Challenge:
Create something unique with two elements. One black circle and one white piece of paper.
You may use tape, scissors and coloured pencils and will have 20 minutes to complete. If three people see a horse in a field and are then asked to draw it, no picture will be the same. Our visual input is different. Unique. While none of these pictures would be the same, it is important to appreciate the diversity in each one.
In my lesson today, I gave each pupil two elements. One black circle and one white piece of paper. Using nothing other than pencils, tape and scissors, the task is to transform the elements into something unique and exceptional. I watched as 10 pupils all made very different things. The conversations between them wonderful. Not once, did any pupil become distracted from the task. Many of the pupils used flexible thinking as they adapted their projects as they went along. One pupil made a reindeer. Another called her project 'Patience' as she felt that it took a lot of this to complete! A pupil made a beautiful moonlit scene by cutting out the black and letting the white show through. There was an object that could be a shoe, hat, dinosaur foot and more. I love the fluency in thinking of so many useful ideas for one object! One pupil made an optical illusion with coloured stripes and using the black circle as a removable flap.
Year after year I have facilitated this lesson, and year after year I am amazed at the creativity displayed in each project. At the end of the lesson, each pupil gave a demonstration of their project and we all celebrated the unique ideas that were shared. Along with sharing the project, I asked each pupil to complete the sentence.... I use creativity when I.... This was a great way to reflect on the importance of divergent thinking!
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