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Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority

Critical and Creative Thinking

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  1. 9-10

Levels 9 and 10

Levels 9 and 10 Description

In Levels 9 and 10, the curriculum focuses on developing the knowledge, skills and understanding to recognise and manage what is often implicit in thinking. Students learn and apply techniques to progress, analyse and evaluate thinking. Students develop an understanding that it is often necessary to take a range of perspectives and to challenge assumptions.

Levels 9 and 10 Content Descriptions

Questions and Possibilities

  1. Investigate the characteristics of effective questions in different contexts to examine information and test possibilities (VCCCTQ043)
    Elaborations
    1. identifying the distinctive characteristics of questions as part of an inquiry that draws on different learning areas
    2. discussing how a question might change to suit different contexts, for example how questions about human wellbeing might change depending on scale of investigation, and evaluating proposed questions
    3. examining a list of questions and identifying which are the most effective and why
  2. Suspend judgements to allow new possibilities to emerge and investigate how this can broaden ideas and solutions (VCCCTQ044)
    Elaborations
    1. comparing a creative process that quickly follows initial judgements to one that intentionally suspends judgements over a period of time and reflecting on the quality of the ideas produced
    2. exploring optimum conditions for an ‘incubation period’ when problem-solving, for example ‘sleeping on it’, or undertaking a distracting menial task and then returning to the problem
    3. using technology for experimenting with the relationships between compositions of functions, such as resultant shapes and behaviours, which may then be used in modelling and understanding a range of real-world phenomena
  3. Challenge previously held assumptions and create new links, proposals and artefacts by investigating ideas that provoke shifts in perspectives and cross boundaries to generate ideas and solutions (VCCCTQ045)
    Elaborations
    1. investigating changes to scientific understanding over time, including how new discoveries helped to shift understandings and considering how existing understandings might be shifted in the future
    2. discussing how challenging assumptions and being open-minded can assist in developing enterprising behaviours, supported by research on specific entrepreneurs
    3. investigating how food myths and fads have been challenged and community perspectives shifted, when planning a community health initiative
    4. exploring change in scale as a way to shift perspective, for example beginning with asking ‘what if we could only buy and eat food grown locally’ and then asking ‘what if we could only buy and eat food grown regionally/nationally’ as part of a process for generating suggested responses to improve food security or mitigate an environmental challenge

Reasoning

  1. Examine a range of rhetorical devices and reasoning errors, including false dichotomies and begging the question (VCCCTR046)
    Elaborations
    1. identifying why a claim in a persuasive text such as ‘when will people stop being so greedy?’ or an interview question asked by a journalist such as ‘what are you afraid of?’ is begging the question and how begging the question is often used as a term for circular arguments
    2. discussing how false dichotomies are used, for example by stakeholders in political issues when they try to persuade
    3. analysing a range of examples to explore when particular forms of reasoning are legitimate and when they are fallacious, for example, ad hominin arguments and the relevance of criticising the person making the argument rather than the argument itself; or hasty generalisations and whether an evidence base is sufficient enough to generalise from
  2. Examine how to identify and analyse suppressed premises and assumptions (VCCCTR047)
    Elaborations
    1. analysing inferences and the assumptions they are based on and discussing if these are justified
    2. discussing a claim that an assumption is ‘self-evident’ and does not need to be separately argued for, for example that projected rapid population growth will decrease food security
    3. supplying a suppressed premise in order to fill a gap in an argument and justifying the selection
  3. Investigate the nature and use of counter examples structured as arguments (VCCCTR048)
    Elaborations
    1. using a clearly absurd case to construct a counterexample that shows the faulty form of an argument, for example criticising an argument by showing that it is of a similar form to ‘if cats are amphibians, then cats are animals; cats are animals, therefore cats are amphibians.’
    2. using ‘if…then’ reasoning to construct a counterexample, for example ‘But if this (other industry) tried this innovation strategy, it would be much more expensive and so not all industries could do it so easily’
  4. Consider ambiguity and equivocation and how they affect the strength of arguments (VCCCTR049)
    Elaborations
    1. identifying phrases or words in an argument that are misleading because they do not contain a single meaning and discussing which meaning serves the argument better
    2. discussing why ambiguity and/or equivocation might be deliberately used in a point of view, for example to express humour
    3. examining strategies to resolve ambiguities such as declaring a definition or making context clearer
  5. Investigate use of additional or refined criteria when application of original criteria does not produce a clear conclusion (VCCCTR050)
    Elaborations
    1. discussing characteristics of criteria such as specific, measurable, agreed, time-bound and how refining original criteria based on these characteristics can make them more precise
    2. using a range of examples to test the strength of given criteria, such as what counts as sustainable and justifying refinements or additions to criteria
    3. evaluating the clarity of a proposed conclusion, discussing what role criteria played in reaching that clarity

Meta-Cognition

  1. Critically examine their own and others thinking processes and discuss factors that influence thinking, including cognitive biases (VCCCTM051)
    Elaborations
    1. discussing examples of common cognitive biases and how to mitigate for these, such as confirmation bias, for example in the context of identifying sources when undertaking research; framing bias, for example in the context of advertising; clustering illusion, for example in the context of evaluation of gambling decisions
    2. researching, comparing and reflecting on thinking processes used by professionals in a range of areas, such as artists, designers and writers; academics; or political decision-making bodies
  2. Investigate how the use of a range of learning strategies can be monitored, evaluated and re-directed as necessary (VCCCTM052)
    Elaborations
    1. completing a journal to monitor and evaluate two strategies for a learning challenge and reflecting on what was effective and how they could be used in the future
    2. using given scenarios and famous quotes to reflect on the concepts of failure and persistence in relation to learning and learning strategies
  3. Investigate the kind of criteria that can be used to rationally evaluate the quality of ideas and proposals, including the qualities of viability and workability (VCCCTM053)
    Elaborations
    1. developing and applying criteria to assess a range of examples of proposals and justifying whether refinements are necessary
    2. developing and applying ethical considerations that should be taken into account for a research proposal or a performance
    3. assessing the workability of a response to an issue by examining practical implementation considerations
    4. assessing the viability of a solution by considering the risks associated with it

Levels 9 and 10 Achievement Standard

By the end of Level 10, students construct and evaluate questions, including their own, for their effectiveness. They demonstrate a willingness to shift their perspective when generating ideas, resulting in new ways of perceiving solutions.

Students structure complex valid arguments. They explain and apply a range of techniques to test validity within and between arguments. Students identify, articulate, analyse and reflect on their own and others thinking processes. They use, monitor, evaluate and redirect as necessary a range of learning strategies. Students develop, justify and refine criteria to evaluate the quality of ideas, proposals and thinking processes.

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