“What the hell were they thinking?”
This is probably the most uttered phrase these days. Actually, it seems to almost be an anthem to those who scratch their heads in wonder. Let’s face it, we are standing in some deep manure throughout many areas of our society and what got into this situation, as well as what will get us out of it comes entirely down to how we think.
There is someone who once said that the thinking which got you into a situation is not going to be the same thinking which will get you out of it. Albert Einstein said, “Thinking that doing the same thing over and over and expecting change is the definition of insanity.” These statements are a testament to all of our thinking processes.
Back in the day, when I was teaching at a technical school, I was asked to create a new class for the students which would benefit them in their chosen field of employment. I was given free rein to develop the curriculum and use whatever supporting text required to fulfill the needs of the course. The only concern which the dean had was that whatever I created, it had to fit each of the three different student groups we were serving without having to be customized for any one of them.
I spent several weeks previewing the needs of the employers of our students in an attempt of determine just what would benefit each in the short term but also over the long run. The fact that this had to apply to all three classifications of students made this a rather arduous endeavor.
During this time, I was introduced to some work written by Dr. Edward DeBono who is a world renown expert on creative thinking. Reading through a number of his books, I discovered he had developed a program on how to teach a person how to think and do it creatively. His CoRT program was divided into 6 modules, each having around 10 lessons to explore. The first section was a core module which brought a number of tools to the student to hone their thinking skills and would subsequently be the basis for moving through the other 5 modules of the course.
I immediately recognized how this program was what I was looking for to supplement the students. Most people believe that when you go to school the most basic skill you should walk away with is thinking, right? Regrettably, it’s not. The most basic skill is memorization. This is the only activity that guarantees a student will be able to pass a test. This was true then, and regrettably, still hold up today. Ask a student to think, critically, or even creatively, and they will look at you like bull frogs in a hailstorm…MORE
If you want to see how this proceeded and what the tools look like, click the link below and begin your journey to better thinking.
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