How can the Six Thinking Hats approach be incorporated within the subject areas of the New Zealand Curriculum?
The Six Thinking Hats is a powerful tool that facilitates communication, creativity and critical, reflective, evaluative as well as logical thinking within the classroom and other learning environments. It is for these reasons that de Bono's six hat method is national recognised in education. This thinking tool is utilised for teaching thinking within all content areas of the Curriculum.
De Bono suggests that the human brain functions and thinks in multiple ways. Therefore he recommends that users of his method should not place a higher demand on single hats, as they are all essential for developing critical, logical and functional human beings.
Relevant classroom examples of how de Bono's Six
Thinking Hats approach can develop thinking in different curriculum
areas are stated below:
De Bono suggests that the human brain functions and thinks in multiple ways. Therefore he recommends that users of his method should not place a higher demand on single hats, as they are all essential for developing critical, logical and functional human beings.
Relevant classroom examples of how de Bono's Six
Thinking Hats approach can develop thinking in different curriculum
areas are stated below:
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English
Listening, Reading, and Viewing- Speaking, Writing, and Presenting.
English is about communicating through language and text, so De Bono’s Thinking Hats can be used to help children think through multiple lenses about what they are doing in this subject area. Students can adopt any of the hats that are appropriate to critique examples of literacy. The teacher facilitates the students to engage in discussion where the students can critically analyse the text using the Six Thinking Hats.
The Yellow and Black Hats would have to be the most commonly used hats in the English subject area. The Yellow Hat enables students to think positively about language and texts and the benefits of their learning i.e. What is good about the text? What do they like about it? Whereas with the Black Hat, students can critically evaluate their work by asking - What difficulties did I encounter? What would I change? Are there any weaknesses in my writing? Students can also use the Yellow and Black Hats when communicating ideas using the "Think, Peer, Share" strategy.
Listening, Reading, and Viewing- Speaking, Writing, and Presenting.
English is about communicating through language and text, so De Bono’s Thinking Hats can be used to help children think through multiple lenses about what they are doing in this subject area. Students can adopt any of the hats that are appropriate to critique examples of literacy. The teacher facilitates the students to engage in discussion where the students can critically analyse the text using the Six Thinking Hats.
The Yellow and Black Hats would have to be the most commonly used hats in the English subject area. The Yellow Hat enables students to think positively about language and texts and the benefits of their learning i.e. What is good about the text? What do they like about it? Whereas with the Black Hat, students can critically evaluate their work by asking - What difficulties did I encounter? What would I change? Are there any weaknesses in my writing? Students can also use the Yellow and Black Hats when communicating ideas using the "Think, Peer, Share" strategy.
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Mathematics and Statistics
Number and Algebra, Geometry and Measurement and Statistics
De Bono’s Thinking Hats can be used to help students solve problems in mathematics with students having to ask themselves questions and work out answers. The Thinking Hats can be used to work out the best method to solve problems. The White Hat can be used to identify the facts and the Green Hat can be used as it draws on students' creativity skills. With the Green Hat on, students are able to ask themselves, “How can I solve this problem or what other possibilities are there to solve it, how can I think outside the square?”
Number and Algebra, Geometry and Measurement and Statistics
De Bono’s Thinking Hats can be used to help students solve problems in mathematics with students having to ask themselves questions and work out answers. The Thinking Hats can be used to work out the best method to solve problems. The White Hat can be used to identify the facts and the Green Hat can be used as it draws on students' creativity skills. With the Green Hat on, students are able to ask themselves, “How can I solve this problem or what other possibilities are there to solve it, how can I think outside the square?”
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The Arts
Dance, Drama, Music and Visual Arts
The arts area of the curriculum is all about creating and expressing yourself and your ideas through different mediums. The Green Thinking Hat is the perfect hat to wear for this subject area because it draws on students creative thinking skills by asking questions such as; “What if I did this?” Or “Can I think and create another way?” However, other hats could also come into play. The White Hat could be used for gathering information about the student’s chosen medium for expression and the Red Hat can be used for talking about the feelings behind the way students are expressing meaning.
Dance, Drama, Music and Visual Arts
The arts area of the curriculum is all about creating and expressing yourself and your ideas through different mediums. The Green Thinking Hat is the perfect hat to wear for this subject area because it draws on students creative thinking skills by asking questions such as; “What if I did this?” Or “Can I think and create another way?” However, other hats could also come into play. The White Hat could be used for gathering information about the student’s chosen medium for expression and the Red Hat can be used for talking about the feelings behind the way students are expressing meaning.
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Health and Physical Education
Health Education, Physical Education, Home Economics
This learning area could easily encompass all of the Thinking Hats. The Black and Red Hats could possibly be the most used. The Red Hat would be useful in helping students to verbalize their feelings and emotions and empathize with the feelings of others. The Black Hat would enable students to identify the negative aspects of decision making and how this can affect themselves and others. The Yellow Hat and Black Hat are also used in a feedback capacity explaining benefits and criticisms, for example, a student's sport performance.
Health Education, Physical Education, Home Economics
This learning area could easily encompass all of the Thinking Hats. The Black and Red Hats could possibly be the most used. The Red Hat would be useful in helping students to verbalize their feelings and emotions and empathize with the feelings of others. The Black Hat would enable students to identify the negative aspects of decision making and how this can affect themselves and others. The Yellow Hat and Black Hat are also used in a feedback capacity explaining benefits and criticisms, for example, a student's sport performance.
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Social Sciences
Identity, Culture and Organisation - Place and Environment - Continuity and Change - The Economic World
This thinking process is embedded in the Social Inquiry Overview and helps foster strong questioning skills in children. The Thinking Hats can be used to consider and evaluate effects of a decision from a number of different points of view as well as critically thinking about and analyse current or past events. Working in conjunction with the Overview model, students can adopt the White Hat to "find out information", the Red Hat to discuss their own or others' feelings by "exploring values and perspectives", the Yellow and Black Hats whilst "considering responses and decisions" the Blue and Green Hats during the "reflecting and evaluating" phase and lastly the Blue Hat to consider the "so what and the now what" and plan for further action.
Identity, Culture and Organisation - Place and Environment - Continuity and Change - The Economic World
This thinking process is embedded in the Social Inquiry Overview and helps foster strong questioning skills in children. The Thinking Hats can be used to consider and evaluate effects of a decision from a number of different points of view as well as critically thinking about and analyse current or past events. Working in conjunction with the Overview model, students can adopt the White Hat to "find out information", the Red Hat to discuss their own or others' feelings by "exploring values and perspectives", the Yellow and Black Hats whilst "considering responses and decisions" the Blue and Green Hats during the "reflecting and evaluating" phase and lastly the Blue Hat to consider the "so what and the now what" and plan for further action.
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Technology
Technology is based around students learning to be both discerning consumers and innovative producers. The Six Thinking Hats provide students with a framework to develop and use their technological knowledge and skills as well as critically evaluate the information from different perspectives. In the Technological Process Strand, students learn to consider concepts such as; ethics, legal requirements, and the needs of and potential impacts on stakeholders and the environment; within this strand, the Six Thinking Hats can be applied to illicit thinking and practices that are informed, critical, and creative.
Technology is based around students learning to be both discerning consumers and innovative producers. The Six Thinking Hats provide students with a framework to develop and use their technological knowledge and skills as well as critically evaluate the information from different perspectives. In the Technological Process Strand, students learn to consider concepts such as; ethics, legal requirements, and the needs of and potential impacts on stakeholders and the environment; within this strand, the Six Thinking Hats can be applied to illicit thinking and practices that are informed, critical, and creative.
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Science
Science is a way of investigating, understanding, and explaining. The Six Thinking Hats works in conjunction with this learning area. Each of the Thinking Hats can be employed to delve deeper into the thinking process that occurs throughout a scientific investigation and experience all six levels of thinking. For example in the Living World Strand the students could investigate the sustainability of New Zealand’s ecosystems and utilize the White Hat to identify the facts, the Red Hat to uncover people's feelings and attitudes towards the environment, the Yellow and Black Hats to list the pro's and cons of sustaining our ecosystems, the Green Hat to come up with innovative ideas and lastly the Blue Hat to reach a decision based on the information and data gathered during the investigation.
Science is a way of investigating, understanding, and explaining. The Six Thinking Hats works in conjunction with this learning area. Each of the Thinking Hats can be employed to delve deeper into the thinking process that occurs throughout a scientific investigation and experience all six levels of thinking. For example in the Living World Strand the students could investigate the sustainability of New Zealand’s ecosystems and utilize the White Hat to identify the facts, the Red Hat to uncover people's feelings and attitudes towards the environment, the Yellow and Black Hats to list the pro's and cons of sustaining our ecosystems, the Green Hat to come up with innovative ideas and lastly the Blue Hat to reach a decision based on the information and data gathered during the investigation.
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EOTC - Education Outside the Classroom
Out of the classroom learning experiences provide students with a range of experiences to develop key competencies, values and apply learning from across the curriculum areas by undertaking learning that takes place outside of the classroom environment. Experiences can include: a museum visit, a noho marae, a sports trip, camp, or rocky shore field trip. During each of these learning experiences, the Thinking Hats can be employed for example, the White Hat can be used to identify relevant facts and information, the Yellow and Black Hats to analyse the benefits and negatives of the trip, the Red Hat to communicate the feelings felt in regards to the experience, and the Blue Hat to think about the thinking and evaluate the learning that took place from the experience.
Out of the classroom learning experiences provide students with a range of experiences to develop key competencies, values and apply learning from across the curriculum areas by undertaking learning that takes place outside of the classroom environment. Experiences can include: a museum visit, a noho marae, a sports trip, camp, or rocky shore field trip. During each of these learning experiences, the Thinking Hats can be employed for example, the White Hat can be used to identify relevant facts and information, the Yellow and Black Hats to analyse the benefits and negatives of the trip, the Red Hat to communicate the feelings felt in regards to the experience, and the Blue Hat to think about the thinking and evaluate the learning that took place from the experience.
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Sourced from: The New Zealand Curriculum
(Ministry of Education, 2007).
(Ministry of Education, 2007).