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Use a ready-made Thinking Guide Start a New Thinking Guide

Templates

Thinking Guides are tools or frameworks for thinking through an issue and considering different aspects or perspectives. They can help to develop thinking skills. Below are some useful ones that you are free to use, change and share.

Develop ideas

Blank template

Futurelab

A blank thinking guide where you can create your own from scratch

Lotus blossom

Futurelab

Create lots of ideas around an issue then turn ideas into actions

Examine ideas

Futurelab

Investigate evidence and other views then make new ideas

Use the essence

Futurelab

Get to the heart of the issue then look for new ideas

Possible futures

Futurelab

Think about the way an issue may develop in the future

Solve problems

Knowing trees

Futurelab

Think through a question and identify supporting evidence

Reverse planning

Futurelab

Work backwards from the ideal future to a realistic present

Is / is not

Futurelab

Scope a problem by identifying what it is and is not

Complete reversal

Futurelab

Reverse a problem to stimulate new thinking when stuck

Digging up roots

Futurelab

Explore a problem by digging down to its roots

Explore

Futures wheel

Futurelab

Think through the consequences and knock-on effects

T.A.S.C.

Belle Wallace

Helps you think about and communicate any topics, issues or problems

Question things

Futurelab

Question everything you read, hear and see

Compare and contrast

Futurelab

Make comparisons between two topics

A day in the life

Futurelab

Seeing things as they are experienced.

Analyse

Tracking an enquiry

Futurelab

This thinking guide will help you to plan your enquiry

Facts or opinions

Futurelab

Sort out the facts from the opinions about a particular topic

Making meanings

Futurelab

Establish what you want to know

Scamper

Futurelab

Substitute, combine, adapt, modify, rearrange

Traffic lights

cxpartners

What changes would you make? Analyse a particular situation

Different perspectives

From a different angle

Futurelab

Examining a topic through a variety of different lenses

Thinking boxes

Futurelab

Analyse from different perspectives - local to global

Plus, minus, interesting

Futurelab

Evaluate by identifying pluses, minuses and interesting points

Compass rose

Futurelab

Examine things from a variety of perspectives

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Did you know: if you register you can save and share your thinking guides?