I’m working to solve my professional problem for design, which is that my students are not able to effectively explore course concepts making it difficult for them to retain content and perform correct dental charting on their quiz and final exam. To help postulate ideas, I took some time to brainstorm and incubate. During brainstorming I created a list of potential solutions or ideas that might help address my problem. My brainstorming list can be found in this shared Google Doc. This brainstorming task took quite a bit of brain power, as I tried to jot down as many thoughts and ideas as I could. I then walked away from my list to let it ruminate and give my brain a break.
Incubation takes less brain power. With incubation, one steps away from the work and performs a task to ease the mind. I sat on my couch, looked out the window, and watched the world go by while I thought. Honestly, I wasn’t able to turn off the fact that this was an activity I was performing. I kept thinking of my list, but I did think of issues differently. With incubation, after resting the brain, one resumes the task and is said to think even more creatively. The additions to my list after incubation can be seen as green comments in the same Google Doc.
I was able to think of this problem in a different light and then focus ideas in a more rudimentary way. But, I can’t say that this intended brainstorming and incubation task led to any huge breakthrough ideas or moments. For increased success, frequent intentional incubation periods could be added when my brain feels overloaded. For example, if I’m searching for an activity or educational experience to deliver content, I could step away from my office and talk a walk around the building or campus. I also think this technique for idea generation would be a great suggestion to students when they are feeling overwhelmed with the amount of content they’re required to remember for their classes.
Reference:
(2016). Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/photos/idea-light-bulb-enlightenment-1289871/.
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