de Bono Thinking Development in Tomsk (Siberia, Russia)

Peter de Bono gave a workshop on the CoRT Thinking Programme and Six Thinking Hats for Schools to teachers and education managers during the last week of April 2001. The workshop was organised by Dmitry Galkin and the Academliceum for gifted children. The workshop was sponsored by Vladimir Baronovsky who translated the materials and provided financial backing.

The participants at the workshop were from 12 secondary schools (from 3 cities in 2 regions - Tomsk and Iakutia), 4 Universities (Classical, Pedagogical, Politechnical and Building Construction), 1 children's Surgery Hospital and 1 psychological club.

Most of these participants have presented their ideas about the CoRT Lessons and the Six Thinking Hats. All the participants have the materials for CoRT and Six Hats - the first time that there has been a distribution of the complete translated material in Russia!!!

The decision at the workshop was to develop a de Bono Thinking Center in Tomsk for the co-ordination of all school and university leaders. To provide organisational, methodical and information support, the preparation of new material and the exchange of experience on a world-wide basis. The leader of the Center is Dmitry Galkin.

The new Center has started to function with some practical steps. There are a number of different kinds of activity at the Center. For instance in May Dmitry Galkin gave a two day Six Hats workshop for educational Managers in order to design new ways for teacher professional development.

Some schools have already started to use the de Bono Thinking tools while others will be starting in September.

The Academliceum has started to upgrade its programs for gifted children (both youngsters and senior pupils) with the CoRT Thinking Lessons.

Teachers at one school (Gymnasia N18 - a type of secondary school) organised thinking lessons during the summer school for Physics and Mathematics. Children and teachers were very satisfied.

De Bono thinking methods are also being examined at the Department of Mathematics of Tomsk State Pedagogical University: workshop and CDR materials are included and presented in the research project of children imagination development in the school (in dissertation). They are planning to design teaching tasks in mathematics based on thinking tools.
Gymnasia N24 begins to work with pre-school children (for the purpose of preparation to school) using Six Hats .

Gymnasia N6 is trying to develop Social Sciense subjects for senior pupils using the CoRT lesson; managers and teachers are going to analyse and discuss together de Bono thinking methods for educational programs development.

Teachers of gimnasia N56 are also highly interested in the wider development of thinking tools (they design electronic textbooks with Six Hats elements).

Very successful results of De Bono thinking tool usage are shown in the work of medical (clinical) psycologist Galina Bobrovina at the Municipal Surgery Hospital for Children (psycological reabilitation of children after the surgery operations, especialy after the traffic and burn).

There are plans to develop management consultancy projects soon.

Edward de Bono's Six Hats for School video containing examples of lessons has been translated into Russian (dubbed) and produced on CDR (and video tape).