Levels of Thinking Levels of Questions What do

Levels of Thinking Levels of Questions

What do young children do when they want to know something? They ask A LOT of questions… (including the same one over and over)

And then to be sure, they learn it for them self Ouch! Does he ever need to ask again?

Quality Questions are the basis for Tutorials and Socratic Seminars The greatest learning takes place when you PRODUCE knowledge, not when you REproduce it Make a habit of higher-level thinking Colleges/employers expect you to dig deep, find meaning, ask thoughtful questions, think! Think there is no such thing as a bad question? Some are definitely better than others!

Arthur Costa • Educational researcher • Three levels of questions increasing complexity at each level • Goal/effect: become better thinkers LEVEL III LEVEL I

• Who were the allied countries during WWII? • List the order of the planets from the sun GATHER INFORMATION identify, recall, list, define, memorize, name • Factual info • One/two word answer • Look it up! • Multiple Choice

• explain how the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the cold war kept the US and USSR from actually going to war PROCESS INFORMATION relate infer analyze contrast demonstrate solve • More abstract • Facts serve as evidence • Short answer Q • relate the dependent variable to the independen variable

APPLY INFORMATION • Design an experiment to determine the specific heat capacity of sand relative to water why assess evaluate estimate • Predict the fate of Romeo and Juliet had Friar Laurence refused to marry them • Beyond the text • Apply what you know • Use info to judge, conclude • Essay questions

What Level Q? 1 ____Describe your study habits from last year 3 ____Rationalize why a student should study 1 ____What is the Curve of Forgetting? 2 ____Infer what would happen if your study remain the same as last year habits 2 ____Make a graphic organizer to show your study habits 3 ____Predict your ability to retain knowledge if you don’t study

APPLY INFORMATION PROCESS INFORMATION GATHER INFORMATION 3 2 I why assess evaluate estimate Clue Words relate infer analyze contrast demonstrate solve identify, recall, list, define, memorize, name

In summary. . Level 1 questions can be directly answered from a text Define tangent. Level 2 questions are implied in the text Which is greater: the square root of 49 or the square root of 64? Level 3 is beyond the text; incorporate prior knowledge and experience Imagine you were a soldier fighting in the Civil War. How would you feel? (History)