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Suggestions for Increasing Students’ Thinking Levels
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| Classroom questions used most frequently should require students to use increasingly complex thinking levels. The following are suggestions on how you might increase your students’ thinking levels: |
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A.
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1.
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Knowledge |
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a.
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information requiring memorization of facts and definitions; |
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b.
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identifying details from courses; |
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c.
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remembering vocabulary |
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2.
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Identification and recall of information |
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a.
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who, what, when, where, how |
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b.
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describe |
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B.
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1.
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Comprehension |
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a.
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translate what is learned from one level of abstraction, symbolic form, or verbal form to another; |
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b.
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interpret what is learned by explaining, summarizing, or rearranging ideas; |
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c.
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extrapolate by going beyond the given information to determine implications; consequences, or effects |
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2.
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Organization and selection of facts and ideas |
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a.
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retell in your own words |
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b.
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what is the main idea of? |
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C.
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1.
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Application |
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a.
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go beyond translate |
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b.
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show how information will be used in a new situation with no specified method of solution prescribed |
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2.
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Use of facts, rules, principles |
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a.
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how is, and example of? |
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b.
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how is, and related to? |
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c.
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why is, significant? |
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D.
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1.
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Analysis |
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a.
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identify and classify the elements involved in a problem |
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b.
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show relationships among the problem’s elements and determine their connections and interactions |
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c.
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discover organizational principles involved in the arrangement and structure of a body of information or a problem |
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2.
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Separation of a whole into component parts |
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a.
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what are the parts or features of? |
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b.
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classify, according to |
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c.
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outline/diagram/web |
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d.
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how does, compare/contrast with |
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e.
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what evidence can you list for? |
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E.
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1.
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Synthesis |
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a.
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recombine previously learned information with new information into unique or original ideas, a plan or a proposed set of operations, or a set of abstract relations |
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2.
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Combination of ideas to form a new whole |
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a.
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what would you predict/infer from? |
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b.
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what ideas can you add to? |
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c.
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how would you create/design a new? |
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d.
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what might happen if you combined with? |
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e.
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what solutions would you suggest for? |
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F.
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1.
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Evaluation |
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a.
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show an awareness of problems, deficiencies, and any gaps in information |
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2.
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Development of opinions, judgments, or decisions |
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a.
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do you agree |
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b.
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what do you think about |
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c.
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what is the most important |
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d.
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prioritize |
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e.
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how would you decide about |
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f.
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what criteria would you use to assess |
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