TRIZ Textbooks:  CID Course for Children, 2-2G5
Topic 5.  Problem Solving Topic 6.  Project "Ideal City"
Fantasy City: Course of Creative Imagination Development (CID),  2nd Grade, 2nd Semester, Methodical Guide-Book
Natalia V. Rubina, 1999 [published in Russian] English translation by Irina Dolina, May 4, 2001 Technical Editing by Toru Nakagawa, Sept. 3, 2001
Posted in this "TRIZ Home Page in Japan" in English on Sept. 11, 2001 under the permission of the Author. (C) N.V. Rubina, I. Dolina, and T. Nakagawa 2001

CID Course Top

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Topic 5

Topic 6 Lesson1

Topic 6 Lesson 2

References

Workbook of this chapter

Workbook  Supplements

Workbook

1.  Warm up

“Card index to the CID lesson for the second grade, part 2”.

2-3 most interesting cards.

If ……………………………………………………………,
then  (+) …………………………………………………….,
but  (–)  ……………………………………………………..

 ………………………………must be …………………………..,
          in order to……………………………………..,
 and must be not ……………………………………….,
         in order to ...............................................................

................... by itself ............................................................

................... resources ............................................................
..................................................................................................

     If the knives are not of good quality (for example, are easily broken), then (+)  the home-makers will buy more knives, but (–) the prestige of the company will suffer.
     The knives should be “unnoticeably” wasted more often.
     To solve this problem, it is necessary to investigate thoroughly the resources of the nearest super-system.  What should a knife resemble to be thrown away with garbage?  These might potato peelings, for example.  It was suggested that the handle of a knife should have the color of potato peelings.  Naturally, in this case the quality of knives was ideal.  The demand for this company’s knife has increased.

     In “Workbook on CID for the second grade, part 2” contains the forms that are supposed to be filled in the course of problem solving.  The forms help, first, to organize the work of the children in accordance with problem solving.  And second, they solve the problem of children’s resent, as they use to say, to “write too much”.  Some problems are being solved after the correct articulation of the physical contradiction or IFR.  If the kids suggest the correct articulation of a method needed in this case, it is not necessary to insist on their registering all the other points, but it’s better to review them orally.
     In ”Card index to the CID lessons for the second grade, part 2” there is a selection of the problems, necessary for the work in class.
     This work may be conducted in various forms.  Sometimes it is very good if the kids work in a group and solve a problem together, helping each other.  The work may be organized in such a way that every student, having solved the problem in a group, is asked to explain how to solve this problem to the students of some other group.  Thus, all the kids participate actively in solving the problem and in discussing in detail the methods of the solution.

5.  Psycho-technical and developing games

     Creative problem, solving with the help of TRIZ methods, requires the concentrated brainwork.  The children undoubtedly receive positive emotions as they successfully apply their knowledge to solving the difficult problems.  This maintains the stable interest for their work.  However, even the most interesting but concentrated work inevitably leads to tiredness.  The psycho-technical activity, you choose, should give the children an opportunity to relax, to rest and to have a good laugh.

7.  Sum up

Homework
     The problems from “Card index to the CID lessons for the second grade, part 2”

Workbook

Lesson 1

1.  Warm up

“Card index to the CID lessons for the second grade, part 2”.

Discussing the problems.

The most recent news from the city P.

     Lets try to find and solve the problems emerging in different city systems.

     The work on the project “Ideal Desk” presented us with an opportunity to see what interesting results the knowledge about the regularities of technical systems development may give for predicting this development.  At the first lesson on “Fantasy City” course we discussed the problem about “the city wall”.  This problem is a demonstrative example of the development of the social-technical system along the path of arising and solving contradictions.
     The project “Ideal City” is a continuation of our study of predicting methods on the TRIZ basis.  The elementary school students’ work on a research project naturally can not claim to be a deep academic research.  It is important that the children from their early childhood should master the skills of research, because besides general development of thinking these skills are necessary for further successful work.  In the commentaries to this topic the material from M. Rubin’s article “Predicting on the TRIZ basis” was used.
     “Any invention may be considered as a prediction.  For example, K. E. Tsiolkovsky created a complex of inventions: space ships, systems of life support in space, orbital stations.  Decades had to pass before these ideas were realized.  Actually the process of technical inventing and making qualified predictions differs only by the sphere where the problems are being considered and by the resources which can be used for solving these problems.  The methodical basis for solving technical problems and the methodical basis for making qualified predictions are the same.
     The systems that surround us (technical, natural, social, economic and others) develop according to the dialectical laws.  TRIZ identified fundamental mechanisms of this development, main of which are:

solving contradictions that a system contains;

systems’ aspiration to Ideality (obtaining the maximum use with minimum costs).

     Both the social and the technical systems develop through arising and overcoming contradictions.  For example in the sport, the Olympic movement started as an instrument against waging wars.  In the course of time inside the sport and the Olympic movement arise contradictions.  The sport from an instrument of developing a man turns into a system that threatens a man’s health.  The Olympic movement from an ideology of peace turns into an instrument of political games and monopolies.  Suffice it to recollect the Olympic Games in Germany before World War II, opened by A. Hitler.  At this point a contradiction has appeared: the sport must have a mass character to contribute to the physical development of the people and it must have a strictly professional character to manifest the high results.  The health of the public sport is becoming more and more difficult by combining with doping and other tricks of the professional sportsmen. Obviously, the solution of this contradiction is likely to bring a break between the sport and the physical culture.  Recently, the professional sportsmen have been allowed to participate in the Olympic Games, and the members of the Olympic Games Committee have been bribed.
     Health and not sport must become one of the main priorities of the coming civilization.  Undoubtedly, a more thorough prognosis requires a more detailed analysis of the trends existing in sport and society in general.
     Functioning of the law of the system development toward solving arising contradictions is clearly manifested in the social-technical systems.  For example, in the development of such a popular system as a clock, that was invented during the time of our civilization, we may single out several fundamental contradictions.  One of them refers to exactness.  This requirement is in conflict, for example, with their transportation: sun-dial, water clock, sand clock, fire clock, pendulum-clock are very difficult to transport.  However, the invention of portable clocks was necessary not only for comfort, it was extremely important for geographical discoveries – navigators could find their way in the sea only with the help of chronometer.  Thus, the spring clock, invented by Guiggens, D. Harrison and others, appeared.
     The exactness of a clock has come into contradiction with its cost and difficulties of producing.  For example, in a mechanical clock many devices were suggested to compensate for the temperature fluctuations, damp and atmosphere changes.  There were also the clocks, placed under a glass top in vacuum.  In modern electronic clocks these contradictions have been solved, the exactness of the clock combines with its mobility and simplicity.
     The very important thing in the clock development is a tendency towards an ideal system (maximum functions with minimum costs), towards maximum use of the resources.  For example, striving for miniaturization, combination of various functions, based on one device, is obvious.  It is difficult to enumerate all systems that the clock “joined”: musical boxes, sculptures, calendars, computers, telephones, radios, televisions, pendents, bracelets and many others.
     Just as the properties of the nucleus and the electron in the atom provide for the regularities of the Mendeleev’s table, overcoming the contradictions and striving for ideality in a social-technical system gives rise to general regularities in the development of the systems.  For example, the regularity in the clock development, dealing with the transformation from using uncontrolled fields (sun-light, gravitation) to the easily controlled fields (electromagnetic, electric and others) is obviously being traced.  One more regularity is a transition into super-systems.  Instead of the clock, we use now the whole system of notification – exact time service, television and radio, telephones and computers.

    One more contradiction, which may be singled out in the course of clock development, is connected with its use: the clock of individual use and community use.  The first clock, for example, was used by a community.  The history of many cities is closely connected with the city clock.  It’s common knowledge, for example, that when the Ruan tower clock, after nearly two centuries, suddenly stopped in 1572 and didn’t strike time any more, the whole city was perturbed.
     Systems of community use in their development become systems of individual use.  Then the systems of community-individual use arise.  They combine the advantages of both of them: each user gets maximum comfort with minimum use of the resources.  Such regularity can be traced not only in the example of clock developing, but in the example of developing computers, automobiles and lots of other systems.
     An important trend in the development of the clock is the transition from the natural systems to the artificial ones.  For example, in Ancient Egypt day and night had the same amount of hours, but during a year the length of an hour during the day and  night changed in such a way that they corresponded to the moment of the sunrise and the sunset.  According to this, amendments were introduced into the time, the length of night prayers in the temples was being changed.  The length of an hour depended on the length of a day.  At present the world time service is not guided by the sun or the stars, but by a special time standard, created by the man.  We are not surprised, for example, by the fact that the scientists can introduce amendments into a current calendar year (it happened on January, 1999).
    The example of the clock development makes it possible to see the whole galaxy of regularities in the development of the systems.  The knowledge of such regularities helps to predict the development of social-technical systems”.

     In “Workbook on CID for the second grade” there are patterns of project presentation.

     Automobile.

     What is an automobile is necessary for?

_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________

Point out the main functions of an automobile, its sub-systems and their properties, necessary for performing these functions.

     Which contradictions are there in an automobile?

_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________

     On the bases of the given functions and properties that provide their performance articulate the physical contradictions.

_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________

      Articulate IFR for each contradiction, using the rules of ideality.

     Resources for solution.

_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________

Point out which resources there are for solution, having in mind that an automobile is a part of a super-system of city transport.

6.  Activities on speech developing or designing a creative product
 

Make a picture of a new automobile.

7.  Sum up

Homework
     Find in the city newspapers any information about the inventions that have been made in our city recently.  Write it down on a card in the end of the Workbook.
 

     This assignment is not easy for elementary school students.  What kind of information may be suitable for you?  An interesting contest, an exhibition, nature observation, animal observation, all kinds of interesting devices dealing with housing, gardening and planting, an interesting advertisement and so on.

Workbook

Lesson 2

1.  Warm up

“Card index to the CID lessons for the second grade, part  2”

The examples of inventions from the newspapers.

Would you like to get into the city of your dream?

    Today we are going to Fantasy City.
     Try to organize your work in such a way that the children should be deeply involved into the atmosphere of the creativity.  Activate all the channels of perception with the help of this diagram:

I see …
I hear …
I feel …

     If you arrange your instructions in accordance with this diagram, you will be able to involve in the work the kids with different skills of perception and to help them to build mentally a very bright picture of a dream-city.  The music may be very helpful.
     In “Card index for the second grade, part 2” you will find possible ways of conducting this training.

6.  Activities on speech developing or designing a creative product
 

Draw a picture of an Ideal city.

Workbook

References
 

1. Altov, G.: "And Suddenly The Inventor Appeared",  Moscow, “Detskaya Literatura” 1989.

 
2. Altshuller, G. S.: "To Find An Idea", Novosibirsk, "Nauka", 1991.

 
3. Granovskaya, R. M.: "Elements of Practical Psychology", Sankt-Petersburg, Publishing House,  "Svet", 1997.

 
4. Grinder and Bendler: "From a Frog into a Princess",  (Neuro-linguistic programming)

 
5. Petrusinsky, V. V. (ed.): "Games: Educating, Training, Recreation", Moscow,  "Novaya shkola", 1994.

 
6. Murashewska, I. N. and Nesterenko, A. A.: Seminar Papers, 1994-1995.

 
7. Murashewska I. N.:  "When I Become a Magician", Poznanie: issue No. 5- Riga, 1993

 
8. Rubin, M. S.:  Articles.

 
9. Rubina, N. V.:  "Program of CID Course for the Elementary School", Petrozavodsk, 1996.

 
10. Rubina, N. V.:  "Workbook on CID (Creative Imagination Development) for the Second Grade (second semester)", Petrozavodsk, 1998.

 
11. Altshuller, G. S. (ed.): "Theory and Practice of Solving Creative Problems", Gorkii, 1976.

[See  Supplements at the end of the Workbook  ]

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Topic 6 Lesson1

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References

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Last updated on Sept. 11, 2001.     Access point:  Editor: nakagawa@utc.osaka-gu.ac.jp