ECS I Notes 2011-12

THINKING
A simple explanation of right / left brain theory and its relevance.
The concept of right brain and left brain thinking developed from the research in
the late 1960s of an American psycho-biologist Roger W Sperry. He discovered
that the human brain has two very different ways of thinking. One (the right
brain) is visual and processes information in an intuitive and simultaneous way,
looking first at the whole picture then the details. The other (the left brain) is
verbal and processes information in an analytical and sequential way, looking
first at the pieces then putting them together to get the whole. Sperry was
awarded a Nobel Prize in 1981, although subsequent research has show things
aren't quite as polarised as once thought (nor as simple).
The part of the brain that controls rational functions, the cerebral cortex, is made
up of two halves. These are connected by masses of nerve fibres which allow
'messages' to pass between them. These halves are commonly called the right
brain and left brain, but should more correctly be termed 'hemispheres'. For
some reason, our right and left hemispheres control the 'opposite' side of our
bodies, so the right hemisphere controls our left side and processes what we see
in our left eye while the left hemisphere controls the right side and processes
what our right eye sees.
Right Brain and Left Brain Inventory
An inventory of the different ways the right brain and left brain process
information.
While we have a natural tendency towards one way of thinking, the two sides of
our brain work together in our everyday lives. The right brain of the brain
focuses on the visual, and processes information in an intuitive and simultaneous
way, looking first at the whole picture then the details. The focus of the left
brain is verbal, processing information in an analytical and sequential way,
looking first at the pieces then putting them together to get the whole.
Right Brain Inventory

Left Brain Inventory

Visual, focusing on images, patterns

Verbal, focusing on words,

symbols, numbers

Intuitive, led by feelings

Analytical, led by logic

Process ideas simultaneously

Process ideas sequentially, step

by step

 'Mind photos' used to remember things,

Words used to remember things,
writing things down or illustrating them helps remember names rather than
you remember
faces
Make lateral connections from information Make logical deductions from
information
See the whole first, then the details

Work up to the whole step by

step, focusing on details,
information organised

Organisation ends to be lacking

Highly organised
Free association

Like making lists and planning

Like to know why you're doing something

or why rules exist (reasons)

Likely to follow rules without

questioning them

No sense of time

Good at keeping track of time

May have trouble with spelling and finding Spelling and mathematical
words to express yourself
formula easily memorised
Enjoy touching and feeling actual objects
(sensory input)

Enjoy observing

Trouble prioritising, so often late, impulsive Plan ahead

Unlikely to read instruction manual before
trying

Likely read an instruction

manual before trying

Listen to how something is being said

Listen to what is being said
Talk with your hands
Rarely use gestures when talking
Likely to think you're naturally creative, but
need to apply yourself to develop your
potential
Likely to believe you're not creative, need
to be willing to try and take risks to develop
your potential

Most individuals have a distinct preference for one of these styles of thinking.
Some, however, are more whole-brained and equally adept at both modes. In
general, schools tend to favor left-brain modes of thinking, while downplaying

the right-brain ones. Left-brain scholastic subjects focus on logical thinking,

analysis, and accuracy. Right-brained subjects, on the other hand, focus on
aesthetics, feeling, and creativity.
Though right-brain or non-verbal thinking is often regarded as more 'creative',
there is no right or wrong here; it's merely two different ways of thinking. One is
not better than the other, just as being right-handed is not 'superior' to being
left-handed. What's important is to be aware that there are different ways of
thinking, knowing what your natural preference is, and if it's strongly verbal (left
brain) rather than visual (right brain) being open to trying new approaches which
deliberately approach painting or drawing in a right-brain way.
One can be trained to use the other side of the brain to accomplish tasks. For
example, in 1980 Betty Edwards published the first edition of her book, Drawing
on the Right Side of the Brain, which applied the concepts of right and left brain
to learning to draw. She put forward techniques whereby you can consciously
access the right side of the brain when drawing, which helps you draw or paint
what you see rather than what you know. It's become a classic and helped many
people who believed they were incapable of drawing.

THINKING SKILLS
Introduction
Thinking is the highest mental activity present in man. All human
achievements and progress are simply the products of thought. The
evolution of culture, art, literature, science and technology are all the
results of thinking.
Thought and action are inseparable - they are actually the two sides of the
same coin. All our deliberate action starts from our deliberate thinking. For
a man to do something, he should first see it in his mind's eye -- he should
imagine it, think about it first, before he can do it. All creations-- whether
artistic, literal or scientific --first occur in the creator's mind before it is
actually given life in the real world.
The Purpose of Thinking
The purpose of thinking, paradoxically, is to arrive at a state where
thinking is no more necessary at all. In other words, thinking starts with a
problem and ends in a solution. Thus, thinking is a tool for adapting
ourselves to the physical and social environment in which we are in.
Can We Improve Our Thinking Ability?

Dr. Edward de Bono says that thinking CAN be improved just like any skill
because thinking according to him is a skill. He has developed many useful
techniques for training thinking skills.
Why Should We Improve Our Thinking Skills
The benefits of developing thinking ability are manifold. By developing
one's thinking skills one can make achievements; can become successful;
can shine in social life; can attain emotional, social and economic maturity
and so on. By developing one's thinking abilities it is possible to transform
one's aggressive tendencies, bad temper and other negative tendencies
creatively and constructively. It has been found by Dr.Edward de Bono that
when school students were taught to think effectively, their ill-temper and
aggressive tendencies reduced significantly.

Divergent and convergent thinking

If you have good fluid intelligence, you will be good at divergent thinking - the process of finding previously
undiscovered solutions to problems, whatever the type of problem you tackle. It can take the same kind of
creative intelligence to find a workable solution to a family crisis as to find a cure for a disease, or to invent a
new type of engine. The tools you need to solve problems with divergent thinking are originality, adaptability,
fluency, and inventiveness, and the typical divergent thinker will usually explore many possible solutions before
finding the best one. It may even be true to say that only a divergent thinker can do this.
A convergent thinker is likely to pick the first viable solution that is found, and stick to that no matter what
happens. Divergent thinkers have multi-track minds. Convergent thinkers have onetrack minds. Hemy Ford's
famous slogan about the model T Ford, "You can have any color so long as it is black," is typical of a
convergent thinker, but Ford was a good convergent thinker, so he surrounded himself with divergent thinkers
and he had a row of buzzers on his desk to summon the thinkers he needed to solve his problems. Again typical
of convergent thinkers, Ford was very stubborn. Despite being told that an eight cylinder V8 engine block was
technically impossi~le, he instructed his engineers to design and make the engine and he repeatedly refused to
take no for an answer. He had picked his first viable solution and nothing was going to change his mind. It took
over a year for his design team - divergent thinkers to a man - to come up with a solution, but when they did it
took the motoring world by storm. The force of combined divergent and convergent thinking working together
is hard to beat.

Six Thinking Hats

"Six Thinking Hats" is a powerful technique that helps you look at important
decisions from a number of different perspectives. It helps you make better
decisions by pushing you to move outside your habitual ways of thinking. As
such, it helps you understand the full complexity of a decision, and spot issues
and opportunities which you might otherwise not notice.
Many successful people think from a very rational, positive viewpoint, and this is
part of the reason that they are successful. Often, though, they may fail to look
at problems from emotional, intuitive, creative or negative viewpoints. This can
mean that they underestimate resistance to change, don't make creative leaps,
and fail to make essential contingency plans.
Similarly, pessimists may be excessively defensive, and people used to a very
logical approach to problem solving may fail to engage their creativity or listen to
their intuition.

If you look at a problem using the Six Thinking Hats technique, then you'll use all
of these approaches to develop your best solution. Your decisions and plans will
mix ambition, skill in execution, sensitivity, creativity and good contingency
planning.
This tool was created by Edward de Bono in his book "6 Thinking Hats".
How to Use the Tool:
To use Six Thinking Hats to improve the quality of your decision-making, look at
the decision "wearing" each of the thinking hats in turn.
Each "Thinking Hat" is a different style of thinking. These are explained below:

White Hat:
With this thinking hat, you focus on the data available. Look at the
information you have, and see what you can learn from it. Look for gaps in
your knowledge, and either try to fill them or take account of them.
This is where you analyze past trends, and try to extrapolate from
historical data.
Red Hat:
Wearing the red hat, you look at the decision using intuition, gut reaction,
and emotion. Also try to think how other people will react emotionally, and
try to understand the intuitive responses of people who do not fully know
your reasoning.
Black Hat:
When using black hat thinking, look at things pessimistically, cautiously
and defensively. Try to see why ideas and approaches might not work. This
is important because it highlights the weak points in a plan or course of
action. It allows you to eliminate them, alter your approach, or prepare
contingency plans to counter problems that arise.
Black Hat thinking helps to make your plans tougher and more resilient. It
can also help you to spot fatal flaws and risks before you embark on a
course of action. Black Hat thinking is one of the real benefits of this
technique, as many successful people get so used to thinking positively
that often they cannot see problems in advance, leaving them underprepared for difficulties.

Yellow Hat:
The yellow hat helps you to think positively. It is the optimistic viewpoint
that helps you to see all the benefits of the decision and the value in it,
and spot the opportunities that arise from it. Yellow Hat thinking helps you
to keep going when everything looks gloomy and difficult.

Green Hat:
The Green Hat stands for creativity. This is where you can develop creative
solutions to a problem. It is a freewheeling way of thinking, in which there

is little criticism of ideas. A whole range of creativity tools can help you
here.

Blue Hat:
The Blue Hat stands for process control. This is the hat worn by people
chairing meetings. When running into difficulties because ideas are
running dry, they may direct activity into Green Hat thinking. When
contingency plans are needed, they will ask for Black Hat thinking, and so
on.

You can use Six Thinking Hats in meetings or on your own. In meetings it has the
benefit of defusing the disagreements that can happen when people with
different thinking styles discuss the same problem.
A similar approach is to look at problems from the point of view of different
professionals (e.g. doctors, architects, sales directors) or different customers.
Example:
The directors of a property company are looking at whether they should
construct a new office building. The economy is doing well, and the amount of
vacant office space is reducing sharply. As part of their decision they decide to
use the 6 Thinking Hats technique during a planning meeting.
Looking at the problem with the White Hat, they analyze the data they have.
They examine the trend in vacant office space, which shows a sharp reduction.
They anticipate that by the time the office block would be completed, that there
will be a severe shortage of office space. Current government projections show
steady economic growth for at least the construction period.
With Red Hat thinking, some of the directors think the proposed building looks
quite ugly. While it would be highly cost-effective, they worry that people would
not like to work in it.
When they think with the Black Hat, they worry that government projections
may be wrong. The economy may be about to enter a 'cyclical downturn', in
which case the office building may be empty for a long time.
If the building is not attractive, then companies will choose to work in another
better-looking building at the same rent.
With the Yellow Hat, however, if the economy holds up and their projections are
correct, the company stands to make a great deal of money.
If they are lucky, maybe they could sell the building before the next downturn, or
rent to tenants on long-term leases that will last through any recession.
With Green Hat thinking they consider whether they should change the design
to make the building more pleasant. Perhaps they could build prestige offices

that people would want to rent in any economic climate. Alternatively, maybe
they should invest the money in the short term to buy up property at a low cost
when a recession comes.
The Blue Hat has been used by the meeting's Chair to move between the
different thinking styles. He or she may have needed to keep other members of
the team from switching styles, or from criticizing other peoples' points.
Key points:
Six Thinking Hats is a good technique for looking at the effects of a decision from
a number of different points of view.
It allows necessary emotion and skepticism to be brought into what would
otherwise be purely rational decisions. It opens up the opportunity for creativity
within Decision Making. It also helps, for example, persistently pessimistic people
to be positive and creative.
Plans developed using the '6 Thinking Hats' technique are sounder and more
resilient than would otherwise be the case. This technique may also help you to
avoid public relations mistakes, and spot good reasons not to follow a course of
action, before you have committed to it.
MIND MAPS

The human brain is very different from a computer. Whereas a computer works in
a linear fashion, the brain works associatively as well as linearly - comparing,
integrating and synthesizing as it goes.Association plays a dominant role in
nearly every mental function, and words themselves are no exception. Every
single word, and idea has numerous links attaching it to other ideas and
concepts.

Mind Maps, developed by Tony Buzan are an effective method of note-taking

and useful for the generation of ideas by associations. To make a mind map, one
starts in the center of the page with the main idea, and works outward in all
directions, producing a growing and organized structure composed of key words
and key images. Key features are:

Organization
Key Words

Association

Clustering

Visual Memory - Print the key words, use colour, symbols, icons, 3Deffects,arrows and outlining groups of words

Outstandingness - every Mind Map needs a unique center

Conscious involvement

Mind Maps are beginning to take on the same structure as memory itself. Once a
Mind Map is drawn, it seldom needs to be referred to again. Mind Maps help
organize information.
Because of the large amount of association involved, they can be very creative,
tending to generate new ideas and associations that have not been thought of
before. Every item in a map is in effect, a center of another map.
The creative potential of a mind map is useful in brainstorming sessions. You only
need to start with the basic problem as the center, and generate associations
and ideas from it in order to arrive at a large number of different possible
approaches. By presenting your thoughts and perceptions in a spatial manner
and by using colour and pictures, a better overview is gained and new
connections can be made visible.
Mind maps are a way of representing associated thoughts with symbols rather
than with extraneous words something like organic chemistry. The mind forms
associations almost instantaneously, and "mapping" allows you to write your
ideas quicker than expressing them using only words or phrases.
STORYBOARDING
Storyboards go back to the very beginnings of cinema, with Sergei Eisenstein
using the technique. In the world of animation, Walt Disney and his staff
developed a Story Board system in 1928. Disney wanted to achieve full
animation and for this, he needed to produce an enormous number of drawings.
Managing the thousands of drawings and the progress of a project was nearly
impossible, so Disney had his artists pin up their drawings on the studio walls.
This way, progress could be checked, and scenes added and discarded with ease.

Story-Boarding is a popular management told to faciliate the creative-thinking

process and can be likened to taking your thoughts and the thoughts of others
and spreading them out on a wall as you work on a project or solve a problem.
When you put ideas up on Story Boards, you begin to see interconnections, how
one idea relates to another, and how all the pieces come together. Once the
ideas start flowing, those working with the Story Board will become immersed in
the problem. People will "hitch-hike" onto other ideas. To implement a Story
Board solution you can use a cork board or similar surface to allow pinning up
index cards. Software programs are now available such as Corkboard
(Macintosh).
Start with a topic card, and under the topic card, place header cards containing
general points, categories, considerations, etc that will come up. Under the
header cards you will put sub-heading cards ("subbers") containing the ideas
that fall under each header; they're the details ideas generated in the creativethinking session, ideas that develop or support the headers.
Story Boarding works well in group sessions and there are four major types of
Story Boards (according to Mike Vance in his "Creative Thinking" cassette
program): Planning, Ideas, Communication and Organisation boards. During a
story-boarding session, consider all ideas relevant, no matter how impractical
they appear. Think positively, hold all criticism until later, and hitchhike on
other's ideas. Creative Thinking sessions are held separately from Critical
Thinking sessions.
Leonardo da Vinci used to put ideas up on the wall and examine the layout.
Story-Boards give total immersion in a problem as you can see how everything
fits together.

Many people recognize that each person prefers different learning styles and
techniques. Learning styles group common ways that people learn. Everyone has
a mix of learning styles. Some people may find that they have a dominant style
of learning, with far less use of the other styles. Others may find that they use
different styles in different circumstances. There is no right mix. Nor are your
styles fixed. You can develop ability in less dominant styles, as well as further
develop styles that you already use well.
Using multiple learning styles and multiple intelligences for learning is a
relatively new approach. This approach is one that educators have only recently
started to recognize. Traditional schooling used (and continues to use) mainly
linguistic and logical teaching methods. It also uses a limited range of learning
and teaching techniques. Many schools still rely on classroom and book-based
teaching, much repetition, and pressured exams for reinforcement and review. A
result is that we often label those who use these learning styles and techniques
as bright. Those who use less favored learning styles often find themselves in
lower classes, with various not-so-complimentary labels and sometimes lower
quality teaching. This can create positive and negative spirals that reinforce the
belief that one is smart or dumb.
By recognizing and understanding your own learning styles, you can use
techniques better suited to you. This improves the speed and quality of your
learning.
The learning styles are:

Visual (spatial). You prefer using pictures, images, and

understanding.
Aural (auditory-musical). You prefer using sound and music.

Verbal (linguistic). You prefer using words, both in speech and writing.

Physical (kinesthetic). You prefer using your body, hands and sense of
touch.

Logical (mathematical). You prefer using logic, reasoning and systems.

Social (interpersonal). You prefer to learn in groups or with other

people.

Solitary (intrapersonal). You prefer to work alone and use self-study.

spatial

Why Learning Styles? Understand the basis of learning styles.

Your learning styles have more influence than you may realize. Your preferred
styles guide the way you learn. They also change the way you internally
represent experiences, the way you recall information, and even the words you
choose. We explore more of these features in this chapter.
Research shows us that each learning style uses different parts of the brain. By
involving more of the brain during learning, we remember more of what we learn.

Researchers using brain-imaging technologies have been able to find out the key
areas of the brain responsible for each learning style. For example:

Visual. The occipital lobes at the back of the brain manage the visual
sense. Both the occipital and parietal lobes manage spatial orientation.
Aural. The temporal lobes handle aural content. The right temporal lobe is
especially important for music.

Verbal. The temporal and frontal lobes, especially two specialized areas
called Brocas and Wernickes areas (in the left hemisphere of these two
lobes).

Physical. The cerebellum and the motor cortex (at the back of the frontal
lobe) handle much of our physical movement.

Logical. The parietal lobes, especially the left side, drive our logical
thinking.

Social. The frontal and temporal lobes handle much of our social
activities. The limbic system (not shown apart from the hippocampus) also
influences both the social and solitary styles. The limbic system has a lot
to do with emotions, moods and aggression.

Solitary. The frontal and parietal lobes, and the limbic system, are also
active with this style.

IQ, which stands for Intelligence Quotient, is an important thing to have. It is a

common misconception that one's IQ directly determines that person's
intelligence. The IQ is a way of measuring one's problem solving abilities, and
favors those who are auditory and visual learners (over interpersonal,
intrapersonal, kinesthetic, and olfactory). While IQ is generally thought to be
innate, there are things you can do that may improve your IQ score.

Steps to Improve IQ

1
Read! Reading enhances the mind's ability to comprehend, as well as
encouraging you to think critically. Reading a book that you have never read
before broadens your horizons, thus increasing your IQ. Reading different genres
is even more productive, as well as reading newspapers, current events
magazines, and multi-content periodicals (such as the New Yorker). Make sure
the book is in your reading level. You don't want to read something that is too
easy for you.
Brain Training Games
Improve memory and attention with scientific brain games.
2
Don't give up. Ignore limiting stereotypes such as "An old dog cannot learn new
tricks." Imagine the success you will feel when you bump up ten points. Soon
enough, that fantasy will become a reality.
3
Try writing with your opposite hand. Writing with your opposite hand can in
fact lead to stimulation of the side of the brain that is opposite to that hand. So
perhaps a southpaw could go righty and think more logical, or a righty could try
going left-handed to be more creative. Keep in mind this is only a theory.
4
Write whenever possible. Send a note instead of an email, or write a draft of a
paper (or an outline). It will increase visual and kinesthetic stimulation.
5
Play video games. Games can be a great way to stimulate the brain. Try to play
a game that is out of your usual range of choices. It will help you think differently.
Especially look for games that provide you with problems to solve or force you to
think quickly.

Scientific studies have shown that playing the popular game Tetris leads to
more efficient brain activity; as players become more proficient at the
game, their brains show a reduced consumption of glucose (the body's
main fuel). This intense scientific study supports this theory. - Actually the
conclusions of this study point out that glucose consumption is reduced
when learning has taken place. This would be expected as when a person
becomes more proficient in any activity, the effort required decreases.

6
Work on cryptology. This is when a message is written in codes and you try to
figure it out. It's challenging for some, but after a while may even become
enjoyable. All logic puzzles are great.
7

Practice crosswords and sudoku. These activities stimulate your mind and
thought processes. People may not normally consider word searches thoughtprovoking, but if practiced in addition to other mind games, they could prove to
be easy and stimulating.
8
Do logic and lateral thinking puzzles. These help your brain think outside the
box and solve problems in different ways.
9
Take a weekly IQ test and record your results. If you would like to view your
improvements, consider placing the results on a line graph using excel or
another graph-compatible program. Bear in mind that many online IQ tests are
not legitimate, and many ask for a mobile number at the end for the results.
These are spam.
10
Listen to classical music. The Mozart effect suggests that by listening to
classical music, a short-term improvement is induced on the performance of
certain tasks. Gradually, this may have a somewhat long-term effect.
11
Google Eureka Method, be patient... most over all have fun with it.
Good luck!

Brainstorming.
Brainstorming involves group members verbally suggesting ideas or alternative
courses of action. The "brainstorming session" is usually relatively unstructured.
The situation at hand is described in as much detail as necessary so that group
members have a complete understanding of the issue or problem. The group
leader or facilitator then solicits ideas from all members of the group. Usually,
the group leader or facilitator will record the ideas presented on a flip chart or
marker board. The "generation of alternatives" stage is clearly differentiated
from the "alternative evaluation" stage, as group members are not allowed to
evaluate suggestions until all ideas have been presented. Once the ideas of the
group members have been exhausted, the group members then begin the
process of evaluating the utility of the different suggestions presented.
Brainstorming is a useful means by which to generate alternatives, but does not
offer much in the way of process for the evaluation of alternatives or the
selection of a proposed course of action.
One of the difficulties with brainstorming is that despite the prohibition against
judging ideas until all group members have had their say, some individuals are
hesitant to propose ideas because they fear the judgment or ridicule of other
group members. In recent years, some decision-making groups have utilized
electronic brainstorming, which allows group members to propose alternatives by
means of e-mail or another electronic means, such as an online posting board or
discussion room. Members could conceivably offer their ideas anonymously,
which should increase the likelihood that individuals will offer unique and
creative ideas without fear of the harsh judgment of others.