Fostering Collaborative Creativity

Begin by explaining the purpose of the activity: to equip students with the skills to facilitate a co-creation session focused on brainstorming techniques.

Emphasise the importance of creating an inclusive and collaborative environment during brainstorming. Encourage students to be open-minded and receptive to diverse ideas.

Have a brief plenary sharing around the question ‘What might be effective techniques to facilitate an inclusive and collaborative environment for brainstorming?’

Present an overview of various brainstorming techniques and rules for brainstorming that can be employed during co-creation sessions. Highlight techniques such as rapid ideation, brainstorming with Eureka cards, and brainwriting.

Discuss with students that the effectiveness of each brainstorming technique depends on the specific context and goals of your co-creation session, the advantages and limitations of each technique and provide examples of when they can be effectively used.

To help students understand how to facilitate a co-creation session, conduct an interactive demonstration. Divide the students into small groups and assign each group a specific problem or challenge.

Instruct them to brainstorm ideas using one of the techniques discussed in Step 2. Provide clear instructions for facilitating a session.

After the brainstorming session, each group presents their ideas and facilitate a discussion on the effectiveness of the technique they used.

Students engage in a role-playing exercise to simulate a real-life co-creation session. Divide the class into groups with at least three students and assign roles: facilitator, observer(s) and participant(s). Make sure that every student practices as a facilitator.

Provide each group with a specific challenge or problem to address. The facilitator guides the participants through a brainstorming session using one of the techniques learned. The observers should pay attention to the facilitator’s behaviour, such as encouraging participation, managing time and ensuring everyone’s ideas are respected.

Consolidate the learning by conducting a reflective session which encourages students to gain valuable insights from different perspectives and further develop their facilitation skills. Foster a constructive and supportive environment by encouraging students to ask questions, seek clarification and provide additional insights. Follow these steps:

• Begin by asking the student who played the facilitator role to reflect on their experience. Encourage them to share their thoughts on how the session went, highlighting the successes, challenges faced, and lessons learned. Prompt them to consider what they could have done differently or better in facilitating the co-creation session.
• Next, invite the student(s) who served as observers to provide their feedback by using observer feedback from Step 4.
• Allow the student(s) who played the role of participants to share their thoughts and reflections on the activity. Encourage them to provide feedback from their perspective as participants. Ask them to discuss what they found effective in the facilitator’s approach and suggest areas where improvements could be made.

Conclude the reflection session by encouraging students to continue practicing and refining their facilitation skills. Emphasise the importance of ongoing development and learning in becoming effective change makers.

Assessment for learning (formative assessment) aims to gather evidence and provide feedback on students’ learning during the learning process.

Peer-assessment

Observer-feedback questions