>>Pat: Each hat has a color, right? Red is a feeling.
Who can give me a red hat for this?
>>Student: When I first saw this, I thought about volcanoes,
because of like, all the orange.
I think it seems really interesting.
>>Pat: Okay, so it draws you in, right?
>>Nichole: Having critique in the language be school-wide,
it builds consistency for the students.
We're able to walk into any class and say,
"Give me some green hat feedback on this."
They also see the value in it after they've gotten feedback from their peers
and they say, "Oh, okay, I can make this better."
>>The mission of our school is for students to learn how
to be successful in the real world.
So critique is something we value a lot,
having to accept feedback as well as give it.
>>Pat: So the six thinking hats is a protocol for giving feedback.
Students have this common language that they learn.
Yellow is, what is working.
Black hat, it's what's not working.
The green hat is a suggestion.
Red hat is a feeling, it's a gut reaction.
Blue allows you to change in between hats,
and then white is a clarifying hat.
We use them when we feel it's a time to take the work and develop it more.
>>Nichole: For today, we're doing our critique session.
We're focusing on yellow hat and green hat feedback--
>>So we're wrapping up our plate tectonics project.
Students are building and creating models in science.
And so in my class, students were critiquing each other's instructions
for their model.
>>What is yellow hat feedback?
>>Student: It's like the positives of the prototype.
I see that you have met the goal of blank because blank.
>>So each hat has a prompt.
You're going to state your claim of what you see in the piece,
but then you're going to support it with something very specific.
>>Ella: In class yesterday, we walked around to different stations.
We were expected to write down post-it notes
with green hat, yellow hat feedback.
>>Push the duct tape fabric.
Wait, what is it trying to do?
>>Nichole: Setting a goal for feedback is really important.
So a specific criterion we were looking at, were that directions were clear.
They had a specific number of steps.
>>Ella: Maybe we can have the instructions be a little bit more clear.
>>Nichole: So at the end of a critique, students go back to their own station
and read through all of the feedback they've been given.
>>Ella: Oh, maybe they said, put the dowel rod back down,
and then step three will be, slide the crust towards your hand.
>>So when you receive feedback, it feels good,
because you can really just see what you need to change or add or take away.
>>Student: That makes sense.
>>Ella: That makes sense. Okay.
>>Nichole: By the time they get to high school,
it's much more of a self-directed type of feedback and critique.
>>Nick: They already know the process. They already understand
that it's not personal.
As the teacher, you're more of the guide and less of the facilitator.
>>Our goal, virtual history museum is creative and authentic.
The listener provide the feedback
on the goal using yellow, black, red, and green hats.
>>The virtual history museum project contains content from women's history,
industrialization and then African American history,
so each unit becomes an exhibit.
>>Student: My museum has industrialization in one room,
with the silent film running on loop.
>>Holden: During critique, we each looked at our partners' projects
and we decided what we liked on them, and how they could improve.
>>I like the flooring and your lighting,
because it has like, a nice, warm atmosphere.
Do you have any posters for the industrial era?
>>Student: No.
>>Holden: Yeah, maybe you could add some of those.
>>Nick: You guys are blowing me away with your exhibits and your feedback.
If you could each share a piece of feedback that you found really helpful.
>>Student: Some black hat feedback that I got was
that my museum seemed not well lit.
>>Student: We had green hat. We suggested making a second tunnel
for the different units.
>>Nick: Excellent.
>>Nichole: So some of the critique skills that our students walk away with,
communication is a huge aspect of that.
Being able to give and receive feedback
without getting feelings involved is just a huge thing
that even a lot of adults struggle with.
>>Nick: It opens the door for students to take risks.
It's part of our culture, so students don't roll their eyes
when it's a critique session.
They find value in it.