When and Where I Found It: This isn't my first encounter with this word but most recently I encountered it in Daniels, Zemelman, and Steineke's (2007) book Content-Area Writing. Throughout my schooling career I have been asked to brainstorm or have brainstormed on my own to get my thoughts and ideas together on a particular topic. Even in daily life I've brainstormed for many different reasons. Full Citation: Daniels, A., Zemelman, S., & Steineke, N. (2007). Content-area writing, every teacher's guide. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Educational Books.
What The Word Means: According to dictionary.com, brainstorming means:
What The Word Means: According to dictionary.com, brainstorming means:
noun
1. a conference technique of solving specific problems, amassing information, stimulating creative thinking, developing new ideas, etc., by unrestrained and spontaneous participation in discussion.
1. a conference technique of solving specific problems, amassing information, stimulating creative thinking, developing new ideas, etc., by unrestrained and spontaneous participation in discussion.
2. intensive discussion to solve problems or generate ideas
Level of Familiarity: As stated previously, I have a high level of familiarity with this term. When looking up the definition, one thing that supprised me is that brainstorming is considered a noun even though I always saw it as something one did rather rather than participated in. Hey! I guess you learn something new everyday! :)
Should I Know This Word? Absolutely! This word has been such a big part of my personal, professional and academic lives that it would be hard to imagine if I didn't know and use this word. As an educator, I think that I need to know this word well and practice it so that I can help my students to use this strategy in their academic and personal lives. As a future literacy specialist, I'm sure I will use the strategy to figure out professional problems and dilemas as well has help teachers and students use it in their classroom.
Should I Know This Word? Absolutely! This word has been such a big part of my personal, professional and academic lives that it would be hard to imagine if I didn't know and use this word. As an educator, I think that I need to know this word well and practice it so that I can help my students to use this strategy in their academic and personal lives. As a future literacy specialist, I'm sure I will use the strategy to figure out professional problems and dilemas as well has help teachers and students use it in their classroom.
Should Others Know This Word? Who and Why? I think that this is a great term to know no matter who you are because it is so useful in and aspect of your life! For example, as a person who participates in Christmas and birthdays, what can you get that special person?! This is when you brainstorm to come up with a list of ideas or possibilities. As a teacher, you can brainstorm the best way to help a struggling student. Literacy specialists use brainstorming also for the same reasons as anyone else would: to generate ideas and to solve problems!
Dana,
ReplyDeleteI too picked the term ‘brainstorming’ this week and created my own definition based on what I already knew about the term and the readings for this week. I read the definition you gathered from dictionary.com and I think it is very interesting that it is considered a noun as well. I just have always used it as more a verb, it is the action or activity the class is going to perform. I also really enjoyed the picture you provided with the actual brains storming and raining down!
-Jessie