Please read the book ((Six Thinking Hats/Edward de Bono)) and then follow the instruction for this assignment in the attachment wish is required to write The Assignment:
Decide on a problem. This could be a complex problem at work that would not be well understood by others in the class or it could be a simple problem at home that everyone would recognize, such as the problem of deciding whether or not to wash and clean your car (for this exercise the problem does not need to have a creative solution).
Begin by clearly and specifically writing what the problem is.
To demonstrate an understanding of the different hats, you will write 4 statements that relate to the problem and that fit under each hat. Thats 24 statements in all. As you write these statements, go back and check them against what is written in the book. These statements should help you make the map. As de Bono points out, this is the first stage in the six thinking hats process.
Im not looking for an answer to the problem that you state, only that the statements you make, fit under the correct hat. In other words, I am not asking you to choose the route on the map, which is the second stage in the process. You dont have to come up with a creative solution to your problem.
You will submit your problem, as well as these 24 statements, clearly labeled (white, red, green, etc) to the discussion board RA #10 and your classmates will read your statements and help determine if they do fit under the correct hat. I will say more about the discussion in an email.
It should be remembered that this technique can be used by groups or by individuals. And, like all the techniques in the Higgins book, practice helps. There is nothing stopping us from trying this by practicing on our own individual problems to get a more firm grasp of the technique.
Some students/people object to the use of the technique because they believe others may think it a bit childish. While it is best if everyone in a group has knowledge of the technique, it has been my experience that my own knowledge of the Six Thinking Hats has allowed me to contribute to other groups in a more positive way and to chair meetings more successfully without ever mentioning the six hats. I think knowledge of the six hats allows for an attitude adjustment even if the method is not directly used. For example one can ask for information (white hat) and then ask someone who says something that is not information to hold their comments until we get all the information out. I know de Bono states that you should not refer to the functions but only to the hats; but I think it is better to state the functions than to not incorporate any of the method at all. In the past I have asked a group to take time to be optimistic and look at the bright side to see how something could turn out without saying yellow hat. Even red hat thinking may be encouraged by simply asking: What do you feel, dont try to explain your feeling just state how you feel about it? (Admittedly this is not as good as them understanding red hat thinking and putting on a red hat).
A few examples:
Here are a few examples that I have seen used before. I dont want you to use these examples I am just presenting them to you so you can get an idea of how the Six Thinking Hats technique can be used in a variety of creative problem solving activities.
Example 1: This exercise was created by Edward de Bono and is designed to help people take roles and focus on one particular aspect or feeling of an idea. The groups were given a problem related to social entrepreneurship of How to tackle isolation of the elderly in the society? and they had to use the six thinking hats methodology to come up with solutions for the problem.
Example 2: A while back a public zoo in China experimented with a new feeding method for many of the carnivorous animals in the facility. Instead of simply giving them meat at feeding times, they released live prey into their large “natural setting” type enclosures. In some cases an overabundance of other small mammals in the zoo provided an on-site food source. The regular feeding times were not altered. This experiment has caught the attention of several zoos in North America. Discuss this idea and see if you think it would work here in the United States.
To summarize, here is what you will do:
1.Begin by clearly and specifically writing what the problem is.
2.Write four statements that relate to the problem and that fit under each hat. Thats 24 statements in all.
3.Submit your problem, as well as these 24 statements, clearly labeled (white, red, green, etc) to the discussion board RA #10.
