Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Cort 1
Cort 1
http://inclusive.ie/course/content/module4_sec2.html
What's my motivation? It's all good and well talking about critical and creative thinking, but let's get on with it and see some tools to help you engage your students with entertaining approaches to developing their skills.
The CoRT (Cognitive Research Trust) Thinking Techniques are a collection of simple yet powerful tools developed by Dr. Edward de Bono which can help optimise thinking, decision making and problem solving. The CoRT techniques are based on the principle that thinking is a skill which can be improved by training. In this sense thinking is a bit like learning to type on a keyboard, most people can type with two fingers, and with all the practice in the world they can still only become very fast two-fingered typists, whereas with the proper training they can use all their fingers. The CoRT Thinking Techniques provide a collection of tools to train the mind towards better thinking and provide a practical way to teach critical thinking skills. These tools are like carpenters tools, each one has its own pre-defined function, and the skilled carpenter knows which tools to use at any point in order to achieve the desired effect. In the exact same way each tool in the CoRT toolbox has its own defined function and each is a simple but powerful way to structure thinking. The seven tools that are in the CoRT I toolbox are; 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. PMI: Plus, Minus, Interesting CAF: Consider All Factors OPV: Other Peoples Views APC: Alternatives, Possibilities, Choices AGO: Aims, Goals, Objectives FIP: First Important Priorities C&S: Consequences and Sequel
1 of 11
03/07/2006 14:41
http://inclusive.ie/course/content/module4_sec2.html
The first three (PMI, CAF and OPV) are excellent to get started off with, and once you have your confidence built up you should go onto the latter four. Examples of outputs for exercises are given for the first three CoRT techniques.
From the horse's mouth... "This is something I'm going to carry. I'm going to take this with me and I'm going to remember doing this in school. When I look back in ten, fifteen years I'm going to think 'Yeah, I remember doing that and I remember doing the six hats, sitting in class discussing these topics." - Student comment on CoRT "The techniques gave them structures for thinking, and this is not often done in teaching" - School Principal comment on CoRT Teachers report that the use of these techniques had helped students to develop better general thinking skills. They reported significant improvements in ability to debate and to think through an issue. One teacher described it: "They probably have more organised thinking. It helps with essay writing, they have clearer ideas. It helped in their decision making, it provided strategies" The techniques were also seen as particularly useful for students with special needs. One teacher thought the challenge of the thinking activities was useful, saying that "They tend to get things handed to them, so they need to be challenged". Another teacher felt that the "focus on the verbal helped", as it bypassed the difficulties with literacy that many of the students experience. - Evaluation of CoRT techniques in practice
2 of 11
03/07/2006 14:41
http://inclusive.ie/course/content/module4_sec2.html
topic (if they come up with any Minus points or Interesting points, they are not allowed to write them down, the only section they can write into during this phase is the P section). Next is the Minus phase where they have to focus on the negative issues relating to the topic for 2 to 3 minutes, again if they come up with any Interesting points they are not allowed to write them down, and if they come up with any Positive points it's too late the Positive phase is over) Finally the Interesting Phase where they have to focus on exploring the topic outside the judgement framework to see what is interesting about the idea or where it leads to. During this phase hopefully one interesting idea will lead to another and generate a momentum. Again this phase is for 2 to 3 minutes and any Positive or Minus points should not be added in, it's too late those phases are over. The key points about using the PMI are, first, that it requires a student to focus their thinking completely in one particular direction and, secondly, by keeping each phase to a short period of time it helps to encourage some creative stress. To begin with group-based PMIs should be undertaken, that is to say that the entire class does a PMI together and once the exercise is over the teacher asks each student in turn "Tell me a P that you came up with..." all of which are written on the board, followed by a request for everyone's M's and finally their I's.
From the horse's mouth... "We did a PMI. It really made us think about the way we study and how we could do it better and plan it out more efficiently. You could look at things from all aspects, and you sit back and say 'Yeah, I've only been looking at it from this angle'. It really helped when I applied this kind of theory to my studies." - Student comment on the PMI "Everyone got their say. That gives people great confidence" - Teacher comment on the PMI Many of the teachers reported student-instigated use of PMI. When it came to an essay on recycling, someone said, "Lets do a PMI on it". Another teacher reported, "You often hear 'can we do a PMI on that'." Students also used the PMI in planning their face-to-face meeting and other activities. - Evaluation of CoRT techniques in practice
PMI Examples
The following is a PMI from a senior class. The theme of the PMI was "Going back to school"
3 of 11
03/07/2006 14:41
http://inclusive.ie/course/content/module4_sec2.html
PLUS
Meet all your friends New Classroom Learning to be independent Learning new things Being Seniors
MINUS
Getting up early Getting on/off the bus Homework Traffic Have to be more organised
INTERESTING
This is a PMI from a junior class. The class had just watched the film "Finding Nemo" and were asked to do a PMI on Nemo's first day of school
4 of 11
03/07/2006 14:41
http://inclusive.ie/course/content/module4_sec2.html
Like the PMI this is an attention-directing tool, in other words a tool to make concrete what would otherwise remain a general intention to look broadly around an issue. Doing a CAF means considering all factors associated with a situation. There is no attempt to evaluate these factors. In doing a CAF the emphasis is on "What has been left out?" and "What ought we also consider?" A CAF exercise occurs as follows, it normally begins with deciding on the number of factors and not stopping until that number of factors is identified. So, for example, the teacher may require 15 factors about a specific topic. The students are required to take out a piece of paper (or use the form given), they are presented with the topic for discussion or the decision to take (usually something humorous to start with, e.g. Reasons for choosing your hairstyle) and they are required to list a range of factors that they consider relevant to that topic or decision. This tool help overcome normal mental laziness, generally when people are taking a decision they come up with 3 or 4 factors which they consider relevant, but the CAF forces them to look beyond the obvious factors and may help uncover less obvious but extremely significant factors. To begin with group-based CAFs should be undertaken, that is to say that the entire class does a CAF together and once the exercise is over the teacher each student in turn "Tell me a factor that you came up with that is different from the ones we've come up with already" all of which are written on the board.
CAF Examples
This CAF was done by a senior class. The CAF was used to consider all the things that had to be done for the class project on 'The Homeless.'
Guest Speaker
Set up Committees Folders for our jobs Collection for the Homeless
5 of 11
03/07/2006 14:41
http://inclusive.ie/course/content/module4_sec2.html
Technology
VIDEO CONTENT Click here to see video footage of a CAF in the classroom. This Video is also available on your course DVD. This video will open in a new window
This is a CAF done by the students in a junior class. The theme of the CAF was planning a holiday.
At Home
6 of 11
03/07/2006 14:41
http://inclusive.ie/course/content/module4_sec2.html
Abroad
Which country to go to? Get holiday brochures/look up the net Plane journey might be too long Weather? Whether you like the heat Get there by plane or boat? What airport do you have to go from? How long would you go for? How much will it cost?
What to bring?
7 of 11
03/07/2006 14:41
http://inclusive.ie/course/content/module4_sec2.html
realisation that in most situations multiple perspectives are present and are valid.
OPV EXAMPLES
Video Content Click here to see video footage of a OPV in the classroom. This Video is also available on your course DVD. This video will open in a new window
This OPV was done in the same class as the 'Finding Nemo' PMI. Again the topic chosen was Nemo's first day of school.
Views
I shouldnt have gone out into the water Nemo thought his dad was mean
Teacher
I must help them solve their problems Oh these noisy children! Felt guilty when the children got lost
Nemo's Daddy
8 of 11
03/07/2006 14:41
http://inclusive.ie/course/content/module4_sec2.html
Diver
This OPV is again from the junior class. The topic for this OPV was 'Jesus on the Cross'
Views
Sad
Mary
Annoyed
Joseph
Pilate
9 of 11
03/07/2006 14:41
http://inclusive.ie/course/content/module4_sec2.html
The C&S is about thinking ahead, it is an attention-directing tool focusing directly on the future. The intention is to enlarge the view beyond the immediate effect of that action. An action may seem worthwhile if the immediate effect is good but if one makes a deliberate effort to look at longer term consequences, the action may not be worthwhile at all. Conversely, an action that has good long-term consequences may not seem very enticing at the moment. This is done by dividing the future into a number of periods; Short-term Consequences Medium-term Consequences Long-term Consequences A C&S exercise works like a PMI exercise, the students are required to take out a piece of paper (or use the form given) and divide it into three sections (one for short-term, one and medium-term and one for long-term), they are presented with a topic for discussion (usually something humorous to start with) and they are required to critically evaluate that topic for a fixed period of time.
10 of 11
03/07/2006 14:41
http://inclusive.ie/course/content/module4_sec2.html
http://www.edwdebono.com/debono/cort.htm http://www.edwarddebono.com/concept1.htm Department of Technology in Education Education Division, Floriana CMR02, Malta http://schoolnet.gov.mt/thinkingskills/thinkingtools.htm Project IDEELS http://www.ideels.uni-bremen.de/about_cort.html Constructive thinking and reconstructive thinking: some thoughts about de Bono's thoughts http://www.dialogueworks.co.uk/dw/wr/dbono.html Wikipedia: CoRT Entry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_Research_Trust All material copyright Inclusive Learning Group 2006. All Rights Reserved. You may print out this material for your own personal use.
11 of 11
03/07/2006 14:41