Skills Takeaway
The Puzzle Race Challenge is all about developing your creative thinking by breaking traditional thought processes. Psychologists talk about the theory of "Functional Fixedness" - the inability to utilise an object for something other than what it was originally intended for. More widely, however - and we can recognise, perhaps, in us - the tendency to become fixed or locked in "our" (singular; narrow) way of thinking; we cannot adapt to the demands or opportunities presented in new situations. These puzzles are designed to encourage creative thinking by breaking the traditional thought process.
Lessons:
1. To teach the value of persistence
2. To think differently
Reflection
After each challenge, students are invited to submit a reflection on their method and procedures relating to the challenge and their learning outcomes. Reflecting on the aspects of the experience will improve their learning and give them the chance to realise that every experience, every success and failure, offers a chance to learn, improve and develop. The best reflection receives an award, and will be posted beneath each challenge.
What do you think of when when you hear the words 'puzzle race'? "Great, let's go!" or "Oh no, what is Mr Boucher getting us into now?" I've never been particularly good at logical or creative thinking and for that matter, running. Things were not looking good.
At school we simply can't be taught everything and can often leave us with a very close mind, but if we all thought the same things, we would never advance. On www.institute.nhs.uk/ they aim to improve people thoughts and different perspectives on the world. They state: 'If we - the staff, clinicians, managers and leaders within the NHS, continue to think as we have always thought, we are likely to get the same results we have had before, regardless of the new structures and priorities that surround us.' We are faced with problems and challenges every day as a part of life and the most important aspect that this innovation challenge teaches us is how to over some of these minor set backs. This week's puzzle race has become to break the barrier that separates thinking and thinking differently. Puzzle #10, Heads and Tails, not only took time to figure the puzzle out, but to actually get the penny to stand up by itself proved even more of a task (I later realised that if you wedged the two other coins either side it was a lot simpler!). This took perseverance and patience but if I didn't continue to fail (like I did countless times) I would have never succeeded and gain that extra point for our team. This brings me onto the second lesson; persistence.
This innovation challenge taught me that if there is a problem, by definition, there must be a solution. It could be hidden in plain sight or something that requires a little more thinking. People tend to confuse difficult and impossible. Impossible means that it cannot be done like being able to lick your elbow (and yes, I have tried), whereas difficult only means it will require more time and concentration than usual. I found these puzzles difficult. To be able to think of 30 different ways to use a single brick for example, at first seemed impossible, but then when I realised the only way to solve this puzzle was to 'think outside the box' (I know, very cliché but it gets my point across) it immediately became a lot more interesting. From using it to draw 90° angles to a booster seat in a car and even to a projectile missile, we, as a team came up with almost 30 different ways to use a suddenly very exciting brick.
Despite not winning, I feel that if I'm ever faced with a challenging situation again, I will able to understand that if I continue with the very limited way of thinking I currently maintain, I can only come with an extremely limited amount of solutions to a problem with endless possibilities. As Einstein said: 'We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.'