Creativity

Asking students to “think creatively” won’t get you far. They won’t know how to start, they’ll get stuck with simple ideas, or they’ll just go completely wild. SCAMPER is a tool for scaffolding the process of creativity.

Everyone starts with the same squiggle. No two drawings end up the same. What do you see?

So, what can a chair be used for other than, you know, sitting in?

Everyone starts with the same squiggle. No two drawings end up the same. What do you see?

So what are some new ways to use a paperclip?

So, what can a pencil be used for other than writing and drawing?

Can your students come up with a one-syllable word to sum up their time away from school? And then rewrite The Beatles’ song Help!?

What would the consequences be if all people lived much, much longer?

A favorite of mine! This task is delightfully complex and ambiguous, forcing students to make choices without enough information and with no right answer. How will they survive on the moon for three days?

We’ll take two seemingly unrelated pieces of content (say volcanoes and the human body) and then build analogies to connect the two ideas. In the end, students can create a skit, comic, or story relating the two concepts.

What would the consequences be if no one had to sleep anymore?

What would the consequences be if a town’s tap water became… unreliable?

What do you see in this squiggle?

So, what CAN a CAN be used for other than storing liquids?

So, what can a cardboard tube be used for other than holding wrapping paper?

Let’s make valentines with an educational twist!

Everyone starts with the same squiggle. No two drawings end up the same. What do you see?