Cumulative Brainstorming
Cumulative brainstorming encourages students to generate, critique, and build upon ideas collaboratively, fostering critical thinking and teamwork.
How It Works
- Write different issues, questions, or problems on large sheets of paper and post them around the classroom or set them up in shared digital documents.
- Divide students into small groups and assign each group to a different sheet of paper or topic.
- Groups brainstorm and jot down ideas for a few minutes before rotating to the next sheet. They can add new ideas, critique existing ones, or endorse an idea by marking it.
- Continue rotations until each group has contributed to all sheets.
- Groups return to their original sheet to synthesize and assess the ideas recorded. One member from each group shares insights with the entire class.
Example
In a marketing class, each sheet represents a product with a question like, “How can we improve customer engagement?” Groups add promotional strategies, critique feasibility, and highlight promising ideas during rotations.
Why It’s Effective
- Encourages collective problem-solving and critical thinking.
- Promotes peer-to-peer learning as students engage with and build on each other’s ideas.
- Helps students see different perspectives and approaches to a problem.
Adaptations
- Online: Use collaborative tools like Google Docs or Jamboard, where each group works on a different virtual “sheet.” Rotate groups to comment on or add to others’ contributions.
- Small Classes: Limit the topics to fewer sheets and allow more time for each group to develop their ideas fully.
- Synchronous or Asynchronous: In online courses, students can contribute asynchronously over a few days to accommodate varied schedules.
- STEM Focus: Use brainstorming for topics like troubleshooting lab techniques or generating hypotheses for a research question.
- Creative Disciplines: Apply it to generate themes for creative projects, such as storyboarding or concept design.
Cumulative brainstorming combines creativity with critical thinking, making it a versatile strategy for diverse disciplines and modalities.
Sources and Attribution
Primary Sources
This section is informed by and adapted from the following sources:
- University of Waterloo, Centre for Teaching Excellence. Active Learning Activities.
- Available at: Waterloo CTE
Use of AI in Section Development
This section was developed using a combination of existing research, expert-informed insights, and AI-assisted drafting. ChatGPT (OpenAI) was used to:
- Synthesize best practices for active learning strategies into a cohesive and accessible guide for instructors.
- Clarify approaches that promote student engagement, participation, and deeper learning.
- Enhance readability and coherence, ensuring that active learning techniques are both research-based and practically applicable in face-to-face and online classrooms.
While AI-assisted drafting provided a structured foundation, all final content was reviewed, revised, and contextualized to ensure accuracy, alignment with research, and pedagogical effectiveness. This section remains grounded in institutional best practices and respects Creative Commons licensing where applicable.
