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  EDline Vol. 7, no. 80     (13 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: Sun, 10 March 2002
         From: Elizabeth Murphy, emmurphy@ozemail.com.au

This seems like a storm in a teacup to me. The English language
moves on, and we might as well move along with it. The Macquarie
Dictionary gives two definitions of interest: (1) brainstorm --
n. a sudden violent attack or mental disturbance; a sudden
inspiration, idea etc; and (2) brainstorming -- n. a technique in
which a group meets in order to stimulate creative thinking,
develop new ideas, etc.

Nowhere does it give 'brainstorm' as a verb, and yet I and most
of my colleagues in training circles in Canberra would have no
problem with a sentence like 'Let's brainstorm that idea and see
what we get'. I actually can't get comfortable with
'brainstorming' as a noun because I can't manage to put an
article in front of it. Rather than 'We had a brainstorming', I'd
say 'We brainstormed it'.

In my experience, brainstorming [gerund, verbal noun to me] is a
process whereby a group gets together to focus on a single topic
and, without any restrictive rules, calls out or writes down
ideas related to the topic in any order at all. These ideas are
then sorted out and a document written as a result. A good way to
overcome 'writer's block', even when done alone. Another way of
developing ideas is 'mindmapping'.


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         Date: Mon, 11 March 2002
         From: Miranda Carr, miranda.carr@wdebroe.com

Apparently the politically correct term for brainstorm is
'thought shower'.


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