1. CRITICAL THINKING LEVEL 1-3 PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Ack. Diocesan School for Girls Physical Education Dept, Auckland
Anne MacKay Team Solutions
NCEA Moderation Panel

2. Key descriptors in NCEA Physical Education
The cognitive descriptors that guide how we write the tasks in order to illicit the correct cognitive response.
Level 3 is based on the reviewed standards in the likelihood they will be ratified for 2006.

3. What does describe mean?
Illustrate,expand on identify by providing some information.
This may be an example, depiction,definition or an account
A common failure to describe is to list. i.e 1.2 does not need a list of bones and muscles that are identified. More describe what action they do.

4. What does explain mean?
Clarify, description with more detail made clear with reasons.
How?, what?, why?

5. What does explain in detail mean?
Explain in detail should include more in-depth explanations displaying a breadth of knowledge, and/or how factors interrelate.
Key word here is depth and breadth of knowledge. The expectation is that several factors should be considered.

6. What does evaluate mean?
To make judgements and justify with reasons.
Determine the value/quality/quantity of information
Consider Pro’s and Con’s
Compare/contrast and explain how factors interact.
To reflect (when planning)

7. What does analyse mean? Examine indepth. Look for patterns
Separate or organise into parts.

8. WHAT DOES CRITICAL MEAN?
Asking Questions for Enquiry
Examining Evidence
Finding fallacies, inconsistencies, untruths
Giving personal, considered opinions with reasons.
An example is philisophical questioning - open ?s where more than one answer is possible. It requires complex thinking to answer it

9. WHAT IS CRITICAL DISCUSSION?
challenging of assumptions
identifying bias
who is advantaged/disadvantaged.
Contrasting ideas/theories
Generalizing possibilities and relationships
Pros/cons
Asking questions and gathering evidence to support questions
Provide information/detail

10. WHAT IS A CRITICAL ANALYSIS?
Compare and contrast different facets,ideologies from a range of sources
Gather data that supports and contradicts
examine individual parts, or study the whole
A statement giving details of all elements and how they relate to each other.
Drawing conclusions from the data.

11. WHAT IS CRITICAL EXAMINATION?
Of issue/factor/trend
Should consider a range of views/factors/aspects
The critical needs to challenge assumptions, who is advantaged or disadvantaged.
What are the Pros/cons
identify bias and discuss how this bias may effect the issue
compare and contrast cause and effect
should begin to have some synthesis

12. WHAT IS CRITICAL EVALUATION?
is a synthesis
evaluating against something
make a valid judgement based on personal experience, readings,gathered information.
what worked, why, why not
what assumptions were challenged and how did you do that
was there anything else you could have done
personal idea backed up with reasoning
solutions you think will change things based on critical and creative thinking.

13. Thesaurus
What do some of these words really mean.

14. Pros and Cons The ability to interpret the Good and/or bad points
Direct and indirect effects
Barriers vs enablers
Strengths and weaknesses

15. Challenging beliefs and assumptions
Distinguish between fact,opinion and inferences
Recognises and analyses assumptions, old wives tales,urban myths, and out of date information.
Challenging sweeping statements.

16. Compare and contrast Look at different facets of the problem.
Identify similarities and differences

17. Bias Understanding a bias may be present
Studies/data may reflect a personal agenda
Information may only consider one side of the argument
Definitions are different

18. Synthesis
the process of combining different ideas,information, influences, and/or personal judgements into a new statement.
Darrell Boyd Tauranga Boys’ College Physical Education Dept. 2005