Six Thinking Hats

            This strategy devised by Edward de Bono helps students visualize separate modes of thinking about a topic by wearing a range of six different ‘thinking’ hats. His hope is that by doing so he will enable children to realize that they have choices about the kind of thinking they use for any task, whether it be a discussion, making a decision or solving a problem. Thinking hats also encourage students to avoid becoming “stuck” in one kind of thinking and thereby not taking into account a range of possibilities or points of view.

• White Hat – the facts; more information is needed
• Black Hat – negative; what is bad about an idea
• Yellow Hat – positives; what is good about tan idea
• Red Hat – emotions; how you feel about an idea
• Green Hat – creativity; how the idea may be changed
• Blue Hat – thinking about thinking; focuses on metacognition

For more information see the following websites:

http://www.kurwongbss.eq.edu.au/thinking/Hats/hats.htm