“In the next 18 minutes I’m going to take you on a journey … “says Carolyn Porco at the TED conference and, yes indeed, she certainly does!
Some people get a kick out of astrology. Fair enough. But, here’s something much, much more fascinating … and it has the advantage of being real!
On Tuesday 17th November the School of Thinking will celebrate its 30th birthday!
Since my time in the Army in the 60s during the Vietnam War I had become increasingly aware of the need to improve thinking skills through deliberate training and practise. The first time I was formally taught to think was in the Australian Army by instructors at Scheyville Officer Training Unit. These instructors taught a method called The Appreciation of the Situation using various methods and techniques primarily one called SMEAC which is a problem-solving technique still widely taught and used by NATO allies.
In New York on 17 November 1979 and based on my military experience, I presented my plan to Edward de Bono to create Thinking Instructors to teach thinking skills in schools, businesses and families around the world. Edward and I had a consulting business in New York at the time and so I invited him to partner with me on my idea.
For the past 30 years this idea has spread around the world and has now become the second largest program for the teaching of thinking in the world. In 2009 School of Thinking–now based on the internet at http://www.schoolofthinking.org–exported over one million Thinking Lessons from Australia to 46 countries worldwide.
Of course, the Vatican’s 500-year mission–using missionaries to export its own European thinking system known as logic–is still easily the largest thinking program in history.
Senior Instructor SOT
Since its inception SOT has been pro bono and will continue to be so in 2010. However, there is a need (and a demand) for deeper and broader offerings in this field of study which will require fees and greater commitments from trainers and trainees.
To help meet this need we will be launching the Senior Instructor SOT (SISOT) program later this month.
Further details will be released on November 17. If you are interested in getting further involved with SOT click here: Senior Instructor SOT (SISOT).