21 Thinking Skills

Systematic Exploration

A strategy used to seek and collect relevant information using an organized, goal-oriented approach.

Focus

The ability to pay attention to important information, maintain that focus, and avoid distractions.

Names, Labels and Concepts

Vocabulary development and expression to describe and understand concepts more efficiently; labels classify words to facilitate the use of concepts.

Multiple Sources of Information

The ability to extract important information by thinking critically—comparing, analyzing, and synthesizing multiple sources.

Spatial Orientation

The ability to recognize the orientation of objects or persons in relation to others.

Temporal/Time Orientation

The ability to recognize when events occurred in relation to other moments over time.

Precision & Accuracy

The ability to recollect information carefully to determine what is true, exact, or well-defined.

Sets Goals

The strategy of establishing a direction for learning, creating goals to select necessary tools or materials, important for independent functioning.

Plans

The development of a plan or map to achieve one's goals.

Compares

The ability to recognize similarities and differences between objects, information, and knowledge.

Orders, Groups, Categorizes

The ability to organize a lot of information into different categories for better memory and understanding.

Finds Connections, Relationships

The ability to establish relationships and connections within ideas, events, data, persons, or feelings to enhance learning significance.

Visualizes

The ability to mentally visualize images or predict how something will look without prior exposure.

Inference/Hypothetical Thinking

The ability to make predictions about circumstances using available information (e.g., if x has happened, then y is likely to happen).

Cause and Effect

The ability to recognize patterns between causes and their effects.

Summarizes

The ability to distill important details from given information.

Appropriate Precision & Accuracy

The ability to carefully collect information to ensure everything is true, accurate, or well-defined.

Attention to Outcomes & Self-Regulation

The ability to guide one's own learning by regulating behavior.

Synthesizes

The awareness of how to communicate appropriately in various situations or with different individuals.

Autonomy

Independence; the ability to choose and make one's own decisions.

Collaboration

The ability to work in a team, understanding responsibility and assisting team members.