THINKING

Creative Thinking

PROFILE 3

• I can get new ideas in areas in which I have an interest and build my skills to make them work.

• I generate new ideas as I pursue my interests.

• I deliberately learn a lot about something by doing research, talking to others, or practicing, so that I can generate new ideas about it; the ideas often seem to just pop into my head.

• I build the skills I need to make my ideas work, and I usually succeed, even if it takes a few tries.

PROFILE 4

• I can get new ideas or reinterpret others’ ideas in novel ways.

• I get ideas that are new to my peers. My creative ideas are often a form of self-expression for me.

• I have deliberate strategies for quieting my conscious mind (e.g., walking away for a while, doing something relaxing, being deliberately playful), so that I can be more creative.

• I use my experiences with various steps and attempts to direct my future work.

PROFILE 5

• I can think “outside the box” to get innovative ideas and persevere to develop them.

• I can get new ideas that are innovative, may not have been seen before, and have an impact on my peers or in my community.

• I have interests and passions that I pursue over time.

• I look for new perspectives, new problems, or new approaches.

• I am willing to take significant risks in my thinking in order to generate lots of ideas.

• I am willing to accept ambiguity, setbacks, and failure, and I use them to advance the development of my ideas.

PROFILE 6

• I can develop a body of creative work over time in an area of interest or passion.

• I can get ideas that are groundbreaking or disruptive and can develop them to form a body of work over time that has an impact in my community or beyond.

• I challenge assumptions as a matter of course and have deliberate strategies (e.g., free writing or sketching, meditation, thinking in metaphors and analogies) for getting new ideas intuitively.

• I have a strong commitment to a personal aesthetic and values, and the inner motivation to persevere over years if necessary to develop my ideas.

PROFILE 3

• I can ask questions and consider options.

• I can use my observations, experience, and imagination to draw conclusions and make judgments.

• I can ask open-ended questions, explore, and gather information.

• I experiment purposefully to develop options.

• I can contribute to and use criteria. I use observation, experience, and imagination to draw conclusions, make judgments, and ask new questions.

• I can describe my thinking and how it is changing.

• I can establish goals individually and with others.

• I can connect my learning with my experiences, efforts, and goals.

• I give and receive constructive feedback.

PROFILE 4

• I can gather and combine new evidence with what I already know to develop reasoned conclusions, judgments, or plans.

• I can use what I know and observe to identify problems and ask questions.

• I explore and engage with materials and sources.

• I can develop or adapt criteria, check information, assess my thinking, and develop reasoned conclusions, judgments, or plans.

• I consider more than one way to proceed and make choices based on my reasoning and what I am trying to do.

• I can assess my own efforts and experiences and identify new goals.

• I give, receive, and act on constructive feedback.

PROFILE 5

• I can evaluate and use well-chosen evidence to develop interpretations; identify alternatives, perspectives, and implications; and make judgments.

• I can examine and adjust my thinking.

• I can ask questions and offer judgments, conclusions, and interpretations supported by evidence I or others have gathered.

• I am flexible and open-minded; I can explain more than one perspective and consider implications.

• I can gather, select, evaluate, and synthesize information.

• I consider alternative approaches and make strategic choices.

• I take risks and recognize that I may not be immediately successful.

• I examine my thinking, seek feedback, reassess my work, and adjust.

• I represent my learning and my goals and connect these with my previous experiences.

• I accept constructive feedback and use it to move forward.

PROFILE 6

• I can examine evidence from various perspectives to analyze and make well-supported judgments about and interpretations of complex issues.

• I can determine my own framework and criteria for tasks that involve critical thinking.

• I can compile evidence and draw reasoned conclusions.

• I consider perspectives that do not fit with my understandings.

• I am open-minded and patient, taking the time to explore, discover, and understand.

• I make choices that will help me create my intended impact on an audience or situation.

• I can place my work and that of others in a broader context.

• I can connect the results of my inquiries and analyses with action.

• I can articulate a keen awareness of my strengths, my aspirations and how my experiences and contexts affect my frameworks and criteria.

• I can offer detailed analysis, using specific terminology, of my progress, work, and goals.