This video has 100 Prompts for your students or participants to come up with 100 different ideas. You should ask each student to grab a pen & paper (ideally post-its) and have a different piece of paper for each idea. This video can be used to kick-off the Ideation State of Design Thinking (or any Ideation Session), using Brainwriting. I have used for both in-person and live-online education at University College Dublin.

I usually use 10 prompts in class - get a student to pick a number between 1 and 9 inclusive and then use the Chapters below the video to play from that number (e.g. someone shouts out seven so I play from 71)

Brainwriting is a solo exercise - write down all your ideas and THEN share with others before coming up with even more ideas. Research shows that this hybrid-approach (of generating ideas alone first, and then sharing with a team) works best. "Groups organized in the hybrid structure are able to generate more ideas, to generate better ideas, and to better discern the quality of the ideas they generate" (Girotra et al, 2010)

Student teams follow the steps of the engineering design process to meet the challenge of getting their entire class from one location on the playground to the sidewalk without touching the ground between. The class develops a well thought-out plan while following the steps of the engineering design process. Then, they test their solution by going outside and trying it out. Through the post-activity assessment, they compare their problem-solving experience to real life engineering challenges, such as creating new forms of transportation or new product invention.

To prosper, firms must develop major product and service innovations. Often, though, they don’t know how. Recent research into the innovation process has made it possible to develop “breakthroughs” systematically. 15.356 presents several practical concept development methods, such as the “Lead User Method,” where manufacturers learn from innovative customers. Expert guest speakers present case studies that show the “art” required to implement a concept development method. 15.356 is a half-term subject.

This workshop is focused on developing several different Ideation approaches for problem investigating and concept creation:Why-why diagramsBrainstormingMash-upsAffinity diagramsIncluded are two introduction videos for review by students online in advance, a pre-workshop exercise and a slide deck with facilitator notes for running a face-to-face workshop.

Reading list for unit on brainstorming, developing a research question, and beginning your research for reading and composition courses.

Students will have a blast as they use descriptive language to write about an explosive and dramatic moment in their lives.

After reading the story "Dear Mr. Henshaw" by Beverly Cleary, student groups create alarm systems to protect something in the classroom, just as the main character Leigh does to protect his lunchbox from thieves. Students learn about alarms and use their creativity to devise multi-step alarm systems to protect their lockers, desk, pets or classroom door. Note: This activity can also be done without reading the Cleary book.

This quick, interactive tutorial will help students develop a general topic or idea into a set of exploratory research questions, as well as giving them some next steps in the process of developing a research question. Make sure there is a blank sheet of paper and a pen or pencil handy, and let's get started!

As students learn about the creation of biodomes, they are introduced to the steps of the engineering design process, including guidelines for brainstorming. Students learn how engineers are involved in the design and construction of biodomes and use brainstorming to come up with ideas for possible biodome designs. This lesson is part of a series of six lessons in which students use their growing understanding of various environments and the engineering design process, to design and create their own model biodome ecosystems.

Students design, build and test model race cars made from simple materials (lifesaver-shaped candies, plastic drinking straws, Popsicle sticks, index cards, tape) as a way to explore independent, dependent and control variables. They measure the changes in distance travelled with the addition of mass to the vehicles. Students also practice the steps of the engineering design process by brainstorming, planning, building, testing, and improving their "mint-mobiles."

Students investigate the ways in which ancient technologies six types of simple machines and combinations are used to construct modern buildings. As they work together to solve a design problem (designing and building a modern structure), they brainstorm ideas, decide on a design, and submit it to a design review before acquiring materials to create it (in this case, a mural depicting it). Emphasis is placed on cooperative, creative teamwork and the steps of the engineering design process.

Students are introduced to the parameters of an engineering challenge in which their principal has asked them to devise an invisible security system to cost-effectively protect a treasured mummified troll, while still allowing for visitor viewing during the day. Students generate ideas for solving the grand challenge, first independently, then in small groups, and finally, compiled as a class.

Using new knowledge acquired in the associated lesson, students program LEGO MINDSTORMS(TM) NXT robots to go through a maze using movement blocks. The maze is created on the classroom floor with cardboard boxes as its walls. Student pairs follow the steps of the engineering design process to brainstorm, design and test programs to success. Through this activity, students understand how to create and test a basic program. A PowerPoint® presentation, pre/post quizzes and worksheet are provided.

The lesson begins by introducing Olympics as the unit theme. The purpose of this lesson is to introduce students to the techniques of engineering problem solving. Specific techniques covered in the lesson include brainstorming and the engineering design process. The importance of thinking out of the box is also stressed to show that while some tasks seem impossible, they can be done. This introduction includes a discussion of the engineering required to build grand, often complex, Olympic event centers.

Students apply what they have learned about the engineering design process to a real-life problem that affects them and/or their school. They chose a problem as a group, and then follow the engineering design process to come up with and test their design solution. This activity teaches students how to use the engineering design process while improving something in the school environment that matters to them. By performing each step of the design process, students can experience what it is like to be an engineer.

This is a first course in project management, one in which students will learn the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to be an effective project manager. They will learn how to plan, execute, and monitor a project. The course will cover the latest theories and concepts on scoping, stakeholder management, team leadership, budgeting and contracting, scheduling, quality control and assurance, and risk management. Students will have the option to apply their learning to a real-world project. 

This learning module (Lesson 1 of Unit 7) is part of a course called Project Management Fundamentals and may either be completed individually as a stand-alone topic, or part of a trio of learning modules on risk management, or as part of the course.

Students are introduced to brainstorming and the design process in problem solving as it relates to engineering. They perform an activity to develop and understand problem solving with an emphasis on learning from history. Using only paper, straws, tape and paper clips, they create structures that can support the weight of at least one textbook. In their first attempts to build the structures, they build whatever comes to mind. For the second trial, they examine examples of successful buildings from history and try again.

In this activity, students are challenged to design a contraption using simple machines to move a circus elephant into a rail car. After students consider their audience and constraints, they work in groups to brainstorm ideas and select one concept to communicate to the class.