RE WORKSHOP Subjectwise Demo Class

Steps on planning and conducting PMI

1. Identify the objective for using the technique: The purpose of the activity
may be to solve a general issue, an issue that may be specific for each student or
an academic problem. By identifying the same, it will help the teacher to design
the process and the follow up activities.
2. Design a process plan: The PMI exercise does not end there. The follow up
process is equally important. The teacher should have a clear plan as to how
he/she is going to consolidate the recordings in the three columns; this will lead
the students to make the decision.
3. Decide whether it is an individual or a group activity: The issue in hand will
help to decide whether the exercise needs to be administered as an individual or
a group activity. Based on the purpose decide upon the appropriate mode.
4. Keep the list of instructions ready: The process of filling up the PMI chart is
vital for the exercise to be a success. Therefore, it is important for the teacher to
be clear about the instructions to be given to the students. Hence making a list of
the instructions may prove handy.
5. Conduct the exercise: The instructions must be made very clear to the
students. Care should be taken to see that there is no confusion regarding the
dos and donts of the exercise. The purpose of the toolAttention
Directingshould not be lost.
6.

Wrap Up: While wrapping up the exercise, each time lead them to share their
experience of channelizing their thoughts in a particular direction. Discuss with
them the revelations they had. Lead them to spot the difference in their
perspectives, prior and post to the exercise, with respect to the issue.

7. Gathering evidence: Design a rubric to collect evidence for the attainment of

the stated objectives. The process of collecting evidence will be mainly informal
to check whether the students have attained the skill of channelizing their
thoughts etc.

Consolidate the experience:

While consolidating the experience, help the students to realize how the exercise
helped to
focus their attention strictly in a particular direction
brought a change in their perspective
made them look at an issue from different angles
allowed them to consolidate their thoughts to take decisions
The areas where PMI will come in handy in classrooms:
Book Review
Essay Writing

Building Debating skills

Active and Passive Voice

MIND MAPPING:
Mind maps were developed in the late 60s by Tony Buzan as a way of helping students
take notes that used only key words and images. Mind maps are much quicker to make,
and because of their visual quality, much easier to remember and review. The non-linear
nature of mind maps makes it easy to link and cross-reference different elements of the
map.

Mind mapping is one of the simplest, yet most powerful tool a person can have in
their creativity toolbox. It is a non-linear way of organizing information and a
technique that allows you to capture the natural flow of your ideas.

A mind map or mind map is a multicoloured and image centered radial diagram
that represents semantic or other connections between portions of learned material.

Instructions to be given to students:

Use just key words or images wherever possible.

Start from the centre of the page and work out.
Make the centre a clear and strong visual image that depicts the general theme
of the map.
Create sub-centres for sub-themes.
Put key words on lines. This reinforces structure of notes.
Print rather than write in script. It makes it more readable and memorable. Lower
case is more visually distinctive (and better remembered) than upper case.
Use colour to depict themes, associations and to make things stand out.
Anything that stands out on the page will stand out in your mind.
Think three-dimensionally.
Use arrows, icons or other visual aids to show links between different elements.
Don't get stuck in one area. If you dry up in one area go to another section.
Put ideas down as they occur, wherever they fit. Don't judge or hold back.
Break boundaries. If you run out of space, don't start a new sheet; paste more
paper onto the map. (Break the 8x11 mentality.)
Be creative. Creativity aids memory.
Get involved. Have fun.

Where can Mind Maps be used?

One could listen to a lecture and take down notes using mind maps for the most
important points or keywords. One can also use mind maps as a mnemonic
technique or to sort out a complicated idea. Mind maps are also promoted as a way
to collaborate in colour pen creativity sessions. Some of the literature around mindmapping has made claims that one can find the perfect lover, combat bullying,
persuade clients, develop intuitive powers, create global harmony, and tap the
deeper levels of consciousness by using mind mapping techniques!

Claims have also been made, including in advertising, for mind mapping software
and literature. Managers and students have said that they find the techniques of
mind mapping useful and being a better tool to retain information and ideas than
traditional 'linear' note taking methods.

Origins of mind mapping

Mind mapping has its origins in the results of research into the human brain. To put it
very simply:
Brain cells have a central body with a lot of "branches", rather like the branches
of a tree
These radiate from the centre or nucleus of the cell.
The "branches" carry the information transmitted by the cell.
All along the branches are bundles of chemicals which carry messages.
As a message is passed from brain cell to brain cell, pathways are formed which
create a kind of memory map.
More pathways created, the more efficient thinking becomes.
Remembering
Two of the most important aspects of memory are association and emphasis. The brain
has a kind of database of information.
When we learn something new, we tend to store the new information by associating it
with some data that we have already stored. It is easier to remember something new if
it is stored in this way. We also easily remember new things that are emphasized as
being unique or very important.
What is a mind map?
Mind mapping is a graphic technique used for note-taking, preparing projects,
etc.
Instead of writing everything down in a linear manner, the mind mapper produces a
graphic "map" that may have a similarity to networks in the brain.
Like a brain cell, every mind map has a central point. This can be an image or a
word.
This is the main focus and it represent the main subject of the map.
Then, the most important themes connected to the subject, branch out from the
central image or word.
There are then smaller branches linked to the main ones. All the branches form a
connected structure.
The mind map also uses the ideas of association and emphasis thought to be so
important for learning and memory.
To draw a mind map, you need to be aware of associated facts and also of hierarchies so
that you know what to emphasize in your map.

So, the first thing to do is to decide on your central subject, then to draw the main
branches, which represent the important themes. Then you can add the sub-branches.

What are the advantages of using mind maps?

1. They help you to focus on key words and concepts which often become hidden in
linear notes.
2. They help you to store related facts together.
3. They help you to be aware of hierarchies.
4. Mind maps can help in decision making because they allow you to look at all the
complex and inter-related information you need to consider.
5. They help you to organise and plan your objectives for a meeting, presentation or
project.
6. They encourage creative thinking.
7. They can be created by both individuals and groups.
8. They can help in problem solving because it encourages you to think of all
possible aspects of a problem and potential solutions.

Practical applications in your courses:

Handy way to take notes during lecture.
Excellent aid to group brainstorming.
Planning your studies and career.
Providing graphics for your presentations and term papers
A way to outline your term papers and presentations.
Refine your creative and critical thinking.

Mind Maps use and stimulate the visual abilities of the mind. If represented visually, a
more complicated subject can be understood and remembered much more efficiently.
Anything can be mind mapped. A birthday party, a book one is reading, one's plans for
the day, flower arranging, the economy, the meaning of life, or one's experience of a
piece of music.
Reference: "The Mind Map Book" by Tony Buzan

The Six Thinking Hats

Introduce the concept of the six thinking hats by connecting the colours of the
hats to concrete objects with similar characteristic traits.
Connect the use of six thinking hats to various topics used in Language
teaching.

Edward de Bonos Six Hats Book Report

(Originally compiled by G Mason and P Ramsay)
White Hat
Yellow hat

Black hat

Green Hat

Red hat

Blue Hat

Facts about the book:

Title, author, illustrator, main characters, setting
What were the strengths in:
The plot
Characters
Presentation
Making readers aware of social/ environmental issues
Writing style
What were the weaknesses in:
The plot
The characters
Style of writing
Presentation
Illustration
The social/ environmental raised
What new ideas did the author have in:
Development of the plot
Characters
How did the author make the story different?
Use your green hat to express new ideas which you think would
improve the story
Feelings
How did the story make you feel?
How did you feel about the characters?
List them and write your feelings for each.
Overall, what emotion was the author trying to make you feel?
What is your opinion of the story?
Thinking about what the author was trying to do
Was there any message or moral in the story?
How did the author get you involved as a reader? What devices
did he/she use to keep you reading?

Model lesson plan

Fairy Tales and the Red and White Thinking Hats
Lesson One
Duration: 30 minutes
Student Outcomes:

Students use the red and white thinking hats to discuss aspects of Fairy Tales in
different ways.
Students use the red hat to discuss their feelings about Fairy Tale characters and
generic features.
Students use the white hat to find and record information (as a whole group)
about the Fairy Tale author Hans Christian Andersen.

Materials required:

Red Hat Response sheet

White Hat Information about Hans Christian Andersen
Chart paper or blackboard to record White Hat facts about Andersen

Outline:
1. Introduce the students to Bossy BLUE HAT. When I put on Bossy Blue Hat I will be
telling you to put on or take off a thinking hat. When I put on the blue hat I will talk
about the thinking that we have done and the thinking we need to do.
2. Tell the students that the class is going to put on red thinking hats to talk about Fairy
Tales. When we wear our red hats we are thinking about our feelings.
3. Ask students to indicate their feelings for the items on the list. Tell students that
when they wear the Red Hat they dont have to give a reason.
4. Bossy BLUE HAT reminds students that they have been doing some red hat thinking;
i.e. thinking about their feelings. Now it is time to put on their white hats to think about
information. When we wear our white hats we ask: What do we know? What do we
want to know? What is the information?
5. Ask children what they know about Hans Christian Andersen. Record the keywords
expressed by students.
6. Put up OHT of information about Andersen- read and discuss. Ask children what we
know now about Andersen- record keywords. When we wear our White Hats we are
talking about facts- these are the facts about Andersen- read back to the group.

7. Bossy BLUE HAT reminds the students that they have done thinking about feelings
with their red hat and thinking about information and facts with their white hat.

Follow Up (10 minutes)

Students (in small groups) read the list of red and white hat statements and break
them into two groups- facts and feelings.

Planning to use The Six Hats?

(Based on ideas presented in Edward de Bonos Teach Your Child How to Think,
Viking, 1992)
Theme/ Context: _______________________________________

Hat

Explanation

White Hat

Red hat

Black Hat

Yellow Hat

Green Hat

focuses directly on the

available information
facts
neutral information
NOT argument or making
suggestions
emotions
feeling
hunches
intuition
likes and dislikes

De Bono says
to think of
Blank paper
Computer
printout

Key Questions

Activity
Ideas

1. What information
do we have?
2. What information is
missing?
3. How do we get the
information we need?
1. What do you like
about the idea?

Fire and
warmth

2. How do you feel

about this?

most used of all the hats

concerned with truth and
reality
hat of critical thinking
prevents us from making
mistakes

Stern judge

benefits of an idea
yellow hat is full of hopelogical hat so the reason
behind the hope must be
given
seeks to find and show
the benefits
active hat
used for creative thinking
concerned with proposals,

Sunshine
optimism

3. What dont you like

about this?
1. Will it work?
2. Does it fit?

and

3.
What are
dangers
and
problems?
1.
What are
benefits?
2.
Why
work?

Grass,
trees,
vegetation and
growth

should

the
the
the
it

Key questions should

focus on:
1. Exploration of the
ideas


Blue Hat

suggestions, new ideas,

new alternatives, new
solutions and inventions
emphasis is on newness

overview
the process control
above the thinking
looking down on the
thinking
Thinking about thinking!
Additional Ideas and Activities:

Blue
Sky
(above
everything)
Conductor
of
an orchestra

2.
Proposals and
suggestions
3. Alternatives
4. New ideas
5. Provocations
Where are we now?
What is the next step?
Where have we been?
What sort of thinking
is needed?

Using the Six Hats to Respond to Literature

Blue Hat controls which hat goes on and off. Blue Hat tells us when to switch hats and
indicates what type of thinking is needed
White Hat: Information and facts about the book
Title
Author and Illustrator
Awards that the book may have won (CBC Picture Book,
Bilby Award)
Plot- what happened, story map, Top Level Structure,
Characters- names, what they look like
Setting
Red Hat: Discussing feelings, likes and dislikes
How did the book make you feel?
How did you feel when the character did?
How did the ending make you feel?
Did you like the story, illustrations, characters etc?
Yellow Hat: Benefits, good points and advantages

What was the advantage of solving the problem that way?

What are the advantages of?
What are all the good points about...the character, the setting, the ending etc?

Black Hat: Disadvantages, dangers and problems

What are the dangers involved in visiting (the setting of the book)?
What are the disadvantages in trying to solve problems that way?
When ____ did _______, what problems did they encounter?
Green Hat: New ideas, creating, adapting, innovating

Lets write a new ending

Write an acrostic about the main character
Draw new illustrations for the story
Think of a different way to solve the problem
Write an innovation on the story