Tony Silva

Figure it Out
Critical Thinking Skills Levels 2 and 3
http://www.CriticalThinking.com
$29.99 for each level.

If you’ve run across Critical Thinking Company’s products and have been too intimidated to try them out, you’re probably not alone. At first blush, this curriculum seems like a great challenge for “Fear Factor”. Do not lat that scare you away.

In fact, take the time to read through the instructional material in the Instruction and Answer Guide (the teacher’s edition) several times before launching out into the deep. You may not thoroughly grasp the “pedagogy” behind Critical Thinking Skills, but the curriculum is easy to teach – though it is still a challenging subject.

Figural and Verbal Skills

The products we considered were BTS Level 2 (Figural and Verbal) and BTS Level 3 (Verbal). These major areas are exactly what their names imply. Figural problems focus on spatial differences, shapes, sequences, classifications and analogies. Verbal problems focus on describing things, verbal similarities and differences, sequences, classifications and analogies.

It is this pairing of “observation” and “analysis” that makes Level 2 a remarkable volume. Even though figural and verbal sections are not intermixed, it is possible to use the exercises for each together.

The BTS volumes have a reproducible license, permitting you to print the pages out and use them as individual assignments. Doing so may not be as practical as it sounds without a saw and a drill press, but reproducible licensing ads tremendous value to this kind of curriculum.

Multiple Skills

Each strand of exercises in BTS builds multiple skills from the most basic, “observational skills” like choosing a matching word or figure to “analytical skills” such as explaining how something works or supplying information. It’s not as important that you understand the educational theory behind BTS as it is that the exercises should be done in order for the best outcome.

Some exercises will seem like a repetition of earlier material, but they’re not. BTS is not a review-based learning tool – at least not in the sense of the drill and practice methods of other disciplines. The “repeated” material uses a different thinking skill. For example, your student may be asked to select a matching pair from a series of shapes in one exercise and explain the difference between pairs in a similar series of shapes later.

Quibbles & Bits

The quality of Critical Thinking Company’s products has always been their greatest advertiser. However, if we achieve nothing else in this review, we want to emphasize the benefit of visiting their Web site, http://www.CriticalThinking.com. You can find clear descriptions of their products, as well as sample pages. If you’re among the parents who are considering critical thinking curriculum to help with preparation for standardized tests, visit the test correlations page . The directory has a listing of Critical Thinking Company’s products correlated to a variety of standardized tests such as the ACT, SAT and many state assessments.

Given the reproducible license, it would be great to have this curriculum packaged in a loose-leaf edition or offer a CD ROM version with printable worksheets. Many Critical Thinking Company products are offered as software, as are the Instruction and Answer Guide for the BTS volumes we reviewed.

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