In Part I, I connected critical thinking skills to the Learner Profile and the PYP Transdisciplinary Skills. As a follow-up, here are some prompts—through the lens of the PYP Key Concepts—to get you started with your students. I’ve kept these as generic as possible so that you can adapt them to your specific contexts.
General critical thinking prompts:
- “I’m noticing…” (Why do you think it is like that? Causation)
- “It reminds me of…” (How is it similar or different? Connection)
- “I’m wondering…” (Function, Causation, Responsibility, Reflection)
- “I could also try…”/ “I could ___ instead.” (What else? What if?)
- “I’m trying to find out…”
- “This could be misunderstood because…” (Perspective)
- “It is important because…” (Causation, Change, Connection, Responsibility)
- “I don’t think that is true because…” (Reflection)
- “This supports the idea that…” (How does it fit in with your current knowledge? Connection)
- “This conflicts with the idea that…” (What evidence do you have? Connection)
- “I know this is true because…” (Reflection)
- “Another perspective might be…” (How might someone who disagrees see it? Perspective)
- “What would happen if…” (Causation, Change)
These are my go-to prompts, which I reuse in many different situations. If you have any to add, please leave a comment below.
Encouraging Critical Thinking in Music Class, Part II