School of Thinking celebrates its 42 Anniversary today. SOT was founded in New York on the 17th November, 1979 by Michael Hewitt-Gleeson and Edward de Bono.
School of Thinking is an elite independent school awarding bespoke degrees in Lateral Thinking.
It has a student body of 650+ active students of whom over 80% hold post-graduate degrees in science. In 2021 SOT has awarded 82 Advanced Certificates, 37 Diplomas and 23 Master of Lateral Thinking degrees.
SOT has no advocacy and no agenda. It is privately self-funding. It accepts no sponsors, grants or aid. No accreditation nor affiliation. It is a school of thinking. Not a school of thought. Our mission is to teach metacognition.
SOT is not for everyone. However, all are invited. School of Thinking was the first school on the internet, in 1995, and always offers pro bono lessons to anyone, anywhere, anytime, 24/7/365.
•••
The School of Thinking’s Diploma of Lateral Thinking DipLT(SOT) is an elite academic deed awarded for the successful completion of advanced studies in lateral thinking. It is elite because lateral thinking is difficult and the award is rare – being less than 100 diplomas ever awarded worldwide. Ten hours of masterclass training with Michael Hewitt-Gleeson are required for qualification plus twenty hours of practical application in the field. So, it may take around thirty hours to gain proficiency in lateral thinking.
The DipLT(SOT) masterclasses and clinics involve a different kind of training combining valuable IP from business, the academy and from military science.
DipLT(SOT)
Dr Hewitt-Gleeson co-founded the school with Cambridge Don, Edward de Bono, in New York in 1979.
Today he is recognised as the father of x10 Thinking. The Visiting Fellow in Innovation, Latrobe University, holds a PhD degree in Cognitive Science from the elite International College. It was the world’s first PhD in Lateral Thinking (1980).
International College was an independent, private, licenced college, founded in Los Angeles in the early 1970s. Licensed to grant degrees by the California State Department of Education, its degrees were recognized by Harvard, Yale, NYU and other Ivy League colleges. It was a virtual college having no classrooms, libraries or laboratories and a business model that was ahead of its time. As its motto, In Vestigiis Institutorum Antiquorum indicated, the college followed the methods of the first Greek and Roman universities, where gifted students were paired one student/one master with outstanding tutors. At International College the outstanding tutors were: Leonard Bernstein in Music and Conducting; Anaïs Nin in Novels and Writing; Buckminster Fuller in Innovation and Design Science; Lord Yehudi Menuhin in Violin and Music; Professor Edward de Bono in Education and Psychology.
In 1980, Hewitt-Gleeson was admitted to International College and paired with Edward de Bono for the world’s first PhD in lateral thinking. The field project he designed involved 26 New York hospitals and their 40,000 healthcare employees. His external examiner for the project was Dr George Gallup, founder of The Gallup Poll at Princeton.
Prior to his career in lateral thinking, he had already 7 years of service in the ADF (Australian Defence Force). He had been educated and trained at the rigorous Officer Training Unit, Scheyville (1967-68) and after a tour of duty in the Vietnam War he continued as a reserve officer and Chief Instructor in the RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force) and honourably discharged in 1974 with the rank of Flying Officer.
Dr Hewitt-Gleeson is Australia’s best-selling author of Software For Your Brain (1990), The x10 Memeplex (2000) and The 4th Brain (2019). His current projects include a new online pandemic recovery experience for teaching x10 Thinking called Australia x10.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
IN MEMORIAM EDB
Vale Edward. School of Thinking is in mourning because our co-founder, Professor Edward de Bono, died this year on the 9th of June. Our sincere condolences have been sent to Edward’s son, Caspar de Bono, and his family in Malta and the UK. We were invited to attend the funeral service streamed from the Old Mdina Cathedral in Malta. It was elegant, tender and consoling. The celebration was attended by the De Bono Family and friends and the Emeritas President of Malta. You may view the service here.
School of Thinking also gave Caspar a Book of Remembrance which recorded the condolences sent by individual SOT Members. Thank you for your thoughtfulness.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Wonderful memories of Edward and YOU, Michael, fill my heart at this time. Our learning and sharing continue to uplift my life. Hooray for Edward de Bono and YOU. And we keep learning…hooray
Glorious Memories created during our adventures… My mom (Mayme Willis Hedrick) advice: “When it is all said and done, all we have are memories, so let’s create happy loving memories.”.