Thinking Keys

Great for building up subject specific vocabulary. Students identify words that begin with each letter

Students are asked to consider or design questions which ask what ‘cannot’ or ‘would never’ be

Students asked to consider or design questions that prompt "what if?" thinking

Students consider the potential limitations

Seeking to combine the features of two ideas or concepts to design a better idea

Students asked what they might make Bigger, Add or Replace in an idea or design

Students seek alternative methods to meet an end point- how many ways might you…?

Students provided with a picture and asked to link it to a topic

Think of possible outcomes to a set of given circumstances

Imaginative and creative uses for an object – perceptual rather than conceptual thinking

Seeking to justify a statement that could be classed as difficult to implement

Two unrelated objects, pictures or concepts and students are asked to find a commonality

Identifying answers and asking students to identify possible questions that lead to the answers provided

Contemplating solutions to problems

Devise an invention from the use of unrelated materials

Identify different ways to deal withideas or concepts that are valued as ‘truths’

Using everyday materials physically construct useful objects related to the topic or ‘construct’ key meaning from pieces of knowledge

Identifying the benefits from a forced relationship between two objects or ideas

Looking for alternative ways to solve a problem

Identify different interpretations of your own of an event i.e. look for different perspectives