Manipulationisthebrotherofcreativity.

~MichaelMichalko,Thinkertoys:AHandbookforCreativeThinkingTechniques

RATIONALE
Lookingforanewspinonanoldidea?
Tryingtofigureouthowtosolveaproblembyworkingsmarternotharder?
ThentheSCAMPERstrategymaybetheansweryouarelookingfortosparkyourown
creativity,andthecreativityofyourstudents.

SCAMPERisamnemonicacronymthatprovidesastructuredwaytoassiststudentsand
teacherswithunderstandingcreativeproblemsolvinganddevelopingextensionbuilding
activitiesbasedonpriorideasandprocesses(HaleEvans,2006).FirstproposedbyAlex
Osbornein1953,thisthinkingstrategywasfurtherdevelopedbyBobEberleandnotedinhis
1971book,SCAMPER:GamesforImaginationDevelopment.Eberlestatesthatmuchasthe
wordscampersuggestsrunningplayfullyaboutasachild,thestrategySCAMPERmayalso
evoketheneedtorunplayfullyaboutinonesmindinsearchofideas(Eberle,1984).

Whyiscreativeproblemsolvingusefultoteach?Assistingourselvesandourstudentstobe
creativeandcriticalthinkersarekeygoalsofanyteacherorschool.Yet,youmayask,whyis
SCAMPERsouseful?Creativeproblemsolvingstrategiesinvolveasystem,amethod,aplanfor
dealingwithperplexingsituations(Erberle,1984).TheSCAMPERtechniqueoffersasystematic
andpracticalwaytostimulatedivergentthinking,imagination,originality,andintuitionwhile
scaffoldingstudentscreativethinkingforindependentuseonothertasksandassignments.
(Glenn,1997)

HOWTOUSETHESTRATEGY

TheSCAMPERProcess

First,considerthetargetorchallenge.
Whatdoyouwanttochange,modify,orupdate?Thiscouldbesomethingyouhavecreated
yourselforsomethingthatwashasbeendiscoveredormadebysomeoneelse.Atargetcould
beanobject,anidea,aprocess,orjustaboutanythingthatyouwanttoupdate.
SCAMPERAcronym
Adapted(Michalko,2006)
EachofthelettersintheacronymSCAMPERstandsforastageintheprocess.Theyincludethe
followingelements:

Substitute Substitutionsisatrialanderrormethodwhereyou
S cantrythingsout,seeifitworks,thentry

somethingdifferent.
C Combine Combininginvolvessynthesis,theprocessof
combiningpreviousideasorthingstogetherto
createsomethingnew.
A Adapt Thinkaboutwhatisalreadyknownaboutthe

problemandhowothersaresolvingit.Become
awareoftheprocessothersareusing.
M Modify(also, Whenyoumodifyandaltersomething,youreflect
MagnifyorMinify) onwhatisneededtosupportandmakeitbetter,
greater,simpler,orevenmorecomplex.
Magnifyingwillconcentrateonmakingthings
bigger,thicker,stronger,ormoreintense.
Minifyingwillconcentrateonmakingslighter,
slower,lessfrequent,orreducedinsomecapacity.
P Puttootheruses Considerwaysthatthetargetcanbeusedother
thanoriginallyintended.
E Eliminate(also, Toremoveoromitpartorallofaparticularquality.
Elaborate) Ifusingelaborate,toaddmoredetails.
R Reverse(also, Whenusingreverse,focusontheoppositeor
Rearrange) contrarymeaning.Whenusingrearrange,consider
howthechangeoforderorsequencewouldaffect
thetargetorchallenge.

NextgothrougheachletteroftheSCAMPERacronymusinghelperquestions.
AskyourselfquestionsforeachSCAMPERletterinordertogainperspectiveandpracticein
creativethinking.

Mnemonic Meaning HelperQuestions

S Substitute WhatcanIsubstitute?
WhocanIsubstitute?
Whoelse?

C Combine
A Adapt
M Modify(also,Magnifyor
Minify)
P Puttootheruses
E Eliminate(also,Elaborate)
R Reverse(also,Rearrange)
Whatelse?
Whatotherplace?
Whatothertime,routine,orprocess?
Combinewhat?
Combineideas?
Combinepurposes?
Combinematerials?
Cananythingbeblendedorensemble?
Howistheproblemcurrentlysolved?
Howcanitbemademore
accommodating?
Howcanitbemorecompatible?
Howcanitbemoreconsistent?
Howcanthisbealteredforthebetter?
WhatcanImodify?
Modifycolor?
Modifyshape?
Changemotionorsound?
Changesize,form,ortaste?
Whatelsecanthisbeused?
Whatarethoseuses?
Whoelsecoulduseit?
Howwouldtheyuseit?
WhatshouldIaddortakeaway?
WhatshouldIsimplifyorenrich?
Shoulditbeplainorfancy?
HowcanIdothese?
Howwillthisaffectthetarget?
Whatotherarrangementsmightbe
better?
WhatwouldhappenifIflippedtheorder?
Rearrangedthesequence,layout,or
pattern?
Turneditoverorbackwards?

Reflection
UponcompletionofaSCAMPERactivity,takethetimetoreflectonwhathasbeen
accomplished.Youmaywanttowriteorjournalyourthoughtsandthinkaboutthechanges
thatweremadetotheoriginalproblemorchallenge.Notingspecificinstancesofcreative
thinkingcanprovideapowerfulunderstandinganduseofcriticalthinkingskills.

SCAMPEROrganizer

BlankTemplate

ElementaryExample

SecondaryExample

ASSESSMENT

EvaluatingyourownoryourstudentsSCAMPERorganizeristheperfectwaytoassessthe
understandingofnotonlytheuseofthestrategybutalsothedevelopmentcreativethinking
andproblemsolvingskills.WhileSCAMPERcanbetaughtexplicitly,teacherswillalsowantto
considerusingtheminthecombinationwithotherprojectsandactivitiestoincreaseafocuson
problemsolvingandinnovativethinking.

RESOURCES

S.C.A.M.P.E.R
http://www.slideshare.net/angelamaiers/scamper1217523
ThisSlideSharepresentationprovidesvisualstogoalongwiththeSCAMPERelements.

ICanBeAnInventor,Too!
http://utminers.utep.edu/kbolten/lessons/pdf/1st/soc_studies/1st_ss_inventor.pdf
Byparticipatingintheproblemsolvingprocessandcreatingtheirowninvention,studentswill
learnthatanyonewhohasanideaforanewproductcanbeaninventor.Thestudentswilluse
anotebooktorecordideasandacreativethinkingtechniquecalledS.C.A.M.P.E.R.

SCAMPERRandomQuestionTool
http://litemind.com/scampertool/
UsethistooltogetarandomSCAMPERquestiontosparknewideas.

SCAMPERMindMap
http://litemind.com/wpcontent/uploads/misc/litemindscamperreference.pdf
Thinkofitasahandyonepagereferenceyoucanusewheneveryouarestuckorjustneeda
kickstarttogetyourcreativejuicesflowing.

SCAMPER
http://creatingminds.org/tools/scamper.htm
TheauthorsofthissitegivedetailsonwhentousethestrategyofSCAMPER.

SCAMPER
http://wwwfp.education.tas.gov.au/English/scamper.htm
SCAMPERhelpsstudentsaskquestionsthatrequirethemtothink"beyondthelines"ofatext.
Assuch,ithelpsdeveloptheircriticalthinkingskillsandsupportstheminconstructingtheir
ownimaginativetexts.Itisausefulcooperativelearningtoolandagreatstimulusforroleplay.

REFERENCES

Eberle,B.(1984).Help!Insolvingproblemscreativelyathomeandschool.Carthage,IL:Good
Apple,Inc.

Glen,R.(1997).Scamperforstudentcreativity.EducationDigest,62(6),6768.
Michalko,M.(2006).ThinkerToys.Ahandbookofcreativethinkingtechniques.Berkeley,CA:
TenSpeedPress.