Hi there,

I have been asked to make a presentation on Lateral Thinking as per Edward de Bono. It’s a very interesting topic but I’m having trouble connecting it with ESL teaching. My Google searches generally present riddles activities (ex. Why is there blood on my ceiling? A mosquito bit me and I killed it when it landed on the ceiling) but little else. I can easily see how this kind of thinking can help teachers to be more creative in their lessons designs but how would it be useful to students?

Esther

This may interest you to download & read:

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Edit: I also use brainstorming and mind mapping with my students. This is a good way to find out how they relate to different ideas, and to get them thinking more laterally too. An example would be the topic �House�. The brainstorm component would be to write down or draw their immediate responses, unstructured. They could write in their L1, then change it to English, if you think that best. My students do it in English & ask for assistance if they don�t know the words in English. Then I ask the students to think about When, Where, Who, What, Why, and How. They make group posters and present them to the rest of the class.

I have, of course, worked through a sample brainstorm that includes getting students to give me their ideas too. This way I can give them some ideas and examples of �different� ways to think about the topic at hand.

Good luck!

Wow!  Thanks a million for that link Alien Boy.  That’s exactly what I needed to read.

I like your brainstorming idea. I’m still struggling with fitting in a new way of thinking with learning basic English. Maybe something about false friends. For example many Spanish speakers, relying on their assumptions, say things like “I have a doubt” instead of “I have a question” because that’s how they say it in Spanish. I don’t know. I’m still batting in around in my head.

Thanks again for your valuable input!

Esther

Edit: It�s in the next & last phase where De Bono�s ideas really come into play, especially �P(lus) M(inus) I(nteresting)�

Edit: The next step is to get the groups to design a home for someone. I usually use a story scenario - designing a home for an alien to use, designing a home for a popular character to use, or similar, depending upon the students. This way you can have the students think about homes in terms of Plus, Minus, and Intetesting perspectives. For example, if they had to build a home for Ariel the mermaid, what would they do? If they had to build a home for a Doctor Who Dalek, what would they do?

The final step is to have them design the house for their character, using Who, What, Why, Where, & How (I wouldn�t normally use When for this). Put the designs on display. If you have the time, you could get the students to assess each other�s designs using PMI, too.

I�d love to hear your ideas, too. I like to do projects and then apply some of the principles gained in them to day to day teaching. I usually have the students do 1 project a term, if I can.