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There is no doubt that teachers and students benefit from strategies to improve thinking. One proven method is the parallel thinking approach developed by Dr. Edward de Bono, best known as “the six thinking hats,” a method that provides a viable alternative to the binary, adversarial kind of “I’m Right, You’re Wrong!” thinking so prevalent in everyday lives. Parallel thinking is a cognitive tool that can be used by students and teachers, parents, and school administrators. De Bono’s Thinking Hats approach is used in hundreds of corporations worldwide and is now being piloted in schools in the US, China, India, Singapore, and South Africa. The Thinking Hats is an established method to improve thinking and to make thinking more comprehensive, more efficient, more effective, and a lot more fun.
Requirements: Attend all sessions; complete assigned readings and assignments; develop a curriculum application of the course content. Course Coordinators: Robert DiYanni, Diane Wrobleski Open to: All Time: F 5/14, 3:30-7:30; Sa 5/15 8:30-4:30 Location: SHS, rm 170 Credit: One point salary credit or stipend
Critical and Creative Thinking in Practice: Edward de Bono’s Perception-Broadening Thinking #S4005B Critical thinking is highly valued in schools and beyond—and for good reason. Students need to develop the kinds of thoughtful outlook and questioning attitude that critical thinking promotes. However, students also need to think creatively: to develop the imaginative capacities, the wondering instincts, and hypothetical intelligence that innovative thinking encourages. In order to promote critical and creative thinking in their students, teachers need to explore and to understand their own thinking capacities. Through workshop exercises and discussion based on materials that span the curriculum, participants will discover practical ways to develop the critical and creative potential in themselves and in their students. An individual’s view on the world, one’s perception of it, determines a person’s decision-making and influences personal actions and responses. Perception, in short, is one of the critical keys to thinking and is certainly one of its most important aspects. Broadening perception is, thus, a necessary and crucial way to develop critical and creative thinking capacities. Edward 18
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de Bono’s tools for increasing powers of perception offer “software” for the brain. These tools are used in schools with children as young as four years old and on through high school. They are also used in businesses worldwide. De Bono’s tools are designed to sharpen perception and focus thinking to make it more comprehensive, effective, and efficient. The tools are easy to learn and apply. They can effect an immediate difference in judgments and decision-making, in considering the consequences of an action, and they can strengthen critical and creative thinking capacities. In this course, participants will explore a few of de Bono’s ten perception broadening thinking tools: PMI (plus, minus, interesting); and either C & S (consequences and sequels), OPV (other people’s views). Sessions will be interactive, engaging, and guaranteed to supercharge thinking. Requirements: Attend all sessions; complete assigned readings and assignments; develop a curriculum application of the course content. Course Coordinators: Robert DiYanni, Chris Renino
Open to: All Time: 7/19-20, 9-3:30 Location: SHS, rm 172
Credit: One point salary credit or stipend
CONTENT KNOWLEDGE A Look into New York City: NY at War #4006 “Fortress America,” the idea of the United States secured by two oceans, invulnerable to foreign invasion, was finally laid to rest on Sept. 11, 2001, with the attack on the World Trade Center. New York City was changed on 9/11 by the tragic loss of life and the resulting concerns over border security, racial profiling, and destruction of the Trade Center area that galvanized the politics and economics of the region and the nation. That memorable day, so recent in memory, is but the latest upheaval visited on New York City by war. Occupied by Britain during the Revolution and rocked by violence and draft riots during the Civil War, warfare has shaped the city’s history. New York City at war is a fascinating topic to explore, one that will engage students in stories of tragedy and resilience, military and defensive strategies, and, in the end, of a city that has endured and thrived in the face of adversities. Friday’s session will present an overview of New York City’s history through 19