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

1. White hat: Presents the facts.
2. Yellow hat: Analyzes the positives.
3. Black hat: Analyzes the negatives and plays devil’s advocate.
4. Red hat: Expresses their feelings and intuitions.
5. Green hat: Be creative and find new ideas and avenues.
6. 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

1. Introduce a hot button topic with a video or reading.
2. Distribute hats to the learners.
3. 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.
4. Then rearrange learners into groups and ensure that there is one colored hat per group.
5. At the end of the activity, have a group discussion summarizing the results.