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      • Define: Rubrics
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  • Home
  • Outcomes
    • Critical Thinking & Problem Solving >
      • Effective Reasoning
      • Decision Making
      • Problem Solving
    • Character
    • Collaboration & Communication
  • Instructional Practices
    • Arts Integration
    • Critique
    • Learning Expeditions
    • Problem-Based Tasks in Math
    • Student-Led Conferences
    • Student-Led IEPs
    • Teaching and Assessing Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving >
      • Define: Rubrics
      • Teach: Thinking Routines
      • Assess: Performance Tasks
  • Events
    • Evening of Learning Seminars
    • Learning and Loving Math
  • Blog
  • CAREERS
  • Contact

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​
​Critical thinking 
&
 problem solving

"The illiterate of the 21st Century are not those that cannot read or write, but those that cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn."

Alvin Toffler, Author and Futurist
 How do we define critical thinking and problem solving?

We define critical thinking and problem solving as the broadly applicable cognitive skills that people use in constructing knowledge, identifying patterns, formulating arguments, and solving problems. To be effective critical thinkers, students need to be able to evaluate vast amounts of information and formulate well-reasoned claims. In addition, to develop strong problem solving skills, students need to build the capacity to analyze situations, to devise strategies for solving problems, to implement those strategies, and then to evaluate both their solutions and their processes.
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To help students and teachers understand and build critical thinking and problem solving skills, we have identified three core constructs of critical thinking and problem solving:
  1. Effective Reasoning: The ability to create claims and support them with logical evidence
  2. Decision Making: The ability to identify options for a choice, to articulate criteria for evaluating those options, and to evaluate those options based on the articulated criteria
  3. Problem Solving: The ability to identify the key questions in a problem, to develop possible plans for solving, to follow through on those plans, and to evaluate both the success of the plan and the solution

For decision making, effective reasoning, and problem solving, we have developed explicit thinking routines, rubrics, and assessment tools for teaching and assessing these constructs.  To access these resources, click below.
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Further Reading
The New Division of Labor: How Computers Are Creating the Next Job Market by Frank Levy and Richard Murnane
External Resources
  • ​Partnership for 21st Century Learning
  • Deeper Learning Network
  • EL Education
  • ​MyWays from Next Generation Learning Challenges
Two Rivers Public Charter School's mission is to nurture a diverse group of students to become lifelong, active participants in their own education, develop a sense of self and community, and become responsible and compassionate members of society.
Learn With Two Rivers is supported by a generous grant from the Office of the State Superintendent of Education to support the dissemination of best practices with DC-area educators. 
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Copyright • Two Rivers Public Charter School