Parking Lots (A Tool for Teachers/Facilitators)

Vehicles parked in a field, forming an unmarked parking lot

The first time I heard of the parking lot idea was as a student in Dr. April Terry's Mental Health First Aid class at Fort Hays State University. It was during the face-to-face component of that class. Whenever someone wanted to know more about a topic that was unrelated to the one currently being discussed, that topic was written on a large sticky-note easel pad. Time permitting, we returned to those ideas at the end of the discussion or day. What a great tool for educators or facilitators to allow a participant to be heard but not derail your planned session, risking not covering important learning objectives.

Why the term parking lot? Well I'm not sure of its origins but I think of the process as leaving my thoughts "parked" in an unmarked parking lot. I can rearrange the lot, take some ideas for a drive (try them on, think more about them), later.

While working, I may record thoughts unrelated to the task at hand so that I can reference them later but remain focused in the present on my work task. In this way it's an unplanned, sporadic series of brain dumps.