Thinkers Keys

The ALPHABET Key

Choose an object or general category of objects which features in the area of study and compile a list of words from A to Z which have some relevance to the object/s. Then try to expand on some ideas which link with each of the words.

THE JUSTIFICATION:

Using the alphabetical format clarifies students’ thinking. It is a sorting process which is made easier by considering one aspect at a time.

THE EXAMPLE:

Sport (specifically tennis)

A. Antbed courts - does this mean that ants can play tennis while in bed?; perhaps a miniature game of tennis could be devised as a board game, with each of the players being activated by remote control.

B. Bouncing - could tennis racquets be constructed of a special rubber so that they could bounce as well?; this feature could be included in a new version of tennis. Perhaps the rules would require each player to bounce the racquet after every shot is played.

Then continue with C through to Z. If the students draw a blank with a particular letter, simply move on, and return to that letter at a later stage.

In a more simplified version, merely list single objects from A to Z, e.g. Foods:

A - artichoke
B - beetroot etc.

The B A R Key

The following acronym, or ladder of words, can be used by different age groups (ranging from Yr 1 to adults) to reinvent or redesign everyday objects.

THE JUSTIFICATION:

A practical step-by-step strategy for developing innovative and highly unusual products. This type of strategy is often used in today’s high tech product development laboratories to create new products for the market.

The Ladder is:

Bigger

Add

Replace

THE EXAMPLE:

B A R a skateboard. Ask the students to draw a standard skateboard, and then direct them through the steps one at a time.

Here's one series of possibilities:

B igger Extend the rear of the skateboard, making it much bigger, and put some shelves on it for storage space. Place a counterweight on the front to balance it out.

A dd Add a small rocket motor, which can be controlled with a foot throttle near the back of the skateboard.

R eplace Replace the wheels with a small hovercraft unit, which is controlled by a hand-held rotating device. It is very important that SILLY and INNOVATIVE ideas are encouraged. Very few new ideas emerge from predictable and tedious efforts.

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List the attributes of 2 dissimilar objects (one within your area of study, one outside), then combine the attributes into a single object.

THE JUSTIFICATION:
Many important inventions, such as the disposable razor (the concept of loading bullets into a rifle, combined with a normal razor) and the first printing press (the wine press and the coin punch) were created in this way.

THE EXAMPLE:
A leaf and a mousetrap.

The Leaf	The Mousetrap
They change colours through the year.	They are made of wood and wire
Insects often eat them.	They can kill mice.
There are millions of them.	They can be left in lots of places.

THE COMBINATIONS:
1. A miniature mousetrap for placing on leaves, that can kill insects when they try to eat the leaf.
2. Mousetraps that can change colour and blend in with the surface on which they are placed.

Describe an unusual situation and then think of some different explanations for the existence of that situation.

THE JUSTIFICATION:
Another innovative thinking exercise. Develops the ability to consider a wide range of consequences.

THE EXAMPLE:

Your neighbour is making large circles in his backyard by pouring sump oil from a can.
Some Explanations:
1. He is a disguised alien and is sending cryptic messages to his friends in outer space.
2. He considers himself to be another Pro Hart, and he will soon be rolling around in the
grass, attempting to create an environmental masterpiece.
3. He has had a fixation for circles since his childhood.

Encourage students to develop inventions which are constructed in an unusual manner.

The first step would be to outline the product on paper, which would then lead into possible construction.

THE JUSTIFICATION:
Kids (and grownups too) love to invent things if given the opportunity. Tragically, the opportunities in today’s society seem to be growing fewer and fewer.

THE EXAMPLE:
Invent some or all of the following:

1. An eggshell peeler.
2. A combination knife and fork.
3. Devices which would - catch mosquitoes
make your bed
do the ironing
comb your hair
wake you up in the morning

The REVERSE Key

Place words such as cannot, never and not in sentences which are commonly displayed in a listing format.

THE JUSTIFICATION:

Students are too often required to regurgitate endless lists of facts. Moving in the opposite direction still requires a sound knowledge base, but it forces students to think.

THE EXAMPLE:

Name 10 things that you could not clean.

List 5 sounds that you have never heard.

Name 10 things that you could not photograph.

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You can ask virtually any What If question. They can be either serious or frivolous.

One excellent means of displaying ideas from this key is to draw up an Ideas Wheel.

THE JUSTIFICATION:
Great for introducing an area of study, and for tapping into the students’ knowledge base. It also generates loads of innovative ideas.

THE EXAMPLE:
1. What if the price of petrol was immediately doubled?
2. What if all cars turned into skateboards?

Now construct an Ideas Wheel. Place the base statement in the middle circle, and put 5 consequences of that event in the 5 outer circles.
Then deal with each of the 5 outer circles in turn. Put 3 consequences of each of these into the smaller circles (see download for examples and proforma)

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