K12LEADERS

Whose Voices Are Missing? Brainwriting Propagates Ideas From Everyone!

Person writing on paper with a pen.

Written by

Suzy Brooks

in

These recent two school years have brought many of us to the realization that reaching ALL students is challenging, but more critical than ever.  We use strategies to individualize instruction and make student thinking visible.  Believe me, typing that sentence is far easier than putting it into practice.  To that end, I like MindTools.com. It is a website designed for professionals to improve functionality on their teams and in their business. They have a membership offering on their website, of course – but even if you only read 3 articles (that’s how many you can access for free), you’ll be inspired as a K12Leader to find new ways of reaching learners in your community.

Ironically, I was in a webinar (on Student Data Privacy) and we were talking about different strategies to use in adult Professional Development. The idea of Brainwriting came up as a tool that works better than brainstorming because everyone has a voice and the opportunity to contribute.  It becomes quickly apparent – this strategy is not limited to PD.  Think about staff meetings, working with students, engaging parents….and more!

After the webinar was over, I did some Googling, read a few articles online about Brainwriting and really like the concept. It reminded me of the SEI strategy many of us learn called a “Write Around”.  Whether done on paper or online, the idea of Brainwriting is to pose a question with the hopes of generating many ideas.  Individuals jot their answers down, and then they move on to another paper/document to read others’ ideas.  This ongoing exchange helps to propagate more creative thoughts and allows everyone to participate and be heard.

While you are on the MindTools site, be sure to check out a couple more strategies that draw your attention. I am always excited by how we can take “corporate practices” and make them super relevant in K12 education.

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newct_86.htm

What do you think? How can this strategy (or others) be used in your K12Leader role?

Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash

Comments

2 responses to “Whose Voices Are Missing? Brainwriting Propagates Ideas From Everyone!”

  1. Michael Bronder Avatar
    Michael Bronder

    This is pretty cool, Suzy! My first idea, reading through their site, is how this concept could be really helpful for students as they start to work on group projects.

    My second is a bit more involved: I’m a big fan of using meeting time effectively, so sending out presentations (or agendas) ahead of time is a regular habit of mine. Adding brainwritting to that will be an interesting experiment. Send out an agenda on a shared doc. Ask all meeting attendees to share their thoughts ahead of time, etc…

    Reply
    1. Suzy Brooks Avatar
      Suzy Brooks

      Ahhhh yes…. meetings. Always looking for ways to make them effective.

      Giving folks time to think and respond individually is important. I like it even better than a few people standing around a piece of chart paper trying to collaborate and wordsmith something together while one poor person is voluntold to capture all that thinking with the Sharpie.

      Now if we all gather round a doc that has already been populated with everyone’s thoughts? THEN there’s somewhere to start that is more representative and inclusive. It’s not just the voice of the loudest, or the fastest, or the most experienced.

      Our collective ideas add up exponentially!

      Reply

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