Training

Guidelines

CREATIVE THINKING
IN LITERACY & LANGUAGE SKILLS

Agreement number:
2014-1-UK01-KA204-000081
Agreement number: 2014-1-UK01-KA204-000081
Contents
ntent
Preface 3

1. Introduction to creative thinking 4

& teaching creative thinking

2. Methods for developing creative thinking: 9

Internal influences

3. Methods for developing creative thinking: 25

External influences

4. Summary & resources 33

Resource 1: Circle drawing exercise template 34

Resource 2: Oblique thinking prompts 35

Resource 3: Creative thinking emergency toolkit 36

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2
Preface

This set of guidelines is designed to facilitate the

teaching of key creating thinking principles and
methods. It has been conceived as a tool aimed
at teachers and teacher trainers, with the intention
of ultimately supporting and enabling teachers that
are responsible for the creation of innovative and
engaging learning and teaching resources.

While the primary teaching audience identified

through the project is teachers and teacher trainers,
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small number of key building blocks that can be
assembled in a wide range of permutations. The
guide also seeks to demonstrate through the range
of activities offered, that these building blocks are
tangible and attainable, available to all that choose
to implement them within their creative strategies.

The Creative Thinking In Literacy & Language

Skills team hope that you find value in the resource
presented, and show a willingness to expand and
working within the subjects of literacy and foreign further develop the ideas presented to work within
languages, the guidelines are sufficiently flexible your own creative context.
to be adapted for use in a wide range of subjects.
Indeed the principles and methods can even (and
perhaps should) be taught to students of all ages,
as they will have tasks that are equal in their need
for creativity as any teaching and learning resource.

The fundamental premise of the guidelines is

that teachers that are confident in developing
original ideas and challenging current methods
and practices, as part of an evolutionary (or
revolutionary) process, will benefit from the structure
and guidance that this resource brings to the subject.
It seeks to demonstrate that far from being a form
of alchemy or other elusive art, creative thinking is
achieved through the understanding of a relatively

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 Introduction to creative thinking
& teaching creative thinking

When setting out to teach Creative Thinking you

should be prepared for a number of fairly common
responses, which may initially present some
problems to completing the task.

The first response is likely to be based on a disbelief

that creative thinking is something that can be
taught and indeed learnt. Many people believe that
creativity is an innate gift that some are blessed
with, while others are less fortunate. Some of the
1
The second typical response, which is that for those
that consider themselves to be creative already,
there is little to gain from attending a creative
thinking workshop themselves.

people you teach will consider themselves to be

part of this ‘blessed’ group.
In many cases these people will believe themselves
We can only deal with the first response (or doubt)
to be creative based on previous experiences.
relating to ‘learning to be creative’ by demonstrating
It is not for us to doubt them, as many people do
the concept in practice. This should be achieved
demonstrate creativity in many situations and with
early in a workshop by engaging learners in some
some regularity. However, many creative people have
simple and relatively quick exercises, that are likely
difficulty in defining or explaining their processes for
to lead to unconventional responses. As a facilitator
achieving creative outcomes. Often the method(s)
you will be responsible for leading your learners
of creative thinking is ill-defined or even illusive. As
to develop more creative (or at least alternative)
this training guide is based on presenting named
responses to problems.
and demonstrable methods for increasing creative
thinking, quite often the creative people will accept
that perhaps there is something of value to learn,
even if it is offering them a more structured process
or simply providing terms for their own processes.

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The reality is that what is learnt is often far more than Robinson often interchanges the words ‘original’
this, but to begin with getting everybody onboard is and ‘creative’, based on his definition of creativity
your objective. being ’original thinking...with purpose’. This use
of interchangeable terms is something else worth
There are some interesting and supportive theories
sharing with your learners, if only to ensure they do
from a number of esteemed individuals, that relate
not internally over complicate the relatively simple
to the notion of teaching and learning creativity,
concept of creative thinking.
as well as ‘unlearning’ creativity. You may wish to
share some of these ideas with your learners during The idea of ‘preparing to be wrong’ is another really
the early stages of your workshop(s). important point to make with your learners / trainees.
While it may sound like a simple concept, you
The British educationalist Sir Ken Robinson is a
should keep in mind that many of your learners will
firm believer that quite often creativity is ‘taught out’
have developed their lives and careers on a series
of people as they grow, as many of our education
of ‘right’ answers or decisions. Finding the quickest
systems demand an efficiency that often leads to
and most efficient route to a solution that works has
prescribed ‘right’ answers, the same answers that
often been reinforced in schools and work lives, even
everyone else has.
when the resulting solution is the same solution that
You can hear a range of Robinson’s views in his
everyone else arrives at. Therefore being ‘wrong’
almost legendary lecture entitled ‘How schools kill
is a concept that some people will struggle with,
creativity’.
as it requires ignoring many long-held ideas about
He argues in this lecture that children are more progress and success. It can be made even less
prepared ‘to take a chance’ even when they do not comfortable for individuals by working with others in
know the ‘right’ answer, on the basis that children a group situation. Despite this you should attempt
are less concerned about being ‘wrong’. to teach creative thinking in groups, for reasons that

He adds that being wrong is not the same as being are covered later in the training guide.

creative, BUT (and most importantly) he states that For now it is worth acknowledging the heightened
if we are not prepared to be wrong we will never do stimulation in peoples’ thinking when working with
anything original, definitely something to think about. others, alongside the potential to conjoin with and
develop on the ideas of others.

You should keep the following points in mind when

dealing with learners adjusting to the preparedness
to be ‘wrong’.

During any activities you should always attempt to

make light of or avoid focusing on suggestions /
responses that in other contexts may be deemed to
be ‘wrong’. You should instead focus on the quantity
of responses far more than the quality or success of
responses, at least until your learners have become
comfortable and accepting of not having success
with every response or suggestion.

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 As an additional thought on dealing with potential Vertical thinking V lateral thinking
objections, it is always worth reminding people that
De Bono talks about two distinct types of thinking,
learning is defined by developing knowledge and /
which as an introduction to the subject should serve
or skills previously unknown or unpracticed.
as a useful starting point for your workshop.

Vertical thinking is what De Bono describes as the

type of thinking we engage in most of the time. It
is about making decisions based primarily on what
we already know to be right, and normally in the
same way that anyone else would, offering a high
degree of certainty or predictability. In a process
Albert Einstein offers a very succinct reminder
based task one step follows another in a predictable
of the need for a willingness to adapt our current
sequence (think about changing the wheel on a car
position to progress in anything we do. His offering
or completing a jigsaw puzzle). The objective is
is a definition of insanity:
often to get to the end point in the most efficient
‘Doing the same thing over and over again and
way or in the least amount of steps.
expecting different results’.1
Lateral thinking (which is completely synonymous
Taking a slightly different approach to our ability to
with ‘creative thinking’) is not focused on the fastest
be more or less creative, is the prolific author on
route to the endpoint, but rather it is focused on
the subject of creative thinking, Edward De Bono.
generating more, and perhaps more interesting
De Bono recognises and supports the idea that
routes to the endpoint. In fact its primary aim is to
we must be prepared to be wrong to be creative
generate new ideas or new ways of doing things,
(not that we will always be wrong) but with this he
based far more on probability than certainty.
also acknowledges and promotes a formality or
deliberateness to the practice of creative thinking - We can look at these two types of thinking side
forcing creativity. by side to see their differences, though it is worth
keeping in mind that neither is superior and that we
need to exercise judgment on which type of thinking
to apply, depending on the situation. Imagine getting
though a day if you only applied lateral thinking.
Similarly imagine trying to arrive at creative ideas
/ solutions if you only applied vertical thinking, in
which all of the results were already known to you.

Vertical thinking Lateral (creative) thinking

Sequential: one ‘right’ step leads to the next Non-sequential – we may need or want to take
‘right’ step ‘wrong’ steps
Analytical Provocative
Relevant content Content is not necessarily relevant
Finite (absolute) Probabilistic (based on probability)
Selective: once we make a choice we discount all Generative: our aim is often to generate multiple
other choices choices, particularly those that did not exist before

1
Albert Einstein. BrainyQuote.com, Xplore Inc, 2015. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/alberteins133991.html, accessed October 5, 2015.
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In a workshop situation it is normally enough to Secondly we have to recognise that if we applied
introduce this concept of opposites to your learners creative thinking (or lateral thinking) methods on
via a short discussion and presentation of the above their own, we would likely end up with a chaotic
table, as most people will grasp the fundamental collection of ideas that are never tested against
differences. It has a greater value as you develop their functional objectives (usefulness). As we have
subsequent concepts through demonstration / seen earlier, vertical and lateral thinking approaches
activities, at which point you may need to ask if your are required to achieve ‘original thinking ... with
group are exercising ‘vertical’ or lateral ‘thinking’ purpose’ (as Sir Ken Robinson puts it). Therefore
within an appropriate situation. Being creative will a certain amount of structure afforded by a formal
definitely require some intensive lateral thinking process ensures we maximise our creative efforts
practice. and remain on task.

Returning to the hypotheses of De Bono (in fact Forcing creativity

many creative thinking theorists support these
Another concept of creative thinking that is
same ideas) you can ask your learners to consider
important to communicate to your learners early in
and discuss the following ideas:
the workshop(s), is the need to formally engineer
situations that effectively force creative (or at least
• Creative thinking is something that can be alternative) thinking. This is generally considered to
learnt
be a key principle of creative thinking.
• But like other skills it requires practise
• It requires an ‘attitude’ of commitment
(which may not always be present in the
beginning)
• There are certain procedures that we can
follow that will enhance our creative output

For some people the final statement above may

seem a little counter-intuitive. Some people ask
how they can be creative if they are simply following
When someone encounters a problem or a
‘rules’? It is something that can (and perhaps
challenge to overcome, they will typically follow
should) be openly discussed.
a fairly predictable thinking process, though this
Indeed the answer to this question comes in two may happen very quickly. This is to consider the
parts. The first is that the creative thinking methods context of the situation and the need and to relate
you will work with are not strictly ‘rules’. Most often this to any past similar experiences, drawing on the
they are suggestions or very broad guiding principles experience and knowledge of how such a situation
that help us to generate new ideas. They are there to was previously resolved. Quite often ‘an’ answer or
be changed, adapted, stretched, challenged etc. to solution will emerge in the mind of the person and
suit the current situation. If they are ‘rules’ then they the situation is resolved, as before. We might call
are very flexible rules designed to serve the user. this the ‘first idea’ model, which for many people
is the default position. It is important to note that
in most situations this is acceptable and functional
based on its predictability.
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 However, to ensure that someone is really
stretching and challenging their creative abilities
and generating new and original responses, if that
is the intention, it is generally accepted that some
routines or methods are used to take them beyond
this ‘first idea’ model.

The good news is that through this training guide we

will introduce you to a number of such routines and
methods, that when employed will actually force
creative thinking.

The following sections set out a number of key

creative thinking methods along with exercises that
you can introduce to your learners / trainees. In
each case the method is described and presented
with examples, followed by one or more exercises to
consolidate understanding and ‘prove’ the method.

You will seldom find ‘right’ answers presented in the

book, as that would defeat the purpose of pursuing
alternative responses / creativity. Rather you should
be able to discern ‘right’ processes, as it is our belief
that if you employ the right processes for a given
situation then the required creative thinking and
creative outputs will follow.

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Methods for developing creative thinking:
Internal influences

The generation of alternatives

The first method for you to consider may initially
seem ‘too obvious’ to even be considered as a
creative thinking tool. It is proven to be overlooked
by many people who often believe that they are
working creatively or employing creative thinking.
Perhaps in part this is due to its simplicity and
‘obviousness’, once mastered at least.
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The method is simple and the clue to its function
is probably already clear to you from the name.
However, do not be dismissive of something
because it is simple, when used properly simple
things can be very effective.

When faced with a problem or challenge that you

feel may be exploited through creative thinking, the
generation of alternatives method demands that
you generate a number of ‘different’ ideas before
The other reason it is often overlooked is that it is
deciding which one (or selection) you take to the
easy to default (or resort) to a process of vertical
next stage of development. That is it!
thinking when we are faced with a potentially creative
challenge. There may be many valid reasons for this As you can see the method can be explained
position, such as a lack of confidence, a perception very easily to your learners, though until you
of there not being enough time, fear of failure OR have demonstrated the method they may remain
simply an honest ignorance to the power of this sceptical. The following exercise can be used to
particular method. engage your learners in their first creative thinking
activity of the workshop, hopefully in a way that is
In our experience as educators working regularly
low risk in terms of failure or anxiety.
with so-called creatives from all parts of the world,
I would suggest that the application of this one
single method, even if no other methods are used,
will have an immediate and positive impact on
creative thinking and idea generation. This is a bold
statement, though you may be surprised at how
often it proves to be the case.

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 Present the following ‘image’ to your learners that despite how unconventional a response
and simply ask them to write down what they may be, if it makes ‘sense’ to others, for
think it is, to describe it. Following this short example they appreciate the logical connection
exercise ask your learners to share their between the description and the shape, then it
answers with the group until you feel you have is permissible.
gathered the full range of answers / responses.
Now repeat the exercise based on the same
visual design (shape), only this time ask your
learners to generate a total of 5 responses
(each), with each response being quite
different. Use the same criterion that the
response should make sense to others, even
if they are unexpected or less conventional.

While it is impossible to predict the range of

responses, you will likely encounter responses
that begin to see the black area as a negative
space rather than a positive, as some kind of
hole, tunnel entrance, or even an entrance to
the home of a Gothic mouse. In its positive
reading the same shape may be seen as an
Typically the most common response is that open envelope, an arrow, the tip of a pencil or
the image represents a (simple) house viewed crayon, a triangle sitting on a square, a sign, or
as a silhouette. even a schematic diagram of a space rocket.

It is likely that your learners have answered

in a way that would make sense to others,
Of course these are just examples but importantly
though you might now question whether or
none of them are wrong. Be prepared to congratulate
not their responses are particularly ‘creative’.
your learners on the diversity of their responses,
If the answers are all similar or very obvious
as this diversity and quantity of responses is the
you may take the opportunity to remind your
objective of the exercise.
learners that the point of creative thinking is
to generate something original or unexpected.
This kind of gentle prompt to avoid the obvious
is often needed during creative thinking
exercises, whether in a workshop situation or
a real situation.
What is important in this exercise, and something
On occasion some answers will be creative
that is worth pointing out to your learners, is that
and unexpected, which is to be celebrated. The
in most (if not all) cases the respondent has now
guiding criterion for the exercise responses is
thought of interpretations that they did not think of
in the first instance. This should go some way in

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instilling confidence in the capacity to develop our Quotas
creative ability, notwithstanding that this is the first
The one problem with the Generation of alternatives
small step on the road to mastering creative thinking.
method is that although we may readily appreciate
What this exercise offers are new perspectives, the need to generate multiple ideas to promote
which as an outcome is the cornerstone of creative creative thinking, it leaves us with a potential issue
thinking in providing one or more alternative paths that we really should address.
to explore before making a final decision on a
The issue is that the method on its own does not
situation. Most of the time it is reasonable for people
tell us how many ideas are ‘enough’, or when we
to follow the path most travelled, but when creative
should stop the activity. Depending on the situation
solutions are required, we must be brave enough
there may be factors that determine this, such
to venture down paths that we are not familiar with,
as the amount of time you have available. But
and in many cases it is desirable or necessary for
imagine a situation where time was not such an
us to create those paths ourselves.
important factor, maybe you had a week to think
over a problem, how many alternatives might you
generate, 10, 100, 1000?

Some people might argue that generating 1000

alternative ideas is a good thing, though I think
few people would have this amount of time or
Returning to the demonstration exercise, with the
commitment on a single project or problem.
confidence of your learners increasing based on
their ‘success’ in the first exercise, it is advisable UK university lecturer and branding & advertising

to capitalise on this momentum by repeating the expert Dr. Clive Colledge approaches this problem

exercise a number of times. by assigning a fixed number of 30 alternative ideas.

Initially this figure may shock people as it seems too
Following the same process, present
high to achieve, though in practice most people are
alternative visual stimuli. This could be in the
surprised at how attainable this target actually is by
form of another simple shape or by using other
following a few simple rules; assuming that enough
types of stimulation, such as a colour, a word,
time is also available.
a photograph or even a sound. Attempt to
exercise your own creativity in determining the
types of stimuli, perhaps by forcing yourself to
conceive of 5 different forms.

Different types of stimuli can generate very different

responses. In the case of things like colours and
sounds the reading can be very subjective or relate
to symbolic interpretations. The key is that in each
case participants are required to generate multiple
ideas. Ensuring that the generation of alternatives
is achieved can be more securely assured by
employing a formal method called ‘Quotas’.

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 This approach is an example of applying a quota, Responses under this
though it may be useful to think of quotas in a more final heading may initially
flexible way, rather than maintaining the same quota be perceived as ‘crazy’
for all situations, more on this below. or ‘ridiculous’ because
they are so far removed
A Quota, according to most dictionary definitions, is
from the obvious or logical
‘a limited or fixed number or amount ... of something
responses that most people
in particular’. It is worth noting that a quota is
would arrive at through vertical thinking. However it
normally set in advance, and for our purpose this is
is important that these type of ideas are noted and
an essential aspect of its usefulness. You will note
definitely not dismissed until they have been tested at
that asking for 5 responses in the first exercises
subsequent stages. Remember that we are looking
was an example of assigning a quota.
for a quantity of different responses in the initial
In practice you should consider your current creative
stages of creative thinking, with quality judgements
thinking task and try to determine a suitable number
coming later in the process.
of alternatives to generate, to ensure that you truly
Also keep in mind that even if a very promising idea
stretch or challenge your thinking. Nobody said this
emerges early on in your generation of alternatives,
would be comfortable!
you should continue until you have met your quota.
A quota that is too low may only generate very
Make this a very definite rule that is adhered to.
predictable or obvious responses, while a quota that
is too high may be too time consuming or simply
To test this out with your learners consider the
unachievable, leaving you feeling less motivated to
example situations (with images) on the next
continue.
page and in each case and ask your learners
The approach to setting quotas is not scientific, to try to determine a ‘suitable’ quota to help
though with a little bit of common sense and practise them develop multiple ideas. As a guide you
it is something that most people can adjust to and might consider that a quota of 3 or below is
employ effectively. quite a low number, though aiming to generate
more than 12 ideas may be a challenge (but
In assigning quotas think of your responses (or
probably still achievable). Selecting a suitable
alternatives) as ultimately existing under three
quota to generate sufficient responses under
broad headings or descriptions. These are:
each of the three headings above is something
that creative thinkers will become more adept
• Fairly obvious responses that most people
at the more times they do it.
would probably think of
• Responses that are quite unexpected to Also recognise that you may set a quota that you
others and that demonstrate an approach meet, but still feel that you could generate more
that is focused on creative outcomes
ideas to find a better solution. In which case re-
• Responses that may on the surface seem
a little desperate or even crazy as you set your quota and start again. The important
work hard to meet or fulfil your quota thing is that you always meet the quota that you
have set, irrespective of how desperate you
• Fairly obvious responses that most people seem to be in completing your list.

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1. How many imaginative uses can you think of for this 3. Can you imagine a number of things that could have
object? possibly caused this person to be so surprised?

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________

_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________

_____________________________________________ 4. Try to think of a number of humorous (funny) captions

to accompany this image, the kind of thing you might see
_____________________________________________
in a magazine or newspaper.
_____________________________________________

2. How could you catch a wild squirrel without causing it

any harm?

_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________

_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________

_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________

_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________

_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________

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 In the examples provided there is a difference in the Summary
length or detail required for each response.
At this stage your group should be gaining
For example the challenge of catching a squirrel confidence in conceiving and discussing their ideas.
probably requires more detail and explanation than Hopefully they will have belief in the principle that
providing a humorous caption does. the more ideas you can generate, the more likely

If the time with your learners is limited then work on it is that you will arrive at a creative solution. If this

simpler problems or those that require single idea is not yet the case you may wish to introduce more

responses. If you have more time it is worth working exercises to practice the generation of alternatives

on some more detailed or complex problems. with defined quotas.

Generally learners enjoy these types of problems Some other ‘problem’ ideas for you to consider using:
and it is a good way to develop their confidence.
Present a news photograph and ask your
After one or two of these exercises you may wish to
learners to generate a number of alternative
ask your learners to work in small groups, adding a
headlines. You may also introduce adjectives
new dimension to the generation of responses.
at this stage. You could specify humorous
At the end of any exercise it is important that you headlines, surprising headlines, serious
ask your learners to share their ideas with the headlines etc.
wider group, providing explanations of the thinking
Ask for a set number of creative ideas to tackle
behind each one. As a facilitator keep in mind
the problem of childhood obesity.
that the objective at this stage is still to generate
multiple ideas, so provide praise for this even if you Tell a short story and omit the ending, asking

personally have doubts about the long-term future your learners to provide you with a number of

of any particular idea. alternative endings. Again you may wish to

be more specific by introducing adjectives (a
happy ending, a tragic ending, a sad ending, a
moralistic ending etc.)

Of course you are strongly encouraged to introduce

your own problems to use as exercises, they could
relate to things connected with your learners. Keep
the objective of generating alternative (multiple)
ideas and responses in mind at all time.

Moving forward you will need to ensure that the

generation of alternatives as an integral component
of all creative thinking methods is maintained. It is
very easy for your learners to overlook the various
methods covered as new methods are introduced.

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Challenge assumptions
While creative thinking is not so difficult if we put our
mind to achieving it, there are still little obstacles
that may trip us up along the way, preventing us
from achieving our creative goals. Quite often our
vulnerability is based on our prior experiences and
the fact that in many instances in our lives we are
required to conform to laws and follow rules, most
often for good reasons.

When we are in the early stages of creative thinking,

and particularly when we are generating ideas, it is not
always helpful to have rules that restrict our thinking.

The next issue to address with your learners is the

With your learners’ drawings completed you should
problem of making assumptions that are generally
take some time to review what has been produced,
based on conventional thinking. In some cases
and more importantly the ‘approaches’ that your
the conventions that are assumed do not exist OR
learners have taken.
exist in a way that is less than helpful if we want to
develop creative ideas. Ask your learners to show their drawings to other
members of the group, offering a chance for informal
The following exercise should be set for your comparisons to be made. Ensure that you as a
learners as a way of them demonstrating this facilitator, are familiar with the different approaches
concept for themselves. demonstrated, as you may wish to refer to some of
them as exemplars of certain approaches.
In setting the exercise it is important that you do
not offer any explanation prior to completion, While there are no formal assessment criteria for
as this is likely to influence their responses this exercise, use the following list as a means
and lead to non- authentic (or unnatural) of identifying the various approaches that your
responses. learners have taken.

Use and distribute the printable exercise sheet It is extremely important that you go through
provided. (Resource 1) the following stage of identifying each learner’s
approach, with the group.
From the starting point of the 9 circles
below you are required to create drawings Present the following list to your learners in the
order that it appears here, ideally via a screen based
The drawings do not need to be technically
presentation in which you can reveal the different
competent and reassure your learners that this
approaches one by one. As each approach is
is not a drawing competition. Simple drawings
revealed ask your learners to identify the approach
will work perfectly well.
that relates to their own efforts.

15
 follow some other ‘rule’, even though none were
9 different drawing within the circles explicitly stated; essentially we make our own
9 themed or similar drawings within the circles assumptions about rules and conventions.

9 different drawings based on the circles, with Our assumptions are often based on what we have
some elements extending beyond each circle experienced or been told in a previous situation,
something we might refer to as ‘received wisdom’,
9 themed or similar drawings based on the
which in the vast majority of cases is valid.
circles, with some elements extending beyond
each circle However, a failure to challenge assumptions and to
just accept things as they are, can seriously restrict
Drawings that link or join multiple circles
our ability to find new ideas, methods, designs
together, this may be all of the circles
etc. Therefore the conscious and deliberate act of
Drawings that link up or connect behind the
challenging assumptions can and should be used in
circles, as though we are looking through 9
a creative thinking situation.
holes
When faced with a scenario or statement we
Drawings that link up or connect around the
should attempt to understand if we are making any
circles without entering them
assumptions about the situation that may ultimately
Drawn on the paper as if it was blank, using lead you to a predictable solution.
the space within the circles and the space
To test this out you are invited to think about the
around the circles
following statement while at the same time trying
Drawn somewhere else in the booklet to identify what assumptions may have been made.

Torn or cut the paper to support your drawings

As an exercise introduce the following
Folded or deformed the paper to make statement to your learners without informing
‘drawings’ them of the purpose of the statement as an
Something else that is more ‘creative’ exercise component.

An experienced teacher is the best person

Once each learner has identified their approach
to design the lesson
from the list ask them to individually think about why
they took the approach that you did. Based on an initial reading, the statement
is fairly innocuous and would be accepted
You may suggest to them that generally speaking
by many educators as a general truth, or a
the further down the list the answer, the more
‘truism’. Explain to your learners that this
creative the solution is. Of course this idea may be
statement is a truism that would generally be
challenged but it should work as a general guide.
agreed with. You will find that in most cases
What we often realise after this type of exercise people will accept this statement.
is that we have made some kind of assumption
Next ask your learners to write down their
about what is expected from us, when in fact the
own ‘truism’ based on their own experience
instructions are very open to interpretation. In this
and / or belief as an educator. It may be quite
case it is common for learners to say that they
closely related to their own practice or subject.
thought they should draw within the circles, or to

16
 Review the following list and see if you can add to
Ask your learners to make a note of their own
it (as a facilitator) before you conduct the learner
truism and then to share their own truisms with
exercise.
the group.

Now return to the first truism ‘An experienced Experience is an indicator of quality
teacher is the best person to design the
Somebody without teaching experience would
lesson’, projecting it or writing it on a board.
not be good at designing the lesson
The task for your learners is to deconstruct
Lesson design is not a democratic process
the phrase to identify where assumptions are
A person needs to design the lesson
being made in this statement. Invite them to
undertake this task in small groups. A lesson needs to be designed

It may take a little time to get started, as for A teacher should design the lesson
some people it will remain a truism until the
assumptions are pointed out to them; this is not Once you and your learners have arrived
unusual. However, once learners understand at a number of identified assumptions, you
the task they can generally identify a number can introduce them to the next stage of the
of assumptions themselves. process, which should lead to original thinking

The following list identifies a number of and / or original ideas.

assumptions that are being made in the To do this you can use a method called ‘what
statement and you may need to introduce one iffing’, in which a process of creative thinking
or even two of these to get things moving, if is initiated by posing questions beginning with
not that is even better. the words ‘what if’.

As a facilitator talk to the groups and gently If we take one of the assumptions from the list
lead them to areas of consideration without above we can illustrate this subsequent stage
explicitly telling them the answers. This initial of the process:
assumption challenging exercise may take
‘What if’ we didn’t design the lesson?
longer than some other exercises, but the
(Challenging the assumption that a lesson
rewards should make it worthwhile.
needs to be designed)

Although it may not be obvious at this stage, but

this single step can create a fundamental shift in
the way a person approaches the idea of lessons
and teaching. The ‘what if’ question is deliberately
provocative; remember that being provocative is a
characteristic of lateral thinking (De Bono).

The reason it is such a potent question is that it

demands answers that effectively attempt to explain
‘how’ such a concept could be achieved.

17
 At this stage you can hopefully appreciate how In summary the process you have followed is to:
introducing a quota can assist in developing a range
• Create or identify a truism relating to your
of new or alternative ideas. For example suggest at
practice or situation.
this stage a quota of 5 responses to the question
• Identify and note the assumptions being
‘what if we didn’t design the lesson?’. made in the statement.
The responses from your own learners will vary, • Develop these challenged assumptions
into ‘what if’ questions.
though as a guide or introduction, the following are
• Explore the ‘what if’ questions by generating
responses generated by other groups:
alternative responses (assigning a quota)
for ‘how’ such a suggestion might be
We could set a topic and invite learners to start implemented .
discussing it and see where it takes us. • Evaluate your responses to select a small
selection that offer the most potential for
We could ask the learners to design a lesson development and construct a workable
for themselves. delivery plan for each.

We could introduce a topic and ask learners

The following truism is offered as a subsequent
what they think they need to know or learn
exercise for your learners to undertake, following
about this topic.
the same process. You may want learners to work in
We could inform learners of how they will be small groups or you could conduct the exercise from
tested on the topic and let them manage their the front of the class with learners contributing as
own learning as individuals OR in small peer and when they feel they have something to offer. In
groups. this way you can control the timing and pace of the
We could download a lesson plan or use a exercise. It may also serve as a useful consolidation
lesson plan that someone else has already exercise.
designed. To learn to read a learner needs access to
We could just set a test on the topic and see books
if the learners need to learn this material (they
may already know it).

You may look at this list and immediately identify

potential problems in the suggestions, this is
natural. However, you should try and identify one
When you have processed the above statement you
or two ideas from this list (or your own list) that you
should invite your learners to return to the truisms
feel have the most potential and / or the least flaws.
that they wrote for themselves (remember the
pre-activity). Ask them to follow the same process
The final stage is take these one or two ideas
in challenging assumptions with the objective of
and construct a workable delivery plan that
arriving at workable delivery plans.
mitigates some or all of the potential problems.
Understanding the potential of challenging
assumptions can be a powerful tool in someone’s
creative thinking toolkit. It can free people from

18
following self-imposed and arbitrary rules, as well already know, with the objective of stimulating some
as creating completely new paths to explore in alternative ideas or new questions. The questioning
pursuit of creative outputs. is provocative and designed to make people think
again about what they already know (or think they
The process of challenging assumptions through
know).
initial identification, provoking ideas with ‘what
if’ questions, exploring ways of implementing De Bono uses the example of a blackboard in which
alternatives and then selecting ideas to develop as the creative thinker asks why the blackboard is black.
workable delivery plans, can very quickly create a One answer may be that it offers contrast against
wide range of opportunities to enliven and evolve the white chalk, which could be followed by the
teaching and learning. question of why the chalk is white? Why do we want
to use chalk anyway? Why draw on a blackboard?
The exercises above may take a little more time
... and so on. At each stage an alternative could be
to facilitate than other creative thinking methods,
offered in the form of a ‘what if?’ question.
though you are strongly encouraged to persevere
with this method until your learners have grasped Of course the blackboards in many classrooms have
the process and can apply it confidently. been replaced with white boards, (interactive) smart
boards and other display devices, which in some
ways demonstrates the validity of this initial exercise
and that is was perhaps a good idea to challenge
the ‘received wisdom’ of using blackboards.

Consider a scenario and try to identify the

received wisdom or assumptions that are
The power of ‘why?’
generally made , then instruct your learners to
Serving a similar purpose to challenging assumptions
start by asking ‘why?’ these things are the way
is the very important act of questioning. The ‘Why?’
they are.
technique is a simple of process of asking ‘why?’, a
Using the three examples below ask your
number of times in succession, to understand what
learners to work in pairs, perhaps taking turns
assumptions are being made and on what grounds
on who asks the questions and who answers
they are based, and of course if any of these might
the questions (or defends the current position).
be usefully altered.
Your learners should record any answers that
You may recognise this technique used by young
emerge that could potentially lead to alternative
children who seem to have a wonderful curiosity
approaches, methods or new questions.
about things that they don’t understand. However
at this point it is important to note a key difference 1. Why do so many people own cars?
between a curious child asking ‘why?’ repeatedly 2. Why do people go to school?
and the way we use it as a creative thinking tool.
3. Why do most shopping malls have the same
For the child the question is a genuine attempt to learn shops in them?
something that they don’t already know, whereas for
the creative thinker it is about challenging what they

19
 the method ask them to make a statement about
their own practice or subject, as a starting point
for development. From this statement repeat the
exercise in pairs with the author of the statement
defending the position, while their partner constructs
a series of ‘why’ questions.

Further exercises: If you want to try a few more

assumption challenging exercises you can search
for general truisms on the internet. Below are a few
to get you started.

You can approach them by simply listing the things that

have been assumed in the making of the statement
OR alternatively you might apply the ‘Why?’ method.
Remember, all methods and techniques presented
in this guide are designed to be interchangeable and
adaptable, combining more than one method to force
alternative thinking can be very powerful.

• A person who represents them self in

court has a fool for a client
• Live simply so that others may simply live
As a facilitator you should carefully manage two
• A chair has four legs
aspects of this exercise. The first is to ensure
• A stranger is just a friend you have never
that your learners understand the task and that
met
they are confident and willing to let the exercise
• You never get a second chance to make a
flow. This may require you to observe and listen first impression
to proceedings, intervening as and when learners
could benefit from your encouragement and
suggestions, demonstrating if necessary.

The second aspect to be mindful of is the amount of

time allocated to the exercise. Too short a time may
limit the possibility of ‘interesting’ and / or relevant
questions emerging, too long a time may lead to
mental fatigue and your learners losing interest in
the session.

As with most exercises, attempt to lead your learners

to subjects of relevance.

Once you feel your learners are comfortable with

20
Brainstorming
We should also recognise what brainstorming is
Brainstorming is a term that is often used by designed to achieve, being careful not to see it as
people engaged in creative thinking, or as some generating ‘fully-formed solutions’. To not recognise
would say, being ‘creative’. However it is often this can very quickly lead to dissatisfaction and a
practiced without a great deal of consideration of lack of confidence in the method. While it is possible
how the brainstorming activity is different from more to arrive at fully formed and applicable ideas during
conventional thinking. When those that brainstorm a round of brainstorming, it is rare. Instead we need
are asked about the rules or steps of their process, to recognise that what we are seeking are ‘bridging’
we will often find incomplete or vague answers, ideas.  
suggesting that the thinking is perhaps more vertical
or conventional; not always but often.

By bringing together some of the principles covered

so far you can (in most cases) improve the efficiency
of your brainstorming efforts.

Firstly we will return to the ‘Generation of alternatives’

method and once again employ the ‘Quota model’.
In simple terms this means that we will set ourselves
a fixed target of ideas that we will aim to meet.

Secondly we will add another condition to our

activity, and that is that we will introduce a time limit.

The rationale for introducing fixed time limits is based Bridging ideas
on two observed phenomena. The time limit will
A ‘bridging’ idea is one that offers a different way of
ensure that each session or round of brainstorming
thinking about a problem or situation to deliberately
does not go on for too long, becoming tedious, boring
take our mind in a different direction from the one
etc. and it ensures the opposite, that a reasonable
we would naturally take. As we move in this new
amount of thinking effort is applied to avoid stopping
direction we have to combine vertical and lateral
too early and with too few suggestions. The second
thinking (in most cases) to get to a useable solution
reason for applying a time limit is that it stimulates
that is based on our bridging idea. When we have a
the mind to try and achieve the task (or goal) and
creative solution to a problem or challenge, it should
generally more ideas are generated than when no
be possible to recognise the bridging idea as a
time limit is present. This is related to how our minds
starting point, but also recognise how it was shaped
function under pressure.
through vertical (logical) thinking to be useable.

In brainstorming terms this means that we should

not dismiss or throw away any ideas during the
timed brainstorming session. We reserve judgement
until the session has ended and we explore the
bridging ideas in a more rational and logical (vertical
thinking) manner.

21
 Steps for efficient brainstorming achieve a type of arousal that encourages them to
work quicker and more efficiently. This does result
in some internal selection happening and this is
• Define the problem / question / objective
attributed to the lower number of ideas per person
etc.
in a group.
• Set a time limit for the session (or round)
• Decide on a Quota that you feel you can Of course in a group activity someone may have
meet and that will be challenging already said something that you would have thought
• Generate and record ideas until you meet of so this alters the figures too.
your Quota (or the time runs out) - don’t
be tempted to judge ideas as they emerge Finally on this subject, another great power of group

• Evaluate ideas once the time is up, brainstorming is that as our brains are very good
recognising the value of bridging ideas at responding to new stimuli, when another group
member says something unexpected it can suddenly
take our minds in a new direction, generating yet
Brainstorm alone or in a group? another new pathway to explore.
There is some interesting data around this question, The advice therefore is to brainstorm in a group
which is worth knowing if you are to reach your whenever possible, but if you can only manage to
creative potential. brainstorm alone, ensure you follow the steps listed
According to the data: above.

A person ‘brainstorming’ alone, within a comparable Why so many ‘problems’?

time period, will generally produce more ideas (per While the term ‘problem’ has already been used in
person) than someone brainstorming as part of a this training guide, it is perhaps worth offering an
group. explanation of its use and connotations within the
field of creative thinking.

Working with ‘problems’ is a fairly standard approach

to learning how to be a more effective creative
thinker.

This approach is based on the fact that problems

that are set for you (or by you) and have little or
no real consequence on your immediate actions or
thoughts, will allow you to focus more intently on the
method(s) you are trying to develop.

However the ‘quality’ of ideas produced per person They generally provide enough focus or information

when brainstorming in a group, is generally higher. for you to readily start processing around a theme,

The group will also invariably produce more ideas which is an easier task than simply trying to think

in total. up ‘new ideas’, as this is simply too broad or open.

The thinking behind this phenomenon is that when In the context of creative thinking, problems are

we are interacting with other people, our minds not seen as negative. In fact a problem in creative

22
thinking terms really represents an opportunity to do by recording ‘problems’ that you encounter in daily
something creative. life, or those that emerge in workshop sessions. If
you have colleagues working in the same area you
It can be useful to collect a range of problems if you
could trade problems to develop your library quicker. 
intend to develop creative thinking skills with your
learners, or you might rely on your learners to come While you may choose to use any type of problem
up with some problems themselves. to exercise and develop your creative thinking skills
(or the skills of your learners), in terms of what you
Below are a range of problem types that you can use
are trying to achieve during this type of training
for developing creative thinking methods, the list is
workshop you may find that problem types 3 and 4
taken from the book Lateral Thinking (De Bono)2:
are the most useful, though they do not need to be
used exclusively.
• 1. General world problems such as
‘food shortage’. These are obviously open
ended problems
• 2. More immediate problems such as
city traffic control. These are problems
which the learners may have come into
direct contact with
• 3. Immediate problem. Concerning
the direct everyday interaction at school
(place of learning). If one does deal with
real problems it is probably best to deal Problems to brainstorm
with them in an abstracted way as if talking
about third parties Following the guidance above ask your

• 4. Design and innovation problems. learners to work in small groups of between

These are requests to bring about a 3 and 5 members to optimise their ‘quality’ of
certain effect. They usually apply to
creative thinking.
concrete objects but they can also apply
to organisation or ideas (e.g. how would The first problem for your learners to brainstorm
you organise a baby sitting service or a
is that of Children getting separated from their
‘fast supermarket’ (like fast food)?)
parents in large crowds.
• 5. Closed problems. These are problems
for which there is a definite answer. There Set a time limit of 3 minutes.
is a way of doing something and it is seen
to work when it is found. Such problems Set a Quota of 6 for this exercise.
may be practical ones (for instance how
to hang a washing line) or artificial ones Ask your learners to generate and record their
(how to make a hole in a postcard big ideas in full or in note form, remembering not
enough to put your head through)
to judge them during the initial stage.

When the time is up (or quota achieved) ask

Make a note of these headings and refer to the.
the group to evaluate their ideas as ‘bridging
When you are in a ‘problem’ creating mode. You may
ideas’ trying to establish if any of them could
find it useful to generate a small library of different
be developed further with vertical thinking.
problems under these headings for use in training
workshops. You could reasonably start with a small Record the responses from the session.

number, adding to your library over time, perhaps

2
De Bono, Edward. 1990. Lateral Thinking. London: Penguin Books
23
 The second problem for your learners to
brainstorm is that of learners completing their
coursework at the right time (not leaving it all
until the last minute).

Set a time limit of 3 minutes.

Set a Quota of 8 for this exercise (it is closer to

the specialism of your learners).

Ask your learners to generate and record their Challenging assumptions: Ask your learners
ideas in full or in note form, remembering not to look back at the first two problems, maybe the
to judge them during the initial stage. third one too, and if they didn’t do this initially ask

When the time is up (or quota achieved) ask them to try and identify any assumptions that are

the group to evaluate their ideas as ‘bridging implied in the problem definition. Can any of these

ideas’ trying to establish if any of them could be challenged to give you a different starting point?

be developed further with vertical thinking. Further exercises: Although you are more than

Record the responses from the session. capable of generating your own problems, here
are a few for you to work with. Think about the
The third problem for your learners to
brainstorming guidelines AND the challenging of
brainstorm is that of Creating suitable
assumptions:
brainstorming problems to develop ideas for
enhancing literacy or language learning and • Encouraging people to attend art galleries
teaching.
• Overcrowding in cities
Set a time limit of 5 minutes. • Continuing education outside of the
classroom
Set a Quota of 10 for this exercise (this is more
closely related to the practice of your learners).

Ask your learners to generate and record their

ideas in full or in note form, remember not to
judge them at this stage.

When the time is up (or quota achieved) ask

the group to evaluate their ideas as ‘bridging
ideas’ trying to establish if any of them could
be developed further with vertical thinking.

Record the responses from the session.

24
Methods for developing creative thinking:
External influences

So far we have looked at a range of methods that

can be used in isolation or combined together to
create thinking routines that will invariably result
in an increased number of ideas in response to a
problem or opportunity, and quite often these will
result in a more creative or original solution.

The one thing that these methods have in common

is that they all rely on the stimulus for new thinking to
come from within you, based on things you already
3
I would suggest that the fact that it can be a little
uncomfortable or unfamiliar as a way to approach a
problem is actually a positive thing, particularly if we
want unfamiliar and truly original outcomes.

know and that you would logically associate with the

given problem. This is completely normal, as in our
lives we mostly need to apply vertical thinking that is
based on prior experience and knowledge.

However, for truly original solutions we may need

a very different type of stimulus, one that affects
the problem from an external and unrelated starting
point. Perhaps this is the type of ‘wrong’ step we
need to take as mentioned in the lateral thinking
characteristics (see comparison table above).

Generating and responding to these external and

unrelated stimuli is a very powerful part of creative
thinking practice, despite it being the approach that
most people doubt when they first encounter it.

25
 Random input Random input: simple form

The most widely used version of this external Even in its simplest form the random input technique
stimulus approach is generally referred to as can be effective in stimulating new and unexpected
‘random input’, although other terms such as P.S.I ideas.
(problem + stimulus + idea) exist to describe the For example if we are thinking about writing a story
same principles. One of the reasons that it is so we may use a random word generator to determine
widely used is that it is such a versatile method the setting of our story (Jungle, farm, city etc), the
of re-directing our thinking within a wide range of protagonist in our story (a young boy, a beauty
contexts. queen, a dog etc), the theme of our story (hope, love,
Again it is a fairly simple concept to grasp in terms friendship etc). We could extend this to determine
of its application, though with a few principles in the characteristics of our protagonist in the same
mind it can be all the more effective. way. Lets assume we were assigned the dog, our
random word generator may determine that our dog
Fundamentally a problem (or opportunity) is defined,
is (intelligent, or gullible, or cynical etc), our city may
in the same way that brainstorming often starts.
be hostile, or overcrowded, or futuristic etc.
However, in this method a totally unrelated stimulus
is introduced to influence the thinking.

The stimulus could be a word (most common), a

colour, an object, a film genre, a game, a number,
a name, a season ... pretty much anything you can
think of.

Why it works: Returning to De Bono3 we are

provided with an explanation for why the random
input and similar methods work, as on the surface
they can seem a little odd or even desperate.

De Bono’s explanation offers us the idea that the

human mind is a ‘self-maximising’ system. In this he
suggests that the human mind has an exceptional
capacity to make connections between many
disparate (different) pieces of information, even when
the connections did not necessarily exist beforehand.
The mind also works in an involuntary way in seeking Random input: as a brainstorming tool
connections, so effectively it just happens. Applying random input within a brainstorming
session is perhaps where you will achieve the most
creative outcomes, though it does require a slightly
more involved process. The good news is that this
process is similar in many ways to the original
brainstorming techniques already covered.

3
De Bono, Edward. 1990. Lateral Thinking. London: Penguin Books
26
The steps to using random input within a time (say 5 seconds) to stay in the game. Normally
brainstorming (problem solving) context are as it is ‘illegal’ to repeat a word and a player doing so
follows: would be ‘out’ for the remainder of that round, as
they would if they could not respond in the given
• Define the problem / question / objective
etc. time.
• (2) Introduce a random input stimulus For example we may start with the word ‘tea’, which
(word, concept, colour, object etc.)
could be followed by the word ‘drink’ > ‘water’ >
• (3) List the characteristics that you
‘bathe’ > ‘soap’ > ‘clean’ > ‘Singapore’...and so on.
associate with the random input
• Set a time limit for the session (or round) While this kind of game is fun, and a good way
• Decide on a quota that you can meet and for people to learn vocabulary, you can see that
that will be challenging very quickly we moved from the hot beverage tea
• Generate and record ideas until you meet (common in England) to a country in Asia.
your Quota (or the time runs out) don’t be
tempted to judge ideas as they emerge
As a warm-up exercise play the game with
• Evaluate ideas once the time is up,
recognising the value of bridging ideas your learners for 1 or 2 rounds. This will serve
the purpose of demonstrating how easily
I am sure you have noticed that most of the stages it is to list associations relating to a thing or
are exactly the same as those used for general concept, but it will also demonstrate how such
brainstorming, with the new introduction of stages an unregulated process will take you far away
2 and 3. from your starting point, which typically will be
Stage 2 is relatively simple to understand our ‘problem’.
immediately, as long as you have some way of
generating a random stimulus. At this stage you In order to apply this type of word association

could use an online random word generator (www. process to our brainstorming, we simply need to

watchout4snakes.com is a particularly good one), either respond to the original word or concept for

a dictionary, newspaper, random image/photo each player’s turn OR at least respond to new

generator (www.photo.net has a good example), words or concepts that are still closely related to the

object, colour, character etc. starting point. This imposes a form

of regulation.
Associative Thinking: Stage 3 is a little more
complex but after you have executed it once it For example if your random

will be very clear and simple. This stage requires stimulus is a common object that

a slightly different type of thinking that we refer to is within the current room, lets say

as ‘associative thinking’, making associations or a ‘bottle’, this becomes the starting

observations about something.  point and you should try and list
its characteristics, or any other
Word Association: You may have played the game
association that you may observe;
‘word association’ either with friends, family or even
things relating to the concept of a
with your learners. In the game a word is chosen as
bottle.
a starting point and in turn each player must make
an association to the previous word within a given

27
 This may lead to a set of ideas such as: located progressively further away from the filter,
so that less of the cigarette would be smoked each
Bottle > Glass > fragile > sharp > recyclable time, without the need to stop abruptly.

Bottle > Container > storage > hollow While there may be questions about the psychology

Bottle > Shape > tapered > round > cylinder of this idea (would it actually work in stopping
smoking?), it does illustrate how the random input
Bottle > Neck > bottle top > label
stimulus, when processed effectively, can influence

From these new words and their associated ideas, thinking significantly.

we then re-consider our initial problem and make

connections between the two.

Random input: brainstorming example

The following random input processing is taken

from Edward De Bono’s book ‘Lateral Thinking’4,
and it serves as a good example of random input
processing. It can be shared with your learners in
order for them to appreciate the process and to see
the relationship between the starting point and the
possible ‘solutions’.

The problem being worked on in this case was a

general world problem of people smoking or not
being able to give up the habit of smoking. The
random stimulation generated was ‘traffic light’.
As you can see the concept of ‘traffic light’ is far
removed from smoking at this stage.

While a number of characteristics were noted, those

that seemed promising were the idea of a signal, a
warning. Closely related to this was the colour red,
symbolising ‘stop’ or ‘danger’ in many cultures.

One promising idea that came from the session

was to incorporate a red signal along the shaft of a
cigarette, perhaps as a red ring. It could appear just
before the filter where there is more tar concentrated,
to signal to smokers to stop at that point and avoid
the more harmful part of the cigarette. The idea
was then extended to offer cigarettes for sale with
red indicators that started near the filter when the
smoker first decided they wanted to give up smoking,
and as they progressed the red indicators would be
4
De Bono, Edward. 1990. Lateral Thinking. London: Penguin Books
28
Random input: problems to brainstorm
• When the time is up (or quota achieved)
Following the advice above you should ask evaluate your ideas as ‘bridging ideas’
your learners to work in small groups of trying to establish if any of them could be
between 3 and 5 members to optimise the developed further with vertical thinking.
‘quality’ of their creative thinking. Record the responses from the session.
The first problem is more of a design challenge
in which the objective is to generate new ideas
for kitchen design.

You can introduce this exercise by announcing

to your learners that for the purpose of the
exercise they should see themselves as
2. For the second exercise and as a problem
kitchen designers or innovators; incorporating
more related to the learning and teaching of
some role play can be effective. The brief is
literacy and languages, consider innovative
fairly open. Your learners should consider
ways to support the improvement (learning) of
designing or innovating any ideas that would
spelling.
be useful in creative kitchen design. This
could relate to storage, cooking processes, The random input word is Bank

cleaning, space usage etc. anything that Follow the same guidelines as the previous
we would associate with kitchens and their example (replacing ‘spaceship’ with ‘bank’)
functions. It is important that while objectives
Record the responses from the session.
are set, learners are given enough latitude to
3. For the third exercise and rather than setting
be flexible with their ideas.
a new problem, in this case continue with the
1. For this exercise the random input word is
same problem listed above, innovative ways to
Spaceship
support the improvement (learning) of spelling.
• Start by applying some associative thinking
However the random input word is now
to identify characteristics associated with
Transmitting
the random input stimulus, keep a note of
Record your responses from the session:
them. This should take around 1 - 2 minutes
4. Ask your learners to work in a small
• Set a brainstorming time limit of 5 minutes
group and to identify an aspect of literacy or
• Set a Quota of 6 for this exercise (feel
language learning and teaching that they think
free to increase the quota if you think your
might benefit from some random input based
learners could achieve more)
brainstorming. Assuming a positive change or
• Generate and record your ideas in full or in development as the objective.
note form, remember not to judge them at this
Make a note of this problem or ‘probortunity’.
stage. Ideas should stem from the random input
The random input word is Machine
stimulus ‘spaceship’ or any of the associations
that your learners made with this object. Record your responses from the session.

29
 In the previous examples the random words were
generated from the web site: Future thinking: Generate 3 random words

www.watchout4snakes.com and from each word make a prediction about

how it will impact in some way on future
This site offers a lot of control over the types of
technology or inventions.
words that are generated and it even allows you to
generate phrases and sentences. Factoid: A factoid is a piece of unreliable
information that sounds plausible (believable)
Random word activities
and may be believed as the truth, if repeated
Following is a small selection of word activities that often enough. Generate a random word and
you can use with your learners or to develop some write a factoid related to that word, it can be
ideas yourself. All of them can be adapted for use in completely untrue but should be believable.
literacy and language learning and teaching.
Anagram game: Generate 4 random words
selecting the final word as your ‘target’ word.
Random words object: Taking 2 random
Using the letters from the other 3 words, they
words and blending them together in some
do not have to be in order nor do you need to
way to find a new word that becomes the
use them all, think of as many anagram words
name of a fictional object. Write a description
as possible that relate to the target word.
of your object and explain what it is used for,
encouraging very unusual responses. Missing words: Generate a single random
word (a noun) and imagine it has been deleted
Bookend sentence: Generate 3 random
from history. What imaginative words can
words and make a sentence that uses one of
you think of that would fill the gap left by your
your words as the first word of the sentence
missing word?
and one of your words as the last word of the
sentence. If you can also use your third word Wise words: Generate 5 random words and

somewhere in the sentence then that is even for each word try to create a wise saying

better. How many sentences can you think of? (along the lines of the Chinese teacher and
philosopher Confucius).
Fun with acronyms: Take a short random
word (between 3 and 6 letters) and using the ‘Before you embark on a journey of revenge,

word as an acronym, try to create a meaningful dig two graves.’ Confucius (as an example)

statement. Maybe you set yourself a quota to Create a logo: Taking 2 random words as your
stretch your creative thinking. starting point decide on a company name.

Reverse crossword: Generate 10 random Write a short description of what the company

words and put them in a list. Create a simple does then design a simple logo in which the

crossword puzzle layout (using gridded paper) visual elements relate to the company.

that will accommodate your 10 words. Your Descriptive dilemma: Generate 3 random
challenge is to write the clues to your 10 words words and create a description that could be
so that someone could potentially solve your applied to 2 of the words, but definitely not to
crossword. all 3.

30
Oblique thinking strategies Here are some examples of Eno’s oblique thinking
cards5. Even though they were conceived in relation
Brian Eno, the eminent music producer (working
to music production and composition, try to imagine
with the likes of U2, David Bowie, Coldplay, Paul
how they might support your creativity within your
Simon, Grace Jones) and former keyboard player
own field:
with the band Roxy Music, is often credited with
‘inventing’ oblique thinking strategies. In reality
‘Emphasise repetition’
his contribution was probably more to do with
‘Work at a different speed’
popularising the method through the publication of
his ‘oblique thinking cards’. ‘Not building a wall but making a brick’

These type of oblique thinking strategies are really

another random input method, however as Eno
attempted to do (this may not always be obvious)
you can relate them a little more specifically to the
area that you are working in; taking care not to be
prescriptive

A subject-specific set of oblique thinking starting

points was created some years ago by a lecturer

Eno claimed that bands and artists came to him for in visual design, working with students in areas

‘creative input’ into their work and this in itself created such as illustration, photography, graphic design,

certain pressures when working in a professional animation / film etc. By observing existing examples

studio. As studio was time expensive and the bands of ‘creative’ visual communication to try and identify

/ artists often wanted immediate results, Eno said a dominant approach or idea in each example, a

that his creativity was often suppressed by the list of oblique strategies was created (Resource

added pressure and he found himself doing things 2)6. The approach was less cryptic than the original

that he had done before or that he knew would work, Eno cards and in many cases a single word was

a type of vertical thinking. meaningful enough for a visual designer to respond

to effectively.
He had noticed though that when he was out walking
or relaxing, creative ideas came to him more readily.
He decided to start making notes of the ideas that
emerged during relaxation and he recorded these
notes on small cards.

When he was in the studio in a work situation he

would take out his cards and choose one at random
(random input) with a commitment to respond to what
was written on the card (not being tempted to choose
another), which was normally a cryptic instruction or
suggestion that could be interpreted quite broadly.

5
“Oblique Strategies,” Welcome to the Official Brian Eno Web Store, http://www.enoshop.co.uk/product/oblique-strategies.html, accessed October 6, 2015.
6
Hunt, Steven “MA Visual Communication, Birmingham City University, MA Studio, October 2009, Analytical Practice lecture.
31
 Here are a few more examples of oblique strategies
As a conceptual exercise (your learners are if you want to try any of the 3 challenges above from
not expected to produce the visual work), a different starting point:
ask your learners to consider the following
‘visual design briefs’. Approach each brief ‘Make the symmetrical asymmetrical’
from the starting point of some examples
‘What can nature bring to your process?’
from this second set of ‘associative’ oblique
strategies. In each case the word or phrase ‘Combine two things into one’

elected will become the external stimuli, much

like a random input element. The exercises
are designed to give you an idea of how these
more related stimuli work in practice.

Assume that you are tasked with the following

assignments to execute in a ‘creative way’. In
these cases an oblique thinking selection has
been made for you, though you could choose
them at random from the list (Appendix 2). Ask
your learners to simply describe some of their
ideas beneath each assignment, following
a systematic processing of the problem in
relation to the random (oblique) input.

If you wish to introduce role play with your

learners you can do this by asking them to
imagine themselves as creative photographers,
creative advertisers, creative packaging or
graphic designers. 

1. Create a photographic portrait of a celebrity

(you choose who) responding to the oblique
strategy:

‘It’s all about the lines’

2. Design an advert for a fruity drink responding

to the oblique strategy:

‘it is connected to head wear’

3. Design packaging for a new female

fragrance (you can name it too) responding to
the oblique strategy:

‘the history of art’

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Summary & resources

By completing the activities in this training guide

with your learners / trainees, you may have created
challenges to thinking processes that some people
will find difficult, despite the various methods being
relatively easy to understand.

Far form this discomfort being a negative, it should

be celebrated for forcing your audience to really
question and even wrestle with conventional
(vertical) thinking. Remember that truly original and
Resources
4
Resource 1: Printable template for use with the
drawing exercise on page 15.

Resource 2: List of oblique thinking style prompts

generated (initially) for visual designers, though
generally flexible enough to use in a range of
subjects.

Resource 3: The ‘Creative thinking emergency

creative thinking can only be achieved by doing toolkit’ is a l1st containing all of the creative thinking

things differently. methods covered in the training guidelines, along

with two additional methods for your consideration.
Hopefully your learners / trainees will feel more
confident in applying the various methods in The ‘Creative thinking emergency toolkit’ is offered

generating subsequent learning and teaching in part as an aide-memoire to remind users of

resources, or by introducing creative thinking the methods previously practiced, and as a ready

methods into lessons. reference for anyone to obtain a concise overview

of any of the principal methods of creative thinking.
While this set of activities can be (and indeed has
been) used as the basis for a creative thinking course,
feel free to adapt, improve and re-contextualise any
or all of the methods; take ownership for yourself.

Finally as a trainer or trainee, keep in mind that

learning a new skill requires practise and a degree
of patience, so do not be deterred if progress is
initially slow, it will happen with the right attitude.

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Resource 1
This is a silent exercise, please follow the instructions: From the starting point of the 9 circles
below you are required to create drawings.

Agreement number: 2014-1-UK01-KA204-000081

Oblique thinking strategies for visual designers 36 Cinematic styles

1 Favour abstraction 37 Blend the elements

2 Create a sequence 38 Create rhythm

3 How would it be approached by a fashion designer? 39 Balance without symmetry

4 View the projection 40 Collage of elements

5 Make the real surreal 41 Sequential narrative

6 The range of jewellery design 42 Colour is king

7 The focus should be patterning 43 Explore the fantasy

8 Collage of styles 44 Combine two things into one

9 The history of art 45 Natural materials only

10 Influenced by music 46 Any colour you like as long as it is black

11 What can nature offer to your process? 47 Look back in time

12 Urban graffiti 48 Simplify the main elements

13 It is connected to head wear 49 Deep perspective

14 Think of it as a dance 50 Silhouettes are more immediate

15 Origami has the answer 51 Scale to create impact or insignificance

16 Express the narrative 52 Hand made elements only

17 Hiding in the shadows 53 Expose the process

18 Make it poetic

19 The answer could be a model

20 Create a mask

21 Is it real or just an illusion?

22 Emphasise the lettering

23 Echoes of architecture

24 Cinematic principles

25 Sculpt it

26 Focus on character

27 How would an artist approach it?

28 Think in three dimensions

29 Negative space is positive

30 Make the symmetrical asymmetrical

31 An Animatic is a proof of concept

32 Avoid details

33 It’s all about the lines

34 Repetition is always an option

35 Smooth contours

35
 Creative thinking emergency toolkit
Is as much an attitude as anything else. Deciding that you WILL be creative
within a given context has already increased your chances of arriving at a creative
Lateral (or creative) thinking solution, deciding not to be creative is equally as powerful!
Non-sequential • Provocative • Probability • Generative • Rich
Committing to more than one idea in any context will again radically increase your
Generation of alternatives chances of a more creative solution. Never settle for the idea that everybody else
would have thought of – not if you wish to be the creative one.
Generating Alternatives needs to be managed and to do this we set targets in
Quotas terms of the number of ideas – these are called Quotas. Aim for a Quota that is
challenging and moves through obvious > unexpected > potentially crazy
In the same way that quotas help you to manage your time and resources, so will
Time limits a set time limit. This method generally increases the work rate of participants and
really gets the mind working, unless the time limit is ‘over-generous’.
It is easy to assume that because something was a certain way before then
Challenge assumptions it always will be. You MUST learn to question such assumptions and look for
alternative ways of approaching the situation, even if it generates more questions.
As part of challenging assumptions get into the habit of asking questions, even if
The power of ‘why?’ they are provocative and are asked of things that perhaps you already know, push
for new answers, ask why?
Brainstorming is a way of generating lots of ideas around any given topic or
problem, though there are some guidelines:
Brainstorming (guidelines) Define problem > Set a time limit > Defer judgment (record ALL ideas) > Evaluate
after session > Recognise Bridging Ideas
Problems are a good way to introduce people to creative thinking methods, though
Problem setting / solving do not underestimate the potential in asking others to set problems for exercises,
this becomes a creative thinking task in its own right.
Asking the question ‘What if?’ about any given problem or situation can help you
What-iffing to see things differently. It is a simple technique though powerful if applied with a
quota – how many times will you ask ‘What if’ differently?
Introducing a random stimulus to provoke associative thinking within the context
Random input of the problem. Stimuli can be colours, words, images, objects, pretty much
anything that has definable characteristics.
Particularly when you are using a form of random input the most important stage is
Associative thinking often the associative thinking that allows you to determine the characteristics of
your random input stimulus - this is the critical stage of random input methods.
Similar in many ways to random input, this technique relies on ambiguous
Oblique thinking strategies instructions that offer some form of instructional guidance to solving a problem.
Its strength is that the interpretation will be influenced by your current context
The same type of ambiguous instructions can be created with a closer relationship
Subject-specific oblique
to the topic or subject area being worked in, the key is to offer usable suggestions
thinking strategies without being over prescriptive.

Two more methods that were not covered within the guideline activities
Inversion is a method that deliberately seeks to turn the problem on its head.
Inversion If the problem is ‘how de we get the workers to the cars at the right time?’ the
inversion may be ‘how do we get the cars to the workers?’ (Henry Ford)
Re-stating a problem is about shifting the emphasis before any ideas have been
Re-state the problem generated. For example the problem of overcrowded cities may be re-stated as ‘why
don’t people want to live in the country (or smaller towns)?’

36