Thinking Moves:

Essential Steps in Developing Deep Understanding

Thinking Moves
Observable Thinking Behaviours
Observing closely and Notice parts and features
describing whats there Take detailed notes to record observations
Describe parts and features in detail
Making connections
Connect new information with whats known
Identify patterns and perspectives
Identify areas of agreement and
disagreement between sources
Wondering and asking
questions

Building explanations
and interpretations

Imagine possible connections and

implications
Relate ideas to emotions and values
Create questions to propel further inquiry
Examine similarities and differences
Hypothesize and test ideas
Apply theories to explain phenomenon

Reasoning with evidence Search for evidence to support claims

Check for validity and soundness
Verify sufficiency of detail to support claims

Questions to Drive Thinking

What do you see and notice?
What are the facts here?
How does this fit?
How does this relate to other
concepts, or what I already
know?
What am I curious about here?
Why does ____?

Whats similar and different

here?
How can I explain ________?
Are these claims logical and
supported by convincing
evidence?

Uncovering complexity Identify and reject simplistic explanations

and going below the
What lies beneath the surface
Search for alternative evidence and
surface
of this?
explanations
Examine all parts of issues to explore
complexity
Search for deep causes
Considering different
Search for alternative explanations
viewpoints and
Whats another angle on this?
Evaluate the evidence of opposing
perspectives
How might someone argue
perspectives
against this or see it
Self-assess and revise own arguments in light
differently?
of alternative explanations and evidence

Capturing the heart and Capturing the essence of a concept

forming conclusions
Forming a reasoned judgement based on
foregoing thinking

Whats at the core or centre of

this?
Whats the Big Idea here?
NOTE: Thinking for Deep Understanding is NOT a linear processit is recursive! There are
logical steps, but they usually need to be repeated multiple times, often in different orders, to
really dig down deep into complex concepts. Thinking for Deep Understanding is rarely easy
and orderly; its usually difficult and messy at first, which is all the more reason to develop
detailed, organized notes.

Thinking Moves
Observable Thinking Behaviours
Observing closely Notice parts and features
and describing
whats there
Take detailed notes to record
observations
Describe parts and features in detail

Actions that Demonstrate Deep Thinking

Multiple interpretations of Snowden

Hero- Did not take money for motivation,
spilled the beans on multiple projects
Government seizing phone and text
messages, Spying on world leaders,
PRISM- force telecommunication
companies to hand over data,
XKeyscore- program to search internet
users activities, and Tapping of fibre
optics
Traitor- disclose countrys secrets and
make Washington look bad
Whistle-blower laws wont protect
revealing classified secrets, government
classify things removal of
accountability, Intelligence Director said
untruth during congress testimony
In many states sexual orientation
discrimination is still legal, with public
ignorance on the actual status, even with
over 70% support of illegalization, it is hard
to pass a law if majority of people think it
is already illegal

Satanist (actually science-advocating

group that paradises religious groups)
justifies right to abortion based on
recent Hobby Lobby decision that allows
for-profit companies to claim religious
exemption to Obamacares
contraception mandate.
The anti-abortion warnings legalized
in over 35 states were not based on
factual scientific information
Anti-Abortion laws infringes upon the
physical rights of the mother, often
arrested after doing something
endangering the baby, detention and
forced caesarean to ensure unborn baby
lives.
75000 injured by guns, 320000 killed,
11,000 murdered with firearm, 20,000
commit suicide with gun
Although almost other issues have
government estimated cost, the NRA
lobbied government to not do one on
guns
Despite Obamas executive orders,
researchers fear doing so would
become political targets that effect
funding in the future
Miller estimate $229 (include quality
of life)billion tax payers $400,000
single gun homicide( 32 per day
estimation)
Average quality of life statically
decreased by 6.2 million
Correlation between lax gun laws
and cost/deaths
Costs $88 billion more than us
government budget on education

Making
connections

Connect new information with whats

known
Identify patterns and perspectives
Identify areas of agreement and
disagreement between sources

Criminalizing social problems

53% state 25% dreg dependency or
abuse
32,8% jobless black males 10.6%
jobless white males jailed
Criminals Located rural regions
32% black male people end up in jail
Once branded felon right to vote, serve on
juries, free of legal discrimination and
employment repealed
New Jim crow- removal of rights by
branding overwhelming number of black
people as criminals over petty crime
War on drugs, Reagans tools to show
toughen up stance to attract white
low wage workers. Racial profiling and
compared to caste system
Federalism
Gun control, abortion rights v.s
religious rights all differs based on
the intensity of laws passed by
different states

Gay rights, discussing relationship

between federal passed laws and the
lack of such resulting in a vacuum
of regulations that depend on states
legislatures.

Tenth amendment rights

NRAs influence on the governmental

research reflects Madisons measure
to protect the richs power to
influence politics while undermine all
other groups through federalism

Fiscal federalism- Reagans funding

for state police to increase drug
crackdown

Constitutional rights

Classified materials, breach of rights

based on national security
constitutional?

Limitations of freedom of speech

Very few checks and balances

regarding Intelligence agencies
Clashes between extremes/ protected
rights

Right to free speech and right to

religion

Second amendment rights and other

rights to life

National security and the right to

privacy
Satanists and pro-rights both agree antiabortion laws are going too far, although
Satanists quote religious rights to
sarcastically to show the selfcontradictory aspect and disunity that
originates from tolerating different
opinions
Anti-homosexual and cost of guns articles
both agree that some rights should be
regulated for a better social context
Cost of guns article, new Jim Crow, and
prisons video all agree that power in
hands of a groups(mob rule, minority
rule) often cause detrimental social
effects for other groups that is not
adequately addressed through the
systems checks and balances

Wondering and
Imagine possible connections and
asking questions
implications

By looking at racial statistics and

governmental policies that seem to
benefit the minority at expense of the
majority, how has the political system of
the U.S as a institution, support the
maintenance of power by the rich?

How do people really address the

possible loopholes/ inconsistencies of
regulation that results from protecting
religious rights?

Ethical (hard for discussion) what really

defines human life? Intelligence? And
what stages?

Should checks and balances of

intelligence agencies and the army be
formerly and clearly incorporated into the
three branch?

Relate ideas to emotions and values

Create questions to propel further
inquiry

Alternative question- should there be

clear laws regulating agencies and
classified information?( the very
nature of the agencies makes it hard
to operate)

Building
Examine similarities and differences
explanations and
interpretations
Hypothesize and test ideas

Summarize the main idea

Reasoning with
evidence

Search for evidence to support claims

Check for validity and soundness
Verify sufficiency of detail to support

Lack of federal of federal laws shaped

most of the issues surrounding the
articles: gun cost/death/ escalate with
strong gun rights state, homosexual hate
speech due to lack of state laws, antiabortion laws infringe upon womens
rights.

Official legal definition of life is

murky
Although legally discrimination is mostly
prohibited, the remnants of
discriminatory policies have not been
adequately addressed. Through
Madisons vision, U.S is currently a
society where wealth is power. The
relatively weak socialism programs and
policies prevents many minorities to
thrive under this system- resulting in a
cultural- systematic discrimination
( poverty correlates with crime rates )

Tax money was lobbied by the rich

spend to help the rich at the expense
of the poor and vital social programs
(education)

Hypocrisies of religious groups

Religious right to exempt from other

peoples regulation Hobby Lobby, yet
seek to regulate other peoples
marriage

claims

Uncovering
complexity and
going below the
surface

Identify and reject simplistic

explanations
Search for alternative evidence and
explanations

Tax money spend in ineffective ways

Arm industry lobbies result in 610

billion spending in defence- five
times that of the second largestchina to support the military industry
interests.
Most articles account personal story,
statistics from viable news resources thus
sound arguments.
True cost of gun violence- actually
numbers, without clear information on
how quality of life is measured, may be
inflated.

As seen in current news where

private medical companies inflate a
drugs price to cover %5000, such
cost might be caused chiefly by lack
of regulation of medical prices?
All of the articles arguments are viable,
since the premises are based on different
values, although these values often
conflict, it is very difficult to say one is
superior over the other, which is the main
cause of all contentious U.S conflict
today( under what circumstance should
one be valued over the other)

More guns= more crime?

Sweden high gun availability, low

crime rate

Poverty shows better correlation with

 Examine all parts of issues to explore

complexity
Search for deep causes

crime
Problem addressed through strong
social programs-high tax rates
Rich use immense lobby power
(super-pac ) to prevent a socialist
government

Instead spend money to

support less socially beneficial
policies instead of education
like capitalist approach for
medication.( personally this
really should be regulated, if
an epidemic occurs and
demand spikes, the laws of
supply and demand will cause
the drugs price to skyrocket)
With less economic resource
reaching the poor and poverty
correlating with crime, traditionally
poor groups get linked with racial
groups, further enhancing
stereotypes
with lack of resource reaching
jailing facilities, ineffective
habitation of these inmates mean
continue disproportionate racial
groups gets discriminated.
Governments to gain votes by the
majority, increase crackdown
means more people are thrown into
the bad prison system thus the
cycle worsens with increasing
numbers of victims

Considering
different
viewpoints and
perspectives

Search for alternative explanations

Evaluate the evidence of opposing

perspectives
Self-assess and revise own arguments
in light of alternative viewpoints

Capturing the
Capturing the essence of a concept
heart and forming
conclusions
Forming a reasoned judgement based
on foregoing thinking

True, gun violence may not necessary

correlate with violence, but taking into
U.Ss populations already propensity to
violence by poverty and lack of social
programs, cutting the efficiency of
instigating violence may greatly prevent
casualties.
Yes, the Reagan administering does
target crimes that one racial group
predominantly engages in, but should
such actions really be criticized? Just
because one group does the crime does
not mean its not infringing the law and
should be exempt from punishment.
Sure, although governments should
regulate the medical industry, but often
privatization and monetary awards spur
scientist into efficiency in creating
medication

Recent progression and towards a

stronger federal government through
fiscal federalism means that the only
strong force that benefits form the
arrangement-rich property owners, have
more influence and gained even more
power (recent relaxation of lobbying
regulations)

With this the rich as a whole sets

policies that does not favour

socialism- strong opposition to
obamacare- and interest group
oriented spending that competes
with resources with the general
public

With lack of social resources,

traditional poor groups remain
poor, poverty instills violence, and
inadequate funding in the justice
department results in a cycle or
racial discrimination
At the same time, issues contentions
even among the rich is left to the state
level, a lack of federal oversight causes
various conflicts among religious rights
and mothers rights, freedom of speech
and religious rights, and gun rights over
social stability.
Lack of federal oversight over secret
agency also results because of lack of
transparency and remains a contentious
issue among the collective rich
In conclusion(double loose federalism)

In the federal level, the elites are

abusing the system

What the rich elites cant agree on is

left to the states, where local
majority can pass more radical laws
that causes conflicts