New site for practising thinking

I was becoming aware that work on my regular project was taking too long and that there is a need to address the gap of software for thinking rather more urgently. So I've just spent two weeks and two days on developing a website to get something happening.

It's far from perfect: The name "Functional Thinking" is only a working title - it seems in any case to be used previously.

I'm sure there are bugs that will become apparent through user testing.

I don't have any agreement with de Bono to use his tools so I refer people who want more than basic details to CortThinking.com. I am aware of Graeme Allan's excellent description of the CoRT tools at New Millenium Thinking but since he isn't charging money I assume that de Bono would prefer visitors to go to the other site.

Whether EdB likes the idea of his tools next to other peoples': I doubt it, but I really don't want to create an exclusive enclave that says "do it de Bono's way or nick off". After some practical experience with tools from different sources I imagine that people who otherwise would will start to appreciate the de Bono tools.

Give it a go...

http://www.practisethinking.com

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Permalink Reply by Phil Bachmann on May 22, 2011 at 21:58
Sorry I meant to say "who otherwise wouldn't will start to appreciate the de Bono tools.
Permalink Reply by Phil Bachmann on May 23, 2011 at 7:34
Hello Graeme,

Thanks for the photo and the reply.

You'll have to help me understand though about CoRT and money.

There's so much money in education - money for teachers and administrators (don't forget their pensions), money for cleaners and gardeners. There's money for builders to assemble $3million school halls etc etc.

So should there be money for the originator of the CoRT material (de Bono) or people who have spent their own money building comprehensive training resources (Will Devine at CoRTThinking.com)?

It's not like they would want anything more than a tiny fraction of the money that is spent on education.

Even though I have paid for the CoRT program several times I am almost motivated to purchase a license to access www.cortthinking.com just because it seems like the right thing to do.
Permalink Reply by Phil Bachmann on May 23, 2011 at 9:03
Hello Graeme,

I wasn't suggesting that you weren't paying appropriate license fees, merely that from an outsider's perspective it made sense for me to direct users to a paid de Bono site rather than an unpaid one.

Of course it's the copyright holder's perogative to ask me to direct people anywhere he wants to, and I shall of course comply. I haven't bothered asking because there's yet not guarantee yet that this new site will generate any serious traffic.
Permalink Reply by Franis on May 23, 2011 at 11:08
Do you know what the guy on the ladder in this picture is doing?
Wondering if he is a sign painter... ;o) Because who else would be dressed like that, with a rag hanging in his pocket? Sign painters don't have to worry about getting splattered...they have to worry about spelling.
Permalink Reply by Franis on May 29, 2011 at 23:31
Cool insider information that I wouldn't have figured out.

Yeah, it also looks as if when he put the ladder on the wall, some of the plaster fell off of it.
Ooops.

I find it an interesting exercise to try to imagine practical and understandable explanations for what someone is doing that seems mysterious.

It always amazes me how most people seem to have their black hat glued on in these situations - and they find it impossible to think of any other plausible reasons for what might be going on...
Permalink Reply by Phil Bachmann on May 30, 2011 at 2:02
I don't expect people will be able to a good job on:

What's OPV various people setting up paid websites explaining CoRT?

I'll put onto the other site too and see what answers come up.
Permalink Reply by Phil Bachmann on May 30, 2011 at 7:10
If teachers can get more people using the tools through methods beyond merely explaining them, then that's great. I am no expert on what works but am 100% behind any successful endeavours.

Personally I I continue to be focused on creating environments where it just makes more sense to learn and think than to do anything else. I am guessing that this is the best way forward for CoRT.
Permalink Reply by Phil Bachmann on May 31, 2011 at 2:14
Hi Graeme,

I remain concerned at the of volume of detail in your reply and your apparent reluctance to do an OPV. Surely you want to show off how good you are at doing CoRT?

If you don't want to sully yourself by visiting the new site, I have copied the question here so that you can do the OPV in familiar surrounds:

OPV A maths teacher devises a good system for teaching maths and writes a book that sells quite well for a while. Some maths teachers like his methods and they use them in the classroom. The author creates a website for people to purchase his training methods, while at the same time enthusiastic teachers have published web pages extolling the virtues of the system. OPV.
Permalink Reply by Franis on May 30, 2011 at 14:42
Graeme, is there a way to find out about how people are affected by what and how you explain about CoRT?

I would say - there isn't. Oh, you can project that something must have worked from the page views, etc. Or you can devise tests from students while you have them in your class.

Some people like myself are able to learn from reading and getting an explanation. Some can't. But that doesn't mean it was useless to explain it to people who don't learn that way anyway. Explaining it worked or didn't work for me - but I am someone who can learn that way. The people who can't learn by getting an explanation will still be affected.

Let's see - somewhere else on this site I listed about eight reasons that motivate people. I'm too tired right now to remember all of them. But it would be nice to know those so you could use them to craft this next question...

Perhaps a better question would be, "Could CoRT be better taught to more people in another way besides explanation?"
Then you can list many other possible means to do that... At least it's an open-ended question, rather than a question that encourages a yes/no answer.
No, explaining is never enough...for some people. But for me, it's valuable.
Permalink Reply by Phil Bachmann on May 23, 2011 at 20:08
Thank you Shamir,

Last year you said you needed place to practise thinking and I'm sorry it has taken this long for me to get around to it, but I'm very pleased now that you feel it fits your need.

I enjoyed reading your answers on the site.
Permalink Reply by Phil Bachmann on May 24, 2011 at 9:15
Site now called http://www.practisethinking.com.

The name may sound a little dreary but if you read some of the answers on the site they are not at all dreary.
Permalink Reply by Phil Bachmann on May 25, 2011 at 1:32
One thing that has worked really well on the new site http://www.practisethinking.com is the restriction that you can't see others' answers until you write one yourself. This creates a completely different environment to those of discussion sites.

Because you don't know other peoples' answers until you've written your own, you can't attack them, ride their coat tails, score points etc. All you can do is write the best answer you can, and then look at others' work.

I like it - though it is not a replacement for discussion sites.

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