Initial Skills

• The lower layers of Bloom's Taxonomy become a vital foundation for higher-level critical thinking skills. Students must first "remember" by retrieving information from long-term memory; for example, in an English class, students may need to recognize the difference in meaning between allusion (a reference) and illusion (imaginary idea). Next, they can "understand" by building meaning. Summarizing the differences (between the two words) can demonstrate understanding, according to the University of Minnesota Center for Teaching and Learning.
  
  

Intermediary Skills

• As critical thinking skills mature, students may "apply" a concept. In a title for an essay, students may use the phrase "to cremate or not to cremate" to demonstrate application of the term "allusion," a realization that the phrase refers to Shakespeare's "to be or not to be." In the next stage, students may "analyze" (break down) a concept into its logical parts. At this point, students can compare and contrast allusions to analyze their similarities and differences.
  
  

Higher Skills

• Higher skills first focus on evaluating using set criteria. Judging the effectiveness of an allusion can become the goal. Many people would understand the allusion to "To Cremate or Not to Cremate" and to "Ten Inch Nails" as a reference to the "Nine Inch Nails." However, few will understand the allusion "The economy is too much with us" as a reference to the poet Wordsworth's words: "The world is too much with us." At the ultimate level of creation, students may identify popular references and construct their own allusions and meanings.
  
  

Metacognition

• Clearly, critical thinking focuses on rational thinking and finding solutions. With metacognition, students must focus on the quality of their thinking and ways to improve the process, according to the Critical Thinking Community. They must also explore whether or not their thinking qualifies as a healthy addition to their lives. At each stage of Bloom's Taxonomy, students must think about their choices, formulating fair-minded questions, avoiding simplistic thoughts, considering alternatives, showing empathy and communicating solutions.