Teaching for

Critical & Creative Thinking

Students engage in critical thinking when they: Students engage in creative thinking when they:
A. seek a clear statement of the problem or A. generate many ideas.
question. B. seek alternative solutions to a problem
B. gather, judge and connect relevant situation.
information in order to be well informed. C. come up with unusual or innovative
C. monitor their own thinking and progress. responses.
D. withhold judgment. D. go beyond the ordinary and obvious.
E. are open-minded. E. expand or elaborate upon an idea.
F. identify and challenge assumptions. F. take conceptual risks and expose
G. consider other points-of-view. themselves to failure or criticism.

H. seek alternatives. G. make connections between things.

I. detect bias. H. dream, fantasize and visualize mental

images.
J. identify verifiable facts, opinions and
reasoned judgments. I. point out gaps in information given.

K. determine the factual accuracy and strength J. create order out of chaos.
of an argument or claim. K. are inquisitive.
L. determine the credibility of a source. L. persist with a problem where others may
M. are honest and sensitive with others. give up.

N. deal with ambiguity. M. plan and develop an idea before committing

it to materials.
O. strive for precision, definition and clarity.
N. work at the edge of their potential.
P. remain central to the main point.
O. rely on their inner-self rather than others to
Q. suspend judgment when sufficient evidence determine the worth of their work.
and reasoning are lacking.
P. reframe a problem in order to develop new
R. support their positions with sufficient points-of-view.
evidence and reasons.
Q. get away from an idea in order to put it in
S. change a position when evidence and perspective.
reasons are sufficient to do so.
R. predict possible outcomes without complete
information.

© 2000 Craig Roland