Discussion Board:  For this discussion board, please read the following prompt and then choose 1 of the six hats and write your response from the perspective of that hat only.  Let’s try to make sure

Discussion Board: For this discussion board, please read the following prompt and then choose 1 of the six hats and write your response from the perspective of that hat only. Let’s try to make sure we have at least one response from each hat color before we start repeating hats.

Let’s discuss: What if schools would add an additional 40 minutes to the length of each school day, and then build every other Friday off as a free day.

Choose a hat, and tell us what that hat might say to that proposal!

excerpt is below:

de Bono’s Lateral Thinking and the Six Hats

I really do not like the chapter in your book on Lateral Thinking. In my opinion, Davis takes his sarcasm a bit too far, so please keep that in mind while reading. I apologize for the author’s tone.

Below are descriptions of lateral thinking and the Six Hats technique. Lateral thinking essentially means thinking horizontally instead of vertically. That is, rather than digging deeper into the same solution strategies, lateral thinking encourages individuals to step aside and look at the problem from a new or fresh perspective. It helps develop flexibility of thought. de Bono describes the Six Hats technique as a way of facilitating lateral thinking in problem solving.*

Here are some notes from Dr. de Bono on the definition of Lateral Thinking.

There are a number of ways of describing or defining Lateral Thinking.

“You cannot dig a hole in a different place by digging the same hole deeper.”

“Lateral Thinking is for changing concepts and perceptions instead of trying harder withthe same concepts and perceptions.”

“In self-organizing information systems, asymmetric patterns are formed. LateralThinking is a method for cutting across from one pattern to another.”

In his writing and seminars, de Bono uses the terms “lateral thinking” and “creative thinking” interchangeably because creative thinking is much more widely known. One of the reasons for creating and using the term “Lateral Thinking,” however, is to highlight the type of thinking involved in creating new perceptions and new concepts as different that the type of creativity we may think of, for example, when artists, authors, musicians, etc. create a new work of a well established genre. While their work is novel and purposeful (thus satisfying the most commonly accepted definition of creativity), it is not an example of lateral thinking because it has not created a shift in thinking-it is not a new genre, a new approach, or a new style.

One of the most popular of de Bono’s techniques is called “Six Hats.” The idea behind six hats is to remind us to be flexible in our thinking of an issue or an idea; multiple perspectives exist, each with its own value. Each perspective needs to be heard, but no perspective should dominate or the discussion may easily be derailed. When using the Six Hats technique, participants first learn the role of each hat, and then together they put on the same hat and discuss only within the parameters of that hat’s style. After a few minutes, they all take off that hat, and put on another one and proceed to continue the discussion only now within the context of their new hat. The conversation continues until all hats have been worn (for equal amounts of time), and the blue hat determines if any hats need to be put on again or the most effective way to proceed. The following is a description of each of the hats and its purpose.

* Taken from de Bono’s book, Serious Creativity (Harper Business, New York, 1992).

The White Hat: The White Hat represents a sheet of paper full of information. The hat is neutral and objective, concerned primarily with what we know and what we need to find out. The white hat’s emphasis is on data gathering and facts.Questions/Comments from the White Hat: What information do we have? What information is missing that we still need to know? Are there conflicting data reports? We need more evidence before we decide.

The…