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Opening Minds:
Creativity, Problem Solving, Inquiry, and Teamwork
by
Franny McAleer
Education and Corporate Consultant
Instructor, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
www.learnerslink.com, franny@learnerslink.com, 724-413-6001
Do you encourage creativity in your classrooms and schools? Do you believe that imagination is
critical in our lives? In this workshop we will learn creative thinking strategies. All students
have the ability to be creative and produce creative ideas and products, but without use, student’s
creative abilities diminish and disappear. We will practice three (3) creative problem-solving
strategies to develop creativity, innovative ideas and original products. All are needed by
students as they learn, live and work in the 21st century. These strategies are essential to
effective teaching and crucial to students who participate in the International Odyssey of the
Mind program (www.odysseyofthemind.com).
After this workshop, your classroom will ignite with creative ideas; you might consider starting
an Odyssey of the Mind program in your school as an elective course or activity.
1. Creative Thinking; we can’t live without it!
2. The Brain!
3. Creative Problem Solving – Spontaneous Strategies to engage students in the lesson
o Strategy 1: Verbal Brainstorming
o Strategy 2: Verbal Hands On Brainstorming – SCAMPER - PLATE
o Strategy 3. Mechanical Hands On Brainstorming – TIED IN KNOTS
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Strategy 1. Verbal Brainstorming- Select an essential vocabulary
word or concept related to the lesson or curriculum and ask students to
brainstorm possible ideas related to it.
For example: Brainstorm things that are blue!
Brainstorm things that slither!
More ideas at
www.learnerslink.com
www.odysseyofthemind.com
Strategy 2: Hands On Brainstorming – Select an object related to
your lesson or curriculum and have students brainstorm possibilities!
Example: How many things can you do with a plate?
More ideas at
www.learnerslink.com
www.odysseyofthemind.com
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Strategy 3. Hands On, Collaborative Problems to Solve
(Teamwork)
*Fortune 500 Companies agree that the number one skill they want their workers
to have is TEAMWORK!
1. Tied In Knots
2. Two Horses, How Many Ways?
3. A Project of Monumental Proportion
4. River Rescue
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Odyssey of the Mind
Curriculum Activities
http://www.odysseyofthemind.com/curriculum.php
Digging for Clues
Extend-sive Thinking
Playing the Float
Shape Shifter
Understanding Misunderstandings
Balance the Books
From a Distance
Healthy Humor
Making of a Monster
My robot and me
Second Time Around
Story Structure
Fantastic Fairy Tale
Great to Communicate
Made up Math
Mathematicus Dramaticus
Performing Arts
Sentence Structure
Up to Speed
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Creativity: The Skills, An Essential Process
FFOE: Fluency, Flexibility, Originality, and Elaboration
Fluent Thinking
Quantity, Large number of relevant
responses
Flexible Thinking
Variety of kinds of ideas, Ability to
shift categories
Original Thinking
Unusual responses, Clever, Novel ideas
Zany
Elaborative Thinking
Embellish an idea or expand it, add details
***********************************
Risk Taking
Willingness to expose oneself to
failure or criticism
Complexity
Seek many alternatives. See gaps
Be inquisitive and wonder
Curiosity
Be open to puzzling situations.
Ponder the mystery of things. Follow
a hunch just to see what will happen
Imagination
Visualize and build mental images.
Dream about things that never
happened
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SCAMPERing … The Keys to Creativity
 Substitute –
Who else instead? What else instead? Other ingredients? Other materials?
Other power? Other place?
 Combine –
How about a blend, an alloy, an ensemble? Combine purposes? Combine
appeals?
 Adapt –
What else is like this? What other idea does this suggest? Does the past offer
parallels? What could I borrow from someplace else?
 Modify –
Minify, Magnify, Maxify? Order, form, shape? What to reduce? Greater
frequency? Higher? Larger? Thicker?
 Put to Other Uses –
New ways to use as it is? Other uses if modified? Other places to use? Other
people to reach? Other uses for those who are not human? Other uses for
animals?
 Eliminate –
What to subtract? Smaller? Condensed? Miniature? Lower? Shorter?
Lighter? Omit? Streamline? Understate?
 Reverse or Rearrange –
Interchange components? Other pattern? Other layout? Other sequence?
Transpose cause and effect? Change pace? Transpose positive and negative?
How about opposites? Turn it backward? Turn it upside down? Reverse
roles?