Effective Reasoning
Using a logical scientific reasoning process to develop and test a hypothesis related to a learning challenge.
Key Method
A five-step reasoning model (“scientific reasoning”) can be applied to any question, problem, claim, or theory
to determine how well the evidence supports an answer, solution, position, or theory.
Method Components
As students undertake an activity, the educator leads them through the five-step model of effective reasoning
to improve lucidity and logical development of thought. Each step can be conducted individually, in small
groups, or in whole-group instruction.
Five steps of effective reasoning
§ Explore the challenge: Consider a wide range of possible answers, solutions, positions, or theories that
could be the “right” response to the challenge, question, problem, issue or theory (see the Idea
Generating and Choosing Learning Strategies micro-credentials). Suggested activities include:
- Discuss similar types of questions, problems, positions, or theories from the past, what
happened, and whether these results are useful to your own challenge.
- Brainstorm multiple possibilities and alternative ways of looking at the challenge (not an
“either/or ” approach but a “both, and many more” view of potential responses to the
challenge) and list these different approaches (see the Idea Generating micro-credential).
§ Formulate a hypothesis: Generate a potential answer, solution, position, or theory that can be tested
to see whether the collected evidence confirms or disproves the hypothesis (see the Productive
Researching micro-credential). Suggested activities include:
- Research what answers, solutions, positions, or theories others have come up with for
similar challenges in the past.
- Look for information that might disprove your early hunches about the “right” solution.
- Look for statistics that support or contradict your current best hypothesis.
§ Research and test a hypothesis: Use online resources, experts, experiments, prototyped solutions,
observations, surveys, and other tools and record all the evidence that supports or refutes the
hypothesis. Suggested activities include:
- If the challenge is a question, research what experts have to say about your hypothesis (see
the Crafting Driving Questions micro-credential).
- If the challenge is a problem, research how others have solved the problem before coming up
with your own solution, then prototype a model or small version of your solution (see the
Design Thinking & Doing and the Designing Effective Solutions micro-credentials).
- If the challenge is an issue in a debate or argument, research the strongest evidence to both
support and refute your position (see the Evidence-backed Positions micro-credential).
- If the challenge is creating a theory of how something works (or doesn’t), devise an
experiment whose outcome can prove or disprove the theory.
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§
§
- Make sure to record all the evidence you gather so you can evaluate it in the next step.
Evaluate the results: Summarize the case for a well-supported answer, solution, argument position, or
theory, or come up with a new hypothesis based on the evidence and repeat the process. Suggested
activities include:
- Use a three-column chart to list supporting evidence in favor of the hypothesis, opposing
evidence that refutes the hypothesis, and neutral evidence that neither supports nor refutes
the hypothesis, but is related and interesting.
- Decide what further evidence is needed to more convincingly confirm or deny the hypothesis
and collect this evidence.
- Summarize your results, present them to others, and get constructive feedback.
Reviewing: Reflect on what was learned from the reasoning process and identify what can be done to
make the process better the next time. Suggested activities include:
- Discuss what went well and what didn’t.
- Discuss what could be done better the next time you’re confronted with an important
challenge to tackle.
Suggested preparation
§ Students recall a time when they had answer an important question, solve a difficult problem, offer a
strong position in an argument, or create a theory about something they care about, and list the steps
they used to develop their answer, solution, argument, or theory.
§ Students discuss in small groups which thinking and reasoning strategies were effective and which
were not in trying to solve these challenges, noting how what they thought was “the truth” might have
changed during the process, and present their findings to the other groups.
Supporting Research
Research on developing effective reasoning strategies has supported a “scientific method” approach that
includes five steps: exploring the challenge, whether it is a question, problem, issue, or theory; formulating a
hypothesis—a potential answer, solution, position, or claim; researching and testing the hypothesis and
gathering evidence for or against it; evaluating the evidence and summarizing the results; and presenting and
reviewing the outcomes and the reasoning process to improve the results of tackling the next challenge.
§ What Is Scientific Reasoning and Why Is It Important? IPERC (International Partnership of Education
Research and Communication), http://www.iperc.org/ibridging/research-sr/
§ Bao et al., Learning and Scientific Reasoning, http://bit.ly/1KDzneG
Zimmerman, The Development of Scientific Thinking Skills in Elementary and Middle School,
http://www.cogsci.ucsd.edu/~deak/classes/EDS115/ZimmermanSciThinkDR07.pdf
Resources
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Critical Thinking Learning Models, Foundation for Critical Thinking,
http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/critical-thinking-learning-models/704
The Nature of Scientific Thinking: Lessons Designed to Develop Understanding of the Nature of
Science and Modeling,
http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/smg/Website/UCP/pdfs/NatureofScienceUnit.pdf
A Teacher’s Guide to Reasoning and Sense Making, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics,
http://www.nctm.org/uploadedFiles/Math_Standards/Teacher_Guide_FHSM.pdf
Teacher Feature - Mythbusters: Scientific Inquiry, Discovery Education,
http://school.discoveryeducation.com/teachers/myth-busters/
Thinking and Reasoning Skills, from 21 Apps That Teach Kids Real-Life Skills, Common Sense Media,
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/21-apps-that-teach-kids-real-life-skills
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Submission Guidelines & Evaluation Criteria
Following are the items you must submit to earn this micro-credential and the criteria by which they will be
evaluated. To earn the micro-credential, you must receive a passing evaluation for Parts 1, 3, and 4 and a “Yes”
for Part 2.
Part 1. Overview questions
(200-word limit for each response)
§ Activity Description: What kind of project activities did you and your students engage in to become
more proficient in effective reasoning? Describe the learning activities and strategies you used.
Passing: Activity description is clear with sufficient detail to illustrate what the students did to
gain competencies.
§ Activity Evaluation: How do you know your students increased their proficiency by engaging in the
effective reasoning activities and what evidence did you collect that demonstrates these learning
gains?
Passing: Activity evaluation process and evidence are clear, appropriate, and sufficient to
evaluate the competencies.
Part 2. Evidence/artifacts
Please submit work examples from two students (such as links to writing, audio, images, video, or other
products) that demonstrate progress toward the effective reasoning competency, including such items as
examples of writing goals and strategies charts, multiple drafts of work, critiques and reflections on the writing,
or other relevant items.
“Yes”
“Almost”
“Not Yet”
Student work clearly demonstrates
learning from applying the effective
reasoning strategies through:
1. Many examples of the ways the
challenge, hypothesis, and
evidence gathering were
explored, researched, and
developed
2. Convincing evidence of the
effectiveness of the reasoning
strategies in the quality and
quantity of evidence to support
the conclusions
3. Many examples of productive
individual and group analyses
and discussions made in each
of the effective reasoning steps
4. Individual and group
evaluations of the reasoning
results, process, and lessons
learned
Student work demonstrates
learning from the effective
reasoning steps and strategies
through some examples of
individual and group analyses
and critical thinking that went
into the reasoning process, but
few examples of group
discussions and evaluations of
the process and lessons learned
Student work shows some
learning from the effective
reasoning process steps, with a
few examples of the critical
thinking individual students
applied to the challenge, but few
examples of group sharing and
no examples of student
evaluations of the lessons
learned from the reasoning
activities
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Part 3. Student reflections
For the two students whose work examples were included above, submit student-created reflections on their
experience of the effective reasoning activities. Use the following questions as a guide (200-word limit for
each reflection):
§ How did the effective reasoning activities help you come up with more logical, effective, and
evidence-based answers, solutions, positions, and theories to your challenge?
§ How did the reasoning strategies change your view of the value of using a step-by-step process to
ensure that your results are more reliable and “truthful”?
- Passing: Student reflections clearly indicate how the effective reasoning activities helped them
understand how to develop better solutions to challenges and clearly discuss how the
activities changed student views on the value of using a step-by-step approach to challenges.
The reflections are specific and convincing.
Part 4. Teacher reflection
Provide a reflection on what you learned, using the following questions as a guide (200-word limit):
§ What was the impact of engaging your students in the effective reasoning activity?
§ How will experiencing these project activities shape your daily teaching practice in the future?
- Passing: Teacher reflections clearly indicate how the activity affected both the students and
the teacher, and clearly state how the experience will affect the teacher’s future practice. The
reflections are specific and convincing.
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