The Good Thinker’s
Toolkit
Ways to write an
AWESOME paper
& win almost any
argument!
Who is the mastermind behind
this?
Dr. Thomas Jackson (Dr. J) at
University of Hawaii-Manoa
Began the spread of P4C
Who does this work for?
Anyone! In any subject.
Your students
Even you!
Why should I try this?
Your students will participate in better
discussions.
They will understand content on a
deeper level.
What will your students produce?
(Examples from Night)
Why are the Hungarian/German police
being polite to the Jews when they are
cruel and killing them?
Can we assume by Madame Schachter’s
screaming that the other Jews started
feeling the same way?
Can we infer that Elie does not believe
in God anymore?
Sounds good! How do I do it?
I’m so glad you asked…
Establish “intellectual safety”
Reinforce the importance of
community
Teach and use the Good Thinker’s
Toolkit
W=What do you mean by…
Clarifying Questions
Who, what, when, where
Examples
What
What
What
What
What
is the problem?
is going on here?
have I forgotten to ask?
else do I need to know?
does this mean?
R=Reasons
These questions have more than one
answer!
“Why” questions
“Because” is a magic word!
It means someone is going to give you
something! (a reason!)
Ask yourself--is it a “good” reason or
not valid (an excuse)
A=Assumptions
 Opinion or idea that is
not based on good reason
or evidence
 A conclusion we
consciously or
unconsciously take for
granted as true.
 Stereotypes!
 Qq-Questions within a
question
 Example: “Aloha gas, the
gas that islanders choose”
 Ask yourself, “do all
islanders choose Aloha
gas?”
I=Inferences/If…then…/
Implications
 Opinion or idea that is
based on evidence
 If _____, then I can
infer ______.
 Example:
If a person wears a ring,
he or she is married
What are the
implications of this
statement?
 If “real” is something
that is experienced by
one of your 5 senses,
then I can infer that
“knowledge” is not
“real.”
 Implications
T=True?
Is what is being said true?
How can we find out?
What are the implications if this is true?
What are other possibilities?
Example:
“Fat Free” potato chips
Is there really no fat?
How can we find out?
What will happen if this is true?
E=Examples & Evidence
Specific things used to prove an argument
NOT “but my friend/parent said…” or “but I
heard…”
Quote your own writing to self-evaluate
Are you using valid examples?
Do they really help prove your point or are they
fluff?
Reminder:
Make sure your evidence is specific to what you
are trying to prove! (not just something you think
sounds cool)
C=Counterexamples
Are there any counter examples to the claim
being made?
These are examples to DISPROVE an
argument
Think ahead:
How will someone try to prove your argument is
false?
How will you prove that they are incorrect?
Look at all sides!!!
Don’t be biased!
The Community Ball
Ideally done on the
first day of class
Students tell about
themselves.
Used with class
discussions.
“Whoever has the
ball, has the floor”
“Plain Vanilla”
Student genrerated
questions
Write on the board so
they can see easily
Vote on what they
would most like to
discuss as a class.
Here’s what it looks like in
action!
Special thanks to my Hawaii
students!