Thinking Skills Glossary

The main round in which students apply a familiar routine with greater independence, pace, teamwork or challenge. Use it once students understand the task.

Listening to understand before responding. Ask students to restate a partner’s idea accurately before adding their own.

Adjusting actions when conditions change. Change a prompt, resource or team rule and ask students how they will respond.

Explaining something through a useful comparison. Ask: “How is an electric circuit like a flowing river, and where does the comparison stop working?”

Something accepted as true without checking it. Ask: “What are we taking for granted, and how could we check?”

Directing attention to the information that matters and returning to it after distraction. Ask students to identify the cue they need to follow.

Generating several possible ideas before selecting one. Give students a short idea round, then pause to compare their suggestions.

Exploring how one action or event may lead to another. Ask students to explain what could happen next and why.

Grouping items by a shared feature or rule. In Robot Test Challenge, students classify objects by material before choosing the matching movement.

Changing an approach, interpretation or perspective when the task calls for it. Ask students to solve the same challenge in a different way.

Working towards a shared goal by contributing, listening and coordinating decisions. Give each team member a clear way to take part.

Making meaning clear through words, pictures, gestures or other forms. Ask students to check whether a partner understood the message they intended.

Linking ideas across subjects, situations or systems. Ask: “Where else have we seen this idea, and how could it help here?”

A rule or limit that shapes the challenge. In Drawing the Invisible, removing the heart symbol encourages students to find another way to represent love.

Specific comments that help someone improve. Ask students to name one effective choice and suggest one clear next step.

Comparing possibilities to choose a suitable answer or approach. After an idea round, ask students to select an option using agreed criteria.

Organizing movements so they match a task or signal. Begin with accurate responses, then increase pace when students are ready.

Generating and developing ideas that are both original and useful for the task. Ask for a fresh possibility and an explanation of how it works.

The features used to judge whether an idea meets the goal. Agree on two or three before students compare solutions.

Examining claims, reasons and evidence before reaching a judgment. Ask: “What supports this idea, and what might make us reconsider?”

Choosing a course of action after considering options and likely consequences. Ask students to explain their choice and one possible drawback.

Opening up several different possibilities instead of stopping at the first answer. Ask students for ideas from more than one category.

Adding useful detail to develop an initial idea. Ask: “How would it work, what would it need, and what should we add?”

Trying to understand another person’s feelings, needs or situation. Ask students how a proposed rule might affect someone with a different experience.

Judging an idea or result against a clear purpose and criteria. Ask what works, what does not and what should change.

Information or observations that support a claim. Ask students to point to a relevant detail rather than simply repeat their opinion.

Considering whether people are treated appropriately and have a reasonable opportunity to participate. Ask who benefits from a rule and who might be left out.

Producing several relevant ideas within a task. Encourage a range of possibilities first, then discuss which are most useful.

Reaching a conclusion from clues rather than a direct statement. Ask students to identify the clues and explain how they fit together.

Pausing an automatic response so a task rule can guide the action. Ask students to check the cue before speaking or moving.

The optional guided version of a Dew Bright routine. Model the task, clarify the rules and support a first attempt before moving to Activation.

Improving an idea through repeated attempts. Let students try, receive feedback and make a purposeful change before testing again.

Responding to changing demands while keeping thinking relevant and accurate. Combine a short response window with a change of subject, rule or viewpoint.

Noticing and managing how you think. Ask: “Which strategy did you use, and what will you try if it stops working?”

Noticing specific details before interpreting them. Ask students to describe what they can see or hear before explaining what it might mean.

Offering an idea that is fresh within the task or group. Ask students how their response differs from the familiar or obvious choice.

Noticing repeated features, relationships or sequences. Ask students to explain the pattern and predict a new example that would fit.

Considering a situation from another person’s position. Ask students how the same event might look to different characters or community members.

Suggesting what may happen using available information. Ask for a reason, then compare the prediction with what actually happens.

Clarifying what needs to be solved before proposing answers. Ask students to state the goal, the difficulty and any limits.

Understanding a difficulty, trying possible approaches and checking the result. Ask students to explain what they tried and why they changed direction.

Bringing relevant words, facts or examples to mind promptly. In One Word, Five Subjects, students retrieve vocabulary that fits each changing subject.

Making a relevant response within a short time. Keep accuracy and explanation important; a fast answer still needs to fit the challenge.

Showing how reasons lead to a conclusion or choice. Ask students to connect their answer to a clear “because.”

Looking back to identify what worked and what to try next. End a routine with one brief question about the learning process.

Checking your own progress while working. Ask students to pause and compare their response with the task rules before continuing.

Applying ideas to people, fairness and real needs. Ask: “Who would this help, who might it affect, and what would make it fairer?”

Organizing and structuring thoughts clearly. Ask students to group, sequence or outline their ideas so another person can follow them.

Revising or improving an idea after noticing a problem or receiving feedback. Ask: “What will you change, and why?”

Generating fresh, original ideas. Ask students to move beyond their first response and suggest another possibility that still fits the task.

A chosen approach for tackling a task. Ask students to name their method, explain why they selected it and consider an alternative.

Shifting perspective or transforming an idea to explore a different possibility. Ask: “What changes if we look at it another way?”

Explaining ideas with reasons, evidence or logic. Ask students what makes their proposal convincing and which details support it.

Using a picture, mark, object or gesture to stand for an idea. Ask students to explain what their symbol communicates and how.

Moving between tasks or rules while keeping track of the current demand. Practise a clear sequence before adding a faster pace.

A repeatable sequence that guides a particular kind of thinking. Keep the structure familiar while changing the prompts, topics or constraints.

Using learning from one situation in another. Ask students where a strategy from today’s challenge could help in a different subject.

Sharing time and responsibility for contributing. Use a clear order or role so each student has an opportunity to speak and listen.

Thinking about position, shape, direction and how parts fit together. Ask students to describe how a drawing changes when the viewpoint changes.

Holding information in mind while using it. Start with a short sequence of instructions or rules, then add complexity when students are ready.