MODULE 3. BLOCK 4. THINKING & LEARNING

MODULE 3

BLOCK 4 Assignment

Development of thinking and learning for CLIL and ELT classrooms

 PLUS, MINUS INTERESTING (De Bono Tools)

PMI (plus, minus, interesting) is a critical thinking tool developed by Edward de Bono to encourage the examination of ideas, concepts and experiences from more than one perspective. 

This tool enable learners to make decisions by analysing the pros and cons, reflecting on and evaluating different points and identifying strengths and weaknesses for future improvement. SS first carry out an exploration about a specific issue and then, they will be ready to make a decision.
The goal of PMI could be to help participants see different sides of an argument and think more broadly about an issue.

Children make, for example, a chart with three columns and they consider the positive things, or advantages of the specific issue which they are working around, the negative aspects or weaknesses and the points that are not positive or negative, but they consider interesting to direct attention to.
After scanned these different aspects belonging to the three categories, SS are able to make a judgement and make a final decision.

We could also use the following methods to implement it in the classroom:

• Whole Class Approach: When used as a whole class activity, the format can be drawn on the board and students are encouraged to voice out their ideas that are in turn written in their respective columns. It can also be used along with the carousel technique to generate maximum ideas.
• Scoring: When deciding on whether or not to take a particular course of action, we can use a scoring system along with the PMI tool. Each idea in the plus, minus and interesting category is given a scoring from (-3 to +3). After scoring each idea, we can tally up the figures to decide if an action should be taken or not.
• Sorting: A variation of the tool is the “Keep it, junk it, and put in the cloud method.” In this, the important information is placed under the “keep it” category, the not so important information in the “junk it” category and those that are to be put aside for further introspection in the “cloud” category.
• Review: Students can also use a PMI tool to review the books read during the year.
• Feedback and Evaluation: PMI tool can be used as a closure activity for students to write down the takeaway or key points of the lesson. It can also be used as a feedback tool and to evaluate our teaching performance.

From my point of view,this tool could also be used in the EFL classroom as a prewriting activity in which SS would have to make judgements about a topic, for example, we can imagine a context in which learners are working around pets and they have the following statement: "Everybody should have a pet". The first would write about the plus, the minus and the interesting ideas and then they would be able to start building a piece of writing.

In the same way, this thinking routine could be used before a debate, as a way of organising the ideas about the topic and clarify the points that are going to be defended, criticized or simply highlighted.

An example for a CLIL classroom (Science): Imagine we are working around renewable energies, more specifically a lesson about solar energy, and students are asked: "Should we use solar panels in our houses?"





Video tutorial-explanation about Plus-Minus-Important routine:

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