1 by Andrew Norman, Ph.D. with Judith Sanders, Ph.D. Copyright © 2008 A production of SkyMark Corporation A Practical Guide to Mastering Essential Thinking Skills
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1
by A
ndre
w N
orm
an,
Ph.D
.
wit
h J
udit
h S
anders
, Ph.D
.
Copyri
ght
© 2
008
A p
roducti
on o
f SkyM
ark
Corp
ora
tion
A P
racti
cal G
uid
e t
o M
ast
eri
ng E
ssenti
al Thin
kin
g S
kills
2
PA
RT O
NE:
BA
SIC
VIS
UA
L T
HIN
KIN
G
Overv
iew
3
A p
racti
cal guid
e t
o m
ast
eri
ng e
ssenti
al th
inkin
g s
kills
Less
on 1
. Seven B
asi
c T
hin
kin
g S
kills
7
What
cri
tical th
inkers
do
Less
on 2
. M
eet
These
us
13
Gett
ing t
o k
now
your
These
us
Soft
ware
Less
on 3
. O
rderl
y T
hin
kin
g
22
The b
asi
cs
of
org
aniz
ing ideas
Less
on 4
. Q
uest
ions
and A
nsw
ers
33
The s
tuff
of
real th
inkin
g
Less
on 5
. Pic
turi
ng T
hought
38
The s
hape o
f eff
ecti
ve t
hin
kin
g
Less
on 6
. T
he T
hought
Tre
e M
eth
od
45
How
to t
hin
k t
hin
gs
thro
ugh
PA
RT T
WO
: A
DVA
NC
ED
VIS
UA
L T
HIN
KIN
G
Less
on 7
. Focuse
d T
hin
kin
g
53
How
to f
ram
e a
n e
ffecti
ve lin
e o
f th
ought
Less
on 8
. W
hat,
Why,
and H
ow
63
Ask
ing t
he r
ight
quest
ions
made (
rela
tively
) si
mple
Less
on 9
. Eff
ecti
ve A
nsw
ers
71
How
to s
upport
your
cla
ims
Less
on 1
0.
Applicati
ons
I: C
riti
cal R
eadin
g
84
How
to a
naly
ze a
n a
rgum
ent
Less
on 1
1.
Applicati
ons
2:
Pers
uasi
ve W
riti
ng a
nd P
rese
nti
ng
95
How
to p
ut
togeth
er
a c
om
pellin
g lin
e o
f th
ought
Less
on 1
2.
Applicati
ons
3:
24 M
ind-B
endin
g C
hallenges
101
Test
your
new
skills
on t
hese
!
Appendix
A:
Answ
er
Key
105
Appendix
B:
Guid
esh
eets
116
1.
The T
hought
Tree M
eth
od
2.
The S
ix S
teps
Table
of
Conte
nts
3
A P
racti
cal G
uid
e to M
ast
eri
ng E
ssenti
al T
hin
kin
g S
kills
°W
hy C
riti
cal T
hin
kin
g?
Have
you
ever
had
an
arg
um
ent
wit
h
som
eone
who
just
wasn
’t
makin
g
sense
? M
aybe
you
wis
h
you’d
sa
id
som
eth
ing,
but
the
mom
ent
pass
ed
befo
re
you
could
fo
rmula
te
a
reply
.
Or
maybe y
ou h
ad g
reat
reaso
ns
for
doin
g s
om
eth
ing,
but
when y
ou
trie
d t
o e
xpla
in y
our
thin
kin
g,
it d
idn’t
com
e o
ut
right.
The ingre
die
nts
for
a c
om
pellin
g c
ase
were
there
, but
the r
ecip
e w
as
mis
sing.
We n
eed c
lear,
pers
uasi
ve t
hin
kin
g—
not
only
in o
ur
pers
onal
lives,
but
als
o i
n b
usi
ness
, educati
on,
and g
overn
ment.
The v
ital
import
ance o
f
cri
tical
thin
kin
g i
s w
idely
recogniz
ed,
but
year
aft
er
year,
educato
rs
and b
usi
ness
leaders
conclu
de t
hat
we a
re s
imply
not
doin
g e
nough t
o
develo
p t
he n
ecess
ary
skills
.
Fort
unate
ly,
there
are
fu
n
new
w
ays
to
mast
er
the
basi
cs.
That’
s w
hat
the
These
us
Learn
ing
Syst
em
is
all
about.
W
e’v
e
taken
the
most
in
tere
stin
g
and
eff
ecti
ve
appro
aches
to
learn
ing
cri
tical
thin
kin
g
and put
them
to
geth
er
in a
dynam
ic,
inte
racti
ve cours
e
of
study.
The r
esu
lt is
in y
our
hands.
What
You W
ill Learn
:
• W
hy c
riti
cal th
inkin
g is
import
ant
to y
our
success
• W
hat
the T
hese
us
Learn
ing S
yst
em
is
all a
bout
• H
ow
the T
LS d
iffe
rs f
rom
oth
er
appro
aches
• W
hat
this
Less
on B
ook c
onta
ins
4
A P
racti
cal G
uid
e to M
ast
eri
ng E
ssenti
al T
hin
kin
g S
kills
The T
hese
us
Learn
ing S
yst
em
is
a f
un a
nd c
hallengin
g w
ay t
o d
evelo
p
ess
enti
al cri
tical th
inkin
g s
kills
. It
’s a
cours
e in c
riti
cal th
inkin
g w
ith a
soft
ware
com
ponent
that
actu
ally h
elp
s you v
isuali
ze t
hought.
The T
LS
will sh
ow
you h
ow
to o
rganiz
e y
our
ideas
wit
hin
a c
olo
rful,
inte
racti
ve
learn
ing e
nvir
onm
ent.
It
will als
o g
ive y
ou f
eedback t
hat
can h
elp
you
fram
e c
lear,
com
pellin
g a
rgum
ents
. O
nce y
ou g
et
the h
ang o
f usi
ng its
dia
gra
ms,
cri
tical
thin
kin
g,
readin
g,
and w
riti
ng w
ill
all c
om
e m
uch
more
easi
ly!
You c
an u
se t
he T
hese
us
Learn
ing S
yst
em
to d
evelo
p p
ers
uasi
ve e
ssays
or
pre
senta
tions,
to a
naly
ze w
ritt
en a
rgum
ents
, or
sim
ply
to g
ive y
our
bra
in a
sti
mula
ting w
ork
out.
°W
hat
is t
he T
hese
us
Learn
ing S
yst
em
? guid
eli
ne
chall
enge
? you t
ry i
t
O pause
to
refl
ect
learn
ing
act
ivit
y
soft
ware
how
-to
key
idea
°W
elc
om
e t
o t
he T
hese
us
Learn
ing S
yst
em
The p
ath
of cri
tical th
inkin
g w
ill ta
ke y
ou t
o fasc
inati
ng a
nd c
hallengin
g
lands.
Alo
ng t
he w
ay,
you w
ill acquir
e h
abit
s of
min
d t
hat
deepen y
our
unders
tandin
g a
nd e
nri
ch y
our
experi
ence o
f th
e w
orl
d.
The G
reek h
ero
These
us
w
ill se
rve a
s our
model.
A f
am
ous
myth
tells
how
These
us
navig
ate
d a
bew
ilderi
ng labyri
nth
and
slew
the m
onst
er,
the M
inota
ur,
who l
ived i
nsi
de.
These
us
succeeded
not
only
by v
irtu
e o
f his
str
ength
and c
oura
ge,
but
als
o b
y a
cle
ver
stra
tegy.
The p
rincess
Ari
adne h
ad g
iven h
im a
spool
of
gold
en t
hre
ad
to d
ole
out
as
he p
enetr
ate
d t
he m
aze.
He r
etr
aced t
he p
ath
mark
ed
by t
he t
hre
ad a
nd e
merg
ed u
nharm
ed a
nd t
rium
phant.
Cri
tical th
inkers
face p
roble
ms
every
bit
as
daunti
ng
as
the
Min
ota
ur’
s la
byri
nth
.
Navig
ati
ng
them
re
quir
es
cla
rity
and
ingenuit
y.
The
These
us
Learn
ing S
yst
em
will
teach you how
to
m
ap even
the m
ost
com
plicate
d t
hought
stru
ctu
res.
By
follow
ing
the
syst
em
’s
“gold
en
thre
ad,”
you w
ill
be a
ble
to d
efe
at
the
lurk
ing m
onst
er
of
confu
sion
and
em
erg
e
triu
mphant—
like
These
us!
answ
er
key
conce
pt
check
✓
The f
ollow
ing icons
call a
ttenti
on t
o k
ey f
eatu
res
of
this
Less
on B
ook.
Look f
or
them
and t
hey’l
l guid
e y
ou a
long t
he w
ay.
The a
nsw
er
key icon
indic
ate
s th
at
a s
am
ple
answ
er
is p
rovid
ed in A
ppendix
A.
5
A P
racti
cal G
uid
e to M
ast
eri
ng E
ssenti
al T
hin
kin
g S
kills
It’s
fun!
You g
et
to s
ee y
our
ideas
and a
rrange t
hem
into
colo
rful,
dynam
ic s
tructu
res.
(It
’s a
lmost
lik
e p
layin
g w
ith L
egos!
)
It’s
eff
ecti
ve. The b
asi
c a
ppro
ach d
evelo
ps
cri
tical th
inkin
g s
kills
more
rapid
ly a
nd e
ffecti
vely
than m
ost
college c
ours
es
do.
°W
hy U
se t
he T
hese
us
Learn
ing S
yst
em
?
It’s
pra
cti
cal.
Yo
u can apply
th
e te
chniq
ues
to any su
bje
ct
that
inte
rest
s you.
Use
the T
hese
us
Learn
ing S
yst
em
on h
om
ew
ork
or
job
ass
ignm
ents
: The so
ftw
are
w
ill
auto
mati
cally convert
your
thought
dia
gra
ms
into
text.
You c
an t
hen fi
ne-t
une t
he r
esu
lts
into
convin
cin
g
ess
ays
and p
rese
nta
tions.
It’s
tim
ely
. The T
hese
us
Learn
ing S
yst
em
is
desi
gned t
o e
quip
you
for
success
in
to
day’s
in
form
ati
on-r
ich w
orl
d,
where
th
inkin
g and
com
munic
ati
on s
kills
are
ess
enti
al.
Both
colleges
and e
mplo
yers
want
people
who c
an t
hin
k,
read,
and w
rite
cri
tically.
They n
eed p
eople
who c
an c
ut
thro
ugh t
he f
og o
f to
o m
uch d
ata
, ask
good q
uest
ions,
and
fram
e i
deas
so t
hey h
ave a
n i
mpact.
By h
elp
ing y
ou b
uild t
hese
skills
,
the T
LS w
ill equip
you f
or
success
!
°H
ow
Does
It W
ork
?
The T
hese
us
Learn
ing S
yst
em
show
s
you h
ow
to
•
Bre
ak d
ow
n c
om
ple
x t
hought
stru
ctu
res
into
their
ele
ments
•
Arr
ange t
hese
ele
ments
spati
ally
so t
hat
the u
nderl
yin
g logic
al
stru
ctu
re b
ecom
es
cle
ar
•
Tig
hte
n t
he s
tructu
re into
a
convin
cin
g a
rgum
ent
It w
ork
s because
the a
cti
vit
y o
f dia
gra
mm
ing t
hought
has
a r
em
ark
able
eff
ect
on r
easo
nin
g s
kills
. In
fact,
stu
die
s sh
ow
that
a f
ew
month
s of
mappin
g a
rgum
ents
can d
o a
s m
uch t
o d
evelo
p c
riti
cal
thin
kin
g a
s an
enti
re u
nderg
raduate
educati
on!1
We’l
l lo
ok a
t how
cri
tical th
inkin
g s
kills
develo
p a
nd h
ow
dia
gra
mm
ing
speeds
the p
rocess
alo
ng.
1 “
Teachin
g C
riti
cal Thin
kin
g:
Som
e L
ess
ons
Fro
m C
ognit
ive S
cie
nce.”
Tim
van G
eld
er.
College
Teachin
g V
ol.
53/N
o.
1,
pp.
41-4
6.
°W
hat
Makes
the T
hese
us
Learn
ing S
yst
em
Dif
fere
nt?
Tradit
ional
appro
aches
to
teachin
g
cri
tical
thin
kin
g
are
const
rain
ed
by
the
lineari
ty
of
text.
The
These
us
Learn
ing
Syst
em
is
dif
fere
nt.
It
is
vis
ual
and
hands-
on,
so
it
engages
your
full b
rain
. Id
eas
becom
e b
uildin
g
blo
cks,
so y
ou q
uic
kly
get
a h
andle
on h
ow
to
work
wit
h t
hem
.
For
centu
ries,
outl
ines
repre
sente
d t
he b
est
way to
org
aniz
e id
eas.
But
no lo
nger:
The
Wit
h
These
us,
you
learn
to thin
k b
y u
sing
your
hands
and e
yes!
These
us
Learn
ing Syst
em
ta
kes
idea ass
em
bly
to
th
e next
level.
It s
how
s you h
ow
to u
nta
ngle
com
ple
x i
dea s
ets
usi
ng t
he f
am
ilia
r,
pra
cti
cal
logic
of
quest
ion-a
nd-a
nsw
er.
Once y
ou s
ee h
ow
cla
ims
rais
e
quest
ions,
and h
ow
answ
ers
lead t
o f
urt
her
quest
ions,
your
thoughts
actu
ally b
egin
to o
rganiz
e t
hem
selv
es!
6
A P
racti
cal G
uid
e to M
ast
eri
ng E
ssenti
al T
hin
kin
g S
kills
°Is
the T
hese
us
Learn
ing S
yst
em
For
You?
The T
hese
us
Learn
ing S
yst
em
is
desi
gned f
or
people
who a
re j
ust
learn
ing t
he a
rt o
f cri
tical th
inkin
g.
•
Hig
h s
chool st
udents
will find t
hat
the T
hese
us
Learn
ing S
yst
em
is e
xcellent
pre
para
tion f
or
the S
AT W
riti
ng a
nd C
riti
cal Readin
g
test
s—and f
or
college.
•
College s
tudents
will find t
hat
the T
LS h
elp
s th
em
mast
er
core
skills
.
•
Young p
rofe
ssio
nals
need c
riti
cal th
inkin
g s
kills
, to
o.
The T
LS
pro
vid
es
basi
c t
rain
ing f
or
people
who w
ant
to m
ake a
liv
ing
usi
ng t
heir
bra
ins.
°H
ow
Should
You A
ppro
ach It?
Pla
y w
ith it
! Buildin
g w
ith id
eas
is c
hallengin
g a
nd f
un.
Apply
the
These
us
appro
ach to
to
pic
s th
at
inte
rest
you.
Dia
gra
m
com
ple
x
thought
stru
ctu
res
and
explo
re
the
poss
ibilit
ies
that
open
up!
Know
th
at
it
won’t
alw
ays
be
easy
. Thin
kin
g c
an g
ive y
ou a
real
work
out,
esp
ecia
lly
if
you
care
enough t
o d
o i
t w
ell.
You’l
l need t
o p
racti
ce y
our
new
skills
, exerc
ise
your
judgm
ent,
and s
weat
the d
eta
ils.
On the b
right si
de, th
e T
hese
us
Learn
ing S
yst
em
targ
ets
all o
f th
e b
asi
c
cri
tical
thin
kin
g m
usc
les.
Thin
k o
f it
as
cir
cuit
tra
inin
g f
or
your
bra
in!
You c
an v
iew
this
Less
on B
ook a
s your
pers
onal tr
ain
er.
Let
it w
alk
you
thro
ugh t
he p
rogra
m a
nd e
xpla
in k
ey p
rocess
es.
The T
hese
us
Learn
ing S
yst
em
is f
or
hig
h s
chool and c
ollege
students
as
well a
s pro
fess
ionals
°W
hat
To E
xpect
The fi
rst
part
of
this
Less
on b
ook i
ntr
oduces
you t
o t
he T
LS s
oft
ware
and th
e basi
c pri
ncip
les
of
cri
tical
thin
kin
g.
You’l
l le
arn
how
—and
why—
to a
rrange y
our
ideas
into
a s
tructu
re w
e’l
l call a
“th
ought
tree.”
In t
he s
econd p
art
you’l
l le
arn
more
about
how
to o
rganiz
e t
hin
kin
g
eff
ecti
vely
. Yo
u’l
l have o
pport
unit
ies
in t
he c
onclu
din
g less
on t
o a
pply
your
new
sk
ills
to
a se
ries
of
excit
ing challenges.
The appendic
es
inclu
de a
n a
nsw
er
key t
o t
he e
xerc
ises
scatt
ere
d t
hro
ughout
the t
ext
as
well a
s so
me r
efe
rence g
uid
es.
Let’
s get
start
ed!
7
Less
on 1
- S
even B
asi
c T
hin
kin
g S
kills
What
Cri
tical Thin
kers
Do
What
can y
ou d
o t
o b
ecom
e a
n e
ffecti
ve c
riti
cal
thin
ker?
In t
his
less
on,
we l
ook a
t se
ven s
kills
that
such t
hin
kers
routi
nely
use
. All s
even a
re s
imple
, and a
ll c
an b
e learn
ed.
The
pri
ncip
les
behin
d
them
, th
ough,
are
su
rpri
singly
pow
erf
ul.
Keep th
em
in
m
ind,
apply
th
em
in
th
e w
ays
desc
ribed i
n t
his
Less
on B
ook,
and y
our
thin
kin
g s
kills
will
develo
p r
apid
ly!
What
Cri
tical Thin
kers
Do
What
You W
ill Learn
:
• T
he s
even b
asi
c s
kills
involv
ed in h
igher-
ord
er
thin
kin
g
• H
ow
to m
ast
er
them
8
Less
on 1
- S
even B
asi
c T
hin
kin
g S
kills
What
Cri
tical Thin
kers
Do
°Pri
ncip
le 1
: K
now
the P
roble
m
Pra
cti
ce
gett
ing
to
“know
th
e
pro
ble
m”
by
scannin
g
the
edit
ori
al
page
of
today’s
new
spaper.
(If
you d
on’t
have a
copy,
you c
an
check o
nline.)
Pic
k o
ut
any o
pin
ion p
ieces
that
inte
rest
you a
nd s
ee i
f you c
an n
am
e t
he c
ore
pro
ble
m t
hat
each is
tryin
g t
o a
ddre
ss.
(Don’t
worr
y if
you g
et
stuck.
These
us
will so
on
have you st
rength
enin
g th
e re
levant
thin
kin
g
musc
les!
)
To w
ork
eff
ecti
vely
at
anyth
ing,
you h
ave t
o k
now
the p
roble
m.
Aft
er
all,
if y
ou d
on’t
, it
’s p
rett
y h
ard
to s
olv
e it!
Applied t
o t
hin
kin
g,
this
firs
t pri
ncip
le m
eans
know
the q
uest
ion y
ou
are
try
ing t
o a
nsw
er.
What
makes
this
dif
ficult
is
our
natu
ral te
ndency,
once w
e glim
pse
a quest
ion,
to se
ize im
media
tely
on an answ
er.
Rese
arc
hers
call t
his
“answ
er
bia
s,” a
nd i
t is
a m
ajo
r cause
of
sloppy
thin
kin
g.
The a
nti
dote
is
sim
ple
: M
ake a
habit
of
att
endin
g t
o q
uest
ions.
Get
to
know
them
. Put
them
into
word
s. D
well o
n t
hem
a b
it.
Know
where
they c
om
e f
rom
and u
nders
tand w
hat
would
sati
sfy t
hem
. In
a w
ord
,
befr
iend t
hem
!
The fi
rst
rule
is
know
the p
roble
m.
Applied t
o t
hin
kin
g,
this
means
know
the q
uest
ion y
ou a
re t
ryin
g t
o a
nsw
er.
key
idea
? you t
ry i
t
9
A g
ood c
oach w
ill
bre
ak d
ow
n t
hro
win
g a
footb
all into
footw
ork
, body
posi
tion,
head f
akes,
follow
-thro
ugh,
and s
o o
n.
Then h
e’l
l sh
ow
the
pla
yer
how
th
e m
oves
fit
togeth
er.
Lik
ew
ise,
skille
d th
inkers
m
ake
a h
abit
of
bre
akin
g d
ow
n c
om
ple
x p
roble
ms.
They d
ivid
e t
hem
into
sim
ple
r ones,
solv
e t
hem
, and t
hen p
ut
the p
ieces
back t
ogeth
er.
The T
hese
us
Learn
ing S
yst
em
can b
e y
our
thin
kin
g c
oach.
It s
how
s
you how
to
bre
ak th
inkin
g dow
n.
The pro
cess
has
dis
tinct
stages,
and o
ften t
hey c
an b
est
be h
andle
d o
ne a
t a t
ime.
Wit
h T
hese
us’
s
guid
ance,
you’l
l le
arn
to r
ecogniz
e t
he b
asi
c c
om
ponents
of
thought
and a
ssem
ble
them
, pie
ce b
y p
iece,
into
cle
ar,
eff
ecti
ve s
tructu
res.
°Pri
ncip
le 2
: Bre
ak It
Dow
n
You’v
e t
hought
about
thin
gs
all y
our
life
. H
ow
do y
ou
go a
bout
it?
Reflect
on p
ast
thin
kin
g e
pis
odes,
and
see if
you c
an p
ick o
ut
som
e o
f th
e t
hin
gs
you d
id.
Do
you r
eso
rt t
o a
ny p
rocess
es
again
and a
gain
? D
esc
ribe
these
pro
cess
es
bri
efly,
and g
ive t
hem
labels
. H
ow
do
the p
rocess
es
you identi
fied fi
t to
geth
er?
There
are
many w
ays
to a
nsw
er
this
quest
ion.
This
Less
on B
ook t
aken as
a w
hole
, is
one a
nsw
er.
The
poin
t of
the e
xerc
ise i
s to
try
your
hand a
t th
inkin
g
about
thin
kin
g.
°Pri
ncip
le 3
: Focus
Att
enti
on W
here
It’
s N
eeded
O pause
to
refl
ect
What
happens
to y
our
att
enti
on w
hen y
ou s
it d
ow
n t
o w
rite
an
ess
ay?
Are
you a
ble
to f
ocus
it e
ffecti
vely
? W
hy o
r w
hy n
ot?
When
a p
oor
speaker
addre
sses
a g
roup,
what
happens
to t
he g
roup’s
att
enti
on?
What
happens
when t
he s
peaker
is e
nth
rallin
g?
Cre
ate
a j
ourn
al
entr
y o
n t
he t
opic
. W
hat’
s th
e s
ecre
t to
focusi
ng
att
enti
on e
ffecti
vely
? (
We’l
l re
vis
it t
his
quest
ion in L
ess
on 7
.)
To t
hin
k w
ell,
you n
eed t
o p
ay a
ttenti
on t
o t
he r
ight
thin
gs.
But
how
are
you s
uppose
d t
o k
now
what
they a
re?
Tough p
roble
ms
have a
way
of
poin
ting in s
evera
l dir
ecti
ons
at
once,
and it
is e
asy
for
att
enti
on t
o
wander.
And o
f cours
e,
corr
allin
g y
our
ow
n a
ttenti
on is
only
part
of
the
pro
ble
m.
To c
om
munic
ate
eff
ecti
vely
, you n
eed t
o f
ocus
the a
ttenti
on
of
oth
ers
. That
isn’t
easy
in
a w
orl
d of
dis
tracti
ons
and sh
runken
att
enti
on s
pans.
The T
LS s
how
s you h
ow
to k
eep a
ttenti
on “
on p
oin
t” (
in a
pre
cis
e
logic
al
sense
that
we’l
l ta
lk a
bout
late
r).
It t
eaches
you s
om
e s
imple
but
eff
ecti
ve “
att
enti
on m
anagem
ent”
techniq
ues.
Less
on 1
- S
even B
asi
c T
hin
kin
g S
kills
What
Cri
tical Thin
kers
Do
O pause
to
refl
ect
10
Eff
ecti
ve t
hin
kers
thin
k a
bout
thin
kin
g.
They r
eflect
and s
elf
-corr
ect.
They p
ay a
ttenti
on t
o h
ow
they t
hin
k a
s w
ell a
s w
hat
they t
hin
k.
They
catc
h m
ista
kes
and learn
fro
m t
hem
.
This
habit
of
min
d i
s called “
meta
-cognit
ion.”
It
has
been l
inked t
o
accele
rate
d learn
ing a
nd e
xcepti
onal cognit
ive p
erf
orm
ance. Yo
u d
on’t
need t
o b
e a
geniu
s to
do it,
how
ever.
You just
need t
o b
e a
ble
to fre
eze
a t
hought
pro
cess
and e
xam
ine i
t care
fully.
It’
s like t
akin
g a
snapsh
ot
or
makin
g up a m
icro
scope sl
ide and th
en giv
ing it
anoth
er
look.
But
what
should
you p
oin
t your
menta
l cam
era
at?
What
should
you
focus
the m
ind’s
mic
rosc
ope o
n?
The T
hese
us
Learn
ing S
yst
em
will
show
you w
hic
h a
spects
of
thin
kin
g a
re im
port
ant
to m
onit
or.
°Pri
ncip
le 4
: M
onit
or
Your
Thin
kin
g
Pra
cti
ce p
ictu
ring t
hought:
Dra
w a
“m
ap” l
ike t
he o
ne a
bove t
o
show
what
you k
now
about,
say,
din
osa
urs
. (D
on’t
lik
e d
inosa
urs
?
Try h
ors
es,
cars
, or
base
ball!)
°Pri
ncip
le 5
: Pic
ture
It!
Many capable
cri
tical
thin
kers
can actu
ally pic
ture
th
ought:
They
vis
ualize
its
logic
al
stru
ctu
re
in
ord
er
to
see
its
stre
ngth
s and
weakness
es.
For
them
, th
inkin
g i
s not
abst
ract
and s
lippery
, but
very
real.
Even t
hin
kers
who d
o n
ot
natu
rally p
ictu
re t
heir
thoughts
can b
enefit
from
learn
ing t
o d
o s
o.
Dia
gra
mm
ing a
rgum
ents
can p
roduce d
ram
ati
c
impro
vem
ents
in c
riti
cal th
inkin
g s
kills
.
The T
hese
us
Learn
ing S
yst
em
off
ers
a u
niq
ue s
yst
em
for
pic
turi
ng
thought
in d
iagra
ms.
Wit
h t
he T
LS,
you c
an d
rag,
dro
p,
and a
rrange
your
way to
th
ought
stru
ctu
res
ord
ere
d by basi
c lo
gic
al
pri
ncip
les.
Your
thoughts
becom
e b
uildin
g b
locks
that
you c
an s
ee—
and p
racti
cally
touch.
It’s
alm
ost
lik
e g
ett
ing y
our
hands
on y
our
ideas!
key
idea
Less
on 1
- S
even B
asi
c T
hin
kin
g S
kills
What
Cri
tical Thin
kers
Do
learn
ing
act
ivit
y
11
Read q
uic
kly
thro
ugh t
he f
ollow
ing lis
t of
item
s. T
hen s
et
the L
ess
on B
ook a
side,
take a
short
bre
ak,
and s
ee h
ow
m
any y
ou c
an r
em
em
ber:
Garl
ic,
pic
kle
s,
sweet
corn
, to
rtilla
s,
butt
er,
pota
toes,
card
am
om
, so
ur
cre
am
, olives,
chic
ken,
sponges,
cere
al.
°Pri
ncip
le 6
: O
rder
Your
Thoughts
Eff
ecti
ve t
hin
kers
are
const
antl
y o
rganiz
ing info
rmati
on.
We a
ll l
ook f
or
patt
ern
s to
make s
ense
of
our
perc
epti
ons.
When w
e
can’t
find patt
ern
s (t
hat
is,
ord
er)
, in
form
ati
on is
of
litt
le valu
e,
and th
inkin
g is
la
bori
ous.
W
hen in
form
ati
on is
org
aniz
ed,
how
ever,
it b
ecom
es
use
ful.
We a
ssim
ilate
it
more
easi
ly,
rem
em
ber
it b
ett
er,
apply
it
more
eff
ecti
vely
, and d
raw
bett
er
conclu
sions.
Thin
kin
g s
peeds
up a
nd c
om
munic
ati
on im
pro
ves.
When y
ou w
ork
wit
h i
deas,
you n
eed t
o s
tructu
re t
hem
purp
ose
fully.
We’l
l sh
ow
you h
ow
to o
rganiz
e y
our
thoughts
to a
chie
ve c
lari
ty.
The
sam
e org
aniz
ing pri
ncip
les
will
help
you com
munic
ate
your
ideas
convin
cin
gly
.
°Pri
ncip
le 7
: Follow
the Q
uest
ions
Skille
d th
inkers
ask
good quest
ions.
They pay att
enti
on to
w
hat
is
quest
ionable
and
learn
to
fo
rmula
te
the
quest
ions
that
pro
voke
thin
kin
g.
They a
lso k
eep t
rack o
f th
e q
uest
ions
that
ari
se a
long t
he
way.
(This
is
where
Pri
ncip
le 7
dif
fers
fro
m P
rincip
le 1
, “Know
the
Pro
ble
m.”
) They r
esp
ect
these
quest
ions
and f
ollow
where
they lead.
The T
hese
us
Learn
ing Syst
em
tr
ain
s you to
pay att
enti
on to
th
e
quest
ions
that
ari
se duri
ng th
inkin
g—
quest
ions
that
usu
ally re
main
unsp
oken b
ut
nevert
hele
ss a
nim
ate
and s
ust
ain
the t
hought
pro
cess
.
The T
LS h
elp
s you m
ake t
hese
quest
ions
explicit
, so
you c
an c
heck t
hat
they a
re indeed t
he r
ight
ones.
“T
he im
port
ant
thin
g is
to n
ever
stop q
uest
ionin
g.”
Alb
ert
Ein
stein
“You c
an t
ell w
heth
er
a m
an is
cle
ver
by h
is a
nsw
ers
. You c
an t
ell
wheth
er
a m
an is
wis
e b
y h
is q
uest
ions.
”
Naguib
Mahfo
uz (
Nobel Pri
ze W
inner)
Less
on 1
- S
even B
asi
c T
hin
kin
g S
kills
What
Cri
tical Thin
kers
Do
learn
ing
act
ivit
y
How
many d
id y
ou r
em
em
ber?
N
ow
do t
he s
am
e t
hin
g w
ith t
he f
ollow
ing lis
t:
Bre
akfa
st (
om
ele
ttes)
: Eggs,
milk,
cheese
Lunch (sa
ndw
iches)
: Bre
ad, ham
, le
ttuce, to
mato
, m
ayonnais
e
Din
ner
(spaghett
i):
Tom
ato
sauce,
ham
burg
er,
parm
esa
n.
How
did
you
do
this
ti
me?
What
accounts
fo
r th
e
dif
fere
nce?
12
°H
ow
Thought
Tre
es
Develo
p K
ey H
abit
s of
Min
d
In t
he less
ons
that
follow
, you w
ill le
arn
how
to d
iagra
m t
hought.
More
specifi
cally,
you w
ill le
arn
to b
uild t
hought
trees—
dia
gra
ms
that
lay o
ut
the logic
al st
ructu
re o
f a t
rain
of
thought
in a
part
icula
rly t
ransp
are
nt
way.
The b
eauty
of
this
appro
ach i
s th
at
it c
om
pels
you t
o a
pply
all
seven o
f th
e p
rincip
les
menti
oned h
ere
. In
oth
er
word
s, t
o b
uild a
well-f
orm
ed t
hought
tree,
you n
eed t
o
• K
now
the p
roble
m
• B
reak t
he p
roble
m d
ow
n
• F
ocus
att
enti
on w
here
it’
s needed
• M
onit
or
your
thin
kin
g
• P
ictu
re t
hought
• O
rganiz
e y
our
poin
ts
• F
ollow
the q
uest
ions
Buildin
g a
thought
tree i
s a g
reat
way t
o m
ake h
eadw
ay o
n a
tough
thin
kin
g pro
ble
m or
wri
ting ass
ignm
ent.
Yo
u’l
l get
an in
vig
ora
ting
menta
l w
ork
out;
you’l
l pro
duce bett
er
work
; and—
over
tim
e—
your
thin
kin
g s
kills
will gro
w im
measu
rably
str
onger!
key
idea
Less
on 1
- S
even B
asi
c T
hin
kin
g S
kills
What
Cri
tical Thin
kers
Do
In t
he n
ext
less
on,
you’l
l st
art
learn
ing h
ow
to
use
your
TLS s
oft
ware
to o
rganiz
e y
our
ideas
into
“tr
ees”
lik
e t
his
one.
conce
pt
check
✓See if
you can nam
e all se
ven pri
ncip
les
wit
hout
lookin
g a
t th
is L
ess
on B
ook.
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