Introduction
Six Thinking Hats is a creative problem-solving technique developed by Edward de Bono, a world-renowned psychologist and author. The technique uses six different coloured 'hats' to represent different ways of thinking, each of which is used to approach a problem from a different perspective.
Six Thinking Hats
The Six Thinking Hats technique is also known as the 'Six Hats' or 'De Bono Hats' technique.
Description
What is this technique/tool about
The Six Thinking Hats technique allows people or groups to think about an issue or concept from several angles. It is a tool for organised thinking and decision-making. The method aids in avoiding the difficulties of skewed or inadequate information, one-sided thinking, and drawing conclusions too quickly.
The six hats represent various ways of thinking, and each hat plays a particular part in the process of thinking. Individuals or groups can investigate a subject or idea methodically and thoroughly by donning one hat at a time. The method aids in separating feelings from reality, seeing possibilities and possible issues, coming up with fresh concepts, and weighing the advantages and disadvantages of various solutions. Business, education, healthcare, and personal life are just a few of the contexts in which the Six Thinking Hats technique may be applied. It is especially helpful when making decisions, exercising critical thought, or solving problems creatively. By encouraging everyone to participate and take into consideration diverse viewpoints, the strategy may also aid in enhancing communication and collaboration within teams.
For which purposes is it used (why in your secondary school teaching)
The Six Thinking Hats technique can be used for various purposes, including:
- Problem-solving: The method can assist people or groups in locating issues, examining them from several angles, and coming up with original solutions.
- Decision-making: By considering all pertinent information and points of view, the strategy can help you make better judgments.
- Innovation: By fostering imaginative and diverse thought, the methodology can inspire fresh concepts and methods.
- Communication: By ensuring that everyone's thoughts and opinions are heard and considered, the strategy may enhance communication and teamwork.
- Critical thinking: By helping people to assess material objectively and recognize potential biases, the strategy helps people strengthen their critical thinking abilities.
The Six Thinking Hats technique may be utilized to support students' critical thinking abilities, enhance group communication and teamwork, and inspire original project and assignment ideas. An organized technique to problem-solving and decision-making is provided by the strategy, which also ensures that every student had a voice and was actively participating in the learning process. With the help of the Six Thinking Hats method, students were better able to comprehend complicated subjects and analyse and evaluate material.
Limitations
The Six Thinking Hats technique can be a useful tool for problem-solving and decision-making, it also has some limitations. These include:
- Simplification: By boiling complicated topics and problems down to a few of predetermined categories or ways of thinking, the method runs the risk of oversimplifying them.
- Lack of spontaneity: Because the strategy pushes people to stick with the predetermined patterns of thought, it may impede intuitive or spontaneous thinking.
- Time-consuming: As each person must put on each hat in turn and the procedure sometimes calls for numerous rounds of debate, the approach may take a while, especially in group settings.
- Restricted perspective: The method could only consider the predetermined modes of thought while exploring views, perhaps ignoring other important perspectives that don't fit into those categories.
- Lack of context: The method might not consider the bigger picture or underlying presumptions that affect the issue or problem being addressed.
- Training: The approach needs to be learned and practiced being effective, hence it might not be appropriate for all people or all groups.
How to implement these technique/tools
The implementation of the six thinking hats typically involves the following steps:
Preparation, before the session:
- Specify the issue or subject to be covered: The Six Thinking Hats method may be used to precisely describe the issue or subject that you wish to investigate. This will guarantee that everyone is concentrating on the same problem.
- Create an agenda for the session, outlining the objectives, activities, and timeline. Share this with the students in advance so they know what to expect and can come prepared.
- Think about how you will facilitate the session and engage the students. Plan how you will introduce the activities, give instructions, and manage the time and discussions.
During the session:
- Explain to the group the idea behind each of the six hats and its function. This will make sure that everyone is aware of the many ways that they will be thinking during the debate.
- Assign roles: Give each person a hat and tell them to think in the way the hat symbolizes. To aid participants in remembering their allocated duties, you can consider giving them real hats or other visual signals.
- Look at each hat in turn: Start with the white hat and ask participants to offer any pertinent information or statistics. Go on to the red hat and invite people to express their feelings on the issue or subject. Get participants to share their thoughts and ideas from each hat as you go through each one in turn.
- Promote discussion: Urge individuals to openly express their views and thoughts while also considering the opinions of others. Make sure the conversation is civil and productive.
- Options evaluation: When all hats have been worn, assess the resulting alternatives or solutions. Use the blue hat to consider the choices carefully and come to a decision based on the data acquired.
Here are the six thinking hats and their corresponding thinking modes:
- White Hat: This hat represents facts and figures. When wearing the white hat, you focus on data and information, and objectively analyse the situation at hand.
- Red Hat: This hat represents emotions and feelings. When wearing the red hat, you focus on your gut instinct and intuition, and how the situation makes you feel.
- Black Hat: This hat represents critical thinking. When wearing the black hat, you focus on the potential risks and problems, and think about how to avoid them.
- Yellow Hat: This hat represents positivity and optimism. When wearing the yellow hat, you focus on the potential benefits and opportunities, and think about how to maximize them.
- Green Hat: This hat represents creativity and innovation. When wearing the green hat, you focus on generating new ideas and solutions, and thinking outside the box.
- Blue Hat: This hat represents big-picture thinking. When wearing the blue hat, you focus on the overall strategy and direction, and think about how to make the thinking process more effective.
Follow-up, after the session:
- Following the debate, think back on the procedure and result. Determine what went well and what needs to be addressed for the future.
- Take some time to reflect on the session and think about what you learned as a facilitator. Consider what strategies were effective and what could be improved for future sessions.
Examples and/or testimonials
Using the six thinking hats in education can support students' performance, engagement, and their problem-solving skills. A few six thinking hats implementation examples are given below.
Figure 1. An example of the six thinking hats implementation (Source: https://makingthinkingvisible.wordpress.com/category/thinking-hats/)
Figure 2. An example of the six thinking hats implementation (Source: https://tr.pinterest.com/pin/337629303289078614/)
Tools needed
To apply the six thinking hats technique face to face, hats of different colours or objects to symbolize are needed. In the online environment, online conference tools or synchronous document applications can be used. Examples of these tools are Zoom, Teams, Meet, Google Docs, etc.
Resources
Links:
- https://www.debonogroup.com/services/core-programs/six-thinking-hats/
- https://www.mindtools.com/ajlpp1e/six-thinking-hats
Videos:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvChZ4DAghY
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZ8vF8HRWE4
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYYOKlVRDd4
Books:
- De Bono, E. (2017). Six Thinking Hats: The multi-million bestselling guide to running better meetings and making faster decisions. Penguin uk.