“Thinking Outside the Box” ~ A Lesson (3rd -8th)

It’s been around for decades and is still used frequently in business and education, but many people can’t really articulate the meaning of the phrase “thinking outside the box,” and some wonder if it should be reframed. In GT classes, lateral thinking is often a key curricular component introduced in early grades (see Six-Hat Thinking), so this lesson about the origin and use of the phrase might help clarify its meaning for students.

Here is how I introduced the lesson, along with a few activities you can use to elaborate on the concept.

LESSON INTRODUCTION ~ (3rd – 8th)

Without any introductory explanation, present students with the “Nine-Dot Puzzle.“ I would modify the instructions, however, to say “with no more than four straight lines.” As you pass it out, make one request: “If you’ve seen this puzzle before, please go ahead and solve it, but keep your paper hidden from view.” You can add that there is more than one solution to the puzzle, so students who know how to solve it one way can try to find a second or third solution. You can privately share with them that one involves rolling the paper!

Allow time for students to work on finding solutions, and after a period of time, share them. This article includes solutions as well as the history of the puzzle.

Ask students if they’ve heard the phrase “thinking outside the box.” Discuss the context and what they think the phrase means. Explain that the origin is unknown, but a popular belief is that the phrase originated from the Nine-Dot Puzzle. Depending on the age of the students, you might want to ask them if they can articulate why the two would be connected or elaborate on other possible origins. You may want to share the first two minutes of this video or the definitions and examples here. In my view, “thinking outside the box” definitely implies making connections that are unconventional and looking beyond the obvious.

ACTIVITIES

(1) JIGSAW PUZZLE CHALLENGE – For this activity, you need a set of four or more 24-48 piece jigsaw puzzles that are similar in color or theme such as these. Your students will be divided into groups of 3 – 5, and each group will be solving a puzzle. Prior to class, put the puzzle pieces of each puzzle into separate quart-sized baggies or other containers and label the bags as Puzzle #1, Puzzle #2, Puzzle #3, and Puzzle #4. THEN, remove a few pieces from each puzzle and put them into one of the other puzzle bags so that each bag will have mostly correct pieces, but also pieces that belong in another puzzle. Students won’t easily notice this has been done if you use puzzles with the same theme or color scheme.

Introduce the activity by telling students that the puzzles will give them clues related to a concept or activity from class. Then, give each group a baggy of puzzle pieces and have the groups work at separate tables to solve their puzzles. Note: If you use the puzzle pack shown here, do not pass out the border trays for the puzzles.

It’s fun to watch the students work, thinking the finished puzzle will lead to something, and then see them become frustrated as they can’t complete it. When they raised their hands for help, I would tell them I was certain all the puzzle pieces needed for the four puzzles were on the desks – I had triple-checked. Eventually, they figure out what’s been done and begin moving from table to table seeking the pieces they are missing. After this activity, I tell them they’ve participated in “thinking outside the desk.”

A brilliant friend and colleague, Tara Wiatreck, shared this idea with me. When we were planning buddies, Tara came up with this as a first-day-of-GT activity to introduce the theme of SYSTEMS. The puzzle pieces were a heap until put together to make a system, the completed image. It does also perfectly demonstrate “thinking outside the box” and the concept of a “paradigm shift.”

(2) JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS – This is a slide show I created several years ago to introduce or reinforce the skill of drawing conclusions in a fun way for 4th graders. It also works well as a demonstration of “out of the box” thinking for any age. The slide show (TPT-$2.00) presents two stories that intentionally lead students to draw the wrong conclusions about what is happening. The first story ending usually catches students by surprise, but they are wiser and definitely “thinking outside the box” as the second story is presented.

(3) H.O.T. QUESTIONS– I don’t know the origin of these three questions, but these and others were part of “Higher-Order Thinking” weekly challenges presented during morning announcements at my school years ago. They are somewhat similar to forced analogies and other activities in synectics. These could be posted in your classroom and left up all year. There are no right and wrong answers, but they force us to be flexible and creative in our thinking. Possible answers: “Right is wrong when you’re driving on the right side of the road in London;” “Up is down when a leader’s time is up and he steps down;” “Heavy is light when something ‘heavy’- shocking news- comes to light.”

Other possible answers have been sent to subscribers and can be requested HERE.

(4) LATERAL THINKING PUZZLES– An internet search results in dozens of pages of lateral thinking puzzles for all ages. These differ from the questions above in that they usually have one correct answer. Determining a correct answer, however, requires unconventional thinking. This list of T.O.B. Questions also includes some great puzzlers, and if you can suggest others, please MESSAGE and I will add them to the list on this site.

(5) LITERARY LESSONS – Extended metaphors in poems and stories can also be used to demonstrate the idea of unconventional thinking, especially if students have read the piece only once and taken it completely literally. Rather than immediately revealing the metaphors, it’s fun to guide students into discovering them by asking questions. There are lesson examples in “Surprise Endings: Lessons with a Twist” and “Deeper Reading: Strategies for Comprehending Challenging Texts.”

Comments? Other classroom activities you can add to this? I encourage you to share them so that other teachers can benefit from your experience!