Questioning and Critical Thinking
Four Questions to begin:
What is your opinion about this problem?
What is the basis for your opinion?
Is it possible to decide your opinion is correct? If yes, how? If no, why not?
How is it possible there are differences of opinion?
Task prompts
Step 1: Identify the problem, relevant information, and uncertainties
Explain why people disagree about _______________________.
Create a list of information that might be useful in thinking about ____________.
Consult experts and explore literature or other resources to: create a list of issues related to ____, create a list of different points of view related to _________.
Identify a range of possible solutions
Step 2: Explore interpretations and connections
Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of a particular piece of evidence related to _________.
Compare and contrast the arguments to two or more solutions to _________.
Identify and discuss the implications of your own experiences and preferences for how you think about ___________.
Develop one or more ways to organize information and analyses to help you think more thoroughly about ________.
Step 3: Prioritize alternatives and communicate conclusions
Prepare and defend a solution to _____.
Identify which issues you weighed more heavily than other issues in arriving at your conclusion about _____.
Explain how you would respond to arguments that support other reasonable solutions to _____.
Explain how designed your memo/presentation to effectively communicate to your audience.
Describe how you would communicate differently about ______ in different settings.
Step 4: Integrate, monitor, and refine strategies for re-addressing the problem
Describe the limitations of your proposed solution to _____.
Describe conditions under which you would reconsider your solution.
Explain how conditions might change in the future, resulting in a possible change in the most reasonable solution to _____.
Establish a plan for monitoring the performance of your recommended solution to _____.
