| Teaching
Ideas and Units - Teaching Strategies
PMI
Speaking
and listening, writing
Bands A,B,C,D
What is it?
PMI, Plus/Minus/Interesting, is a lateral and creative thinking strategy
used in de Bono's CoRT Thinking program.
What
is its purpose?
PMI
helps students learn to:
- see both
sides of an argument
- view
things from a different point of view
- think
broadly about an issue
- suspend
judgement
- make
informed decisions
- work
as individuals, in pairs or as members of a group
How
can I do it?
This strategy can be used within a range of classroom activities such
as analysing texts or examining issues. Students are provided with a format
for recording:
Individually,
in pairs or small groups, they apply three questions to a statement /task
provided by the teacher:
- What
are the positive ideas about this?
- What
are the negative ideas about this?
- What
is interesting about this?
Within a specified time limit, students brainstorm their responses, having
appointed a recorder and a reporter. At the end of the designated time,
students report back on their most original/creative ideas from each of
the categories.
It is useful to model the activity first, using a statement such as: ËIn
the future, everyone will carry around personal mobile phones like wristwatchesÓ
or a recently shared text or experience as the topic.
How can I adapt it?
In Developing Thinking Skills Using Children's Literature, Ann and Johnny
Baker use the example of the text Terrible Tuesday as it uses PMI as a
structural feature. The ideas presented are defined in terms of negative,
positive and interesting elements. Teachers could have students apply
a PMI process as they read the text to promote understanding and analysis.
How
can it be used to evaluate students' language learning?
There is a range of possible assessment outcomes in using PMI including:
- Understands
and interprets the task
- Uses
strategies to assist or facilitate brain storming
- Contributes
to discussion
- Comprehends
and explains opinions and information
- Evaluates
range of viewpoints and can distinguish from own
- Applies
process of PMI to a range of situations
Where
can I find out more?
Cort
Thinking Progam Guide, (1994), Edward de Bono, Hawker Brownlow.
|
