Description
De Bono’s six thinking hats strategy asks learners to view an issue from multiple perspectives and vantage points. Depending on the hat a learner is given, they have to think from a different vantage point. This activity seeks to show learners that nothing is ever black and white, and there are multiple ways of interpreting a situation or issue.
The Six Hats
- White hat: Presents the facts.
- Yellow hat: Analyzes the positives.
- Black hat: Analyzes the negatives and plays devil’s advocate.
- Red hat: Expresses their feelings and intuitions.
- Green hat: Be creative and find new ideas and avenues.
- Blue hat: Person who ensures that everyone is sticking to their roles.
Advantages
- Helps learners to think outside of their perspectives.
- Encourages learners to attack an issue from many different angles.
Disadvantages
- Sometimes, one learner has to use two hats.
Implementation
- Introduce a hot button topic with a video or reading.
- Distribute hats to the learners.
- Have learners spend a little time brainstorming their responses. If you have a large class, group all the white hats together, red hats together, etc.
- Then rearrange learners into groups and ensure that there is one colored hat per group.
- At the end of the activity, have a group discussion summarizing the results.
