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Kind of good practice
Creativity, innovation and 21st century skills
Target group
Students, teachers, management
Description
Dr. Edward de Bono is regarded by many as the leading
authority in the field of creative thinking, innovation and the
direct teaching of thinking as a skill. He is equally renowned
for his development of the Six Thinking Hats technique and the
Direct Attention Thinking Tool (D.A.T.T.) framework.
The De Bono Centre of Expertise (DBE) initiates distributes and develops the legacy regarding creative,
critical and metacognitive thinking aimed at education and personal development. The DBE mainly focuses
on the development of an alternative way of thinking. A way which leads to exploring ideas, creating
possibilities and which looks at a variety of correct answers instead of the one single correct answer.
The role of the De Bono Centre of Expertise is closely linked to the school policy of Koning Willem I College.
Creative, critical and metacognitive thinking addresses all talents, is innovative and provides us a thinking
framework for a better world and for providing better direction to Koning Willem I College as Community
College.
Core activity of the De Bono Centre of Expertise is the implementation of creative, critical andmetacognitive
thinking at Koning Willem I College by means of training, facilitating, developing, researching/analysing
and distributing. The DBE does this by offering its services to the various departments. The DBE provides
education and training to employees of Koning Willem I College. And of course teachers can apply this
again when working with students.
Creativity itself has three aspects: Knowledge, Skills and Attitude. We start off with knowledge and skills
and at the same time work to instil a creative attitude. If you take a meteorological metaphor you can
say that we change the temperature (knowledge, skills) in the hope, expectation of a different climate.
Changes in temperature can take place in a relatively short time. However, climate changes and culture
changes should be viewed over a longer period of time. As far as it is within our sphere of influence we
develop the following creative / entrepreneurial competencies.
A creative person takes initiative and is willing to take risks; suspends judgment, judges constructively (as
opposed to binary judgement); has perseverance; makes (unusual) connections; is cooperative; is curious;
is goal orientated; keeps looking for alternatives; empathises and is able and willing to see other people’s
point of view and is decisive
Creative thinking and adaptability are also identified as one of the basic skill sets deemed necessary in
today’s workplace. If creative thinking is considered to be critical to professional success, and critical to
success in one’s personal life, then institutions of education must sincerely consider the degree to which
classroom experiences promote or undermine students’ creativity. In this fast-paced and ever-changing
world we live in, creative thinking is not a mere luxury, it is a basic survival skill.
De Bono Centre of Expertise KWIC
Aims
Continuous innovation and
preparing for the future by:
• Promoting curiosity.
• Consciously looking for
alternatives.
• Suspending judgement.
• Looking at other persons’ views
/ perceptions.
• Having fun.
