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  EDline Vol. 7, no. 74     (5 March 2002)

  Editorial mailing list (digest version)
  Published by the Electric Editors
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  Contents:

         Q & A
  [2tc]  'Brainstorming': usage in educational circles

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---[2]-- Q & A --------------------------------------------------


** [2tc] 'Brainstorming': usage in educational circles

         Date: Fri, 1 Mar 2002
         From: Judith Willson, judith_willson@mancat.ac.uk

I work in an organisation that produces learning materials, and
we are rightly careful to use non discriminatory, inclusive
language. One of my editors has just been sent a technical
reader's report which notes that it is no longer considered
acceptable in educational circles to use the term 'to brainstorm'
or 'brainstorming', as it has associations with epilepsy and
mental illness. The preferred alternative is apparently 'to
wordstorm', which seems to me to be an invented word that is
neither meaningful nor generally recognised.

Has anyone else come across this? I would argue that, unlike,
say, the thoughtless use of a term like 'schizophrenic' to mean
'in two minds', which belittles a serious condition, the
association in this case between a not particularly scientific
word for neurological disturbance and an activity to stimulate
new ideas has become far too loose to be significant. And, what's
more, the 'storm' that originally suggested disturbance has been
creatively transformed into a 'storm' that implies 'taking by
storm' - a military rather than medical metaphor. But is there an
interest group that feels strongly about the term?


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         Date: Fri, 1 Mar 2002
         From: Ros Woodward, Ros.Woodward@btinternet.com

I know a teacher at my younger daughter's school recently told
the pupils not to use 'brainstorm'. Personally, though, I don't
think I've ever heard it used in relation to epilepsy. I think I
would play safe and not use it.


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         Date: Fri, 1 Mar 2002
         From: Ann Kellett, akellett@tamu.edu

Even more intriguing is the question of how one inspires
inanimate materials to undertake learning!


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