This outcome speaks to the practice of being constructively critical of the work of other persons as well as that produced by oneself. A person should realize when such criticism is 'objective,' based upon analytical factors, and when it is 'subjective,' based upon emotional or personal factors. Students should apply criteria developed by themselves as well as those developed by others.

Relevant information might include additional data, changes in a situation, or feedback from experts, peers, or family members. Although the revision may simply result in a change that makes the item in question different than it was before the change, the basic intent is that the change results in an improvement. The expectation is that students will sort through all information presented and choose to use only that which will result in improvement.

Familiar sayings such as 'look before you leap' and 'think before you act' capture the essence of this outcome. A student should gather evidence and information relevant to some contemplated action, weigh the pros and cons of the potential results of that action, and then choose the proper course of action.

Essentially this means that a person can follow directions in any form: written, spoken, pictorial, or represented as mathematical symbols. Following directions appropriately includes sorting things out when they are not clear as well as evaluating the successful attainment of the desired result. In most cases, the actual result is consistent with the wishes of the direction-giver as well as the direction-follower.

A system is a set of elements so related as to form a unit or organic whole. A closed system is orderly and predictable. Open systems are self-organizing and essentially unpredictable because they are sensitive to many kinds of feedback. Examples of the former include a musical composition, a game complete with its rules, a procedure designed to solve a whole collection of similar mathematics problems, and mechanical devices. Social systems, whirlpools, weather, and human beings are examples of open systems.

Although similar to the previous outcome, this outcome is distinguished from it by being a tangible or visible thing or event. It can also include things with an aesthetic, intellectual, or emotional content such as paintings, musical renditions, an athletic performance, poems or essays or a novel, personal and public policy, or an elegant approach to solving a mathematics problem.

This response might take the form of some new product or performance. The creative arts such as acting, performing musical compositions, and orally interpreting literature would be examples of a response.

The student should identify common characteristics of two or more situations, objects, events, or persons. Often these common characteristics lie below surface features, so one needs to be analytical. Another manifestation of this outcome is finding a practical application for a theory. This outcome also involves imagining new uses for existing products and new applications of ideas.

This outcome includes differentiating between routine situations and those that are truly problematical in that the solution path is not immediately obvious. Often, the situation is ill-defined; the student needs to formulate the problem and eliminate irrelevant information. An effective problem solver has a wide repertoire of strategies and can often identify multiple solutions and/or solution processes.

Students should think and reflect upon their own thinking processes and thus improve them. Those approaches should be shared with others.

The changing workplace often demands that workers collaborate with fellow workers. However, this does not imply that working independently is not valued.

The position or point of view being defended could be one's own or that of another person or group. The position can take the form of some controversial issue of a social, political, environmental, economic, or hypothetical nature. A key word here is 'integrating.' Students must gather solid information from a variety of external sources and then blend that information with their own personal knowledge base and frame of reference to create an informed argument in favor of a position, point of view, or issue.

A hypothesis is a conjecture about a rule or relationship among a collection of events, objects, ideas, or persons. Students should devise a plan to identify and collect data, then interpret and use that data to determine whether or not the conjecture is true.

It is rare for people to be in a situation in which they know all there is to know about that situation. They have to efficiently avail themselves of needed information, that is to consult a recognized authority, to extract data from library sources, or to access electronic data bases. However, in this information age, information overload frequently occurs. Thus, this outcome requires students to sort through all information, eliminate that which is irrelevant to the situation at hand, and then organize what is left into a usable form.

While imagination and creativity are inherent in this outcome, it encompasses real as well as fictional places, times, and conditions. One should conceive of life as it actually existed in the distant past as well as envisioning how it might be in the distant future. For example, 'What was life in Wisconsin like in 1848?' or 'What might it be like in 2048?' Students should think of themselves in environments foreign to their actual existence but very real to others' experience.

Students should work persistently over an extended period of time on ideas, activities, projects, and goals that reflect their own personal abilities, talents, and interests and not just those imposed by others.

The term 'culture' is taken in the broadest sense to encompass groups that share a common history or have a linguistic, racial, geographic, or social bond affecting the way they act and their view of the world. Examples include the civilizations of ancient Greece; the Incan Empire; and Hispanic, African, or Asian cultures."