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

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

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.

Foster an Reward Atmosphere Curiosity
Be Encourage of Play Persistent Mistakes Try on New Perspectives Urge Define the Non-conformity Problem for Yourself DIVERGENT THINKING Focus Attention CONVERGENT THINKING Ensure Adequate Education Set Clear Provide Objectives Building Blocks of Encourage Reasoning Skills Become Aware of Melding of Optimal Solutions Test, Your Internal Measure, and Reasoning Process 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 CREATIVITY MORE CRITICAL OR IN GREATER CRISIS THAN TODAY’S CLASSROOM.

Reward Curiosity Try on New
Perspectives Encourage Mistakes Foster an Atmosphere Define the of Play Problem for Yourself Be WE MUST RE-BALANCE THE EDUCATION SYSTEM. Persistent WE NEED CREATIVE IDEAS TO BRING DIVERGENT Urge Non-conformity THINKING BACK TO THE CLASSROOM.

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.

Try on New Perspectives Reward
Curiosity Define the Foster an Problem for Atmosphere HOW MANY IDEAS DO YOU HAVE SO FAR? Yourself of Play HERE’S A FINAL EXERCISE TO HELP YOU GET TO 20 UNIQUE IDEAS: Be Persistent MATCH THE REQUIREMENTS FOR DIVERGENT THINKING ON THE LEFT, WITH Encourage THE ENVIRONMENTS STUDENTS FIND Mistakes THEMSELVES IN, AND THE TECHNOLOGIES Urge THEY ARE LIKELY TO USE. FOR EXAMPLE, Non-conformity HOW CAN WE REWARD STUDENTS’ CURIOSITY, ON THE BUS, USING THEIR MOBILE PHONES?

ALL DONE? SUBMIT YOUR IDEAS
FOR A DAMN GOOD CAUSE. HTTP://BIT.LY/DROPINTHEBUCKET 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. CURIOUS ABOUT THE BUCKET BRIGADE? HTTP://BIT.LY/JOINTHEBUCKET 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.