Randomizer

Why?

The randomizer aims to inspire and encourage the students in the creative process of generating new ideas. By provoking new associations in the mind, the method enables the students to approach the problem in new and inspiring ways. This is particularly useful when kick-starting the idea generation phase, or when the students are stuck or trapped in a specific pathway.

How?

The teacher presents different kinds of stimulation like music, pictures, words or objects, during the divergent phase. There are numerous ways of using these stimuli. For example, one way of using word-stimulation is to create a numbered list with random words and then ask the students to pick a number, corresponding to a word on the list. Connecting the word with the defined problem, students are then challenged to create a new idea.

Tips

The teacher can either formally apply stimuli that the students are to use during idea generation, as in the above example, or use it in a more indirect way, such as playing background music or handing out inspirational pictures to the students. Even though the students are not formally forced to use these stimulating objects, they are still presented with stimulation that, consciously or unconsciously, can affect their idea generation.

Literature

Seelig, T. (2012). Ingenius. Croydon, UK: Hay House.

Byttebier, I. and Ramon, V. (2007), Creativity Today, Amsterdam: BIS Publisher