Best of Bonk Handouts
Critical Thinking Skills (Brief Bonk Brainstorm, 1991)
Robert Glaser (1941): Critical thinking calls for persistent effort to examine any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of evidence that supports it and the further conclusions to which it tends.
Classifying
Taking Other Points of View
Following Rules
Predicting Outcomes
Estimating, Guessing
Setting Goals and Objectives
Recognizing Patterns
Discovering Relationships
Part-Whole Relationships
Forming Hypotheses
Finding Errors
Asking Questions
Discovering Relationships
Sequencing
Following Directions
Considering Relevance
Predicting Consequences
Determining Appropriateness
Planning
Means-End Relationships
Cause-Effect Relationships
Considering Implications
Making Decisions
Evaluating Generalizations
Discovering Trends
Making Inferences
Ordering on Salient Dimensions
Questioning-Analysis, Evaluation, Synthesis, and Interpretation
Interpreting
Comparing and Contrasting
Visualizing
Setting Criteria
Measuring
Justifying
Analyzing Assumptions
Recognizing Essential/Nonessential
Recognizing Assumptions, Beliefs, Opinions
Mnemonic Learning/Memory Strategies
Reading Charts, Graphs, Tables
Determining Relevance and Irrelevance
Analyzing the Current Situation and Where You Wish to End
Generating Graphs from Data
Detecting Reasoning Errors
Arguing Persuasively, Logically
Communicating Clear Relationships
Sequencing Appropriate Information
Stating and Defending an Idea
Identifying Needed Processes, Information
Problem Clarification and Definition
Identifying Alternatives
Attribute Listing
Finding Patterns
Analyzing Truth Claims
Credibility of Sources, Bins
Analyzing for Personal Agenda
Identifying Assumptions vs. Inferences
Seeking Support for Opinions, Hypotheses
Cost-Benefit Analysis
Identifying Ways to Overcome Barriers
Identifying Components of a Process
Analyze Significance of Information Presented
Significance of Findings
Analyze Completeness and Clarity of Information Presented
Themes
Interrelationships of Literary Elements
Elements of and Event
Evaluate Soundness of Procedures
Pose Hypothesis
Test Explanations
Evaluate Believability of a Story, Information
Define Essential Elements
Analyze Part-Whole Relationships
Evaluating Inferences
Following Logically Valid Lines of Reasoning
Discerning the Relevance of Objections
Recognizing Appropriate Conclusions
Evaluate Reasons from a Claim
Checking Reliability and Adequacy of Information
Detecting Missing Parts of an Argument
Judging Whether Certain Statements Contradict each other or follow each other
Judging Whether the Problem has been Identified
Judging Whether a Definition is Adequate
Judging Whether a Statement Made by an Alleged Authority is Acceptable
Examining Both Sides of an Argument
Prioritizing (relevant factors, objectives, and consequences)
Focusing on Different Aspects of a Situation
Being Right by Referring to the Facts or an Authority
Recognizing Contradictory Information
Understanding Values Determine Thinking
Simplifying and Clarifying Unnecessarily Complex and Confusing Information
Recognizing Given and Omitted-but needed-Information
Matching Shapes
Classifying by Shape
Matching Similar Figures
Dividing Shapes into Equivalent Parts
Matching Classes by Pattern
Selecting Synonyms
Writing Directions
Completing Phrases
Describing Characteristics
Finding Shape Exceptions
Matching Pattern Pieces
Figural Sequence Problems
Classes and Members
Explaining Exceptions
Distinguishing Relationships
Sorting into Word Classes
Judging Whether a Statement is Specific Enough
Grasping the Meaning of a Statement
For more information about this course, please e-mail Professor Curtis J. Bonk (cjbonk(at)indiana.edu)
Indiana University School of Education
Department of Instructional Systems Technology
Bloomington, Indiana 47405
