{"id":2211,"date":"2002-11-05T00:00:52","date_gmt":"2002-11-05T00:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/learnhub.aucegypt.edu\/cltnewsletter\/?p=2211"},"modified":"2026-10-28T11:29:35","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T11:29:35","slug":"critical-thinking-2-critical-thinking-requires-critical-questioning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/learnhub.aucegypt.edu\/cltnewsletter\/?p=2211","title":{"rendered":"Critical Thinking (2):\u00a0Critical Thinking Requires Critical Questioning"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Originally published on:<\/strong> November 5, 2002<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Critical thinking theory has its roots in the work of Benjamin Bloom, a psychologist at the University of Chicago. Bloom (1956) categorized thinking into six processes. Bloom\u2019s\u00a0Taxonomy, <\/strong>as it is called, is one of the most influential critical thinking models and continues to be as applicable today as it was then.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The six levels, listed in Table I, are in order of increasing levels of reasoning. Ideally, our goal as educators is to move students from the lower levels of thinking to the upper levels, and if it is critical thinking that we are after, then we have to aim for levels 4-6.  <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One way of doing this is to ask students good questions. <\/strong>(Table 1 matches question types with levels of reasoning). Another way is to teach students to ask good questions <\/strong>(King, 1995).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Table 1. Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning Objectives<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Table 1. Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning Objectives: If questions sound like\u2026<\/strong><\/td>\u2026<\/strong> it is probably this reasoning level\u00a0<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
\u201cWho\u2026?\u201d \u201cWhat\u2026?\u201d \u201cWhere\u2026?\u201d
\u201cList\u2026\u201d \u201cSelect\u2026\u201d \u201cDefine\u2026\u201d<\/td>		1. Knowledge <\/strong>(remember terms, facts)<\/td><\/tr>
\u201cExplain\u201d \u201cPredict\u201d \u201cCompare\u201d  \u201cSummarize\u201d \u201cInterpret\u201d \u201cGive an  example\u201d \u201cContrast\u201d <\/td>2. Comprehension <\/strong>(understand meaning of facts and ideas) <\/td><\/tr>
\u201cCalculate\u201d \u201cSolve\u201d \u201cApply\u201d \u201cGiven——. Use this information to\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/td>3. Application <\/strong>(use information in new situation) <\/td><\/tr>
\u201cDistinguish\u2026\u201d \u201cHow does —— relate to ——? \u201cWhat conclusion can you\u00a0<\/td>4. Analysis <\/strong>(Find evidence to support generalization, see <\/td><\/tr>
draw\u201d \u201cHow would you classify\u2026?\u201d <\/td>organization, see patterns) <\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
\u201cDesign\u2026\u201d \u201cConstruct\u2026\u201d \u201cDevelop\u2026\u201d  \u201cCan you propose an alternative\u2026?\u201d  \u201cCould you predict the outcome if\u2026?\u201d <\/td>5. Synthesis (generalize, create new ideas from old sources) <\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
\u201cEvaluate\u201d \u201cAppraise\u201d \u201cJustify which is better\u201d \u201cEvaluate\u2026 argument based on established facts.\u201d\u00a0<\/td>6. Evaluation (make judgments about validity of ideas, of information based on a set of criteria) <\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Here are a few thoughts.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have students generate questions.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b0 You may ask your students to generate their own questions (about what they read in their textbooks, hear in lectures, and encounter during class discussions) <\/em>for use in review sessions or quizzes.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b0 Give them Bloom\u2019s taxonomy as a guide and ask them to label their own level of reasoning. Recognizing and categorizing questions associated with the different levels encourages critical thinking.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b0 Encourage them to generate high-level questions.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Create a classroom climate that encourages thinking.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b0 When asking questions, allow sufficient time for students to reflect on the questions asked or the problems posed.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b0 Coach reluctant students with follow-up questions. Your nonverbal message should be encouraging, smiling, and not challenging.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b0 Arrange the seating arrangement so that the students share the stage with the teacher and all can interact with each other. This helps to minimize the passive mode the students adopt when all are facing the teacher.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Encourage Collaborative Learning:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shared learning gives students an opportunity to engage in discussion and take responsibility for their own learning. Cooper (1995) argues that putting students in group learning situations is the best way to foster critical thinking.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sources <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

King, A. (1995). Designing the Instructional Process to Enhance Critical Thinking<\/em>. <\/em>Teaching of Psychology, Volume 22, Issue 1.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bloom, B., Editor. (1956). A taxonomy of educational objectives. Handbook I: Cognitive domain<\/em>. New York: McKay  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cooper, J. L. (1995). Cooperative learning and critical thinking. <\/em>Teaching of Psychology, Volume 22, Issue 1. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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