Instructional Strategy

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY

Idea Funnel

Grade:

3-5, 6-8, 9-12, UNIV

Type:

Organize Thinking

20-30

Minutes

When:

Before reading

Materials:

Drawing supplies, Idea Funnel graphic organizer, poster paper, whiteboard or display, writing utensil

Description

The Idea Funnel strategy guides students in systematically brainstorming and refining ideas into a focused concept or plan. It fosters critical thinking, collaboration, and decision-making skills and adapts well to different group sizes and learning stages.

Procedure

Provide each student or group with an Idea Funnel graphic organizer. Explain the purpose of the organizer to students, emphasizing that it will support them through the process of brainstorming, discussing, organizing, and refining their ideas into a more focused concept or plan.

Ask students to independently brainstorm as many ideas as possible related to a given or chosen topic. Emphasize that there are no wrong answers at this stage and that quantity is key—no idea is too small.

Invite students to work in pairs or small groups to share, discuss, and expand on their ideas. Encourage students to share their thoughts, ask questions, and add new ideas based on their discussions.

Ask students to group their brainstormed ideas into similar themes or categories, by either physically moving ideas around on the organizer or listing them under thematic headers. Encourage students to look for patterns, overlaps, and connections among their ideas, which might help in merging, refining, or eliminating concepts.

Guide students to evaluate their grouped ideas and eliminate those that are less feasible, less impactful, or not aligned with the task’s objectives. To support students in this process, offer guiding questions to help them think critically about each idea’s viability and suitability.

How directly does this idea address the project’s objectives or solve the problem?

What resources are required for this idea, and are they accessible?

Which idea could have the greatest impact, and why?

What are the strengths and weaknesses of your top ideas?

Which idea excites you the most, and why?

Encourage students to continue narrowing down their choices until only one idea remains. This should be the idea they believe is the most executable, most impactful, and best aligned with the task objective or desired outcomes.

Ask students to prepare either a brief oral presentation or written summary explaining their idea choice, why they chose it, and how it aligns with the learning objectives or desired outcomes. Emphasize that the summary should also reflect on the decision-making process and the criteria used to make their final selection.

Differentiation

Idea Evaluation Checklist: As students narrow down their ideas using the graphic organizer, provide them with an evaluation criteria checklist to support their list refinement. A checklist offers a structured method for assessing and refining ideas, promoting independent and critical thinking, and ensuring that the decision-making process is consistent and thorough.

Counterargument Development: Encourage students to develop counterarguments to their ideas after grouping them but before refining them. By identifying and assessing potential weaknesses, students can anticipate challenges and consider alternative perspectives. This enhances their critical thinking and problem-solving skills, leading to more robust and defensible ideas through proactive reflection.

Variations

Reverse Idea Funnel: Following the initial narrowing of ideas, students expand these ideas creatively through “what-if” scenarios or imaginative variations to explore broader applications and implications of their refined concepts. By reimagining their ideas in different contexts or with altered constraints, students enhance their problem-solving and creative-thinking skills.

Instructional Strategy

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY

Idea Funnel

Description

Procedure

Differentiation

Variations

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