The Complete Critical Thinking Framework

Paul-Elder Critical Thinking Model (Comprehensive Application):

Elements of Thought:

1. Purpose: What am I trying to accomplish?
2. Question: What question am I trying to answer?
3. Information: What data, evidence, and experience am I using?
4. Interpretation: What conclusions am I drawing?
5. Concepts: What ideas and theories am I applying?
6. Assumptions: What am I taking for granted?
7. Implications: What are the consequences of my reasoning?
8. Point of View: What perspective am I taking?

Intellectual Standards:

• Clarity: Could you elaborate? Could you give an example?
• Accuracy: Is this information correct? How can we verify this?
• Precision: Could you be more specific? Could you give more details?
• Relevance: How does this relate to the question? How does this help us?
• Depth: What makes this a difficult problem? What are the complexities?
• Breadth: Do we need to consider other perspectives? What are the strengths and weaknesses?
• Logic: Does this follow from what you said? How does this follow?
• Significance: Which of these facts are most important? Is this the central idea?
• Fairness: Am I being biased? Am I considering other viewpoints sympathetically?