Thinking Habit 03
Consider
Alternatives
Explore other explanations, possibilities, or approaches before settling on one.
Driving question
What else could explain this, or what else could we try?
Teacher prompts
- What is another plausible explanation?
- What different approach could accomplish the same purpose?
- What would help you compare these possibilities?
- Which alternative fits the available evidence, and why?
What students do
- Generate more than one plausible explanation, interpretation, or approach.
- Distinguish alternatives that differ in a meaningful way.
- Compare possibilities using evidence or criteria relevant to the task.
- Select an option provisionally, or identify what would help decide.
See the habit in the work
A student offers one explanation for a plant’s condition. Considering alternatives turns an immediate conclusion into a question that can be investigated.
Illustrative classroom example · Science · Explaining an observation
Draft
The plant is drooping because it needs more water.
The information available
A classroom plant has drooping leaves. The student has not checked the soil or the plant’s recent growing conditions.
The observation is clear, but it does not establish a single cause.
Draft
The plant is drooping because it needs more water.
Teacher feedback
What else might cause drooping? What could you check before deciding to add water?
The teacher asks the student to compare explanations and identify useful observations before taking action.
Draft
The plant is drooping because it needs more water.
Revised
The plant may need water, but overly wet soil or heat could also be involved. I’ll check the soil and its recent conditions before deciding what to do.
What changed: The student generated plausible alternatives and proposed checks that could help distinguish them. Listing possibilities alone would not establish which explanation is correct.
Try it in class
Compare two possibilities
- Choose an observation, interpretation, or problem from the lesson. Ask students to write their first explanation or approach.
- Have students generate at least one meaningfully different, plausible alternative.
- Ask them to compare the options using relevant evidence or criteria, then choose provisionally or identify a useful next check.
Make the comparison visible
Have students record their first idea, an alternative, the evidence or criteria used to compare them, and their next decision.
Look for plausible alternatives and a reasoned comparison. Students do not need to treat every possibility as equally likely or delay a decision indefinitely.