Edward de Bono’s Thinking Hats

An approach to enhancing creativity and critical thinking in formative peer

feedback

Yasmin Kulasi Claude Littner Business School

Our students…

h"ps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2P6MCosNv4

Outline

•  ImportanceofcriDcalthinking

•  ParallelThinking

•  deBono’sSixThinkingHats

•  PracDcalacDviDes

CriDcalThinkinginanutshell

•  CriDcalthinkingisacDvenotpassive•  CriDcalthinkinginvolvessolvingproblems

•  CriDcalthinkingisnotnegaDve•  Psychologicalhabits•  CriDcalthinkingmustbeexplicitlytaught(Pohl,1997;VanGelder,2005)

Employerswant…

•  EmoDonallymatureemployees

•  CollaboraDve/creaDve

•  DealwithambiguiDes

•  Solveproblems/resolveconflicts

•  Clearlycommunicate

(Kuruczleki,2016)

ParallelThinking(deBono,1985)

Traditional vs. Parallel Thinking

•  Argument/adversarial thinking

•  Partial exploration of subject/problem

•  Concerned with ‘what is’ •  Involves analysis/judgement/

argument •  Thinks about too many

aspects/things at a time

•  Open-ended thinking •  Full exploration of subject/

problem •  Concerned with ‘what can

be’ •  Involves constructive/

creative thinking and designing a way forward

•  Deal with only one aspect at a time

Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats

•  A method based on concept of parallel thinking

•  Six different colour imaginary hats that can be put on/taken off

•  Hat colour identifies type/direction of thinking •  The main idea is to have the the group wear

only one hat a time

SixThinkingHats

AcDvity1–ShouldtherebestricterregulaDontodealwiththe(mis)useofsocialmediaamong

youngpeople?

h"ps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/educaDon-48692953

AcDvity1(4-5mins)–ShouldtherebestricterregulaDontodealwiththe(mis)useofsocial

mediaamongyoungpeople?

•  Pleasetakehandout3andacolouredcard•  Handout3alsoavailableonBBCsiteh"ps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/educaDon-48692953

•  Pleaseread/researchandthendiscusstheaboveissuewithyourgroupusingthedirecDonofthecolouredcarde.g.Blackcardtableshouldonlybediscussingthelogical,cauDous,negaDveaspectsonly(takebriefnotes)

AcDvity2(5-6mins)

•  Bluecardholderspleasegotodifferenttableswithyourcardandplaceontable

(Onebluecardateachtable)•  Allothercardholdersdothesameandputcardontable

•  Eachtableshouldhaveamixofallthecolouredcards

•  Bluecardtoleadthenewdiscussionandtheorderofcolours.

UsingAcDvity3forpeerfeedback

•  Give/allowstudentstoselecta‘realworld’problemtothinkthroughusingthehats

•  StudentsdiscussandcapturetheirresponsesinwriDng(possiblybluehatdoesthis)

•  Studentspresenttheirideastopeers(anothergroup/wholeclass)

•  PeersusethethinkinghatstoprovidefeedbacktothepresenDnggroup

AcDvity3-Howcanwechangethefastfashionhabittomakethefashionindustry

moresustainable?

h"ps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A08egKEQ5-c

AcDvity3(7-8mins)•  Asetofhatspertable•  Startwiththebluehat•  BluehattodecidetheDmeforthinkingandsequenceofhatsfordiscussion

•  Notallhatshavetobediscussedifyoudon’tthinktheyarerelevanttoyourdiscussion

Feedback

•  Ausefulmethodofdevelopingthinkingskills?•  AgoodwaytostructurecollaboraDveworkingandpeerfeedback?

•  UsefulinyourteachingpracDce?

Benefits of Six Thinking Hats Method

•  FostercollaboraDvethinking•  Focusedthinking•  ImprovedexploraDon•  improvedcreaDvityandinnovaDon•  Helpspeopleworkagainsttype,preference•  Providesacommonlanguage•  Removalofegofromdecisions(reduceconfrontaDons)•  Allowsaswitchinthinkingwithoutthreateningego

Yasmin.kulasi@uwl.ac.uk

ReferencesBlythman, M., Orr, S. & Blair, B. (2007) Critiquing the crit. Available at: URL: www.adm.heacademy.ac.uk/projects/adm-hea-projects/learning-and-teachingprojects/critiquing-the-crit [Accessed 2 July 2010] de Bono, E. (1985) Six thinking hats: An essential approach to business management. New York: Little, Brown, & Company de Bono, E. (1999) Six thinking hats. New York: Little, Brown & Company Grove-White, A., (2011) AllintheSameDirecDon,AllattheSameTimeAnApproachtoEnhancingCreaDvity.CollectedEssaysonLearningandTeaching,Vol4DOI:h"ps://doi.org/10.22329/celt.v4i0.3264 Kivunja, C., (2015) Using de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats Model to Teach Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills Essential for Success in the 21st Century Economy. Creative Education, 6 380-391. http.//dx.doi.org/10.4236/ce.2015.63037 Kuruczleki, E., Pelle, A., Laczi, R. & Fekete, B. (2016) The readiness of the European Union to embrace the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Management. Vol. 11(4): 327-347 Mill, J., (1988) Six Thinking Hats: An Exercise to Combat Confusion and Develop Thinking Skills. Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Exercises, Volume 15 1988. Rittel, H.W.J. & Webber, M.M. (1973) Dilemmas in a general theory of planning. Policy Sciences, 4(2):155-169 Van Gelder, T. (2005). Teaching Critical Thinking: Some Lessons from Cognitive Science. College Teaching, 53(1), 41-46.