QUESTIONING EDU 395: Module 4B: Creative Thinking Dr. Margaret Maughan c SUNY Plattsburgh

Critical Thinking is one system of making sense and understanding. A different type of questioning evolves from Creative Thinking. Whereas, Critical Thinking is directive and content bound, Creative Thinking is process oriented and metacognative. Both are important to authentic learning.

Critical thinking involves logic and reasoning including such skills as … Comparison, classification, sequencing, cause/ effect, patterning, webbing, analogies, deductive and inductive reasoning, forecasting, planning, hypothesizing, and critiquing.

Creative thinking involves constructing something new or original. It involves the skills of flexibility, originality, fluency, elaboration, brainstorming, modification, imagery, associative thinking, attribute listing, & metaphorical thinking. The aim of creative thinking is to stimulate curiosity and promote divergence.

One researcher, Edward de Bono, developed a concept entitled, The Six Thinking Hats De Bono believed that true understanding evolved from the ability to examine a problem/situation from a variety of viewpoints. He suggests that each point of reference could be signified by a different colored hat.

DeBono further argued that no one colored hat was better or worse than any other. Thus, red hat thinking was not the best, nor green hat thinking the worse. Each type of thinking represented a different “way” to see.

The Six Hats method is a simple, effective system. It fosters collaboration, increases productivity, and increases creativity and innovation. you look at a problem with the 'Six Thinking Hats' technique, then you will solve it using all approaches. Your decisions and plans will mix ambition, skill in execution, public sensitivity, creativity and good contingency planning.

The RED hat … States the emotions Signifies feelings, hunches, and intuition.

‘You are wearing' the red hat when … you look at problems using intuition, gut reaction, and emotion. Also try to think how other people will react emotionally. Try to understand the responses of people who do not fully know your reasoning. Non-linear Thinking

The GREEN hat thinking represents … Creative ideas that come with seeing the problem in a new light. The Green hat focuses on the possibilities, alternatives, and new ideas.

The Green Hat stands for creativity.. This is where you can develop creative solutions to a problem. It is a freewheeling way of thinking, in which there is little criticism of ideas.

The BLUE hat thinker … Is used to manage the thinking process and summarize what has been learned

The Blue Hat stands for process control. This is the hat worn by people chairing meetings. When running into difficulties because ideas are running dry, they may direct activity into Green Hat thinking. When contingency plans are needed, they will ask for Black Hat thinking, etc

The hat thinker … … symbolizes brightness and optimism. They identify and examine the positives of the situation. YELLOW

The yellow hat helps you to think positively. It is the optimistic viewpoint that helps you to see all the benefits of the decision and the value in it. Yellow Hat thinking helps you to keep going when everything looks gloomy and difficult.

The BLACK hat thinker … Describes negative aspects; and represents judgment—the devil’s advocate or why something may not work

Using black hat thinking, look at all the bad points of the decision. Look at it cautiously and defensively. Try to see why it might not work. This is important because it highlights the weak points in a plan. It allows contingency plans to counter them. Black Hat thinking helps to make your plans 'tougher' and more resilient. It can also help you to spot fatal flaws and risks before you embark on a course of action. Black Hat thinking is one of the real benefits of this technique, as many successful people get so used to thinking positively that often they cannot see problems in advance. This leaves them under- prepared for difficulties.

The hat thinker States the facts and calls for information known or needed. WHITE

White hat thinking … With this thinking hat you focus on the data available. Look at the information you have, and see what you can learn from it. Look for gaps in your knowledge, and either try to fill them or take account of them. This is where you analyze past trends, and try to extrapolate from historical data.

Six Thinking Hats is a good technique for looking at the effects of a decision from a number of different points of view. It allows necessary emotion and skepticism to be brought into what would otherwise be purely rational decisions. It opens up the opportunity for creativity within Decision Making. The technique also helps, for example, persistently pessimistic people to be positive and creative.

In summary, De Bono’s Thinking Hats represent specific aspects of lateral thinking. White hat thinking identifies the facts and details of a topic Black hat thinking examines the negative aspects of a topic Yellow hat thinking focuses on the positive aspects of a topic

The colors help students to visualise six separate modes of thinking and to convey something of the meaning of that thinking, for example, red as pertaining to matters of the heart, white as neutral and objective. Red hat thinking looks at a topic from the point of view of emotions and feelings Green hat thinking requires imagination and lateral thinking about a topic Blue hat thinking focuses on reflection, metacognition (thinking about the thinking that is required), and the need to understand the big picture