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Critical-Thinking Strategies

Critical thinking is precise, engaging with material in a thorough way. Researcher Benjamin Bloom developed the following list of thinking skills that progress from surface to deeper levels of thought. On the pages that follow, you will learn the specific strategies listed below for each level of thinking.

Critical-Thinking Strategies	Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy
Pattern finding Mnemonics	Remembering Remembering is recalling information.
Sequencing Classifying Comparing and contrasting Tracing causes and effects	Understanding Understanding is knowing what the information means.
Creating instructions Creating algorithms	Applying Applying is putting the information to use.
Identifying variables Designing experiments	Analyzing Analyzing is looking at the parts of something and figuring out how they fit together.
Building rubrics Using rubrics	Evaluating Evaluating is determining the value or worth of something.
Using inquiry to create Using engineering design Thinking computationally	Creating Creating is putting ideas together in new ways to make something.

Your Turn Which of the critical thinking strategies above have you used in the past? Which strategies are new to you? What other critical thinking strategies have you learned in math, science, social studies, and English?