Identifying Thinking Skills

The article, “ Identifying Thinking Skills for Instruction in Your Classroom,” written by Deborah E. Burns, addresses and explains the taxonomy of Thinking Skills by focusing on the four major thinking skill categories, including: Analytical Reasoning Skills, Critical Thinking Skills, Organizational Thinking Skills, and Creative Thinking Skills. In the article, Burns explains the purpose of the taxonomy was to identify, “thinking skills that were most frequently addressed in the professional literature and within the various thinking skills programs and materials” (Burns D.E., 1993). Burns uses the article to provide strategies and examples in order for educators to successfully implement the taxonomy and thinking skills in different classroom settings. The article provides multiple outlets to provide the stimulus needed to exercise the Thinking Skills highlighted in the article. In the article, the author addresses the steps needed to successfully implement the taxonomy thinking skills, including: Teachers should be familiar with the thinking skills, teachers should identify student needs, and teachers should choose the most relevant skills according to content, curriculum, and developmental levels. Burns addresses the four major thinking skills categories, Analytical Reasoning Skills, Critical Thinking

Burns’ article, “Identifying Thinking Skills for Instruction in Your Classroom,” serves to be a great resources for all educators, but, specifically to those who teach gifted learners. Educators of gifted learners are always looking for ways to provide challenging lessons and this taxonomy exposes multiple ways to do so. Burns did a phenomenal job of explaining the taxonomy, defining the categories, identifying the steps, and providing examples in order for the implementation to be successful. I enjoyed the article and I plan to use these strategies and skills in my own classroom as I feel that it would be very beneficial to my