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Critical thinking skills are so important to instill in our children from a young age. Why are critical thinking skills so important? They allow us to evaluate, analyze and make informed decisions everyday. Critical thinking isn't just something we do when we complete homework assignments or write papers but it's a process we engage in everyday.

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Question MATRIX for creating higher level thinking questions

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Question MATRIX for creating higher level thinking questions

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Can be used by teachers or students

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Critical Thinking Explained for Students

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Critical Thinking Explained for Students

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May 1, 2016
Critical thinking is an essential skill for the 21st century students. Not that it was not essential before but in a digitally focused world where there is an exceeding surplus of amateurish and unpolished information, the ability to critically assess, weigh in and value information has an imminent urgency. Through critical thinking, learners will get to sift through the ocean of information provided by the net and be able to decide what is relevant and what is not. Critical thinking, as we have argued in a previous post here in EdTech and mLearning, 'embraces several conceptual skills that include synthesizing, assessing, analyzing, applying and evaluating information. Critical thinking allows students to make informed and rational decisions as it forces them to dive deeper and analyze things logically. What would be viewed as a common sensical fact by 'surface thinkers' would be considered as a provocative statement that invite much reflection and investigation by critical thinkers.'

The purpose of today's post is to share with you this wonderful TED Ed video on critical thinking that you may want to use with your students in class. Besides explaining what critical thinking is all, the video also provides 5 main tips on how to improve one's critical thinking abilities namely: Formulate your questions, Gather your information, Apply the information, Consider the implications, Explore other points of view. This video is also available as a TED Ed lesson with comprehension and discussion questions to use with your students in class. Enjoy

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Critical Thinking Explained for Students

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May 1, 2016 Critical thinking is an essential skill for the 21st century students. Not that it was not essential before but in a digitally focused world where there is an exceeding surplus of amateurish and unpolished information, the ability to critically assess, weigh in and value information has an imminent urgency.

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Revised Bloom's Taxonomy Process (VERBS, ASSESSMENTS, QUESTION STEMS)

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Revised Bloom's Taxonomy Process (VERBS, ASSESSMENTS, QUESTION STEMS)

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Sample Question Stems Based on Revised Bloom's Taxonomy

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Sample Question Stems Based on Revised Bloom's Taxonomy

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Teaching Strategies to Enhance Higher Order Thinking

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Teaching Strategies to Enhance Higher Order Thinking

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One of the main 21 st century components that teachers want their students to use are higher-order thinking skills. This is when students use complex ways to think about what they are learning.

Higher-order thinking takes thinking to a whole new level. Students using it are understanding higher levels rather than just memorizing math facts. They would have to understand the facts, infer them, and connect them to other concepts.

Here are 10 teaching strategies to enhance higher-order thinking skills in your students.

1. Teaching Strategies to Help Determine What Higher-Order Thinking is

Help students understand what higher-order thinking is. Explain to them what it is and why they need it. Help them understand their own strengths and challenges. You can do this by showing them how they can ask themselves good questions. That leads us to the next strategy.

2. Connect Concepts

Lead students through the process of how to connect one concept to another. By doing this you are teaching them to connect what they already know with what they are learning. This level of thinking will help students learn to make connections whenever it is possible, which will help them gain even more understanding. For example, let's say that the concept they are learning is "Chinese New Year." An even broader concept would be "Holidays," and if you take it one step.

3. Teach Students to Infer

Teach students to make inferences by giving them "Real-world" examples. You can start by giving students a picture of a people standing in line at a soup kitchen. Ask them to look at the picture and focus on the details. Then, ask them to make inferences based on what they see in the picture. Another way to teach young students about how to infer is to teach an easy concept like weather. Ask students to put on their raincoat and boots, then ask them to infer what they think the weather looks like outside.

4. Encourage Questioning

A classroom where students feel free to ask questions without any negative reactions from their peers or their teachers is a classroom where students feel free to be creative. Encourage students to ask questions, and if for some reason you can't get to their question during class time, then show them how they can answer it themselves, or have them save the question until the following day.

5. Use Graphic Organizers

Graphic organizers provide students with a nice way to frame their thoughts in an organized manner. By drawing diagrams or mind maps, students are able to better connect concepts and see their relationships. This will help students develop a habit of connecting concepts.

6. Teach Problem-Solving Strategies

Teach students to use a step-by-step method for solving problems. This way of higher order thinking will help them solve problems faster and easier. Encourage students to use alternative methods to solve problems as well as offer them different problem-solving methods.

7. Encourage Creative Thinking

Creative thinking is when students invent, imagine, and design what they are thinking. Using your creative senses help students process and understand information better. Research shows that when students utilize creative higher order thinking skills, it indeed increases their understanding. Encourage students to think "Outside of the box."

8. Use Mind Movies

When concepts that are being learned are hard, encourage students to create a movie in their mind. Teach them to close their eyes and picture it like a movie playing. This way of higher order thinking will truly help them understand in a powerful, unique way.

9. Teach Students to Elaborate Their Answers

Higher-order thinking requires students to really understand a concept, not repeat it or memorize it. Encourage students to elaborate their answers and talk about what they are learning. Ask parents to reinforce this at home, as well by asking the right questions that make students explain their answers in more detail, or to answer their child's question with a more detailed response.

10. Teach QARs

Question-Answer-Relationships, or QARs, teach students to label the type of question that is being asked, then use that information to help them formulate an answer. Students must decipher if the answer can be found in a text or on the internet, or if they must rely on their own prior knowledge to answer it. This strategy has been found to be effective for higher-order thinking because students become more aware of the relationship between the information in a text and their prior knowledge, which helps them decipher which strategy to use when they need to seek an answer.
#TeachingStrategies
#HigherOrderThinking
#CreativeThinking Oct. 16, 2019
Janelle Cox is an education writer who uses her experience and knowledge to provide creative and original writing in the field of education. Janelle holds a master's of science in education from the State University of New York College at Buffalo. She is a contributing writer to , , and Hey Teach. She was also the elementary education expert for for five years. You can follow her on Twitter @empoweringed, on Facebook at Empowering K12 Educators, or contact her at Janellecox78@yahoo.com.

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Teaching Strategies that Enhance Higher-Order Thinking

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One of the main 21 st century components that teachers want their students to use are higher-order thinking skills. This is when students use complex ways to think about what they are learning. Higher-order thinking takes thinking to a whole new level. Students using it are understanding higher levels rather than just memorizing math facts.

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How to Develop a critical Thinking Mindset in Elem.

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How to Develop a critical Thinking Mindset in Elem.

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Critical thinking skills are life skills we use every day of our lives. Consciously developing them takes thought-provoking discussion, and the best questions to get it going. Begin right here with the Critical Thinking Skills Cheatsheet.

Whenever your students discover or talk about new information, encourage them to use these questions for sparking debate and the sharing of opinions and insights among each other. Together they can work at building critical thinking skills in a collaborative and supportive atmosphere.

The Critical Thinking Skills Cheatsheet includes categories for Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How. Each section has eight questions that begin with their corresponding word. The questions are meant to be versatile and broad, and applicable to a range of topics.

Let them inspire your students to come up with their own questions for critical thinking skill building. You can also easily print off this resource into an 11" x 17" reference tool for your classroom or office.
With this Critical Thinking Cheatsheet you can:

Build strong critical thinking habits

Develop lifelong learning mindsets

Engage students in discussion and collaboration

Shift responsibility for learning to students

Encourage curiosity and creative thought

Make learning a rewarding journey

This product is a digital file in PDF format only.
Language: English

Dimensions: 11" x 17"

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Critical thinking skills are life skills we use every day of our lives. Consciously developing them takes thought-provoking discussion, and the best questions to get it going. Begin right here with the Critical Thinking Skills Cheatsheet. It's a simple infographic offering questions that work to develop critical thinki

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Worth checking out!

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Depth of Knowledge (DOK) an Critical Thinking

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Depth of Knowledge (DOK) an Critical Thinking

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Recorded WEBINAR, 1h 17 min.

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Learn how Webb's four Depth of Knowledge (DOK) levels grow in cognitive complexity and provide educators with a lens to enable them to integrate the use of technology and to create more cognitively engaging and challenging tasks.

In this archived webinar, you will also learn how Depth of Knowledge offers a common language to understand "rigor," or cognitive demand, in assessments, as well as curricular units, lessons, and tasks.

Webinar Presenter(s):

Dottie Ysais

Della Larimore

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Depth of Knowledge and Critical Thinking

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Learn how Webb's four Depth of Knowledge (DOK) levels grow in cognitive complexity and provide educators with a lens to enable them to integrate the use of technology and to create more cognitively engaging and challenging tasks.

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Revised Bloom's Taxonomy- QUESTION STARTERS

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Revised Bloom's Taxonomy- QUESTION STARTERS

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26 Critical Thinking Tools Aligned With Bloom's Taxonomy

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26 Critical Thinking Tools Aligned With Bloom's Taxonomy

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Periodic Table of Bloom's Activities

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Education professionals have long tried to find a way to help students effectively develop critical thinking skills in simple and accessible ways. And such methods have been found. One of them is Bloom's taxonomy. It is a tool that is a hierarchical model of thinking skills, which consists of six different levels.

What Is Bloom's Taxonomy?

The taxonomy of educational goals includes:

Knowledge - memorization and reproduction of the studied topic.

Understanding - interpretation of the received information.

Application - the practical use of data in a particular situation.

Analysis - processing data in parts for better understanding.

Synthesis is the combination of ideas to create something new.

Evaluation - the formation of conclusions with the help of criteria and standards.

At each level, certain algorithms for the operations of mental activity are mastered.

How to apply Bloom's taxonomy?

One useful technique for developing critical thinking using this tool is the "Question Daisy." It consists of six types of questions:
1) Simple questions - Who? When? Where? How?
They presuppose knowledge of certain facts.
2) Clarifying questions - Did I understand correctly...?
Their goal is to obtain missing information that could be implied in the available data.
3) Practical questions - How can I apply...?
Used to establish a link between theory and practice.
4) Explanatory questions - Why?
They are needed to establish causal relationships.
5) Creative questions - What will happen if...?
Needed to predict the outecomes of a decision.
6) Evaluation questions - How do you feel about it?
They define the criteria for evaluating events.

There is another interesting technique called "Bloom's Cube." Its task is to check the assimilation of knowledge by the student. The die has 6 faces on which questions should be written that touch on different aspects of the current topic. After choosing the topic of the lesson, the student rolls the die and comes up with a question on the educational material, depending on the face that fell out. And the questions can be the most different. For example:

Describe (shape, size, color, name, etc.)

Compare (compare a given object or phenomenon with similar ones, indicate similarities and differences)

Name the association (with what you associate an object, a phenomenon)

Make an analysis (what it consists of, how it works, etc.)

Apply (give examples of use or show application)

Evaluate (indicate all the "pluses" and "minuses")

A question starting with the word "Name ..." may correspond to the level of reproduction, i.e., the simple reproduction of knowledge. Questions starting with the words "Why ..." correspond to procedural knowledge. Children in this case must find causal relationships and describe the processes that occur with a particular object or phenomenon. When formulating the question "Explain ..." the student analyzes the studied material, and when answering, they apply knowledge to new practical situations.

The taxonomy of Benjamin Bloom provides practical assistance to the modern teacher, and it is an effective tool in the hands of a practicing teacher both in teaching students how to solve problems and in evaluating learning outcomes.

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Critical Thinking Tools: Bloom's Taxonomy

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Education professionals have long tried to find a way to help students effectively develop critical thinking skills in simple and accessible ways. And such methods have been found. One of them is Bloom's taxonomy. It is a tool that is a hierarchical model of thinking skills, which consists of six different levels.

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Bloom's Critical Thinking Cue Questions 1

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Bloom's Critical Thinking Cue Questions 1

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ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies + FINE ARTS

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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Bloom's Critical Thinking Cue Questions 2

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Bloom's Critical Thinking Cue Questions 2

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249 Bloom Taxonomy Verbs for Critical Thinking

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249 Bloom Taxonomy Verbs for Critical Thinking

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by TeachThought Staff

Bloom's Taxonomy's verbs-also know as power verbs or thinking verbs-are extraordinarily powerful instructional planning tools.

In fact, in addition to concepts like backward-design and power standards, they are one of the most useful tools a teacher-as-learning-designer has access to. Why?

As research has suggested, they can be used for assessment design, curriculum design, lesson planning, personalizing and differentiating learning, and almost any other 'thing' a teacher-or student-has to do.

For example, if a standard asks students to infer and demonstrate an author's position using evidence from the text, there's a lot built into that kind of task. First, a student has to be able to define what an 'author's position' is and what 'evidence from the text' means ( Knowledge-level). They'll then need to be able to summarize that same text ( Understanding-level), interpret and infer any arguments or positions ( Analyze-level), evaluate inherent claims ( Evaluate-level), and then write ( Create-level) a response that demonstrates their thinking.

Though the chart below reads left to right, it's ideal to imagine it as a kind of incline, with Knowledge at the bottom, and Create at the top. You may not always need this kind of tool to 'unpack' standards and identify a possible learning sequence, but it also works ideally as an assessment design tool. If students can consistently work with the topic in the columns to the right-designing, recommending, differentiating, comparing and contrasting, and so on, then they likely have a firm grasp on the material.

You can also read more about Bloom's Revised Taxonomy (or Bloom's updated Taxonomy) if you're so inclined.

While we've shared Bloom's Taxonomy posters before, the simplicity and clean design of the chart format make it a bit more functional-even useful to hand to the students themselves as a hole-punch-and-keep-it-in-your-journal-for-the-year kind of resource. It also makes a powerful self-directed learning tool. Start at the left, and, roughly, move right.
Examples Of Bloom's Taxonomy Power Verbs
Knowledge: Define, Identify, Describe, Recognize, Tell, Explain, Recite, Memorize, Illustrate, Quote, State, Match, Recognize, Select, Examine, Locate, Recite, Enumerate, Record, List, Quote, Label

Understand: Summarize, Interpret, Classify, Compare, Contrast, Infer, Relate, Extract, Paraphrase, Cite, Discuss, Distinguish, Delineate, Extend, Predict, Indicate, Translate, Inquire, Associate, Explore Convert

Apply: Solve, Change, Relate, Complete, Use, Sketch, Teach, Articulate, Discover, Transfer, Show, Demonstrate, Involve, Dramatize, Produce, Report, Act, Respond, Administer, Actuate, Prepare, Manipulate

Analyze: Contrast, Connect, Relate, Devise, Correlate, Illustrate, Distill, Conclude, Categorize, Take Apart, Problem-Solve, Differentiate, Deduce, Conclude, Devise, Subdivide, Calculate, Order, Adapt

Evaluate: Criticize, Reframe, Judge, Defend, Appraise, Value, Prioritize Plan, Grade, Reframe, Revise, Refine, Grade, Argue, Support, Evolve, Decide, Re-design, Pivot

Create: Design, Modify, Role-Play, Develop, Rewrite, Pivot, Modify, Collaborate, Invent, Write, Formulate, Invent, Imagine
100+ Bloom's Taxonomy Verbs For Critical Thinking

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100+ Bloom's Taxonomy Verbs For Critical Thinking

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by TeachThought Staff Bloom's Taxonomy's verbs-also know as power verbs or thinking verbs-are extraordinarily powerful instructional planning tools. In fact, in addition to concepts like backward-design and power standards, they are one of the most useful tools a teacher-as-learning-designer has access to. Why?

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Coursera- free online courses offered by universities world wide

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Coursera- free online courses offered by universities world wide

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Creative Problem Solving-
This one was offered by University of Minnesota

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About this course: This course deals directly with your ability for creativity which is a critical skill in any field. It focuses on divergent thinking, the ability to develop multiple ideas and concepts to solve problems. Through a series of creativity building exercises, short lectures, and readings, learners develop both an understanding of creativity and increase their own ability. This course will help you understand the role of creativity and innovation in your own work and in other disciplines. It will challenge you to move outside of your existing comfort zone and to recognize the value of that exploration. This course will help you understand the importance of diverse ideas, and to convey that understanding to others. The principal learning activity in the course is a series of "differents" where you are challenged to identify and change your own cultural, habitual, and normal patterns of behavior. Beginning with a prompt, e.g. "eat something different", you will begin to recognize your own = limits and to overcome them. In addition, you are encouraged to understand that creativity is based on societal norms, and that by it's nature, it will differ from and be discouraged by society. In this course, the persistence of the creative person is developed through practice. At the same time, these exercises are constrained by concerns of safety, legality, and economics, which are addressed in their creative process.

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About this course: This course deals directly with your ability for creativity which is a critical skill in any field. It focuses on divergent thinking, the ability to develop multiple ideas and concepts to solve problems. Through a series of creativity building exercises, short lectures, and readings, learners develop both an understanding of creativity and increase their own ability.

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Teaching Strategies to Promote critical Thinking

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Teaching Strategies to Promote critical Thinking

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Critical thinking has been an important issue in education, and has become quite the buzzword around schools. The Common Core State Standards specifically emphasize a thinking curriculum and thereby require teachers to elevate their students' mental workflow beyond just memorization-which is a really good step forward. Critical thinking is a skill that young minds will undeniably need and exercise well beyond their school years. Experts agree that in keeping up with the ever-changing technological advances, students will need to obtain, understand, and analyze information on a much more efficient scale. It is our job as educators to equip our students with the strategies and skills they need to think critically in order to cope with these tech problems and obstacles they face elsewhere.

Fortunately, teachers can use a number of techniques that can help students learn critical thinking, even for children enrolled in kindergarten. Here are some teaching strategies that may prove immediately effective:

Encourage Creativity

Traditionally, elementary teachers prepare templates for art projects before they give it to their students. By doing so, it levels the creative playing field and can, in some ways, help the classroom run more smoothly.

I know it may be a bit unnerving to relinquish a bit of control, but rest assured that not having everything prepped in advance is a good thing. Instead, give students all of the supplies needed to create a snowflake, and let them do it on their own. This will allow students to become critical thinkers because they will have to use their prior knowledge to consider what a snowflake looks like, how big it is, what color it is, etc.

Do Not Always Jump in to Help

It's too easy to always find a solution for a student who needs your help. Kindergarteners especially will get very upset when they can't find their crayons or scissors. The easy way for a teacher to answer is "It's okay, you can borrow a pair of scissors from me." Instead of always readily finding a solution for your students, try responding with "Let's think about how we can find them." Then you can assist the student in figuring out the best possible solution for finding their lost item.

Brainstorm Before Everything You Do

One of the easiest and most effective ways to get young children to think critically is to brainstorm. Regardless of subject, have students think about what they'll be doing, learning, or reading - before actually starting each activity. Ask a lot questions, like "What do you think this book will be about?" or "Tell me three things you think you will be learning in this lesson about space?" Give students every opportunity you can to be critical thinkers.

Classify and Categorize

Classification plays an important role in critical thinking because it requires students to understand and apply a set of rules. Give students a variety of objects and ask them to identify each object, then sort it into a category. This is a great activity to help students think and self-question what object should go where and why.

Compare and Contrast

Much like classifying, students will need to look closely at each topic or object they are comparing and really think about the significance of each one. You can have students compare and contrast just about anything - try this out with the book your class is reading now. Compare and contrast the weather forecast for today and yesterday. Compare the shape and color of a pumpkin to another vegetable. Compare and contrast today's math lesson with last week's. The ideas are endless.

Make Connections

Encouraging students to make connections to a real-life situation and identify patterns is a great way to practice their critical thinking skills. Ask students to always be on the look for these connections, and when they find one to make sure they tell you.

Provide Group Opportunities

Group settings are the perfect way to get your kids thinking. When children are around their classmates working together, they get exposed to the thought processes of their peers. They learn how to understand how other people think and that their way is not the only route to explore.

When the importance of critical thinking is introduced to students early on in the education process, students will be capable of having complex thoughts and become better problem solvers when presented with difficulty. It's important for students to possess a variety of skills, but it's just as important for them to understand how and when to use them.

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Teaching Strategies to Promote Critical Thinking - TeachHUB

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Critical thinking has been an important issue in education, and has become quite the buzzword around schools. The Common Core State Standards specifically emphasize a thinking curriculum and thereby require teachers to elevate their students' mental workflow beyond just memorization-which is a really good step forward.

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Check it out!

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Higher Order Thinking Skills Question Stems

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Higher Order Thinking Skills Question Stems