Using Divergent Thinking to Generate Ideas for Instructional Design
One of my favourite things about being an Instructional Designer is that there are ample opportunities to problem-solve. Each project we work on has unique design opportunities and challenges that can be tackled in numerous ways that produce novel, innovative results! Each of us has the potential to be creative, and we can unleash our creativity by following the Creative Problem Solving process – a structured way to find innovative solutions to problems. Formalized by Alex Osborn and Sidney Parnes in the mid-twentieth century, Creative Problem Solving uses two forms of thinking: divergent thinking and convergent thinking.
To begin Creative Problem Solving, you start by thinking divergently. Divergent thinking involves coming up with various responses to an open-ended question, task, or problem. The goal of divergent thinking is to put aside self-doubt and develop as many unique, novel ideas as possible. The sky is the limit!
After you’ve used divergent thinking to generate a wealth of ideas, convergent thinking is used to find a single, correct answer to the question or task. When thinking convergently, you carefully assess your ideas, consider how some options can be strengthened, and decide on what idea or ideas to proceed with and how to do so.
There is a wealth of divergent thinking tools we can use generally but also in Instructional Design specifically. In the following section, I will share how a few of my favourite divergent thinking tools can be used to support Instructional Design.
Brainstorming
What is it?: Ah, brainstorming – a classic divergent thinking tool most should be familiar with! With brainstorming, you generate a list of as many ideas as possible in a set amount of time. You may find that, in the process, ideas may build upon each other. When the idea generating is finished, you determine which ideas have the most value and are most worthwhile to pursue.
Example of use in Instructional Design: Use brainstorming to generate ways to create formative and summative assessments to meet specific learning goals.
Mind Mapping
What is it?: Mind Mapping is a visual organization tool that shows the relationship between ideas. On the center of a piece of paper, write an idea you want to develop. Then, draw branches stemming from that idea that represent subtopics. For each of these subtopics, create lower-level subtopics. Images that represent different ideas can be used in place of words!
Example of use in Instructional Design: Use Mind Mapping to support the completion of a needs assessment (i.e., plotting the 5 W’s of a project, confirming that you have all the information you need before embarking on a project) and to course plan (i.e., plotting out course topics, the learning outcomes for these course topics, and assessments for these learning outcomes).
Excursions
What is it?: Sometimes, one of the best ways to get inspired is to visit a different space. The Excursion technique involves getting a new perspective on an issue by going on an imaginary excursion to a specific place. Typically, a facilitator will prompt participants to envision they’re in a place like a museum or a jungle. When the ‘excursion’ is finished, participants write down any ideas that came up and identify how they relate to the problem to be solved.
Example of use in Instructional Design: When we complete a needs assessment for clients, we get to the root of who their learners are and their specific needs. Once we know this information, to help us plan a course, we can go on an ‘excursion’ to imagine what the learner’s ideal learning experience would be like. For instance, if we are developing a Yoga Teacher Training Course, we may put ourselves in the shoes of a learner who may take that course. What sort of learning would best fit their needs? What sorts of formative and summative assessments would be useful for them? If they were to utilize online learning, what could that look like for them? After the excursion, you could record your responses and use that to inform your planning.
Conclusion
In this post, I've discussed a few ways in which divergent thinking can support Instructional Design. In two weeks, I will share a follow-up post discussing how convergent thinking can assist in Instructional Design.
How do you come up with creative ideas? Have you used divergent thinking tools in your Instructional Design before? I’d love to know what strategies you have used to think divergently!
Sources:
· The Basics of Creative Problem Solving – CPS
· Divergent Tools Quick Reference
· What Is Divergent Thinking? Definition and Examples
· Mind Mapping for Better Instructional Design
Image Credit:
design course mindmap by Graham Burnett is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.
Photo by Pixabay from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/clear-light-bulb-355948/