Nourishing a Culture of Thinking

ACTIVITY 2     Characteristics of Reasoning

Step 1

Watch Activity Video 2

We rely on experience and common sense to identify qualities/characteristics of ideas and whether these ideas are well or poorly reasoned.

Draw a reasoning spectrum: Poorly Reasoned Idea (“bottom 10%”) to Well-Reasoned Ideas (“top 10%”).

Step 2

Describe the characteristics at each end of the spectrum that we use as evidence for the placement of ideas. For example, “muddled and unclear” is a poorly reasoned characteristic, while “clearly articulated” is a well-reasoned characteristic.

What are the characteristics of reasoning you use to make decisions about ideas?