As promised, encore presentations of some of our most popular posts. This post “How to be a Scholar. 6 Steps to Encourage Critical Thinking.” is a reader’s favorite over on our Pinterest page, where it has been “repinned” many times. I like the visual appeal of the infographic and will once again use it this Fall in my Freshman Composition classes. The #1 most important skill for any college student in any discipline or major, is critical thinking.
Always Question! xo~Lisa, aka “The Happy Teacher” 🙂Psst: Yep, we’re on Pinterest. We feature high quality, visually appealing content for teachers from K-12 to College, including free resources ready to print and use in the classroom. Check out our boards and if you do, leave a comment so we can say Hello!
As we get to the end of the semester and school year, we are expecting our students to demonstrate higher order thinking skills, or Critical Thinking. I like this infographic from Learning Commons at the University of British Columbia.
Thanks to its simple flow chart style, students can use it to clearly reflect on their own thinking. Students need to constantly question their own process, and those of others. They need to ask questions about the text they read, test possibilities, and allow for new discoveries.
Higher order thinking skills (HOTS) push our students beyond simple responses and elevate them to scholars and critics in their own right. Part of what’s vital in education is for students to learn to trust their own voice, while still questioning their thinking. What strategies do you use in your classroom to encourage critical thinking?
College Ready 
July 18, 2014 at 12:31 am
i am happy to see the simple illustration because even ‘adults’ can understand it… 😉 we generally think we should build critical thinking in students, but surely we have also encountered adults who do not seem to think in this manner; it is equally important to attempt and develop this in adults, as well, since many adults have the potential role of being a responsible ‘teacher’, although not necessarily the normative teacher we meet in a class… 🙂
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July 27, 2014 at 5:26 pm
I am glad you find it useful. Yes, we all need to be critical thinkers, at every age–young & old. Always questioning and learning. Peace.
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