Brainstorming Activity

1. BRAINSTORMING

2. The Brain Storming Zone
?????????????
Nandi Was confused. She heard her
teacher, Mr. Jones say that on Monday
the class would be doing an activity
called brainstorming.
She had never heard of such a term. Was
it that the brain could storm, like in an
actual storm or hurricane?
She thought of asking her friends, but she saw
the confused look on their faces and decided
that they could not help.
She couldn’t wait for Monday!!!!!! Mr. Jones explained all about
Brainstorming. It was not about the brain
having a storm or hurricane after all.
The class laughed at themselves after Mr.
Jones’ explaination. Tommy, the class clown,
said he came with his umbrella just in case his
brain started to rain. Indra said she wanted to
stay home just in case a storm came. And so
went the stories…………………….

3. The
End
Brainstorming is a process used for generating numerous ideas on any given topic. There is no stopping to evaluate ideas as they are
written down. It is an appropriate method to use within the classroom setting as a means of generating ideas without the pressure of
being wrong. There are many variations to this method to suit different situations (Pam P. 2009).

4. ADVANTAGES
- CREATIVE THINKING IS ENCOURAGED – Ideas are neither wrong or right, they are just ideas.
These ideas give birth to more ideas thus allowing students to be creative.
ALL IDEAS ARE ACCEPTED – Because all ideas are accepted. Students feel confident and
to share their thought on the matter at hand and many shy students who rarely engage in discussions
feel a sense of accomplishment.

5. EVERYONE IS PART OF A TEAM. No child is left out. This method allows for collaborative
sharing within the classroom. Therefore everyone feels a part of the success in the end.
IT’S EXCITING AND EASY. Students are excited about sharing and collaborating. It’s easy
as it is similar to having a conversation with frieds. There is no limit as to how far ideas can go.

6. DISADVANTAGES
IT TAKES TIME. In order to get the best results of this activity, it requires time for students to
express themselves in an effective way.
REQUIRES THAT LEARNERS DISCIPLINE. Students must have or be taught a level of
Discipline. They must understand the rules of engagement in order to facilitate a smooth
Flow.

7. WHEN IS THE METHOD BEST USED
This method is used for cooperative learning when everyone takes an active part in the lesson. It can also be used to encourage weak
or shy students to participate without the fear of failure as all ideas are accepted. It is also used when ideas are needed for a particular
task.
BRAINSTORMING IN ACTION: General Science Lesson on Food Chains for a Standard One Class
Ground Rules should be established to ensure smooth running of the process.
Discussing and not fighting: There is no winning or losing team while brainstorming. All the ideas and thoughts are
considered and given equal preference. The teacher should moderate the session so that the discussion is amiable and students
are learning. Also ensure that everyone contributes to the session.
Generate answers: Frame the question that needs to be brainstormed carefully so that maximum ideas may be generated.
Teacher would prepare a list of sub-questions that may help direct the thoughts of the students in the right direction in case the
discussion hangs or the students get side tracked. Instruct the students to record their ideas so that it won’t be missed and there
is no repetition.
Questions would include:
 What is a food chain?
 Is a food chain necessary?

8.  What animals are involved in a food chain?
 Why is it that some animals do not eat other animals or a certain type of animal?
Set a time limit: Set a time limit on the discussion. The time set would depend on the nature of the topic. At the end of the
session, a student can summarize all the ideas that were discussed.In this case a limit of 20-30 minutes would be set.
Teacher facilitates: The teacher would coordinate and manage the session without adding any evaluation or comments on the
ideas presented.
Tips on facilitating brainstorming
Here are some methods by which the teacher may smoothly facilitate brainstorming sessions in the classroom:
Simple brainstorming
Write down the discussion question on the blackboard or a flip chart and encourage students to add their inputs. After the time is over,
the students can voice the ideas written on the board or chart.
Brainstorming in groups
The class may be divided into groups. They may all be given the same topic, a paper to record their ideas and instructions on the time
limit. Once the time is over, each group will choose a student who may read out their ideas. The students may also be given a second
paper to note the ideas that they have missed out. In this way, students are able to generate and understand all the ideas presented in
the session (Zander. A. 1995)

9. Paired brainstorming
In this strategy, the students are divided into pairs and each pair discusses their ideas and notes them down.
Pie method
A circle is drawn and the topic written in the center. The teacher divides the circle into 4 or 6 parts, representing sub-topics. Students
are instructed to generate ideas for each sub-topic and these are written down. At the end of the session, the diagram represents all the
ideas that make up the total topic.
Card method
In this method, students are asked to list their ideas on a stacked card and pass it to their right. The student on the right reads the idea
that was written and adds to it. In this way, the card is passed around the class with each individual contributing to an idea. In case
someone has no contribution, they may write a question which could be discussed by the other students. Once all the cards have been
passed around, the teacher may collect them and read back the ideas to the class (Torrance. E.P 2002).

10. References
Pam. P (2009). Great Meetings. Great Results. N.Y Academy Press
Torrance.E.P (2002). Influence of dyadic interaction on creative functioning. Psychological Reports. 26. 391, 394.
Zander. A (1985). San Fraacesc. CA: Jossey Bass.