Today, “thinking” has become a necessary skill in the job market. But it has been split into creative thinking, critical thinking, design thinking, analytical thinking, logical thinking, strategic thinking, and holistic thinking. These are then further pigeonholed into higher-order thinking skills (HOTs) and lower-order thinking skills (LOTs). Not to forget Edward de Bono’s classification of lateral thinking and vertical thinking. All of which only intensifies one’s confusion instead of providing clarification.
While “thinking” is a highly desired skill, it eludes many because it is highly demanding until one is habituated. Then there is the inundation by print and social media and the fact that thinkers are often misunderstood and condemned.
Vital two
To engage learners in the cognitive process, we need to consider models and texts. Of the former, two have proven to be impactful: Hegelian dialectical thinking and Bono’s Six Thinking Hats. Dialectical thinking, although traced back to the Socratic method, is attributed to Hegel, the 19th century German philosopher who advocated seeking true meaning in two apparently contradictory positions. Instead of extremes such as “right” or “wrong”, he postulated moving away from “either-or” to “both-and”. In other words, right is not totally correct, and wrong is not totally wrong. An interesting metaphor illustrative of this model is “having an elephant in the room with two blindfolded people on its opposite ends”.
Bono’s Six Thinking Hats ideally comprises a group of six, each wearing a different hat. But it can also involve one individual wearing six hats one after another. Each hat has a colour that symbolises a different kind of thinking: white for facts, red for emotions, black for negatives, yellow for positives, green for new ideas and blue for summarising and decision-making. This helps learners tackle an issue from multiple perspectives and overcome the usual mono-dimensional thinking.
The problem confronting teachers is integrating this skill into prescribed textbooks, which may often be unyielding. This then compels them to browse through a high volume of texts available online in a variety of formats but how many are willing to do this?
Applications
The current Russia-Ukraine war is an apt context to apply dialectical thinking. While Russian president Vladimir Putin defends the war as an attempt to retrieve lost land and Russian pride; Ukraine and the west blame it on his autocratic behaviour and warmongering. Where does the truth lie? Achieving a dialectical balance is vital. The Six Thinking Hats would bring into focus aspects such as facts on both sides (white); the emotional turmoil of civilians and soldiers (red); sufferings of both nations and the world at large (black); positives if any for the two countries and globally (yellow); probable solutions to the problem (green); a standpoint based on critical engagement with the ideas put forth (blue).
We live in a tumultuous world of issues at local, national, regional and global levels. Tapping into them will be effortless, but narrowing them down to thought-provoking material for the classroom will be a challenge. Will our teachers think out of the box?
The writer is National Secretary, English Language Teachers’ Association of India (ELTAI), and a former professor of English at Anna University.
