Lotus Blossom

Lotus Blossom is a creative and lateral thinking technique, it is a brainstorming tool for which a visual representation of an idea is used. The name of the technique is based on the image of the scheme used, evoking the lotus flower. Specifically, a board is created on which a central flower is drawn (My lotus blossom). In the centre of the flower is the problem and in the petals are the solutions, ideas and related concepts that come out from the creative group. Each petal then becomes the centre of a new flower for which the same creative process is carried out.

Lotus Blossom technique helps to turn insights into concepts and solutions, making connections that often lead to useful ideas that had not been thought of before in a virtuous circle, leading to new solutions. It is unique in allowing the ideas produced to be linked together, explored in depth further and given equal importance to each.

It helps to link the different thinking processes of the students required for problem solving with brainstorming sessions working on an easy-to-use scheme, understandable even by those who did not participate in the brainstorming session.
In the implementation of this technique, it is not required to take action regarding any different levels of student competence.

Step 1. Facilitator writes a realistic problem in the center of the scheme
Step 2. Facilitator divides students into teams and instructs them to write 8 ideas related to the problem in the 8 circles surrounding the center
Step 3. Every team takes each idea and makes that the center of a scheme. Then, repeat the process all over again.
Step 4. Once all your schemes are filled in, every team has 64 ideas for that problem.
For each idea every team ask himself the following:
−  Does it answer the initial problem?
−  Does it align with the project?
−  Does it align with the company vision?
Step 5. Every team examines and filters ideas according to priority. Could be used a SWOT analysis to assess the pros and cons of each solution or a value/effort matrix.
Step 6. Every team picks the top three ideas, as a final check, refer back to those three questions above, and make sure the answer is a resounding “yes”.

The following case study enable to teach creative techniques and inspire students to develop creative ideas in the imagination works.

It is important that the teacher can provide the specific discussion forms of creating steps for the creating creative and imaginative works at the observation and strategy level, offer the students opportunities of practices of convergent and divergent thinking on the creative imaginative works, induce students to elaborate their imagination, escape the existing framework for thinking, conduct panel discussion on creative cases and classroom sharing on creative projects with feedback and revise through the brainstorming among teachers and students in the instructional design steps, the more creating creative and imaginative works will be produced through the abilities of awareness, observation, strategy and reflection levels.

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