[NOTE: This article originally appeared on the Microsoft Teacher Network.]
Dear Help!
One of my favourite students just found out she will be moving to a new
city over the summer. This is a very popular girl, one of those rare kids
who is equally well liked by teachers and students. What's more- her family
has been a constant presence at our school- I even taught her older brother
and sister when they were going through seventh grade. The whole mood of
my class has become quite gloomy, and I sense that the kids are looking
to me for help in dealing with this pending loss. I'm not sure what to do.
Can you help?
-- Sad in Shreveport
Dear Sad:
You have an opportunity to teach your class something about the transitions
of life here. Most of us resist change in our lives, and it is not too early
to equip your students with a new paradigm regarding change. It may be one
of the most important things that you teach them this year.
I would like to share a tool that I use with my students for problem solving.
It is called the "Six Thinking Hats" and was developed by Edward
deBono, leading international authority on creative thinking. Each hat is
a different colour and represents a different way of thinking about a problem
(in this case, the problem is "Our friend is moving away"). If
you have six coloured baseball caps with you when you lead the students
this exercise, it will be all the more vivid. If not, hats cut out of construction
paper will do. You can have the hats at the front of the room or even wear
the hats as you move through the following perspective.
The characteristics of each hat are:
White Hat: You discuss the facts and other objective information
Red Hat: Students will share their feelings and emotions about the
issue
Black Hat: The negative aspects, or worst case scenarios regarding
the Issue, are presented
Yellow Hat: The positives or advantages of the situation are considered
Green Hat: What are the creative ideas that come with seeing the
problem in a new way?
Blue Hat: Summing up all that is learned
Tell the students that the class is going to look at "moving away"
from different viewpoints. Write the problem on the board and then decide
which of the hats would be good to start with. Work your way through all
six, jotting down notes (try writing on chart paper using felt pens that
match the hat colours!) about the thoughts that come to you and the students
with each hat.
During your discussion you can switch in and out of the different hats and
in doing so will present thoughts about moving away that will steer students
toward other perspectives other than the most natural negative one. When
you reach the green hat, for example, the class could brainstorm ways they
could keep in touch with their classmate and ways that they could make her
transition easier. You will wear the blue hat until one or more students
suggest yet another way of looking at the situation and take on the blue
hat role.
When you have jotted down at least three points on each perspective, you
will know you have covered the major points in the critical thinking process.
Keep the pages of ideas up on your walls over the next few weeks and refer
to the ideas from time to time as a way of reinforcing the proactive aspects
of "change".
For more details about the Six Thinking Hats check:
http://library.usask.ca/ustudy/critical/sixhats.html
This method is simple, practical and easy. It will help the students separate
feelings form facts, positive from negative, and critical form creative.
This is a tool that can be used over and over again as "problemtunities"-
problems that create opportunities for creativity-- present themselves in
your class and in life in general!
- Brenda Dyck,
Master's Academy and College,
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
ALSO SEE
Brenda's message to the MiddleWeb Listserv about this topic.