What are thinking skills?

Before we explore websites and web tools on creative and critical thinking, let's explain the larger question: What are thinking skills?

In their book, Richard D. Solomon and Neil A Davidson (2012), Encouraging Skillful, Critical and Creative Thinking: Participant’s Guide Fourth R Consulting,  LLC, Tucson, AZ, wrote the following narrative about thinking skills and thinking processes:

Chart of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development's (ASCD)

21 Thinking Skills and Their Definitions

Thinking Skill	Definition
Defining Problems	Clarifying needs, discrepancies or a  puzzling situation
Setting goals	Establishing direction and purpose
Observing	Obtaining information through one or more senses
Formulating questions	Seeking new information through inquiry
Encoding	Storing information in long-term memory
Recalling	Retrieving information from long-term memory
Comparing	Noting similarities and differences among things
Classifying	Grouping and labeling things on the basis of their attributes
Ordering	Sequencing things according to a given criterion
Representing	Changing the form but not the substance of information
Identifying attributes and components	Determining characteristics or parts of something
Identifying relation-ships and patterns	Recognizing ways in which elements are related
Identifying main ideas	Identifying the central element
Identifying errors	Recognizing logical fallacies and other mistakes, and, where possible, correcting them
Inferring	Going beyond available information to identify what is reasonably true
Predicting	Anticipating next events, or the outcome of a situation
Elaborating	Explaining by adding details, examples, or other relevant information
Summarizing	Combining information efficiently into a cohesive statement
Restruc- turing	Changing existing knowledge structures to incorporate new information
Establishing criteria	Setting standards for making judgments
Verifying	Confirming the accuracy of claims

A list of 13 thinking processes appears below. As a reminder, a thinking process is a combination of one or more thinking skills.

13 Thinking Processes * and Their Definitions

Thinking Process	Definition
Comparing	Identifying and articulating similarities and differences between things.
Classifying	Grouping things into definable categories on the basis of their attributes.
Inducing	Inferring unknown generalizations or principles from observation or analysis.
Deducing	Inferring unstated consequences and conditions from given principles and generalizations.
Analyzing Errors	Identifying and articulating errors in your own thinking or that of others.
Decision Making	A process which asks students to make choices among alternatives: e.g. What/who might be the best/worst alternative in order to meet certain criteria?
Investigation	There are three types of investigations in this framework: definitional, historical, and projective. Each one challenges students to answer different kinds of questions: (a) Definitional Investigation: What are the defining characteristics or salient features of some topic? (b) Historical Investigation: How did event X happen? Why did event X happen? (c) Projective Investigation: What would happen if...? What would have happened if...?
Constructing Support	Constructing a system of support or proof for an assertion.
Abstracting	Identifying and articulating the underlying theme or general pattern of information.
Analyzing Perspectives	Identifying and articulating your personal perspectives in relation to the perspectives of others.
Experimental Inquiry	Students are asked to explain or hypothesize some physical, psychological or sociological phenomenon.

Thinking Process	Definition
Problem Solving	Students find (a) solution(s) to a question that has some constraining or limiting condition imposed from the outside. Problem solving usually involves a set of steps including: (1) State the goal. (2) Identify the constraints or limiting conditions. (3) Identify ways of overcoming the constraints or meeting the limiting conditions. (4) Select and try out alternatives. (5) Evaluate alternatives.
Invention	Students create something new that meets a perceived need. Inventions are not limited by outside constraints; however, they are limited by the specific standards of the inventor. Invention also involves a set of steps including: (1) Identify a situation you want to improve. (2) State your goal. (3) Identify your standards. (4) Make a model sketch, or outline of your invention. (5) Start drafting your invention. (6) Share it.

In the next post we will explore additional resources defining thinking skills.

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*     These definitions of thinking processes are based on ones found in Marzano, R.J., Pickering, D.J., Arredondo, D.E., Blackburn, G.J. Brandt, R.S., and Moffett, C.A. (1991), Dimensions of Learning: Teacher's Manual (draft version). Aurora, Colorado: McRel Institute.