GLOSSARY

Basic thinking skills:

1) Knowledge (Memory)
2) Comprehension

Higher thinking processes:

3) Application
4) Analysis
5) Synthesis
6) Evaluation
7) Creativity

(see also
Transferable Concept)

A perceived regularity in entities or processes.  A generic idea with more than one example.  Other than specific instances such as Spot the dog or Edna the hurricane,  most of the words in a language are concepts. 

Content

A catch-all term that is understood to be the "opposite" of processes and/or learning skills.  Content consists of a mixture of both specific topical or contextual information and concepts, with little distinction made between the two.
Examples:  Literary context, mechanics, heritage, consumer math

Critical Thinking

An intellectual process focused on a question.   Critical thinking is often thought of as higher or high-level thinking.   However, critical thinking depends upon, and therefore includes, factual knowledge and comprehension, often referred to as lower thinking.   In critical thinking, all six of the thinking processes identified by Bloom (see Bloom's Taxonomy) are orchestrated in a fluid, intellectual manner that can be characterized by the interplay of generic concepts skillfully combined with specific topics.  The infinite ways concepts and topics can be combined constitute the long list of process skills.  Critical thinking is largely a progressive process that ends when and how the thinker chooses, with no reason to pause or stop inherent in the development of the intellectual journey.

Inquiry

Inquiry is a self-motivated, self-directed process.  It seeks answers to questions by applying prior knowledge to observations and analysis of the circumstances or entities that elicited the question.  Inquiry includes algorithms and formulas, both generic and specific to certain types of questions.  Yet it is ultimately a creative intellectual process.  A question instigates a unique, often interactive synthesis and re-evaluation of prior knowledge and new experience.  Inquiry results in a satisfying, enjoyable feeling of intellectual accomplishment and growth.

Generalization

Also called an enduring understanding, basic principle, core knowledge, or, at times, a big idea. A generalization is a propositional statement that links two or more concepts, sometimes includes specific topics or contexts, and is stated as an assertion or conclusion. The understanding that underlies a transferable concept is described in terms of generalizations. A generalization is a statement of a fundamental aspect of the concept useful to generating insight to questions.

Literacy

An educational goal focused on developing skills and knowledge that are widely useful both for themselves and/or because they are essential for learning how to learn.  As educators, we strive for literacy in math, science, and social studies, as well as language arts.   Sometimes a particular package of skills and knowledge is identified as being "essential skills," forming a good definition of literacy.
Literacy contrast with professional development, in which the student is assumed to be preparing for a particular adult role, such as a scientist, engineer, accountant, stock broker, politician, business leader, media specialist, writer, etc.  Literacy attempts to focus on generic, flexible knowledge and abilities that can form a useful, efficient platform from which to launch into all manner of different careers. 

Problem Solving

Very similar to critical thinking.  Problem solving is also an intellectual process focused on a question.  However, the question is usually one that implies some type of answer or solution:  i.e. a problem.  Problem solving is characterized by a problem-solution cycle.  Except for trivial problems, rarely is a solution perfect, ideal or exact.  Rather, a solution implies the next question or problem, re-starting a cycle often referred to as scientific method or inquiry.  Problem solving progresses from plateau to plateau, and logically ends at some solution set whose uncertainty is, for the time, acceptable or unavoidable.  At the smaller scale of each individual cycle, the process of going from problem to solution is the same as critical thinking.

Processes, Thinking

Often associated with (and confused with) skills, thinking processes involve some mental operation that the thinker must tailor to a particular question.  All of the thinking processes can be categorized as one, or as a combination, of the four higher-order thinking processes identified in Bloom's taxonomy (see below), and all can be objectively defined as a particular method of combining a generic, transferable concept with a specific topic or context.

Skills

A  catch-all term that describes what students do or perform, skills are behaviors or actions, either physical or mental.  They refer to motor, social, or algorithmic mental actions that are repeated essentially the same way each time they are used.  Skills are, like concepts, transferable to a variety of contexts and topics, and are categorized as one or the other of the two lower-order thinking skills defined by Bloom.

Theme

a) An umbrella term used for coordinating lessons in different subjects. The vast majority of themes are topics, with an occasional concept or process skill apparent.
Examples:   Circus, rain forest, hot air balloons, 1492.
b) In language arts, theme is a major, super-ordinate concept that expresses the literary messages in a text.  As such, it would by rights appear above in the glossary as an example under Transferable Concept.
Examples:  Friendship, power, gender role, race

Topic

Specific information, situations or contexts; factual; observable.  In some subject areas topic information is called core knowledge.  In language arts, literary genres and specific book titles generally constitute topics.

Transferable Concept

A sub-set of all concepts; a generic idea whose central quality is transferability: it can be applied to a wide variety of topics, situations, and contexts for problem solving and critical thinking through the pursuit of a question.  Transferable concepts have names and can be defined in terms of their essential criterial attributes.
Examples:

• Science: Energy, temperature,  interdependence, form-and-function
• Math: Ratio, slope, property/variable, chance
• Literature: Language, genre, literary elements
• Social Studies: Conflict, trade, culture, custom