flexiblity2

Fluency is the ability to generate a large number of ideas.

When improving your fluency, you can practice by listing as many, varied, and unusual ideas that come to your mind. The more you do this the better you can get at being fluent.

Here are some exercises to improve your fluency. Give yourself 30 seconds to think about each prompt and then write as many ideas as you can for that prompt on a separate piece of paper. Have someone time you for the next 3 minutes. Record your score. Chart yourself. See if you improve from one prompt to the next by comparing your change in scores.

Fluency Prompt Score: per 3 minutes Change: Yes/ No/Same

Name things you look through.

Name things that are fast.

Name things that open and close.

Name different kinds of bars.

Name as many things as you can that jump.

Name things that are gold or golden.

Name as many ways as you can to use water.

Name things that fly.

Pretend that you are a storybook character, what would you say? Example: "Grandmother, what big eyes you have."

Flexibility

The ability to think in many different directions.
To practice the skill of being flexible, try this activity that allows you to produce a variety of ideas. When you are flexible, you are coming up with as many different categories as you can. You can do this by yourself or invite your teacher to do it with your whole class.

"Bountiful Bubbles" was written by Beth Brubaker and Diane Rowen Garmire, Synergetics Publications. They granted us permission to print their activity from their book, Inventing for Kids, c1992.

"Bountiful Bubbles" Preparation:

One piece of wrapped, rectangular bubble gum for each student;
Have the students use a piece of paper folded in half to record their answers. Call it the "Bubble Record Sheet".

Objective:

The student will list at least 10 brainstormed ideas and demonstrate 3 examples of the use of flexibility.

Exploration:

Review flexibility as a tool to enhance creativity by thinking in many different directions.
Explain to students that they need to be mentally flexible in the following activity.

Activity:

Pass out one piece of bubble gum to each student.
Instruct students not to put the gum into their mouths, although they may unwrap it.
This activity may be done orally, as a group, or by having each individual brainstorm on the "Bubble Record Sheet".
Holding the piece of gum, ask, "What else can this be used for?" (ex: to plug a hole)
Encourage fluency
Now SCAMPER, but no chewing yet.
Each time an idea changes direction; that's being flexible.
Now have student's chew the gum. "What can it be used for now?" (ex: hold papers together instead of using paper clips)
When you're finished, dispose of the gum carefully.

Extension:

On a piece of paper, draw a new wrapper for your new improved bubble gum, especially now that it has new uses.
That's being flexible, original and elaborate.

Fluency and Flexibility	Teamwork
SCAMPER	Elaboration
Originality	Beyond

Home

Fluency Prompt	Score: per 3 minutes	Change: Yes/ No/Same
Name things you look through.
Name things that are fast.
Name things that open and close.
Name different kinds of bars.
Name as many things as you can that jump.
Name things that are gold or golden.
Name as many ways as you can to use water.
Name things that fly.
Pretend that you are a storybook character, what would you say? Example: "Grandmother, what big eyes you have."