Some Easy Creative

Strategies

To use with your class, your company, your

family, or yourself

1. Use Humor--Cartooning

– Promote figural creativity;

– Express ideas in a different format;

– Explore humor;

– Increase interest

Cramond 2

Some Strategies: Complete a cartoon Add a caption Put panels in sequence Use to learn about criteria

Which cartoons are best? What makes them good?

Analyze symbols– Uncle Sam, dove, etc.

Compare messages Express ideas Demonstrate understanding Show humor Introduce a topic

Any gradeAny subjectNot necessary to drawDifferent levels of complexity

Cramond

You can have students complete them

4

Cramond

Write a caption

5

Represent Current or Historical Events

7

Create a Cartoon to Represent the Other Side

Participants could discuss the issues on both sides of a controversy, such as the Patriot Act, and draw an editorial cartoon in answer to this one.

And to Demonstrate Understanding of a Concept

9

Newton’s Laws of Motion

Inertia

What’s happening? Create What’s happening? Create your own cartoon by filling your own cartoon by filling in the form below and in the form below and clicking the CREATE clicking the CREATE button!button!

What is the wart-faced What is the wart-faced monster thinking?monster thinking?

What is Dracula thinking?What is Dracula thinking?

What is your first name?What is your first name?

Great Costume!

Great Neck!

Bonnie

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If you can’t draw…

Great costume!

Great costume! Great Neck!

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/Activities/Cartoons

Or, use collage or photo-editingOne way to create a cartoon…

1 Choose a current event or news item.

2 Try to find an absurd, funny, ironic, exaggerated, etc. side to it.

3 Decide how to depict it.a. drawb. collagec. photoediting

4 Add a title or caption.

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Some Good Sources of Cartoons for Educators

General Education

Higher Education by Gary Olsen– http://

www.dubuque.k12.ia.us/cartoons/

Daryl Cagle’s Pro Cartoonist Index Home Page with lesson plans http://www.cagle.com/teacher/

CSL Cartoonstock– http://www.cartoonstock.com/

directory/F/Free.asp National Geographic for Kids

Cartoon Factory– http://cartoonfactory.net/

Class Brain:http://www.classbrain.com/artteensb/publish/cat_index_19.shtml

– Andertoons //www.andertoons.com/cartoons/education_and_teacher

Math

www.trottermath.net/humor/cartoons.html

http://www.simonsingh.net/Mathematics_Cartoons.html

http://www.sciencecartoonsplus.com/gallery/math/index.php

http://www.charlottemathtutor.com/htmlfile/cartoons.html

http://www.mathcartoons.com/

2. Use an encounter experience

Question of…

1. Identity

2. Awareness

3. Isolation

4. Risk or danger

5. Wisdom

EXAMPLE: Introducing a Lesson on Native Americans

1. What kind of Native American are you?

2. What do you see? Hear? Smell? Taste? Feel?

3. You are away from the rest of your people. Why?

4. You hear voices of the enemy near. Who are they? What are they doing?

5. What have you learned about? What would you like to know?

3. Inkblot Groups of 4 with inkblot or paint blot on paper

1. Fold the paper in half horizontally and vertically.

2. Then put a few drops of paint, refold paper and press to smear.

3. Number the 4 sides and brainstorm for 2-3 minutes on each side what the blob could be.

1

3

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Inkblot

Turn the page so that the 1 faces you.

When I say begin, jot as many things that you can think of that the shape looks like on one or both sides of the number.

When I say STOP—stop. Pass the paper to the person on the left.

Turn the paper so that the 2 faces you.

Repeat.4

4

1

2

3

Skd;fjff’asdfjSdfkljfas;fjkasdfl;dsfjsf;jsfdSdfkjsf;ksdf’;Sd;fjsdfl;sdfSd;fsdfkldfldfl

A Variation on the Inkblot Activity Using Smells or Textures Put glue on the paper and use aromatic

spices or different flavors of jello as you would glitter.Have students brainstorm all of the things that

would smell like each smell on the paper:e.g. Cinnamon: pumpkin pie, cinnamon toast,

baked apples, cider, Christmas caroling, Grandma’s house, warmth, etc.

Have different textures for students to pass around and let them brainstorm things that feel like:Sandpaper—snake’s skin, tree bark, camp sheetsSilk—baby’s skin, soy milk, tassels, Mama’s hairWet soap—fish, inside of mouth, pasteRabbit fur—puppy, coat, short grass, carpet

Inkblot: Applications Creativity--discuss who had the most

– Responses (fluency),

– Unusual response (originality),

– Detailed response (elaboration),

– Categories of responses (flexibility)

– Recognize other attributes of creativity such as humor, emotion, fantasy, etc.

Geometry--Use graph paper; make a polygon out of the figure; figure (or estimate) the area

Art--Have students choose to draw or paint details to complete the picture

Language Arts/English/Foreign Language--Have students write stories about the picture

4. Movement

Familiarize students with Rube Goldberg machines like the one below.

Machine

•A volunteer makes a repeated machine-like movement. •one by one others add a motion to the machine. •remaining students are asked to brainstorm what the machine is and how the various movements work together.

*Gives students an opportunity to express creativity through movement.

5.Brainstorming and Just Suppose: Principles:

– 1. Deferment of judgment.

– 2. Quantity breeds quality.

Rules:– 1. Criticism is ruled out.

– 2. Free wheeling is welcomed.

– 3. Quantity is wanted.

– 4. Combination and improvement are sought--hitchhiking.

Some Applications of Just Suppose

Economics Example: Just suppose you won the

lottery, what would you do with the money? What

might some effects be?

Science/Social Studies: Just suppose we could

cure all diseases. What would be the effect?

Mathematics: Just suppose you could invent

your own symbol system for mathematics. What

might be some symbols you would create, and

what would they mean?

6. Scamper (Eberle, 1971) Substitute Combine Adapt Magnify or minify Put to other uses Eliminate Reverse or rearrange

“What are some ways that we could make zoos better for animals?”

Substitute—– group animals and vegetation together as in the wild and

let them hunt or forage for their own food Combine-

-have the birds from the aviary in the same place with the monkeys

Adapt—– use climate control domes and vegetation to simulate

their natural environment Magnify or minify—

– make zoos larger with more space; breed smaller versions of animals so that the space seems larger

“What are some ways that we could make zoos better for animals?”

Put to other uses—– give the animals activities to occupy them

Eliminate—– remove as many unnatural sensations as

possible--sights, sounds, smells, foods, textures, etc.

Reverse or rearrange– – put the people in enclosures and let the animals run

free

SCAMPER--ActivityIn groups, try to think of at least one idea to improve education using each of the SCAMPER prompts. Consider: cafeteria, discipline, schedule, grading, homework, administration, grade levels, etc.

1.Substitute2.Combine3.Adapt4.Magnify or minify5.Put to other uses6.Eliminate7.Reverse or rearrange

Scamper--Application

Language Arts: How might you use the SCAMPER techniques to change a familiar story?

Social Studies: How might you apply the ideas of SCAMPER to create a new society?

Mathematics: Can you write word problems using the ideas of SCAMPER?

Science: How can you design a new experiment using the principles of SCAMPER.

7. Metaphorical Thinking

Life is like...______________ because_________.

“...a jigsaw puzzle but you don't have the picture on

the front of the box to know what it's supposed to

look like. Sometimes you're not even sure you have

all the pieces.”

“...riding an elevator. It has a lot of ups and downs

and someone is always pushing your buttons.

Sometimes you get the shaft, but what really bothers

you are the jerks."

What do you think life is like?

8. Using Analogy or Metaphor to Solve a Problem

How does nature solve this problem?

Forced Fit If you can’t think of a comparison, try choosing

anything and figuring out how they are alike.– Life is like a book. How?

– What is a garden like? How?

– How are schools like businesses? prisons? gardens? Zoos?

Play a game with two teams; each must think of a problem and an unlikely object with which to solve it. If the solvers can think of a reasonable solution using the object, they get a point. Otherwise those presenting the problem get the point. Take turns.– Example: How could you use a spoon to get children to

clean their rooms?

(If anyone can help solve this problem, with or without a spoon, all of us travelers will be eternally grateful!

9. Synectics-this is not easy to do completely, but you can try one or two steps …

Solve problems using analogies and opposites

Force fit generated responses into a realistic solution for the problem. – direct, actual comparisons with similar

situations – personal, identify with some aspect of the

problem– symbolic, putting two conflicting aspects of the

problem together, or some other way of objectifying the problem

– fantasy, uses imaginary ideas to find ideal solutions

Synectics ApplicationHow can we improve the efficiency and efficacy of security lines at airports?

Direct: Move people through like products move through a factory line--> sit on a people mover like Disney has to ride through security

Personal: How would I want people to go through security if I were a security worker?-->people go through security without any belongings wearing paper pajamas.

Symbolic: Is there a way to have low intrusion security?--> scan people without stopping them and making them take off their shoes, jackets, jewelry, phones, take out laptops, put liquids in 3 ounce containers in bags.

Fantasy: How might we go through the airport like we did before there was so much security?--> stop the threat of terrorism so that the world is like it was before.

10. Looking at Attributes

Attribute Listing & Analysis

• Example: "How to improve the playground"• _______________________________________________________________• ELEMENT ATTRIBUTE IDEAS FOR POSIT/NEGAT

IMPROVEMENT FEATURES• _______________________________________________________________• Swings too high lower small kids can

swing/• can be

dangerous

• Ground hard blacktop soften with mats safety; more games/

• artificial turf cost/weathering

• _______________________________________________________________

• This activity can be cyclical as each positive and negative feature is translated into a new element of the problem to be run through the entire process again.

Attribute Listing, 2nd Chart

___________________________________________________ELEMENT ATTRIBUTE IDEAS FOR POSIT/NEGAT

IMPROVEMt FEATURES___________________________________________________Children

different ages separate safe/less interaction

Cost high fund-raiser/ effective/donation work to get

_______________________________________________________________

Attribute Analogy Chain

If we wanted to improve the design of a television set…list attributes

NAME: televisionFORM: geometric, angular, cubeFUNCTION: entertain, educate, accompany

To each of these attributes we might tag the following analogy ideas:

NAME: videotube, idiot box, entertainment cube, etc.

FORM: prism, sphere, semicircleFUNCTION: live theater, school, conversation

Attribute Analogy Chain

From these, we might produce the following alternative views:Change name to Entertainment Prism (EP).Try prism forms which allow for different screens at different angles--with ear phones families can view different shows in the same room.

Morphological Analysis• Put one attribute across the top and one

along the left

• Example: Invent a new kind of math story problem

Morphological Synthesis

Main

Character

Supporting

Characters

Conflict Setting

dog farm hands property mountain town

detective circus acts jealousy old west

murderer talking animals

theft New York

beauty queen

school children

international plot

ancient Egypt

super hero a family war farm

11. DeBono’s Lateral ThinkingGet information on a contentious issue, then try to analyze the issue:

EBS--Examine Both Sides Argue one, then the other side of the Patriot Act.

ADI--Agreement, Disagreement, Irrelevance (to look at sides in argument--should come after EBS)

Read an article, choose key statements, then labelOPV--Other People's Views: Two parts:

Identifying the other people who are really part of the situation: What people and groups have an interest in the censorship of lyrics to popular songs?

Getting into the shoes of all of these others: How would you feel if you were a parent of a child who listened to them? A record producer? A recording artist? A disk jockey?

PMI--Plus, Minus, Interesting Listen to a political debate and try to label each point made by

the debators as a plus, minus, or interesting point

11. DeBono’s 6 Thinking Hats

Neutral

Emotional

Negative

Positive

Creative

Organized

Example of Discussion with DeBono’s 6 Thinking Hats

NeutralEmotional

Negative

Positive

Creative

Organized

I think we should continue the research

But that is killing babies!!

Let’s list the pros and cons

There are scientific benefits and moral concerns

We shouldn’t fool with nature.

We can create the same effects by

using placental rather thanfetal cells