This technique breaks the thinking process down into six components. Each hat represents a different way of thinking, and illustrate the need for addressing a problem from a variety of different angles.

Adapted from Learning at City’s series of blog posts around creative teaching activities. Check the original post for more details about the activity and an example of practice.

Instructions

• Organise students into groups of two to four.
• Assign hats according to the required outcomes for the activity.
  • White: information and facts (‘What information do you have?‘)
  • Red: feelings and emotions (‘How do you feel about this?‘)
  • Black: negative aspects (‘What is wrong with this?‘)
  • Yellow: positive aspects (‘What is right about this?‘)
  • Green: possibilities, alternatives (‘What else could be done here?‘)
  • Blue: overview of thinking process (‘What is the agenda here?‘)
• Students spend a designated period of time discussing the problem, according to which hat they are wearing.
• Follow-on activities can include individuals from each group presenting on particular perspectives, a wider discussion is opened up between different groups on the points raised, or a group written task is assigned

What the activity achieves:

• Encourages students to consider a problem or issue from a range of different angles
• Develops critical evaluation skills
• Allows for an issue to be considered more objectively and comprehensively.