Teaching divergent thinking can be challenging but the reward is enormous for students as well as teachers. It creates an atmosphere of trust, respect, and humility based on honesty, critical thinking and problem-solving. Divergence is a method used to generate creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions. This fosters independence in our students. It builds confidence, curiosity, and engagement in the classroom. The greatest gift teachers can give their students is the ability to teach and believe in themselves.
In the learning process divergent thinking often comes with conflict. But when this conflict is purposeful, relevant, and focused it leads to constructive debate. While divergent thinking leads the learner down many paths in search of many possible outcomes, convergent thinking follows a particular set of logical steps to arrive at one solution. Together they lead to a more balanced way of thinking. Often there is only one correct answer, however the journey to conclude the correct outcome leads the learner to a more deep and natural understanding of the content.
Constructive conflict occurs naturally when students are given a platform to share their ideas. When they are independent learners they discover their own truth and this truth when challenged can lead to debate and argument. But when we model productive, respectful dialogue and healthy deliberation students get more comfortable with being challenged. They begin to seek opportunities to justify their reasoning rather than presenting an answer. This is when true learning occurs, when constructive conflict becomes the norm.
How do we get this divergent, constructive thinking integrated into the classroom? By asking deeper more challenging, open-ended questions. Creating lessons around inquiry, examination of their surroundings, investigation of other peoples discoveries and opinions. By having active, authentic discussions about opinion versus fact, correlation versus causation. Leading students down a bumpy, barrier laden path where they have to traverse a myriad of points of view and falsehood. Where truth may not be present. This leads them to truly reflect and analyze their resources.
Ask students deeper questions: How do these different opinions mirror yours? Is their a right answer to this question? When the answer is not right in front of them and they have to climb, sink and detour to reach a conclusion, divergent thinking is taking place. When they ultimately discover what is meaningful to them they will be able to argue their findings. They will have ownership of their knowledge and they will be able, with modelling and experience, to constructively debate.
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