What Do You Do for Each Way of Thinking? How Do You Know you Have Done it Well? The following outline is a useful guide to each way of thinking and how to assess it. It may be used as a check list to assist teaching or learning the seven ways of thinking. What you do to establish intention: - Feel a need or desire . - Focus on what is involved. - Conceive and analyse an approach. - Communicate your intention - Become engaged and take initiative - Assume responsibility - Make your intention a learning experience. How you know you are well intentioned. - If you feel highly motivated. - If your purpose is clear. - If you have an appropriate approach in mind. - If you can clearly communicate your intentions. - If you know how to proceed. - If your objectives are morally, ethically and ecologically sound. - If you will be contributing to knowledge and well-being. What you do to define something: - Recognize, identify or name what is to be defined - Note its useful features and attributes. - Compare and differentiate it with similar things. - Describe its context of application and qualifying conditions. - Describe what it does, could or will do. - Describe its uses, consequences, products or results. - Describe its significance, cultural meaning and potential usse. How you know you have defined something well. - If you have identified everything about it of interest. - If all useful features and attributes have been specified. - If all useful relationships and opportunities have been identified. - If all relevant conditions and interpretations have been presented. - If all functions or actions in a process have been specified. - If all criteria necessary to determine its value have been specified. - When the definition has demonstrable value in other uses. What do you do to explore something: - Become curious, interested and commited to learning about it. - Investigate, inventory, examine, and describe everything involved. - Diagram, manipulate and analyse relationships to reveal their potentials. - Check to see how others understand what is being communicated to them. - See how it works. Change processes, tools, and timing to see their effect on the outcome. - Test assumptions to see if they are objective and accurate. Contradict or change the basis of evaluation to see other points of view. - Consider the implications of an idea to gain understanding of its significance. How you know you have explored well. - If there is nothing else that you feel you should investigate. - If available information and resources meet the needs. - If no more relevant relationships can be found. - If suggestions and explanations regarding a situation are easy to communicate. - If you can anticipate that the performance of your plan will meet your goals. - If the propable outcome will satisfy everyone concerned. - If implications for other knowledge and the future are clear and beneficial. What you do to suggest something: - Examine and understand what your intentions regarding the situation really are. - Determine that what is to be presented, proposed or explained is well defined. - Organize and analyse the relastionships that will be featured in your suggestion. - Decide who you are communicating to and how best to explain your suggestion to them. - Anticipate what might go wrong or be misunderstood and adapt your suggestion as needed. - Predict the outcome and consequences of your suggestion. - Consider the importance and overall contribution of what you are suggesting. How you know that you have made a good suggestion. - If you feel aesthetic pleasure and satisfaction with what you have proposed. - If what you have suggested is simple, appropriate and practical. - If your suggestion incorporates all of the issues under consideration. - If your suggestion is appropriate to the circumstances and the people involved. - If your suggestion is easy to implement and carry out. - If the results of your suggestion are beneficial to the situation and those affected. - If your suggestion has the support and understanding of all interested parties. What you do to innovate: - Become commited to improving a situation. - Get the resources you will need. - Organize, schedule and implement an approach. - Prepare to carry out anticpated tasks. - Carry out the tasks required. - Check the results and provide corrective feedback. - Reflect on the experience and learn from it. How you know if you have innovated well. - If you feel happy about what you have done. - If you have used the right resources well. - If no significant relationships have been missed. - If the situation has been improved. - If the process has been efficient and effective. - If the outcome is satisfactory to all concerned. - If it adds to useful knowledge and potential. What you do to get to a goal: - Decide how you feel about it. - Assure that circumstances are accurately described. - Analyze how different approaches get to the goal. - Assess whether the approach you choose fits the situation. - Test it to see if it works. - Measure results against objective goal criteria. - Assess whether the effort was worthwhie. How you know you have gotten to your goal. - If you feel successful and fulfilled. - If nothing important has been left out. - If your approach has fit the problem. - If the results are appreciated by everyone . - If the process of getting to the goal was efficient. - If all matters of concern have been satisfied. - If all implications have been considered. What you do to know something: - Reflect on what was worth remembering about an experience. - Identify the features of the experience that may have potential value. - Correlate what you remember with what you already know about the subject. - Remember the circumstances and situations in which learning occurred. - Project how the experience will change how you do things in the future. - Determine how the experience will influence your future goals and values. - Search for other areas where this new knowledge may be applied. How you know you have gained knowledge. - If you feel that you have learned something new. - If you can recall something about the experience that is useful. - If you can link what you have learned to what you are thinking about. - If you can explain what you have learned to others. - If you can apply what you have learned effectively. - If you can anticipate the affect of applying the knowledge you have gained. - If what you have learned adds to what you already know.