Criteria for a Good Thinker (Grades 8 to 12 English Language Arts IRP)
A good thinker...
• bases judgments on evidence
• is honest with self
• listens to understand before drawing conclusions
• can tolerate ambiguity
• asks questions
• is open-minded and flexible
• is able to think independently
• identifies and explains personal points of view
• looks for connections among ideas
• extends personal thinking by assimilating new ideas and information
• is self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitoring, and self-correcting
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ANOTHER APPROACH
A Dispositional Conception of Good Thinking
source: Harvard-based paper
1. The disposition to be broad and adventurous
The tendency to be open-minded, to
explore alternative views; an alertness to narrow thinking; the ability
to generate multiple options.
2. The disposition toward sustained intellectual curiosity
The tendency to wonder, probe, find
problems, a zest for inquiry; an alertness for anomalies; the ability
to observe closely and formulate questions.
3. The disposition to clarify and seek understanding
A desire to understand clearly, to
seek connections and explanations; an alertness to unclarity and need
for focus; an ability to build conceptualizations.
4. The disposition to be planful and strategic
The drive to set goals, to make and
execute plans, to envision outcomes; alertness to lack of direction;
the ability to formulate goals and plans.
5. The disposition to be intellectually careful
The urge for precision, organization,
thoroughness; an alertness to possible error or inaccuracy; the ability
to process information precisely.
6. The disposition to seek and evaluate reasons
The tendency to question the given, to
demand justification; an alertness to the need for evidence; the
ability to weigh and assess reasons.
7. The disposition be metacognitive
The tendency to be aware of and
monitor the flow of one's own thinking; alertness to complex thinking
situations; the ability to exercise control of mental processes and to
be reflective.
more articles: Thinking through dispositions
RESOURCES
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CBC/Radio-Canada Milestones
