPS) AROUND ACCOMPLISHING THAT TASK?

IF EDUCATION IS THE ANSWER TO CONFRONTING TOMORROW’S CHALLENGES, THE SCHOOL SYSTEM MUST HAVE THE ABILITY TO ADAPT TO THOSE CHALLENGES.

HOW DO WE EMPOWER STUDENTS AND SCHOOLS TO SELF-ORGANIZE AND EVOLVE?

EXERCISE: THINK ABOUT TECHNOLOGIES THAT WOULD HELP STUDENTS AND SCHOOLS MAKE PREDICTIONS ABOUT THE FUTURE – AND THEN CONFRONT THOSE PREDICTIONS. HOW DO WE EMPOWER STUDENTS TO SELF-ORGANIZE AROUND THEIR PASSIONS AND TALENTS?

IF SCHOOLS SEEM TO BE RUN BY MIDDLE MANAGERS, IT’S BECAUSE THEY ARE. IN ANY SYSTEM, THE PEOPLE THAT MAKE THE RULES DEFINE BEHAVIOR THROUGH THEIR OWN CONTEXT.

EXERCISE: WHAT WOULD SCHOOL BE LIKE IF SOMEONE ELSE CREATED THE RULES, PUNISHMENTS, AND INCENTIVES? HOW WOULD TED DESIGN LECTURES TO INSPIRE CREATIVITY? HOW WOULD A JAZZ MUSICIAN GIVE HOMEWORK? HOW WOULD A GAME DESIGNER UNLOCK ACHIEVEMENTS FOR CREATIVE IDEAS?

THE TRIED AND TRUE INCENTIVE FOR EDUCATION, THAT A DEGREE ASSURES A GOOD JOB, IS NO LONGER AS TRUE AS IT ONCE WAS.

EXERCISE: HOW DO WE REWARD CREATIVE BEHAVIOR? OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL, THE MOST COMMON SYSTEM FOR REWARDING CREATIVITY IS CALLED CAPITALISM. WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THAT SYSTEM? CAN WE APPLY IT INSIDE SCHOOL?

INNOVATION IS THE PROCESS OF REMIXING NEW TECHNOLOGIES INTO EXISTING SYSTEMS. TODAY, INNOVATION PLAYS A BIGGER PART IN MARKETING PRODUCTS TO KIDS THAN FOSTERING CREATIVITY IN THEIR CLASSROOM.

EXERCISE: WHAT TECHNOLOGIES BELONG IN A MODERN CLASSROOM? HOW SHOULD THEY BE USED TO FOSTER COLLABORATIVE CREATIVITY? HOW DO YOU ENCOURAGE CONTINUAL INNOVATION IN THE EDUCATION SYSTEM?

A GENERATIVE RELATIONSHIP IS ONE THAT PRODUCES NEW SOURCES OF VALUE THAT CANNOT BE FORESEEN IN ADVANCE. IN TIMES OF DYNAMIC CHANGE, ORGANIZATIONS NEED TO CULTIVATE AS MANY GENERATIVE RELATIONSHIPS AS THEY CAN.

EXERCISE: WHAT BRANDS AND ORGANIZATIONS STAND FOR CREATIVITY AND/OR HAVE AN INTEREST IN A MORE CREATIVE WORKFORCE? THINK ABOUT WHAT VALUE THEY CAN BRING TO THE TABLE TO CREATE NEW CREATIVE OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS.

Encourage Mistakes

Foster an Atmosphere

of Play

Try on New Perspectives

Reward Curiosity

Be Persistent

UrgeNon-conformity

Define the Problem for

YourselfHOW MANY IDEAS DO YOU HAVE SO FAR?

HERE’S A FINAL EXERCISE TO HELP YOU GET TO 20 UNIQUE IDEAS:

MATCH THE REQUIREMENTS FOR DIVERGENT THINKING ON THE LEFT, WITH THE ENVIRONMENTS STUDENTS FIND THEMSELVES IN, AND THE TECHNOLOGIES THEY ARE LIKELY TO USE. FOR EXAMPLE, HOW CAN WE REWARD STUDENTS’ CURIOSITY, ON THE BUS, USING THEIR MOBILE PHONES?

ALL DONE? SUBMIT YOUR IDEAS FOR A DAMN GOOD CAUSE.During the week of February 7th, 2011, The Bucket Brigade will be competing to generate breakthrough ideas that will help children entering the education system become creative thinkers. The best ideas may even be put into practice. Click on the link to the right to submit your ideas for the program.

HTTP://BIT.LY/DROPINTHEBUCKET

CURIOUS ABOUT THE BUCKET BRIGADE?We want to re-define strategy for a more complex, connected, and unpredictable century. We’re also working to assemble a network of creative professionals with the mission to confront the most complex problems.If you like ambitious goals and daring thinkers, please consider signing up for more information.

HTTP://BIT.LY/JOINTHEBUCKET