SOME PRACTICE WITH

CATEGORISING TYPES OF
THINKING

Linley Cornish 2012

Try this quick quiz

What type of thinking matches each
question or activity?



Note: some less clearcut examples to
show overlap between processes

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1

 Little Miss Muffet
Little Miss Muffet
Sat on a tuffet
Eating her curds and whey
Along came a spider
And sat down beside her
And frightened Miss Muffet away

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What is the name of

the girl in the rhyme?
Creating
Evaluating
Analysing
Applying
Understanding
Remembering

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2

 Answer:

Remembering

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What was Miss

Muffet doing before
the spider came?


Creating
Evaluating
Analysing
Applying
Understanding
Remembering
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3

 Answer:
Analysing (especially for
young child)
(perhaps Understanding)

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What are you

frightened of? 


Creating
Evaluating
Analysing
Applying
Understanding
Remembering
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4

 Answer:

Applying

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How old do you think

Miss Muffet is? 


Creating
Evaluating
Analysing
Applying
Understanding
Remembering
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5

 Answer:

Understanding
(possibly Analysing?)

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Write a second verse




Creating
Evaluating
Analysing
Applying
Understanding
Remembering

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6

 Answer:

Creating

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Was Miss Muffet
being sensible or
silly? Why?

Creating

Evaluating
Analysing
Applying
Understanding
Remembering

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7

 Answer:

Evaluating

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What does
frightened away
mean?

Creating

Evaluating
Analysing
Applying
Understanding
Remembering

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8

 Answer:

Understanding

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Act out in a role play
what you would do if
something frightened
Creating you.
Evaluating 
Analysing

Applying
Understanding
Remembering

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9

 Answer:

Applying (possibly Creating

for young child)

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Construct a flow chart to
show the sequence of events
in the story, with two
possible reactions by Miss
Muffet and two possible
outcomes. 
Creating


Evaluating
Analysing
Applying
Understanding
Remembering
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10

 Answer:

Creating (see later slide for

explanation)

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Draw a picture of Miss

Muffet s face before/
after the spider came 


Creating
Evaluating
Analysing
Applying
Understanding
Remembering
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 Answer:

• Creating

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What are curds? 

Creating
Evaluating
Analysing
Applying
Understanding
Remembering

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 Answer:

Understanding

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At a glance:
•  What is the name of the
•  Remembering:
girl in the rhyme?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
•  What does frightened
•  Understanding:
away mean?
•  What are curds?
•  How old do you think Miss
Muffet is?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
•  Applying:
•  What are you frightened of?
•  Act out in a role play what
you would do if something
frightened you.
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 At a glance:
•  What was Miss Muffet doing
•  Analysing:
before the spider came?


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
•  Evaluating:
•  Was Miss Muffet being sensible or
silly? Why?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
•  Write a second verse
•  Creating:
•  Draw a picture of Miss Muffet s
face before/after the spider came
•  Construct a flow chart to show the
sequence of events in the story
with two possible reactions by Miss
Muffet and two possible outcomes

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Note hierarchy
•  Can t draw Miss Muffet s face
before and after the spider came
without Understanding and Applying

•  Constructing the flow chart is

Analysing; adding two different
outcomes adds Creating

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Note how same cognitive
process can be either
convergent or divergent
Understanding:
•  What are curds?
•  How old do you think Miss
Muffet is?

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CAUTIONS
•  can be hierarchy within each
cognitive process (complex
understanding can be more
difficult than simple analysis)
•  students prior knowledge
(schema) affects the
classification (analyse for one
student might be remember for
" another)
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 CAUTIONS (cont.)
•  therefore students actual
learning may differ from
teacher s intentions (need to
find out their current schema)
•  don’t necessarily have to start
with remember and
understand but they must be
included (can have multi-
" layered activities)
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CAUTIONS (cont.)
•  don’t believe that only highly
able or older students can think
using higher cognitive processes
•  don’t accept that only highly
able or older students need to
be given tasks or questions
using higher cognitive
processes
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 CAUTIONS (cont.)
•  fixation on correct
categorisation of cognitive
processes is not as important as
making sure that different
types of thinking are included

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