I start every semester with some kind of creativity “pump primers”. This year I started with summarizing Steven Johnson’s 2012 Wall Street Journal article, “The Genius of the Tinkerer”. (I put it on NowComment for my most adventurous students.)
I followed that up with James Altucher’s “The Ultimate Guide for Becoming an Idea Machine”. I wanted students to follow his advice generally and specifically. Generally, because it is always good to tap into his way of generating ideas. Specifically, because I want them to apply these creative principles to their research question.
I always lead the way in the class with my research question. This year I am asking, “How can my wife and I have a two week vacation from the farm?” I am quite passionate about finding an answer to this very personal question. Ken Macrorie calls these “I-Search” questions. His book, The I-Search Paper, is out of print but I still use it, pre-Internet sensibilities and all.
I asked my students to use Altucher’s machine method to help me come up with ideas as a class. I wrote down their suggestions and then recorded them (see embedded videos below). They will become part of the narrative I will tell as I re-tell for my readers the story of how I attempted to answer my I-Search question. I will work on this over the course of an entire semester. They will work on their questions as well.
Now my students begin to see the action of priming the pump. They also, I hope, begin to see that the network/community can be a part of the research process. You can crowdsource anyone at any time to help answer your research question. There is wisdom in crowds.
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Hi Terry. Keep sharing your ideas and thinking. I’ll keep looking and try to encourage others to do the same. Hope you get the vacation.
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Yours is the work of a true friend. Notice I didn’t say ‘digital friend’ 😉 I am very grateful. Sending your suggested link to a student who I think might be interested and will mention it in my classes on Monday. Again, u r the gr8est.
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In a “real-world” spin on this question. One of my brothers and his family transplanted from Alaska to the Big Island in Hawaii. They have a working farm, including crops, livestock, and a dog :-). I don’t know if it is as extensive as yours. Every summer, they return to Alaska and farm out their farm 🙂 to volunteers who are responsible for all the farm chores and in return have a home and access to all the wonders of Hawaii. This is the third or fourth year they have had this “program” going, and every year they have more takers than they need. They break the time up into segments of 3-4 weeks for each group that visits.
I chuckled about suggestion #9 in “Crowdsourcing #3.” Reminds me of Animal Farm.
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I am listening to any advice. I might want to forward some questions to them. Would you be my intermediary.
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Sure! Fire away!