Using Convergent Thinking to Assess and Refine Ideas for Instructional Design
This post is a follow-up to my previous one, Using Divergent Thinking to Generate Ideas for Instruction Design. In that post, I wrote about the wonders of Creative Problem Solving and how we can use it to flex our creativity and develop novel solutions to problems. As I discussed, Creative Problem Solving is made up of two forms of thinking: divergent and convergent thinking. When we use Creative Problem Solving, we begin by thinking divergently. I shared that Brainstorming, Mind Mapping, and Excursions are three divergent thinking tools that I use to get my creative juices flowing when designing learning material.
After you’ve used divergent thinking to generate ideas or solutions to a problem, you move on to convergent thinking. Convergent thinking is used to evaluate the ideas you’ve come up with during divergent thinking. With convergent thinking, the aim is to be affirmative and deliberate in your assessment, reflecting carefully on whether an idea can help you meet your overall objective. In the process, you also want to consider if it’s possible to strengthen an idea. When this is complete, you can choose the best idea and move to implement it.
There are various convergent thinking tools we can use generally but also in Instructional Design specifically. In the following section, I will share how three of my favourite convergent thinking tools can be used to support Instructional Design.
Hits
What is it?: Hits is about identifying the ideas that immediately strike you as innovative and compelling. Start by creating a list of all the ideas you’ve previously generated, whether on a physical piece of paper or a Word Document. Next, place a dot (i.e., a ‘hit’) next to the idea or ideas that strike you as the most novel. While you may have several ‘hits’, you can review and refine your list as need be.
Example of use in Instructional Design: Let’s say you’ve brainstormed a list of summative assessments to meet a specific learning goal. You can use Hits to review your list, identifying the novel ones to move forward with. In the process, you may take time to see how any of your ideas can be strengthened.
Clustering
What is it?: After completing Hits, you may find yourself with multiple items that have ‘Hits.’ With Clustering, you can group (or cluster) similar ideas, or ‘Hits,’ together to lessen redundancy. When items are sufficiently clustered, for each group, you can try to create a statement that encapsulates these ideas.
Example of use in Instructional Design: If Hits was used to brainstorm a list of summative assessments to meet a specific learning goal, Clustering could be used afterward to sort the ideas into groups. From there, it can be possible not only to remove duplication but to revise and refine your approach.
Card Sort
What is it?: You may have generated several ideas that have potential. How do you decide which one to go with? Card Sort is a way to rank the ideas and determine which ones should be prioritized. Let’s say you have five ideas. Begin by writing each idea or option on a card or piece of paper. Find your least favourite idea, mark it with a ‘5’, and move it to the side. Similarly, find your favourite idea, and mark it with a ‘1’. Rank the remaining ideas, with closer to 1 being more of a favourite, and closer to 5 being less desired. In the end, you should have a good idea of your priorities and can move forward from there.
Example of use in Instructional Design: Perhaps you and fellow Instructional Designers want to explore new ways to innovate current processes. You could generate a list of potential new directions and then use Card Sort to determine which one the team can pursue.
How do you determine which of your great ideas you’ll follow through with? Have you used convergent thinking tools in your Instructional Design before? I’d love to know what strategies you have used to think convergently!
Sources:
· The Basics of Creative Problem Solving – CPS
· Convergent Tools Quick Reference
· Convergent Thinking: 4 Key Principles and Examples of Use
Image Credit:
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