This book is intended for use both at home and at school.

At school the emphasis has traditionally always been on vertical thinking which is effective but incomplete. This selective type of thinking needs to be supplemented with the generative qualities of → creative thinking.

This book is about lateral thinking, which is the process of using information to bring about creativity and insight restructuring.

Lateral thinking can be learned, practiced and used. It is possible to acquire skill in it just as it is possible to acquire skill in mathematics.

Both vertical and lateral thinking are necessary. Vertical thinking is immensely useful but one needs to enhance its usefulness by adding → Creativity and tempering its rigidity.

This book should be of use to teachers who are looking for a practical way to handle lateral thinking which is becoming ever more important.

The book provides formal opportunities to practice lateral thinking and also an explanation of the processes involved. The teacher may either use the book for his or her own interest or, better still, as a basis for classroom work.

The book is not intended to be read through at one sitting
but worked through slowly ‒ over months or even years.

For that reason many of the principles are repeated at intervals throughout the book in order to  hold the subject together and prevent it fragmenting into mere techniques.

In using this book it is important to remember that
practice is far more important
than understanding of the process.