Criteria Corner Activities:
Click on each intellectual standards term above for activities focused on each one.
Internalize These Essential Intellectual Standards for Thought:
Significance
The intellectual standard of significance derives from the fact that some questions and issues can only
be addressed through gathering and considering important information and focusing on significant ideas and
viewpoints; failing to focus on what is important will necessarily keep us from effectively addressing
significant problems or issues.
Activity: Target Significance in Thinking
Consider the time you spend on various things.
Think about your life, about the way you spend your time, in terms of the amount of time you spend on significant versus trivial things.
As you do so, write the answers to these questions:
1. What is the most important goal or purpose you should focus on at this point in your life? Why is this purpose important? How much time do you spend focused on it?
2. What are the most trivial or superficial things you spend time focused on (things such as your appearance, impressing your friends or colleagues, spending money on things you don't need, chatting about insignificant things at parties, and the like)?
3. What can you do to reduce the amount of time you spend on the trivial, and increase the amount of time you spend on the significant?
1. What is the most important goal or purpose you should focus on at this point in your life? Why is this purpose important? How much time do you spend focused on it?
2. What are the most trivial or superficial things you spend time focused on (things such as your appearance, impressing your friends or colleagues, spending money on things you don't need, chatting about insignificant things at parties, and the like)?
3. What can you do to reduce the amount of time you spend on the trivial, and increase the amount of time you spend on the significant?
