The number 1 technique - the main thing that Mr. Stalzman says you should do before anything else - is "Question your assumptions." Many times the "things we know" block truly creative and innovative ideas. So often I already have a group of parameters that any solution must fit; and those assumptions block innovative ideas. As a early childhood teacher, I plan activities but with some assumptions: it must be done on a table or it has to be a certain size or it cannot be messy or it must fit in a certain timeframe or.... (Now, I know, sometimes those are true restraints. Dismiss them first and generate great ideas; then put your parameters in place. Don't limit the thinking!)
This has helped me with my thinking in the classroom and in the office. But I began to ponder this further. (You know, I can't help myself.) And I began thinking about the kids I teach. They usually have no assumptions, so their ideas are truly innovative and creative. They have few or no "You must do this" to limit them. Here are some that I've seen in my classroom:
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| Cardboard and blocks can both be walls of a building. |
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| Tape does not need to stay on the carpet. |
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| You can weigh both fruit and basket in different ways. |
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| The stickers do not need to go around the words. |
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| You can build flat instead of up. |
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| Place mats can be tacos. |
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| You can use the counters to build. |
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| Straws can be used to paint with. |
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| The tape can sit on your head instead of the table. |
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| We can get sticks from another activity to use with play dough. |
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| You can put more than one chip in each square. |
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| You can use different counters on the same card. |
Book cover image from Amazon.com
