BRAINSTORMING STRATEGIES
SUMMARY
-Brainstorming enables us to harness our metacognitive abilities and to transform the energy generated by that process into written words.
-Brainstorming helps get writing of text in motion regardless of too few ideas or too many ideas
-Brainstorming helps to review a first draft that is a long way from completion.
-Brainstorming can be used by writers of varying proficiencies from novice to expert.
TYPES OF BRAINSTORMING
TYPES OF BRAINSTORMING
(1)Free Writing
-Free writing is a free up of internal critique-uninhibited expressions.In free writing there is need to set benchmarks or targets for yourself.
-Tools to facilitate free writing are :
For timing: kitchen timer, alarm clock
For space: X no. of notebook pages
Materials: notebook paper, computer paper, sketch pad paper
(2)Listing/Bulleting
Aim to generate a list of words or phrases under a particular topic.Several lists can be generated.
For e.g First list for thesis, Second list for opposite claims. This fosters comparison between ideas.
Advantages of creating lists/bulleting:
(1)Ensures that thesis is solid or grounded
(2) Gather alternative perspectives on the topic
(3) 3 Perspectives-1-Describe it (describe subject in detail) 2-Trace it (trace history or significance of subject) , 3-Map it (What subject is influenced by or related to?)
Advantages
(1) Holistic perspective of ideas; varying angles are more pronounced
(2) Analyze ideas for interesting relationships
(3) Analyze ideas for mismatches
(4)Cubing allows approaching the topic from 6 different directions
1-Describe it
2-Compare it
3-Associate it
4-Analyze it
5-Apply it
6-Argue for and against it
Cubing lends itself to questioning which is also a brainstorming strategy.
Advantages of cubing:
(1) Create a broader awareness of the topic's complexities
(2) Sharpen focus of what will be done with the topic
(5) Similes technique
------------------is/was/were like----------------------
Just fill in the blanks to refine ideas with vivid, supporting details.
(6) Clustering/Mapping/webbing-The essence of this strategy is to establish groups among a range of ideas. Its like creating order out of chaos.
(7)Thinking Outside the box- Learning is not compartmentalized and therefore previous knowledge from the content areas can help to provide topics to write about in English; may lessen the amount of research that has to be done on the topic and so forth.
(8)Consider purpose and audience-Audience: What do they already know? What do they need to know?
REVIEW OF NEW IDEAS
-When free writing if you can't think of what to say that can be stated too.
(5) Similes technique
------------------is/was/were like----------------------
Just fill in the blanks to refine ideas with vivid, supporting details.
(6) Clustering/Mapping/webbing-The essence of this strategy is to establish groups among a range of ideas. Its like creating order out of chaos.
(7)Thinking Outside the box- Learning is not compartmentalized and therefore previous knowledge from the content areas can help to provide topics to write about in English; may lessen the amount of research that has to be done on the topic and so forth.
(8)Consider purpose and audience-Audience: What do they already know? What do they need to know?
Purpose: Why do you wish
to communicate with the audience?-Inform....., Convince......, Describe....
REVIEW OF NEW IDEAS
-When free writing if you can't think of what to say that can be stated too.
-Free writing is writing in a state of "nothingness". There will be gems of discoveries-highlight , cut and paste them on an ideas sheet. Filler and unusable thoughts serve the purpose of ascertaining what contradictory or overused ideas are and provide motivation to stop procrastinating and get to serious work.
-Useful questions to ask when using the cubing strategy, " Do responses suggest anything new about the topic?" or "Can one side of your argument help draft your thesis statement?"
-I was familiar with clustering but not the specific details of implementation. I know now that a large space is needed for e.g. sketch pad paper or blackboard. On this space all associated items are circled. Draw lines of various colours between the clusters that form various types of relationships. Some items are out of a cluster and need to be colour coded. Thereafter, stand away from cluster and try to start forming conclusions about how to approach topic. (What is done with clusters depends on writing needs)
IMPACT ON MY BELIEFS ABOUT TEACHING OF WRITING AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE
Reading and writing, require thought and are interdependent activities. Cognitive processing required to develop understanding and decipher meaning of text occurs both in reading and writing.Hence, in the whole to part graphic organizer. After reading to discover connections between the whole and its constituent parts. We write to relate the not so obvious connections between the parts that were not revealed after having read.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF BRAINSTORMING STRATEGIES
The journalistic questions strategy is useful to establish critical thought processes in writing as well as to establish writing in an authentic classroom environment. With regards to the 5WS and How the teacher will first model interviewing activity and then have students work in pairs to get insight into the effectiveness of their first draft. An alternative is to use a panel discussion technique or sage on a stage game where teacher can collaborate with the rest of students in class in brainstorming. This voluntary participation of teacher as a student will build learner confidence and trust in suggestions that peers give about making their first draft better.
Tape recorders are obsolete and so voice recorders in the cell phone could be a great tool to carry out interview with an imaginary friend. The voice recorder speaks to the student who can respond orally or in writing to the questions. for e.g. What aspects of your essay must you work on further?; How do you intend to find out more about the topic?
Although research helps to define topic and to gather supporting details or evidence for the main ideas, there is need to teach students via minilesson how to conduct research on the Internet. The guidelines will cover scholarly content, copyright issues, citations etc. This is to make the research process as hassle-free and accurate as possible for students.
Tips for Better Brainstorming
-When students get stuck on a topic and generate stagnant ideas just move on to a sub- topic that relates to the main topic and come back to some other time.
IMPACT ON MY BELIEFS ABOUT TEACHING OF WRITING AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE
Reading and writing, require thought and are interdependent activities. Cognitive processing required to develop understanding and decipher meaning of text occurs both in reading and writing.Hence, in the whole to part graphic organizer. After reading to discover connections between the whole and its constituent parts. We write to relate the not so obvious connections between the parts that were not revealed after having read.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF BRAINSTORMING STRATEGIES
The journalistic questions strategy is useful to establish critical thought processes in writing as well as to establish writing in an authentic classroom environment. With regards to the 5WS and How the teacher will first model interviewing activity and then have students work in pairs to get insight into the effectiveness of their first draft. An alternative is to use a panel discussion technique or sage on a stage game where teacher can collaborate with the rest of students in class in brainstorming. This voluntary participation of teacher as a student will build learner confidence and trust in suggestions that peers give about making their first draft better.
Tape recorders are obsolete and so voice recorders in the cell phone could be a great tool to carry out interview with an imaginary friend. The voice recorder speaks to the student who can respond orally or in writing to the questions. for e.g. What aspects of your essay must you work on further?; How do you intend to find out more about the topic?
Although research helps to define topic and to gather supporting details or evidence for the main ideas, there is need to teach students via minilesson how to conduct research on the Internet. The guidelines will cover scholarly content, copyright issues, citations etc. This is to make the research process as hassle-free and accurate as possible for students.
Tips for Better Brainstorming
SUMMARY
-A positive teacher attitude toward brain storming activities
will filter down to the students and motivate them to be voluntary participants
in brain storming sessions. Praise students who thought of a very divergent
perspective. Make this a habit and soon children will figure out that
brainstorming means generating as many diverse ideas as possible
.
.
-Topics should be chosen that lend themselves to many ideas. If that is not the case change
it. Also don’t ask children to brainstorm ideas you already know answers too.
The children will be able to pick up on your lack of enthusiasm about their
ideas.
-When students get stuck on a topic and generate stagnant ideas just move on to a sub- topic that relates to the main topic and come back to some other time.
REVIEW OF NEW IDEAS
-Small every day decisions in the classroom can give students
practice in brainstorming before a whole class activity on brainstorming on a
difficult topic.
-During read-alouds, hearing the suggested ideas from other students reinforces the importance of ideas and reminds them of that have already been stated.
-Benchmarks or targets can be set to give students the drive to brainstorm
-Teachers should align children's personal experiences with brainstorming so that directions are sufficient and that learning is more student centered and relevant to every day life.
-During read-alouds, hearing the suggested ideas from other students reinforces the importance of ideas and reminds them of that have already been stated.
-Benchmarks or targets can be set to give students the drive to brainstorm
-Teachers should align children's personal experiences with brainstorming so that directions are sufficient and that learning is more student centered and relevant to every day life.
IMPACT ON MY BELIEFS ABOUT TEACHING OF WRITING AND
IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE
Reducing students’ affective filter results in an
uninhibited flow of ideas for writing that can be expressed by brainstorming in
pairs for e.g. think pair share, small groups
and whole class groups. However, there are times that thought
processes stagnate because of lack of
interest in topic. This is the opportunity for the teacher to devise
strategies to get students to write
about topics that all students can identify with . For e.g. The students will be asked to show and not tell what
is rain. This is accomplished by relating rain to any of the five senses and using text structures such as cause and effect. for e.g “Rain is the unexpected,
thunderous explosion from smoggy, bluish-grey, potbellied clouds, swollen with liquid crystals that is guaranteed to cause a lady, fresh-out from the hair salon, to run as fast as a persecuted squirrel to the nearest burrow.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 10 TIPS FOR BETTER BRAINSTORMING
In a section of students' learning logs they could indicate the metacognitive activities that go into producing journal entries e.g. double entry journals, learning log. This would be authentic practice of brainstorming and if done conscientiously, would become part of student's writing process sooner than later.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 10 TIPS FOR BETTER BRAINSTORMING
In a section of students' learning logs they could indicate the metacognitive activities that go into producing journal entries e.g. double entry journals, learning log. This would be authentic practice of brainstorming and if done conscientiously, would become part of student's writing process sooner than later.
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