question stems to provoke critical thinking

28 Critical Thinking Question Stems For Any Content Area

Guest Post by TeachThought Staff

Critical thinking isn’t a skill, nor is it content knowledge or even evidence of understanding. While it involves and requires these ideas, critical thinking is also very much a state of mind — a willingness and tendency to sit with an idea and ‘struggle wonderfully’ with it.

In critical thinking, there is no conclusion; it is constant interaction with changing circumstances and new knowledge that allows for broader vision which allows for new evidence which starts the process over again. Critical thinking has at its core raw emotion and tone. Intent.

The purpose of these stems is to help students practice this slippery ‘skill.’ By having dozens of questions written generally enough to be widely applicable, but with an inherent rigor that challenges students to think, the ability to practice thinking critically is always available.

1. What evidence can you present for/against…?

2. How does … contrast with …?

3. How could you outline or concept map…? Explain your response with examples.

4. Why is … significant? Explain your reasoning.

5. What are the advantages and disadvantages of …?

6. What is the point or ‘big idea’ of …?

7. How could you judge the accuracy of …?

8. What are the differences between … and …?

9. How is … related to …?

10. What ideas could you add to … and how would these ideas change it?

11. Describe … from the perspective of ….

12. What do you think about …? Explain your reasoning.

13. When might … be most useful and why?

14. How could you create or design a new…? Explain your thinking.

15. What solutions could you suggest the problem of …? Which might be most effective and why?

16. What might happen if you combined … and …?

17. Do you agree that …? Why or why not?

18. What information would you need to make a decision about …?

19. How could you prioritize …?

20. How is … an example of …?

21. What are the most important parts or features of …?

22. Which details of … are most important and why?

23. What patterns do you notice in …?

24. How could you classify … into a more/less general category?

25. What makes … important?

26. What criteria could you use to assess …?

27. How could … and … function together? How do they work separately and together and different ways?

28. Where is … most/least …? Explain your reasoning.

Critical Thinking Cards

In adddition to the text and cards, we’ve included a graphic below. You also can purchase them in card-format to be printed and used right away in your classroom, a sample of which you can see below.

By making them cards, they are not only easier to ‘keep around’–on your desk, on a shelf in a workstation area, or even copied and given to students– but more importantly, meaningful thinking can become a part of your daily routines. Writing prompts, reading circles, Socratic discussions and more all benefit from critical thinking, and providing students with stems is a way of supporting them as their confidence grows and their habits as thinkers develop.

question stems to provoke critical thinking

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Simplify your teaching now, using Bloom’s Taxonomy Question Stems

Do you know all the question stems for each level of Bloom’s Taxonomy ? This is your resource if you’re teaching in the class or online!

Bloom’s Taxonomy question stems is a tool for educators that will help them create and scaffold questions to meet the needs of their learners. Knowing where to start when setting a question for your students can be challenging, but you’ll have all the tools necessary with this resource!

Bloom’s taxonomy is a multi-layered model for encouraging learning by progressing through six levels of increasing complexity. Bloom’s taxonomy encourages learners to engage with knowledge at a deeper and more interactive level, working with what they are learning in the real-world sense rather than passively taking information on board.

Bloom’s Taxonomy questions

An ideal way for a teacher to engage students is to plan questions that can be used in class discussions or as written assignments. Bloom’s Taxonomy provides a framework for structuring these questions from lower- to higher-order thinking. The use of questions in the classroom works best if they follow these guidelines:

The questions are planned and closely linked to the objectives of the lesson
A climate for open discussion is generated in the classroom , i.e. there are no stupid answers
Questioning follows the teaching of content or skills
Closed questions are used to check understanding and recall; open questions are used to generate discussion and debate
Questions are planned to increase through the cognitive levels from lower-order thinking to higher-order thinking

A valuable tool for teachers to use to generate questions is question stems. Question stems are used to generate questions that respond to each level in the taxonomy. Below is a comprehensive list of question stems for all levels that teachers in the class can use.

Question Stems

Remembering is the act of retrieving knowledge and can be used to produce things like definitions or lists. The student must be able to recall or recognise information and concepts. The teacher must present information about a subject to the student, ask questions that require the student to recall that information and provide a written or verbal assessment that can be answered by remembering the information learnt.

Can you name all the …?
Describe what happens when …?
How is (are) …?
How would you define …?
How would you identify …?
How would you outline …?
How would you recognise…?
List the … in order.
What do you remember about …?
What does it mean?
What happened after?
What is (are) …?
What is the best one?
What would you choose …?
When did …?
Where is (are) …?
Which one …?
Who spoke to …?

The next level in the taxonomic structure is Understanding, defined as the construction of meaning and relationships. Here, the student must understand the main idea of material heard, viewed, or read and interpret or summarise the ideas in their own words. The teacher must ask questions the students can answer in their own words by identifying the main idea.

Can you clarify…?
Can you illustrate …?
Condense this paragraph.
Contrast …
Does everyone think in the way that … does?
Elaborate on …
Explain why …
Give an example
How can you describe
How would you clarify the meaning
How would you compare …?
How would you differentiate between …?
How would you describe…?
How would you generalise…?
How would you identify …?
Is it valid that …?
Is this the same as …?
Outline …
Select the best definition.
State in your own words
This represents …
What are they saying?
What can you infer from …?
What can you say about …?
What could have happened next?
What did you observe?
What does this mean?
What expectations are there?
What information can you infer from…?
What is the main idea of …?
What restrictions would you add?
What seems likely?
What seems to be …?
What would happen if …?
What would happen if …?
What are the facts?
Which statements support …?

The third level in Bloom’s taxonomy, Applying, marks a fundamental shift from the pre-Bloom learning era because it involves remembering what has been learnt, understanding the knowledge, and applying it to real-world exercises, challenges or situations. Students must apply an abstract idea in a concrete case to solve a problem or relate it to prior experience. The teacher must provide opportunities for students to use theories and problem-solving techniques in new situations and review and check their work. Assessment questions should be provided that allow students to define and solve problems.

Can you group by characteristics such as …?
Choose the best statements that apply.
Clarify why …
Do you know of another instance where …?
Draw a story map.
Explain why a character acted in the way that he did
From the information given, can you develop a set of instructions about …?
How could you develop …?
How would you change …?
How would you demonstrate…?
How would you develop … to present?
How would you explain …?
How would you modify …?
How would you present…?
How would you solve …?
Identify the results of …
Illustrate the …
Judge the effects of … What would result …?
Predict what would happen if …
Tell how much change there would be if …
Tell what would happen if …
What actions would you take to perform …?
What do you think could have happened next?
What examples can you find that?
What other way would you choose to …?
What questions would you ask of …?
What was the main idea …?
What would the result be if …?
Which factors would you change if …?
What do you think…?
Why does this work?
Write a brief outline …
Write in your own words …

Analysing is the cognitive level where students can take the knowledge they have remembered, understood and applied, then delve into it to make associations, discernments or comparisons. Students should break down a concept or idea into parts and show relationships between these parts. Teachers must give students time to examine concepts and their requisite elements. Students are required to explain why they chose a solution.

Can you distinguish between …?
Can you explain what must have happened when …?
Determine the point of view, bias, values, or intent underlying the presented material.
Discuss the pros and cons of …
How can you classify … according to …?
How can you compare the different parts?
How can you sort the different parts…?
How is … connected to …?
How is … similar to …?
How would you categorise…?
How would you explain?
If … happened, what might the ending have been?
State the point of view of …
What are some of the problems of …?
What assumptions …?
What can you infer about…?
What can you point out about?
What conclusions …?
What do you see as other possible outcomes?
What does the author assume?
What explanation do you have for …?
What ideas justify the conclusion?
What ideas validate…?
What is the analysis of …?
What is the function of …?
What is the problem with …?
What motive is there?
What persuasive technique is used?
What statement is relevant?
What was the turning point?
What were some of the motives behind …?
What’s fact? Opinion?
What’s the main idea?
What’s the relationship between?
Which events could not have happened?
Why did … changes occur?
Why do you think?

The fifth level in Bloom’s Taxonomy is evaluation. This level requires the learner to make criteria-based judgements through the processes of critiquing and checking. Students must be able to make informed judgments about the value of ideas or concepts. They must use standards and criteria to support their opinions and views. The teacher must provide opportunities for students to make judgments based on appropriate criteria and have students demonstrate this using standards and benchmarks.

Can you defend your position about …?
Determine the value of …
Do you believe …?
Do you think … is a good or bad thing?
Find the errors
How could you verify …?
How effective are …?
How would you determine the facts …?
How would you feel if …?
How would you grade …?
How would you have handled…?
Is there a better solution to…?
Judge the value of …
Rank the importance of …
Rate the …
What are the alternatives?
What are the consequences of…?
What are the possible outcomes for…?
What are the pros and cons of…?
What changes to … would you recommend?
What choice would you have made …?
What criteria would you use to assess…?
What data was used to evaluate …?
What do you think about …?
What fallacies, consistencies, inconsistencies appear?
What influence will … have on our lives?
What information would you use to prioritise?
What is the most important …?
What is your opinion of …?
What sources could you use to verify…?
What would you suggest ?
Which is more important, moral, better, logical, valid, appropriate?
Who will gain and who will lose?
Why is … of value?

The final taxonomic level involves taking various elements and creating a new, coherent product. This level draws on all other levels, with the learner remembering, understanding and applying knowledge, analysing and evaluating outcomes and processes, and then constructing the end product, which may be either physical or conceptual. Students must now be able to combine parts of knowledge to form a whole and transfer these skills into new situations. The teacher must provide opportunities for students to demonstrate they can assemble parts of knowledge into a whole using creative thinking and problem-solving.

Can you brainstorm a better solution for…?
Can you create new and unusual uses for …?
Can you design a … to …?
Can you develop a proposal which would…?
Can you see a possible solution to …?
Devise a way to …
How many ways can you…?
How would you compile the facts for …?
How would you elaborate on the reason …?
How would you generate a plan to …?
How would you improve …?
How would you portray …?
How would you test …?
If you had access to all resources, how would you deal with …?
List the ways you can…?
Predict the outcome if …
Propose an alternative. How else would you …?
What changes would you make to revise …?
What could you invent …?
What facts can you gather …?
What would happen if…?
Why don’t you devise your own way to …?

If you are a teacher looking for ways to engage your students in learning, this blog post might be interesting for your classroom practice. Bloom’s Taxonomy question stems can help elicit higher-order thinking skills and promote critical thinking among learners at different taxonomy levels. These question stems can also encourage students to reflect on their knowledge before answering questions.

How do you use Bloom’s Taxonomy in your teaching? Let me know if this resource is helpful to you. I’d love to hear about how this blog has helped or not helped your classroom!

7 thoughts on “Simplify your teaching now, using Bloom’s Taxonomy Question Stems”

Yes exactly I get it and I enjoyed a lot but how can I download this?

Hi Robert. I can make it into a PDF to download if you want?

Yes, could I get a PDF copy please?

Thank you for this extensive, comprehensive tool. The stems themselves offer much food for contemplation and a springboard for writing one’s own questions.

Thank you for clarifying the type of questions under each section. Could I have this information in PDF to share with my peers.

Dear Sir, May I have permission to down load the question stems you provide on this web site? JMB

Sure thing James

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19 Types of Questions To Grow Critical Thinking

Jan 25, 2021 | Inquiry

Fostering critical thinking skills is essential for individuals to navigate the complexities of the modern world. As educators, one powerful tool at our disposal is the art of questioning. Thought-provoking questions stimulate intellectual curiosity, challenge assumptions, and encourage deeper analysis. Here are 19 types of questions designed to cultivate critical thinking in the classroom, categorized for clarity and purpose.

Categories of Questions:

1. Exploratory Questions:

Open-ended questions: Encourage students to explore ideas without restrictive boundaries. Example: “What are the possible outcomes of this situation?”

2. Analytical Questions:

Socratic Questions: Prompt students to analyze their own thinking processes. Example: “How did you arrive at that conclusion?”
Comparative Questions: Encourage students to examine similarities and differences between concepts. Example: “In what ways are these two theories alike or different?”
Cause and Effect Questions: Prompt students to consider the consequences of actions or events. Example: “What might be the repercussions if this decision is implemented?”

3. Imaginative Questions:

Hypothetical Questions: Challenge students to think beyond the present and consider imaginary scenarios. Example: “What would happen if we reversed the roles in this situation?”
Problem-Solving Questions: Engage students in critical thinking by presenting real-world problems. Example: “How would you address the challenges faced by the characters in this case study?”

4. Ethical Questions:

Ethical Dilemma Questions: Foster moral reasoning by presenting ethical quandaries. Example: “If you had to choose between honesty and loyalty, which would you prioritize and why?”

5. Inference and Reflection Questions:

Inference Questions: Encourage students to draw conclusions based on available information. Example: “What can you infer from the data provided?”
Reflection Questions: Stimulate metacognition by prompting students to reflect on their own thought processes. Example: “How has your perspective on this topic evolved over time?”

6. Divergent Thinking Questions:

Contradiction Questions: Encourage students to identify and resolve conflicting ideas. Example: “How can we reconcile these two seemingly contradictory viewpoints?”
Prioritization Questions: Challenge students to determine the most significant factors in a given situation. Example: “What factors should be prioritized in making this decision?”

7. Integrative Questions:

Interdisciplinary Questions: Encourage the integration of knowledge from multiple disciplines. Example: “How might principles from psychology and economics intersect in this context?”

8. Forward-Thinking Questions:

Predictive Questions: Prompt students to anticipate future developments based on current trends. Example: “What might be the long-term implications of this social phenomenon?”

9. Collaborative and Metacognitive Questions:

Collaborative Questions: Foster teamwork and collective problem-solving. Example: “How can diverse perspectives contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of this issue?”
Meta-Questions: Encourage students to think about their thinking. Example: “What assumptions underlie your perspective, and how might they influence your conclusions?”

10. Awareness Questions:

Bias Recognition Questions: Develop awareness of personal biases and perspectives. Example: “In what ways might your background influence your interpretation of this information?”

11. Systems Thinking Questions:

Systemic Thinking Questions: Prompt students to consider the broader systems at play. Example: “How does this individual decision impact the larger system?”

12. Relevance and Adaptation Questions:

Relevance Questions: Challenge students to assess the significance of information. Example: “How does this information contribute to our understanding of the main issue?”
Adaptation Questions: Encourage flexibility in thinking by exploring alternative solutions. Example: “If the circumstances change, how might your approach to this problem evolve?”

Incorporating these diverse question types into your teaching repertoire can transform the learning experience, help create a culture of inquiry , equipping students with the invaluable skill of critical thinking. As educators, we have the power to shape not only what our students know but also how they think, empowering them to navigate the complexities of an ever-changing world with confidence and intellectual agility.

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Student Success, Retention & Engagement | On Course

Questions that Promote Deeper Thinking

National surveys of college faculty reveal that their number-one instructional goal is to promote critical thinking (Milton, 1982; Stark et al., 1990), and national reports on the status of American higher education have consistently called for greater emphasis on the development of college students’ critical thinking skills (Association of American Colleges, 1985; National Institute of Education, 1984).

While the call for critical thinking has remained consistent since the early 1980s, there has been much less consistency in how critical thinking is defined or described by those who endorse it (Fisher & Scriven, 1997). For instance, following a 25-year review of the critical thinking literature, McMillan concluded that, “What is lacking in the research is a common definition of critical thinking and a clear definition of the nature of an experience that should enhance critical thinking” (1987, p. 37). Scholarly definitions of critical thinking have ranged from the very narrow—a well-reasoned evaluative judgment (King & Kitchener, 1994), to the very broad—all thinking that involves more than the mere acquisition and recall of factual information (Greeno, 1989).

In this article, I adopt a more inclusive definition of critical thinking that embraces all thought processes that are “deeper” than memorization and recall of factual information. When students think critically, they think deeply; they not only know the facts, but they take the additional step of going beyond the facts to do something with them. Critical thinking involves reflecting on the information received, moving away from “surface” memorization and toward deeper levels of learning. It also involves a shift away from viewing learning as the reception of information from teacher or text (in pre-packaged and final form) to viewing learning as an elaboration and transformation of received information into a different form by the learner.

This broad definition of critical thinking does not equate critical thinking with the cognitive process of evaluation or critique; instead, it incorporates evaluation as one specific form or type of critical thinking. This is an important distinction, not only for the purpose of definitional clarity, but also for the practical purpose of combating the prevalent student misconception that critical thinking means being “being critical.” Because of this common student misconception, I prefer to use the term “Deep Thinking” Skills (DTs) in my classes.

In an attempt to describe more clearly for students (and for myself) what critical thinking actually is, and how it can be identified and demonstrated, I developed a classification system to organize the variety of cognitive skills that would be embraced by an inclusive definition of critical thinking. The classification system or taxonomy appears in the Appendix to this article. This classification system may be viewed as a compilation of cognitive nouns translated into mental-action verbs, which could be used as a guide by instructors—to develop teaching strategies that intentionally promote the development of critical thinking skills, and by students—to assess whether they are engaging in effective critical thinking when speaking, writing, or studying. Each of the critical thinking skills included in the taxonomy is defined in terms of a corresponding mental action and is followed by a trio of sample questions designed to promote that particular form of thinking. The questions have been constructed in a generic manner that allows them to be adapted for use in specific courses and academic disciplines. Considerable research evidence indicates that such generic question stems can serve as effective prompts for promoting student use of specific thinking skills in different contexts (King, 1990, 1995).

In particular, I have employed the following two types of questioning strategies to promote critical thinking in my classes.

1. “Open-ended” questions intentionally designed to provoke divergent thinking.

Research indicates that college instructors spend little class time posing questions to students, and when questions are posed, the vast majority of them are memory-level questions that ask for factual recall rather than critical thinking (Gardiner, 1994). Furthermore, questions calling for factual recall are the type of questions that are least likely to promote student involvement. In contrast, studies show that “open-ended” questions calling for divergent thinking (i.e., questions that allow for a variety of possible answers and encourage students to think at a deeper level than rote memory) are more effective in eliciting student responses than “closed” questions calling for convergent thinking (i.e., questions that require students to narrow-in or converge on one, and only one, correct answer) (Andrews, 1980; Bligh, 2000). Ironically, and fortuitously, these results indicate that students are more likely to respond to questions that require deeper-level thought (critical thinking) than rote memory.

I insert open-ended, divergent-thinking questions (such as those included in the linked taxonomy) into my lecture notes as a reminder to pose them at certain points in class. I may pose them for general class discussion, or for discussion in small groups. Sometimes, I will ask students to write a minute-paper in response to the question. On other occasions, I have students write a minute paper first and then discuss their written responses. I have found that this strategy benefits the more reflective students by allowing them time to gather their thoughts prior to verbalizing them. It also benefits international students and students who may be fearful or self-conscious about public speaking, because it gives them a script to fall back on (or build on) and use as a support structure for communicating their ideas orally.

Experimental research indicates that students who are asked higher-level thinking questions in class are more likely to display higher-level thinking on course examinations (Hunkins, cited in Bligh, 2000). Classroom-based research conducted by Alison King (1990, 1995) demonstrates that students can also learn to generate their own higher-level thinking questions. Using a technique she calls “guided peer questioning,” students are first provided with a series of generic question stems that serve as cognitive prompts to trigger or stimulate different forms of critical thinking, such as:

(a) “What are the implications of ___?”

(b) “Why is ___ important?”

2. Questions that ask students to reflect on their own thinking processes and to identify what particular form of critical thinking they are using.

After students have communicated their ideas, either orally via group discussions or in writing via minute papers, I periodically ask them to reflect on what type of critical thinking my question was designed to promote and whether they think they demonstrated that critical thinking in their response. I typically ask them to record their personal reflections in writing, either working individually or in pairs; in the latter case, their task is to listen and record the reflections shared by their partner. Research has shown that one distinguishing characteristic of high-achieving college students is that they tend to reflect on their thought processes during learning and are aware of the cognitive strategies they use (Weinstein & Underwood, 1985). Additional research indicates that students can learn to engage in such “meta-cognition” (thinking about thinking) if they are regularly asked self-assessment questions, which require reflection on their own thought processes. When students learn to routinely ask themselves these questions, the depth and quality of their thinking are enhanced (Resnick, 1986).

Skip Downing (founder of On Course Workshops and author of the On Course text) is known to promote teaching students the skill of asking “beautiful” questions. Naturally, this raises another question: “What makes a question “beautiful?” I would argue that one criterion for determining the beauty of a question is its capacity for promoting deep, reflective thinking; in effect, it launches the learner on a quest for critical thinking.

Andrews, J. D. (1980). The verbal structure of teacher questions: Its impact on class discussion. POD Quarterly, 2 , 130-163.

Association of American Colleges. (1985). Integrity in the curriculum: A report to the academic community . Project on redefining the meaning and purpose of baccalaureate degrees. Washington , DC : Author.

Bligh, D. A. (2000). What’s the use of lectures? San Francisco : Jossey-Bass.

Fisher, A. & Scriven, M. (1997). Critical thinking: Its definition and assessment . Point Reyes , CA: Edgepress.

Gardiner, L. F. (1994). Redesigning higher education: Producing dramatic gains in student learning . Report No. 7. Washington , D.C.: Graduate School of Education and HumanDevelopment, The George Washington University.

Greeno, J. (1989). A perspective on thinking. American Psychologist, 44 (2), 134-141.

King, A. (1990). Enhancing peer interaction and learning in the classroom through reciprocal questioning. American Educational Research Journal, 27( 4), 664-687.

King, A. (1995). Guided peer questioning: A cooperative learning approach to critical thinking. Cooperative Learning and College Teaching, 5( 2), pp. 15-19.

King, P. M., & Kitchener, K. S. (1994). Developing reflective judgment: Understanding and promoting intellectual growth and critical thinking in adolescents and adults . San Francisco:Jossey-Bass.

McMillan, J. (1987). Enhancing college students’ critical thinking: A review of studies. Research in Higher Education, 26 , 3-29.

Milton, O. (1982). Will that be on the final ? Springfield, Ill.: Charles C. Thomas.

National Institute of Education. (1984). Involvement in learning . Study Group on the Conditions of Excellence in Higher Education. Washington , D.C. : Author.

Resnick, L. B. (1986). Education and learning to think . Special Report. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh, Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education.

Stark, J. S., Lowther, M. A., Bentley, R.J., Ryan, M. P., Martens, G. G., Genthon, M. L., Wren, P. A., & Shaw, K. M. (1990). Planning introductory college courses: Influences on faculty . Ann Arbor: University of Michigan: National Center for Research to Improve Postsecondary

Weinstein, C. E., & Underwood, V. L. (1985). Learning strategies: The how of learning. In J. W. Segal, S. F. Chapman, & R. Glaser (Eds.), Thinking and learning skills (pp. 241-258). Hillsdale , NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Classification of Critical Thin king Skills

1. Comprehension (Understanding): to convert information into a form that is personally meaningful , i.e., that makes sense to the individual who is learning it.

Representative Questions:

– How would you put ____ into your own words? (Paraphrasing)

– What would be an example of _____? (Illustrating)

– How would you translate ____ into visual form? (Concept-Mapping)

2. Application : to apply abstract or theoretical principles to concrete , practical situations.

Representative Questions:

– How can you make use of ____?

– How could ____ be put into practice?

– How would ____ be converted into an action plan?

3. Analysis : to break down or dissect information into its component parts in order to detect the relationship among the parts, or the relationship between the parts and the whole. (For example, identifying the underlying causes or sources of disagreement during a class discussion.)

Representative Questions:

– What are the most important/significant ideas or elements of ____? (Prioritization)

– What assumptions/biases underlie or are hidden within ____? (Deconstruction)

– What parts of _____ would be similar to/different than _____? (Comparison-and-Contrast)

4. Synthesis : to build up or connect separate pieces of information to form a larger, more coherent pattern. (Examples: Connecting related ideas discussed in separate sections or units of a course into a single, unified product, such as a concept map. Integrating ethical concepts learned in a course and philosophy with marketing concepts learned in a business course to produce a set of ethical guidelines for business marketing and advertising practices.)

– How can this idea be combined with _____ to create a more compete or comprehensive understanding of ____? (Integration)

– How could these different ideas be grouped together into a more general category? (classification)

– How could these separate ____ be reorganized or rearranged to produce a more comprehensive understanding of the “big picture?”

5. Evaluation : to critically judge the validity (truth), morality (ethics), or aesthetic (artistic) value of ideas, data, or products by using relevant assessment criteria (standards for judging quality).

– How would you judge the accuracy or validity of _______?

– How would you evaluate the ethical (moral) implications or consequences of _____?

– How would you rate the aesthetic quality (beauty) of ____?

6. Deduction : to draw conclusions about particular instances that are logically consistent with, or derive from general principles and premises.

– What specific conclusions can be drawn from this general ____?

– If this general ____ were true, then it would logically follow that ____

– What particular actions or practices would be consistent with this general ____?

7. Induction : to infer (derive or draw out) well-reasoned generalizations or principles from individual instances or specific examples. (For example, identifying recurrent themes or categories that emerge during a class discussion.) Note: One form of induction is the ability to abstract and extrapolate a concept learned in one context and transfer that learning to another context—a cognitive process often referred to as “decontextualization.” This capacity to transfer knowledge, i.e., to apply a concept learned in one context to contexts different than the one in which the concept was originally learned, is often presumed to be the “litmus test” of whether a student has really (deeply) learned the concept, or has simply memorized it in its original form. (For example, if a student can solve different versions or examples of math problems that require comprehension of the same, underlying mathematical concept, then the student is demonstrating deep learning or critical understanding of that concept.)

– What are the broader implications of ____?

– What patterns or themes emerge from ____?

– What can be extrapolated or extended from this particular ____ that may have more general or universal value?

8. Adduction : to make a case for an argument or position by accumulating supporting evidence in the form of logical arguments ( rational thinking) or research evidence ( empirical reasoning).

– What proof exists for ____?

– What are logical arguments for _____?

– What research evidence supports _____?

9. Refutation : to make a case against an argument or position by accumulating contradictory evidence in the form of logical arguments ( rational thinking) or research findings ( empirical reasoning).

– What proof exists that ____ is false?

– What are logical arguments against _____?

– What research evidence contradicts ____?

10. Balanced Thinking : to carefully consider arguments/evidence for and against a particular position or viewpoint.

Representative Questions:

– What are the strengths/advantages and weaknesses/disadvantages of ____?

– What evidence supports and contradicts ____?

– What are arguments for and counterarguments against ____?

11. Multiple Perspective-Taking : to view an issue from a variety of viewpoints , standpoints , or positions in order to gain a more comprehensive and holistic understanding.

Representative Questions:

– How would people from different ethnic or racial groups view this ____?

– How would people from different socioeconomic backgrounds be affected by ____?

– How would people who differ in age or gender react to ____?

12. Causal Reasoning : to identify cause-effect relationships between different ideas or actions.

Representative Questions:

– How would you explain why ______ occurred?

– What is responsible for ____?

– How would ____ affect or influence ____?

13. Ethical Reasoning : to identify what is morally right/ wrong or good/bad about particular ideas, attitudes, or practices.

– What does ____say about a person’s values?

– What are the moral implications of ____?

– Are the expressed or professed convictions of ____ consistent with actual commitments and observable actions?

14. Creative Thinking : to generate imaginative ideas, unique perspectives, innovative strategies, or novel (alternative) approaches to traditional practices. Note: Although critical and creative thinking have often been seen as separate cognitive skills, the latter is included in this typology, because it does involve thought processes that are deeper or higher than memorization.

– What might be a metaphor or analogy for ____?

– What could be invented to ____?

– What might happen if ____? (hypothetical reasoning).

-Joe Cuseo, Faculty, Psychology & Director, Freshman Seminar, Marymount College, CA

I have attended a lot of workshops and conferences–On Course is by far the best!

Our college needs to offer this workshop for all faculty, full and part-time.

I’m a better instructor because of On Course.

I arrived as a skeptic, but by the end of the first day I was converted. These strategies are practical and timely. I am looking forward to implementing them in my courses.

My first day back I plunged into using On Course materials and methods with my students, and they LOVED it!! And I LOVED it! Thank you so much on behalf of myself and all of my present and future students!

Thank you for making me a better teacher.

Since first attending one of the summer retreats in 1997, I’ve held nine On Course workshops for our college, and I plan to offer more.

You have created a workshop that, in my 25 years of professional development, is by far the best experience I’ve ever had.

On a scale of 1-10, I rate the overall value I received from the workshop as a 15.

The On Course Workshop was the most productive learning experience I have had in years.

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100+ Critical Thinking Questions for Students To Ask About Anything

Critical thinkers question everything.

In an age of “fake news” claims and constant argument about pretty much any issue, critical thinking skills are key. Teach your students that it’s vital to ask questions about everything, but that it’s also important to ask the right sorts of questions. Students can use these critical thinking questions with fiction or nonfiction texts. They’re also useful when discussing important issues or trying to understand others’ motivations in general.

“Who” Critical Thinking Questions

Questions like these help students ponder who’s involved in a story and how the actions affect them. They’ll also consider who’s telling the tale and how reliable that narrator might be.

Is the protagonist?
Is the antagonist?
Caused harm?
Is harmed as a result?
Was the most important character?

Is responsible?
Is most directly affected?
Should have won?
Will benefit?
Would be affected by this?

Makes the decisions?

“What” Critical Thinking Questions

Ask questions that explore issues more deeply, including those that might not be directly answered in the text.

Background information do I know or need to know?
Is the main message?
Are the defining characteristics?

Questions or concerns do I have?
Don’t I understand?
Evidence supports the author’s conclusion?
Would it be like if … ?
Could happen if … ?
Other outcomes might have happened?
Questions would you have asked?
Would you ask the author about … ?
Was the point of … ?
Should have happened instead?
Is that character’s motive?
Else could have changed the whole story?

Can you conclude?
Would your position have been in that situation?
Would happen if … ?
Makes your position stronger?
Was the turning point?
Is the point of the question?
Did it mean when … ?
Is the other side of this argument?
Was the purpose of … ?
Does ______ mean?
Is the problem you are trying to solve?
Does the evidence say?
Assumptions are you making?
Is a better alternative?
Are the strengths of the argument?

Are the weaknesses of the argument?
Is the difference between _______ and _______?

“Where” Critical Thinking Questions

Think about where the story is set and how it affects the actions. Plus, consider where and how you can learn more.

Would this issue be a major problem?
Are areas for improvement?
Did the story change?
Would you most often find this problem?

Are there similar situations?
Would you go to get answers to this problem?
Can this be improved?
Can you get more information?
Will this idea take us?

“When” Critical Thinking Questions

Think about timing and the effect it has on the characters or people involved.

Is this acceptable?
Is this unacceptable?

Does this become a problem?
Is the best time to take action?
Will we be able to tell if it worked?
Is it time to reassess?
Should we ask for help?
Is the best time to start?
Is it time to stop?
Would this benefit society?

Has this happened before?

“Why” Critical Thinking Questions

Asking “why” might be one of the most important parts of critical thinking. Exploring and understanding motivation helps develop empathy and make sense of difficult situations.

Is _________ happening?
Have we allowed this to happen?
Should people care about this issue?

Is this a problem?
Did the character say … ?
Did the character do … ?
Is this relevant?
Did the author write this?
Did the author decide to … ?
Is this important?

Did that happen?
Is it necessary?
Do you think I (he, she, they) asked that question?
Is that answer the best one?
Do we need this today?

“How” Critical Thinking Questions

Use these questions to consider how things happen and whether change is possible.

Do we know this is true?
Does the language used affect the story?
Would you solve … ?
Is this different from other situations?

Is this similar to … ?
Would you use … ?
Does the location affect the story?
Could the story have ended differently?
Does this work?
Could this be harmful?
Does this connect with what I already know?
Else could this have been handled?
Should they have responded?

Would you feel about … ?
Does this change the outcome?
Did you make that decision?
Does this benefit you/others?
Does this hurt you/others?
Could this problem be avoided?

What are your favorite critical thinking questions? Come exchange ideas on the WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook .

Plus, check out 10 tips for teaching kids to be awesome critical thinkers ., you might also like.

Examples of critical thinking skills like correlation tick-tac-Toe, which teaches analysis skills and debates which teach evaluation skills.

5 Critical Thinking Skills Every Kid Needs To Learn (And How To Teach Them)

Teach them to thoughtfully question the world around them. Continue Reading

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Learn How to Learn with Bloom's Taxonomy and Critical Thinking

Bloom’s Taxonomy represents the various categories of thinking you may engage in when you are a college student. There are many questions that you can ask yourself to check your learning and make sure you are understanding content in a deep way. When you have a complete understanding of a concept, you will feel more confident and be more prepared when you are tested on the material, which will help you learn future content in your coursework.

Below, we provide a list of each of the categories of thinking along with questions you can ask yourself in each of the areas to check for your understanding. The first steps will be simple and help you consider your learning at the most foundational levels. As the article progresses, the steps will require more critical thinking and deepen your learning.

The first category is Remembering. Remembering is described as retrieving information from your memory. Some words that are frequently used to describe this type of learning are: recognize, recall or repeat. Questions that are common for this type of learning are: who, what, where and when questions. Often, flash cards are used to facilitate the memorization of the definitions of concepts.

The next category is Understanding. Understanding is described as being able to recall information but in your own words. When you fully understand a concept, you are able to describe it in your own words. Some words that are used to describe this type of learning are: summarize, paraphrase, interpret or explain. Questions that are common for this type of learning include: What is the main idea of the concept? Describe the concept. Explain in your own words.

The next category is called Apply. Application is described as being able to apply what you know to the new concept(s) you are learning. You can think about how you can apply new concepts to the real world. Some words that are used to describe this type of learning are asking for examples, clarification or illustration of a concept(s). Questions that are common for application include: Why is this concept significant? How is this an example of something in the real world? How does this relate to another concept you are learning?

The next category is Analyze. Analyzing is described as breaking down the concept into smaller parts. Some words that are used to describe this type of learning include: contrast, diagram, classify, examine or debate. Questions that are common for analyzing include: What are the parts of this concept? How would you break this concept into smaller parts? Where does the concept come from? Create a way to make connections between ideas and concepts in all of your classes.

The next category is Evaluate. Evaluation is where judgments and/or decisions are based on criteria. Some words that are used to describe this type of learning include: critique, revise, predict, rank, assess and conclude. Questions that are common for evaluation include: What is most important? Do you agree with this? Why? Provide evidence to support this concept. What assumptions are in this argument?

The final category is Create. Creating new ideas, arguments, content, platforms, systems, or models are when ideas are recombined into a coherent whole. some words that are used to describe this type of learning include: diagram, ideate, plan, design, compose and actualize. Questions that are common for creating include: What ideas can you add to this? What if this were true? What patterns can you find? How would you design this?

During your time in college, while remembering and memorization are important, they are simply the foundation to learning. To incorporate deeper levels of learning and knowing, choose a concept you are learning about in class and see if you can remember the definition (remember), demonstrate your understanding (understanding), give some examples of the concept and apply it to the real world (application), and break it down into smaller components (analyze). This will help you determine how much you know, and how much you may still need to learn.

Adapted from: 1) David R. Krathwohl (2002) A Revision of Bloom's Taxonomy: An Overview, Theory Into Practice, 41:4, 212-218; and 2) Staff, TeachThought. “25 Question Stems Framed Around Bloom’s Taxonomy.” TeachThought. N.p., 15 Nov. 2015. Web.

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Course Design

Using Fundamental Concepts and Essential Questions to Promote Critical Thinking

January 12, 2015
Julie Schrock PhD and Steven Benko PhD

C ould your students identify the most important concepts in your discipline? Do they leave your class understanding these most fundamental concepts, including the ability to reason using these concepts to answer essential questions? Do your students become critical thinkers who connect concepts and practices in your course with other courses? With their future professional lives?

Traditional ways of teaching and the customary use of textbooks can hinder the development of critical thinking and meaningful learning. Instructors often resort to lecture because of its efficiency in covering content. However, student attention often wanes quickly, and students end up memorizing notes they wrote down during the lecture and developing only a superficial understanding of course material. Also problematic is that textbooks highlight more concepts than students can possibly learn in a meaningful way. Many textbooks have as many as 45 concepts, or more, per chapter. In a text with, for example, 15 chapters, that is approximately 700 concepts. Often students have absolutely no idea which of the 700 concepts is more important than any other. As a result, they try to memorize as many as possible and leave the course with little deep understanding of any. Students can, however, develop the skills they need to find connections among concepts, assess their relative importance in the discipline, and then use them to think critically about a wide variety of concepts, principles, ideas, and questions. You can facilitate this process by structuring your course around the fundamental and powerful concepts, and essential questions of the discipline.

Fundamental concepts

Essential questions.

Another way to facilitate critical thinking and meaningful learning is to help your students use fundamental and powerful concepts to reason through essential questions of a course. An essential question of a course is a question that the course is trying to answer. How does literature enrich life? How are moral arguments justified? Essential questions help students identify the relevance of studying a particular discipline. Wiggins and McTighe (2011) define essential questions as those that:

Cause genuine and relevant inquiry into the big ideas of the core content.
Provoke deep thought, lively discussion, sustained inquiry, and new understanding as well as more questions.
Require students to consider alternatives, weigh evidence, support their ideas, and justify their answers.
Stimulate vital ongoing rethinking of big ideas, assumptions, and prior lessons.
Spark meaningful connections with prior learning and personal experiences.
Naturally recur, creating opportunities for transfer to other situations, refer to “core ideas and inquiries within a discipline” and help “students effectively inquire and make sense of important but complicated ideas and knowledge.” (p. 73)

In educational psychology, two essential questions are how do students learn and how can I teach to support student learning? Assignments based on these questions could include analyzing lesson plans from different theoretical perspectives to determine if the lesson plan will facilitate learning, and analyzing case studies of classroom situations from multiple learning perspectives to solve problems. In ethics an essential question can be how are moral claims justified? Assignments based on this essential question could include comparing how much weight is to be given to statistics, narrative, tradition, or logical reasoning in justifying a moral claim and then comparing that across several moral issues. We could ask our students to think through why statistics or narrative matter more in one case and not another. They would leave the class with the skills required to assess the different elements of a moral argument and the ability to explain how those elements can be used to justify a moral position.

If students memorize concepts but cannot think critically using those concepts, then the concepts are meaningless to the student and will soon be forgotten. Additionally, if students cannot determine which concepts within a course are fundamental and powerful as opposed to less important, their efforts to learn are undermined by a lack of focus. Students can leave your course with a strong grasp of course content, and the ability to think critically within the discipline if you 1) explicitly identify and teach them to understand deeply the fundamental and powerful concepts of the course, and 2) create tasks and assignments that require them to reason about essential questions of the discipline using those concepts like professionals in the field.

References: Nosich, G. M. (2009). Learning to Think Things Through: A Guide to Critical Thinking Across the Curriculum (3rd Ed). Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.

Wiggins, G & McTighe, J. (2011). Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High Quality Units. ASCD, Alexandria, VA.

Julie Schrock is an associate professor of education at Meredith College. Steven Benko is an assistant professor of religious and ethical studies at Meredith College.

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9 Provoking Critical Thinking Questions to Ignite Deep Reflective Discourse

Self-improvement

Besides radical skepticism. Critical thinking can be defined by these three questions:

What is true?
Why is it true?
What else is true?

Your ability to question a piece of incoming information. Doubt it, so you can come up with the best possible solution is more important than any certificate or diploma you’ll ever receive during your life.

Think about it.

In a typical company. People don’t hire other people to just stare at a screen and click buttons. If the job was to sit behind a monitor all day and tick random boxes. A company wouldn’t require a whole hiring team. Every corporation in need of staff would simply go outside the tall building they reside in and pick the first person passing by willing to sell his soul to the corporate regime.

No. What HRs are really interested in when they conduct interviews is this: They are trying to evaluate how you think.

Can you press the right buttons for the needed tools? Yes, surely they are looking for that, too. But more importantly, can you solve a challenge in an elegant way? Can you find your way out of a situation when things get sideways? Can you properly evaluate difficult cases and find the best possible solution without ruining the established systems and values?

These are the actual skills HR members are after.

Cognitive skills. Not mouse-clicking skills.

And while you can easily teach a smart person how to operate a particular software. What you can’t teach. Or at least will require a substantial amount of effort and nerves. Is to try to teach a dump person how to think properly.

But as I said in my recent post on how to improve critical thinking skills . We are systematically not challenged.

No matter the work you do – unless you work for NASA. Between 2 and 3 years. A job usually starts to feel like a venomous tonic of bitterness.

The repeated mundane tasks not only lead to a lack of drive. But also deteriorate your thinking.

If you happen to be in such an unchallenging and depressive state. Or if you are simply looking for ways to shake the cocktail of thoughts that circle inside your brain.

The following critical thinking questions will resurrect your enthusiasm and remove the rust from your gray matter.

Note: To better engage with the text. I highly recommend grabbing a notebook and answering the questions on paper. No rush. You can tackle them in the order you like. Also, don’t need to answer them all now. Tackle one question now and the rest when you have the time.

9 Provoking Questions to Foster Critical Thinking:

1. what are we absolutely sure is true, 2. what would my ideal life look like in x years, 3. if i had to write a book, what would it be about, 4. what’s the one thing i can do that will make everything else easier or even unnecessary, 5. what am i currently avoiding, 6. what kind of problems do i want in my life, 7. what can i learn from this person (or situation), 8. would could be, 9. what do i want to want.

The standard way we think about a problem or when we face a certain situation is to reason by analogy. We approach a situation looking at what someone else did to solve it. Then, we copy the solution and slightly adjust it to fit our case.

But a more sophisticated way to look at incoming situations is by reasoning based on first principles.

That’s precisely the question above: “What are we absolutely sure is true?”

For example, in an interview where Elon Musk talks about first principles. He explained that Tesla was able to become what it is – one of the largest companies that offers affordable electric cars. Not by doing what everyone else did with batteries – buy the expensive batteries and put them in a car. No, the Tesla team figured out what batteries are made of. What are their core materials? Once the team saw that the spot market value of these core materials is really cheap. They simply had to find a clever, and better way to assemble the pieces in a battery shape.

All of this means that when you are presented with a task. Don’t blindly copy what everyone around you is doing. Think about what is surely true. Then reason from there to find the best solution.

The second critical thinking question is: “What would my ideal life look like in X years?”

You can replace the X value with the number of years you fancy. But probably the prior question you should ask yourself is this: “What does my ideal life look like – in general?”

We rarely think in that direction. And even if we do. I don’t think we think enough about this.

If you ask yourself this question now. You’ll probably say something general like: Working a meaningful job; Traveling the world, etc., etc.

But what kind of job? Where do you want to travel?

What makes this question great is that it creates a series of sub-questions. Questions that are equally deep and challenging.

Additionally, you can tailor it to a product or for your job.

For example, “How do I imagine the best possible version of this product?” Or, “How do I imagine the perfect day in my day job?”

If-I-Had-To-Write-a-Book,-What-Would-It-Be-About

What makes this critical thinking question great is that it forces you to think about what you know. And more precisely, to try to package what you know in a volume. Furthermore, it will reveal what you value most.

If you think that you should write a business book. Then probably you value money. Or innovation more than anything else.

If your answer is a psychology book to understand human behavior , for example. Your interests are probably around the spectrum of understanding yourself along with others.

What-is-The-One-Thing-I-Can-Do-That-Will-Make-Everything-Else-Easier-Or-Even-Unnecessary

We are used to having endless to-do lists. We imagine that the more things we do. The more our value will increase.

Looking at the top companies in the world and the most successful athletes will show you otherwise.

The best in the business are not good at everything. They are masters of one specific category.

For instance, a basketball player is superb at playing basketball. Does that mean that he’s good with math? He can be. But probably he is not. Surely, though, he’s doing OK in life.

The point is to figure out what one thing you should focus on that can remove things from your list of tasks and help you achieve better results.

And this question can be applied to everything:

Fitness : I can train at home with a set of dumbbells, which will make going to the gym unnecessary. I will save time and money and still be in shape.
Business : I can focus on creating a single product. I don’t need a range of products in the same category. This will remove the need for additional machines and staff.
Investing : I can focus on investing only in these 3 companies. This will prevent me from trying to learn about the rest of the industry – and stress about the rest of the industry. Plus, increase my return on investment because my cash will be focused on a small portfolio.

Do you avoid talking about an important topic with your spouse? Do you avoid changing your career? Are you purposely drowning yourself in endless social media posts to avoid thinking about your future? Are you purposefully not starting to work on the current task because you are no longer motivated by the work you do?

There are many things we can avoid.

You can even avoid thinking about avoiding things.

Once you crystallize what you are avoiding. You can then ask yourself why.

Why are you avoiding this? What’s the core reason?

The more you ask why, the more terrain from your puzzled unconsciousness you’ll uncover.

Probably you don’t want to bring a certain topic for discussion with your spouse because you’re afraid of her answer. Or, you avoid taking a leap to another career because you are afraid that you’ll suck.

Fortunately, the more you discover. The more you unclothe your inner thoughts. The better you’ll understand yourself and what you need to focus on next.

What-Kind-of-Problems-Do-I-Want-In-My-Life

Life is basically a series of problems. The good news is, that we get to choose some of our problems.

I know, it sounds a bit absurd. But you’ll see why in a minute…

When you purchase a car, for example. While you surely solve most of your transportation-related issues – i.e., you won’t have to rely on public transportation. Another set of problems comes attached to the ownership of a car. In particular, you’ll now have to handle all the car-related problems – gas bills, changing tires, repairs, etc. And the magnitude of some of the issues will depend on the car you got. For instance, a heavy truck will require more gas and a lot more cash for maintenance than an ordinary sedan.

A similar way of thinking can be observed in every other area of life.

If you don’t want the frustrating experience of the daily commute. You can find a remote job or start your own online business . By doing so, however, your life doesn’t become issue-free. You’ll now have remote job problems – feeling isolated, lonely, etc. – or business problems – need to hire people, figure out how to grow your business, etc.

A subset of questions arises from the “What kind of problems do I want in my life?” Probably the most interesting one is the following: “What kind of problems am I willing to deal with?”

Owning a pet can be observed from the problem lens.

Surely having a dog is an extremely joyful experience. But it’s definitely not a walk in the park. You have to devote a substantial amount of time to care for the animal – feed him, take him out, etc. Yet, people get pets all the time because they are willing to deal with the challenges that come with the ownership of a pet.

What I want to say is that at times, the world might seem totally fucked . Like everyone is against us, and like someone ordered a horde of problems to come our way. This is not entirely true. We choose most of the issues that eventually occur. And we have the power to reduce the number of problems with critical thinking.

What-Can-I-Learn-From-This-Person-(or-Situation)

Negative feedback makes us uncomfortable. Something that turned out to be not so pleasant is purposefully avoided by the brain. But whether we like it or not. Feedback and trying, failing, and then improving are two of the best ways to grow, become an adaptive thinker , and hammer critical thinking barriers .

There is one extra option, though. A harm-free way to get better.

It’s: To safely observe life from the side bench and take notes while other people do stuff.

If a colleague is doing better than you in your day job. Calling him names won’t do you any good. A much better alternative will be to see what you can learn from this person.

The same concept applies even if someone is underperforming or simply acting like a jerk. There’s a lot of gold not only in “what to do”, but also in “what not to do”.

If you’re struggling to find people to mimic in your physical life. Simply read books written by smart folks.

Reading is probably the best way to expand your thinking skills and outsmart the competition.

My favorite ones in relation to thinking are:

Thinking in Bets by Annie Duke
Thinking in Systems by Donella H. Meadows
Seeking Wisdom by Peter Bevelin

Thinking only considering what’s already available is not original thinking. You’re simply browsing the catalog of what’s already been made.

The question “What could be?” encourages critical thinking. Furthermore, it ignites creativity and passing the ordinary.

With this question, you break apart from the everydayness and press break from the mundane. You create space to think and to dream.

“What could be” is a mindset.

Just because something is the way it is, doesn’t mean it has to be like this forever. Also, it certainly doesn’t mean it’s the right thing.

So, when the time comes. When something requires a change. Or if you are thinking about solving a problem. Don’t only rely on what’s already been made by others. Ask “What could be?”

With a question. This question: “What do we want to want?” Is how the ground-breaking book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari ends. Arguably the most difficult critical question of all.

Because we copy what others want – called mimetic desire . We usually want things everyone around us is longing for. A big house. A stable job. A social media profile with a lot of followers. A wardrobe full of clothes you only wear once.

A dramatically better way to look at life – and essentially at what you want. Is not to preoccupy your mind with what others have and thus copy their desires. But to ask yourself: “What do I want to want?”

Then, further questioning your answer with: “Do I want this because it aligns with my personal values , or do I want it because others are craving it?”

Our goals and our habits are based on our wants.

To ensure that you’ll end up in a place you like – not just land in a random job you’ll regret, for example. The best way to approach your life is by first figuring out what you want.

By far, “what do I want to want?” is the best question I have found that can help you determine the proper direction of your life.

Some Closing Thoughts

There are numerous articles online that aim to improve the way we think. How to approach critical thinking and thinking in general.

I’ve personally covered a lot on the subject in the following entries:

Thinking Strategies for The 21st Century;
5 Critical Thinking Strategies to Enhance Problem-Solving
What Are The 7 Critical Thinking Skills ;
What To Think About ;
Powerful Critical Thinking Quotes (Deconstructed);
How To Think Better .

And while there are many good articles and books on the topic. They give you a false sense of knowledge. As if the mere possession of a book or simply reading an article about critical thinking can improve your ability to reason.

Essentially, these are all words on a page – a printed page or a web page, it doesn’t matter.

Reading the words won’t make you superiorly smarter. Using the words will.

And the first step toward using the words we digest is asking yourself questions. Hard questions. Critical questions.

A unique feature of our brain is that if you feed it questions. It will do its best to answer them. Even if nothing initially comes to mind.

So, don’t just scroll through what I’ve labeled above as critical thinking questions. Go to a quiet place. Undust your old desk – the one you used to study when you were a student. Then, take some time to think about the questions above.

Are the answers start to make you feel uncomfortable?

Good. You’re in the right direction.

Trouble Saying No to Temptations?

Join Farview: A newsletter fostering long-term thinking in a world driven by impatience. Trusted by over 4,300 thinkers, Farview is a concise, thoughtfully organized newsletter helping you handle the self-sabotaging thoughts trying to corrupt you.

Related Entries

Healthy Brain Habits To Maintain Sanity In Our Mad World

Intriguing Examples of Critical Thinking in Everyday Life

What are Self-Sabotaging Habits and How to Fight Them

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Thinking Science: provoking thought and generating discussion

STEM learning

Thinking Science is a stimulating set of philosophical questions that provoke critical thought about physics, chemistry, biology and working scientifically.

Below is an example of the kind of question created by the Department of Philosophy at the University of Bristol, where I first came across Thinking Science as a PGCE student. I use this resource endlessly, and hope you and your students find it as thought provoking as I have!

“Could a human survive without any relationships with other humans after it is born? If not what does this mean for us?”

The questions are designed for key stage 3, but transfer easily to key stages 4 and 5, as they are shaped by the knowledge that students apply. Thinking Science addresses curriculum links in every section. The scientific method and theories that we teach in the National Curriculum are probed and given context by the Thinking Science questions , which students find engaging and which lead to a deeper understanding of the methods, limitations and ethics of science.

The beauty of these questions is that their use is limited only by your imagination, there are so many ways they can be woven into lessons. To help, the Thinking Science booklet gives ‘lightbulb ideas’. These include setting a research-task homework, holding a class vote, or creating a panel for discussion.

As well as this, Thinking Science are amazing extension questions. They are open, require evaluation of knowledge and generate conflicting yet valid answers. In September, I printed out some questions and stuck them around my room. My hope was that daydreaming students would be drawn to more constructive musings. And sure enough, every so often, a student hangs back after the lesson and says “Miss, that question there…”

Sometimes, you might ask your class a thoughtfully crafted question and meet with a sea of blank faces. What are you supposed to do with that? To engage best with Thinking Science, students will need to understand the information pertaining to each question. This can be scaffolded by displaying keywords and directing students to use them. You can start discussion with a brief mind-mapping of ideas or share an example of a response to the question. If you want to promote a whole-class discussion throwing a ball around works well.

Discussion is a perfect opportunity to use scientific terminology in preparation for public exams, as oracy is the precursor to literacy. Thinking Science questions are self-differentiating; students apply as much as they know to answering the questions. Consequently, their answers reveal the depth of their understanding - including misconceptions - which allow teachers to re-teach certain areas.

Thinking Science really gets students thinking. The power of this cannot be underestimated. A scientist deals not with purely objective truth, but with its greyest, most uncomfortable areas. The idea of a question with no answers can feel like taking the stabilisers off a bike, but it will create a generation of thoughtful scientists and citizens equipped to tackle complex issues head-on.

Download the Thinking Science resources

The Power of a Good Question: Prompting Critical Thinking in Students

Originally published in TEACH Magazine, May/June 2023 Issue

By Sunaina Sharma

What makes a good question? We ask students questions all day long, but how do we know they are actually helping students learn and, more importantly, getting them to think? Being able to think for themselves, and especially to think critically, is one of the most important skills students will ever use—both in the classroom and beyond.

Critical thinking is the process of objectively analyzing information to form a judgment. It requires students to read, consider, observe, interpret, evaluate, reason, and conclude, but then it also requires them to articulate their position and justify it, meaning students must be able to effectively communicate their thoughts and ideas. Critical thinking is a skill that is expected of today’s 21st century learners and is a pillar of many province and state curriculum documents.

Reimagining My Questioning Style

A good question always prompts my brain to think, and I wondered if it would do the same for my students. I began to consider what would happen if I changed the types of questions I asked. Was there a way I could invite students to construct their own knowledge?

To inspire curiosity in my students, I had to start by exploring how to transform my questioning style. In my inquiry, I came upon a critical thinking skills graphic that provided examples of different levels of questions to help students learn actively. The level six questions were exactly what I was looking for. These were intellectually engaging enough to have students reflect on what they already knew, and research to understand what they didn’t, in order to seek out an answer.

I was eager to try out some of these questions for myself, so after my Grade 9 class finished reading the short story Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl, I asked the students my version of a level six critical thinking question: “We know Mary killed her husband. If you were the detective investigating the case, what would you charge her with and how would you defend your conclusion to the Crown?”

I had students break into groups to begin forming their answers. I never gave them any additional prompts or suggestions. They began talking immediately, but quickly realized that they needed more information. First, they had to figure out the legal consequences of killing someone.

Out came their prior knowledge. Students pooled together what they already knew from watching movies or television shows, then determined that they needed to know the difference between manslaughter, second-degree murder, and first-degree murder.

Out came their devices. They Googled, read, and shared the definitions they found. Once each group had a good understanding of the terms, they moved forward.

Out came their textbooks. They reread portions of the story to analyze specific plot events in light of the new definitions they had learned.

Out came their ideas. Students expressed their opinions, listened to each other, debated, disagreed, and worked towards forming a collective answer. They took notes and some even chose to mind-map or use a chart to keep track of all their ideas. We then gathered as a class to engage in a whole-group discussion so we could hear each other’s thoughts.

Out came their voices. Students communicated their answers and instinctively provided evidence from the text in support. Because of the amount of thought that went into drawing their conclusions, students referenced page numbers from the story and sources from the Internet. They were confident in their final decisions and sought to convince their peers to agree with them.

Digital Technology as a Learning Tool

After the success with my Grade 9 students, I wanted to continue refining my questioning style. I also had the idea to try and combine asking effective questions with using digital technology. My own PhD research taught me that when students use technology to construct knowledge, it engages them. As such, I developed a graphic of my own to guide me and my students:

The graphic prompted students to use technology to access outside information that would help them answer questions. In addition, the four levels aligned with the four-level rubric in the Ontario curriculum. With this simplified graphic, I continued to ask my students questions that prompted their thinking.

My Grade 11 students had been reading the graphic novel Deogratias: A Tale of Rwanda by Jean-Philippe Stassen. It is a text that has parallel storylines—one tells the tale of the main character, Deogratias, before the Rwandan genocide, and the other tells of his life afterwards. To understand the impact of the genocide on Deogratias, I engaged my students in an examination of traits he demonstrated before and after.

As students were contributing their ideas, someone called out, “After the genocide, he’s gone crazy.” I interjected and talked about the harm of that word, then asked the class to reconsider what adjective they would use to describe the main character. One student said, “I think he has PTSD.” I paused and asked everyone else what they thought. They couldn’t answer the question because they didn’t know exactly what post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was.

I divided the students into small groups and handed each group a blank piece of paper. I had them write “Does Deogratias have PTSD?” at the top of the page, then asked them to research the symptoms of PTSD and list them on their sheet. Students began to talk with each other and some even shared stories of a family member dealing with the disorder. After sharing what they already knew and respectfully listening to their peers’ experiences, students realized they needed technology. Some grabbed their phones and others borrowed a classroom device to begin exploring and researching.

Once they accessed reliable websites, students also started flipping through the graphic novel to look for evidence they could use to prove or disprove whether Deogratias had PTSD. Again, students accessed their prior knowledge, used their technological devices, reread their book, constructed their own ideas, and shared their voices with their peers.

Here are some student responses to the question “Does Deogratias have PTSD?”

The Impact of Using Enhanced Questions

As educators, sometimes our passion for our subjects can lead us to get so focused on content that students are left wondering how their learning is relevant to the world beyond the classroom. But by reframing our questions, students are able to see the relevance of what they’re learning.

Asking students enhanced questions sparks their intellectual engagement. When we ask questions that prompt critical thinking, students are invested in choosing strategies to find the answer. They inevitably start by examining what they already know to act as a foundation for deeper learning, then they do a close reading of the text to analyze particular lines. They also use technology to deepen their learning, then form an opinion and justify that opinion with evidence.

What’s more, because they are so engaged, students are willing to share their ideas with others. They communicate, collaborate, and participate in active listening. Those are the skills I want to arm my students with because those are the skills they will use in the future.

Dr. Sunaina Sharma is an in-school program leader and secondary teacher with over 20 years’ experience teaching in the Halton District School Board. She is also an instructor and practicum advisor in a Bachelor of Education program, where she is able to share her classroom experiences with future educators.

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Critical thinking has at its core raw emotion and tone. Intent. The purpose of these stems is to help students practice this slippery 'skill.' By having dozens of questions written generally enough to be widely applicable, but with an inherent rigor that challenges students to think, the ability to practice thinking critically is always ...
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Question stems can be a powerful part of that process no matter where the learner is. They can be used as metacognitive and higher-order thinking prompts for class discussions, prompting, cueing, pre-assessment, self-assessment, formative and summative assessment, etc. See also 28 Critical Thinking Question Stems & Response Cards ($2.95)
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The Ultimate Cheat Sheet For Digital Thinking by Global Digital Citizen Foundation is an excellent starting point for the 'how' behind teaching critical thinking by outlining which questions to ask. It offers 48 critical thinking questions useful for any content area or even grade level with a little re-working/re-wording. Enjoy the list!
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