A simple test for any task: does this make my students really think or merely remember? It sounds silly, but the more I consider it, the more interesting this distinction gets.
All AboutThinking Or Remembering?
How many of our tasks ask students to truly think about a topic versus merely remember facts?
More on Thinking or Remembering
A deeper dive into the question: “How often are students really thinking compared to just remembering?”
Thinking or Remembering: Divergent Questions
How Gallagher and Ascher’s Divergent Questions can ensure students are thinking rather than merely remembering.
Thinking or Remembering: Abstract and Concrete
One way to emphasizing Thinking over mere Remembering is to consider the level of abstraction we’re asking students to use. You might think of abstraction as a spectrum from highly specific, concrete details to really big (but vague) ideas.