SIMPLEX TEACHING AND THE SIX THINKING HATS METHOD TO DEVELOP ADAPTIVE AND CREATIVE PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCES IN TEACHERS

Contemporary pedagogical research is increasingly confronted with highly complex learning environments in which cognitive, emotional, and social dimensions interact (Aiello et al., 2023). As a result, there is a growing need to rethink traditional pedagogical models in favour of more flexible and inclusive approaches. Within this scenario, the integration of the paradigm of simplexity (Berthoz, 2012; Sibilio, 2023) and De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats method (1985) emerges as particularly promising. Simplexity enables individuals to face complexity through rapid and adaptive decision-making, while the Six Thinking Hats offer a structured method of metacognitive reflection that helps develop awareness in thought processes: white (facts), red (emotions), black (critical aspects), yellow (potentialities), green (creativity), and blue (organization) (De Bono, 1998; Zollo et al., 2015). These approaches have proven especially effective in contexts of inclusive and special education due to their capacity to adapt to individual needs (Aiello, 2016; Sibilio, 2020). The study presented here explores how the integration of simplexity and the Six Thinking Hats can enhance the use of multiperspective thinking and creative action in teaching practice. A 30-hour training course titled Metacognitive Teaching: Cooperative and Metacognitive Approach was carried out within the Specialization Programme for Future Special Education Teachers (TFA). Fifteen hours were devoted to theoretical preparation, and fifteen hours to practical activities in which participants first used the Six Thinking Hats to analyse a classroom context, and subsequently, through the principles and properties of simplexity, designed hypothetical teaching actions framed in an inclusive perspective. For empirical support, the Agire Didattico questionnaire (Zollo et al., 2018) was used to assess whether the teaching actions hypothesized by the future special education teachers changed after the training. The adoption of dynamic and metacognitive models thus emerges as an effective strategy for promoting a form of creativity capable of responding to the challenges of contemporary educational contexts.