Creating Useful Verbs Sample Question Stems Design
Compose
Plan
Hypothesize
Revise
• Can you design a ... to ...?
• Why not compose a song about...?
• Can you see a possible solution to...?
• If you had access to all resources how would you
deal with...?
• Why don't you devise your own way to deal
with...?
• What would happen if...?
• How many ways can you...?
• Can you create new and unusual uses for...?
• Can you write a new recipe for a tasty dish?
Pupil’s critical thinking, which enables to have a better understanding of ideas, data, arguments
and situations, in addition, can also be developed in the process of active teaching and learning
according to the following aspects of critical thinking (identified by Brookfield,1987):
Identifying and challenging assumptions. Testing the taken- for-granted nature of
assumptions and generalizations against our own experiences and understanding.
Questioning and challenging passively accepted traditions and habitual patters.
Challenging the importance of context. Developing the awareness of the
importance of relating our thinking to the context in which it is set. Practices,
structures and actions are never context free.
Imaging and exploring alternatives. Thinking beyond the obvious and the
immediately logical. Adopting different perspective and standpoints. Thinking
laterally and imaginatively.
Developing reflective skepticism. Being wary of claims to universal truth or
ultimate explanations. Because other think differently than we do, doesn’t mean that
they are right.
(Brookfield
(1987) cited in Leicester (2010, p. 4))
In accordance with this ideas please see possible practice to develop abovementioned aspect of
critical thinking offered by Leicester (2010):
