from Staff
Critical thinking is not a skill, no knowledge of content or even evidence of understanding.
Although it involves and requires these ideas, critical thinking is also a very state of mind – a willingness and tendency to sit with an idea and “fight great” with it.
There is no conclusion in critical thinking; This is a constant interaction with the changing circumstances and new knowledge, which allows for a wider vision, which allows new evidence that re -starts the process. Critical thinking has its main raw emotion and tone. Intention.
The purpose of these stems is to help students practice this slippery “skill”. With dozens of questions written as a whole to be widely applicable, but with an inherent rigor that causes students to think, the ability to practice thinking is critical is always available.
Critical thinking cards
In addition to the text and cards, we included the graphics below. You can also Purchase them in a card format To be printed and used immediately in your classroom, an excerpt from which you can see below.
By making them cards, they are not only easier to “keep” on their desk, on a shelf in a workstation area, or even to be copied and to be given to students -but more importantly, meaningful thinking can become part of your daily combinations. Writing prompts, reading circles, socotic discussions, and more benefit from critical thinking and providing students with stems is a way to support them, as their confidence grows and their habits as thinkers develop.
28 Question of Critical Thinking Stems for any area of content
1. What evidence can you present for/against …?
2. How … contrasts with …?
3. How could you outline or concept card …? Explain your answer with examples.
4. Why … is significant? Explain your reasoning.
5. What are the advantages and disadvantages of …?
6. What is the point or the “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 … and how would these ideas change it?
11. Describe … from the point of view of….
12. What do you think …? Explain your reasoning.
13. When can it … be the most useful and why?
14. How could you create or design a new …? Explain your thinking.
15. What solutions can you suggest the problem with …? What can be most effective and why?
16. What can happen if you combine … and …?
17. Do you agree that …? Why or why not?
18. What information will you have to decide on …?
19. How could you prioritize …?
20. How is it … an example of …?
21. What are the most important parts or characteristics of …?
22. Which details about … are the most important and why?
23. What models do you notice in …?
24. How could you classify … in a smaller general category?
25. What is it doing … Important?
26. What criteria could you use for evaluation …?
27. How can … and … to function together? How do they work separately and together and different ways?
28. Where is it … at least …? Explain your reasoning.
28 Question of Critical Thinking Stems for any area of content
