Bullying in Irish Education

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: Promoting Positive Behaviour with Edward de Bono’s ‘Six Thinking Hats’ Method

384 CHAPTER SEVENTEEN Promoting Positive Behaviour with Edward de Bono’s ‘Six Thinking Hats’ Method Mary Kent  INTRODUCTION There is no reason at all to suppose that from the start, the teaching of thinking will be easy, or that it will be rapturously received by the pupils. (de Bono, 1976) This study set out to investigate what, if any, impact a short programme of thinking lessons may have, first and foremost, on students’ self-discipline and behaviour and then on their academic performance. It sought to determine if an improvement in behaviour would occur if students were encouraged to have a more thoughtful approach to issues and situations where conflict or aggression may arise and if this improved behaviour would be likely to facilitate an improvement in academic outcome. The research project, which formed part of an MEd (Aggression Studies) at Trinity College Dublin, was largely an evaluative study (Kent, 2010). The initial focus was on identifying the attitudes and beliefs of students before and after the teaching programme. Attitudes were expressed by students in surveys which were devised from Measuring Violence-Related Attitudes, Behaviors, and Influences Among Youths: A Compendium of Assessment Tools (Dahlberg et al., 2005). The objective of the survey was to identify the attitudes that motivated students’ behaviour. Following the completion of the programme, participant students’ academic and behaviour reports were studied in order to investigate for changes in performance. Effectiveness was measured, in so far as it was possible, by the extent to which participant students improved their skills with regard to their work efforts and choice of behaviours. Elias and Tobias (1994) emphasise that a main priority and one of the means of measuring the success of programmes such as this is by observing the level of self-control shown by students. For the purpose of the research, de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats method was used as the apparent simplicity of the method, and the non-argumentative style of discussion seemed most suited to the short timeframe available for the project. de Bono asserts that people who have received a brief introduction in the use of this method have been able to work out solutions for their specific problems and have then gone on to adopt his method as a means of dealing with issues as they arise. He states that: … it is an alternative to the argument system, which was never intended to be constructive or creative. With the Six Hats method the emphasis is on ‘what can be’ rather than just on ‘what is’, and on how we design a way forward – not on who is right and who is wrong. (de Bono, 2006) During these thinking lessons the focus was on the level of student participation, their attitudes regarding the value of such lessons and whether or not they would apply methods presented in these lessons to situations in other areas of their school and social lives. DE BONO’S SIX THINKING HATS Dr Edward de Bono has developed many thinking tools or methods. Among those who support and use his methods, his ‘Six Thinking Hats’ is perhaps one of the most widely used and highly regarded thinking methodologies. The purpose of the Six Thinking Hats method is to provide the framework for thinking and discussing while concentrating on the avoidance of what he frequently refers to as ‘time wasting argument’. As with de Bono’s other methods, there is an attempt to encourage the users to think laterally and outside the box and to develop a frame of mind which allows them to examine issues from as many different viewpoints as possible. de Bono believes that Six Hat thinking is a powerful and constructive tool with which ideas and solutions can be generated without argument or lengthy discussion. ‘SIX THINKING HATS’ METHOD 385 386 Mary Kent With the Six Hats method the emphasis in on ‘what can be’ rather than just on ‘what is’ and on how we design a way forward – not on who is right and who is wrong. (de Bono, 2006) Using this method avoids the pitfalls of clashing egos, often a problem in traditional thinking. The process does not involve defending one’s own ideas or attacking the ideas of others. de Bono maintains that there are fundamental difficulties when we attempt practical thinking and that: … the main difficulty of thinking is confusion. We try to do too much at once. Emotions, information...