Integrating the cognitive research trust (CoRT) programme for creative thinking into a project-based technology curriculum

In the Creative Thinking and Technology (CTT) programme, examined in this study, creative thinking is presented as a synthesis between lateral thinking and vertical thinking. In the first semester, the pupils leam thinking tools from de Bono's Cognitive Research Trust (CoRT) programme for creative thinking, using the Lego-Logo learning environment. In the second semester, they work on original projects. Thirty-seven projects were built during 3 years of programme implementation. Students contended with complex problems and adopted solutions that combine lateral thinking--readiness to explore multiple ideas without disqualifying any at the outset, with vertical thinking--a deeper examination of solutions, recognizing possibilities and limitations of the system and finding programming solutions. The current study casts further light on the role technology education can play in developing pupils' higher order thinking.