#26 Thinking Hats 2.0

It could be that some readers are already familiar with the method on which today's idea is based. Have you ever heard of the thinking hats? In the 1980s, Edward de Bono developed the six thinking hats method, which he himself saw as a creativity technique. After all, de Bono was not a political educator. Nevertheless, the method is still often used in political education today.

The six thinking hats method is designed to enable participants to look at complex problems from different angles and develop potential solutions. Each thinking hat - yellow, red, green, blue, white or black - represents a point of view and is marked with its own color. Realistic, utopian, emotional perspectives, etc. can be seen and discussed side by side. You can read more about the individual thinking hats and the method here. Please not that we can only provide this material in german.

The group slips into the individual roles or perspectives on the problem together or separately. It is presumably precisely this multi-perspective approach to social, political and economic problems that makes the method so interesting for political education. In addition, the method allows for an emotional perspective as well as a rational one. Emotions are therefore not suppressed, but can be discussed on an equal footing.

After the long preface, now to our idea. It is quite simple, albeit somewhat lengthy to implement. What if we enriched the method a little? Aesthetically. For example, what difference would detailed hats - almost masks - make to the participants? After all, the hats are the central element of de Bono's method. Nevertheless, these are usually small party hats or even colored index cards that mark the perspective from which to speak in the group. In our opinion, the value of materials and the design of rooms can also have a significant influence on learning processes. So let's produce large "mask hats" that not only reinforce empathy with the respective role/perspective, but also playfully facilitate subsequent distancing and a change of role.

We have implemented this idea for you! Find more information here.