Protocol Overview and Instructions: 
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Idea quota is an idea generating protocol where you simply set a time and set a quota of ideas that you would like students to generate.  The guideline for brainstorming is judgement free, that no idea is a bad idea, and to simply get as many ideas out on sticky notes.  Ideally, if you have sticky notes, students write one idea per sticky note so this protocol can be used with other solutions protocols, like affinity mapping.

Idea Quota Protocol Instructions

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Educator Thoughts:
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​I used Idea Quota when brainstorming topics we could write about for opinion writing.  My students often write the same opinion pieces year after year, so I decided to change it up this year with the Idea Quota protocol.  All students were given a stack of sticky notes and asked to write one strong opinion on each.  Our goal was to see which table group could come up with the most ideas in 5 minutes.  My kids LOVED it.  They came up with some really fun opinions that they enjoyed finding evidence to support later.  I think this protocol is a perfect way to start any writing unit.

"Asking students to come up with as many ideas as possible led them to some really unique ideas that they never would have chosen if just told to sit down and pick.  We were able to push past the obvious and usual, and get to some really personal, but strong ideas."

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Student Quote:
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​"I love using stickies.  Our group came up with so many ideas.  I even stole Lydia’s idea, but you said it was okay to steal."

Meet the Educator:

My name is Amanda Hawks and I am a 4th grade teacher at Alward Elementary in Hudsonville.  This is my 13th year of teaching.  I taught 7 years out in Baltimore, MD.  I started my teaching career at the middle school level, teaching 6th grade math.  I then was a math resource teacher for 2 years at the elementary level.  I then taught 4th grade one year before teaching 3rd grade for the next 3 years.  I moved to Michigan in 2016 and have been teaching 4th grade at Alward for the past 6 years.  I love the idea of Project Based Learning and am excited to find more ways to incorporate these protocols and projects into my classroom.

    "Project Based Learning allows students to learn material in more meaningful, hands-on ways, and opens up their creativity when demonstrating that learning."​​