How to Teach Critical Thinking
How to teach, critical thinking.
Teaching critical thinking is imperative. Every minute of life in the modern world, we are confronted with information and misinformation, advertising and distractions, complexity and ambiguity. Making sense of it all — distilling it, separating the important from the trivial — requires skill, patience, and practice. It requires, in brief, critical thinking. Yet we largely do not teach our children how to do it. Reboot’s guide for teachers contains resources for teaching critical thinking to students of all ages, in any subject, including math, science, literature, civics, writing, and philosophy. The guide — written with teachers, for teachers — is an invaluable resource for teaching the skills needed to be engaged and informed global citizens.
1. Teaching Critical Thinking: How to Inspire Better Reasoning
2. critical reading: developing critical thinking through literature.
Literature is a great way to get students thinking critically. By considering open-ended questions, interrogating multiple perspectives, and connecting texts to the world at large, students develop essential interpretive skills.
3. Critical Thinking in Science: How to Foster Scientific Reasoning Skills
Scientific reasoning and scientific method are cornerstones of critical thinking. This article offers tips for integrating critical thinking into both small-group activities for younger students and labs for older students.
4. Teaching Argumentative Writing: Critical Thinking and the Importance of Revision
Writing and thinking are intimately connected processes. Teaching argumentative writing, especially through structured feedback and revision, helps students develop important analytical skills.
5. Teaching Mathematical Reasoning: Critical Thinking Through Problem-Solving and Modeling
Traditional mathematical education can gets bogged down in rote application of formulas and tools. Our article on mathematical reasoning leverages open-ended problem-solving and modeling activities to get students thinking more deeply about math — and the world around them.
6. Teaching Media Literacy: How to Help Students Navigate the News
Media literacy is an absolute must for today’s young people. As they navigate the rise of fake news and misinformation, disruptive changes to media, and endless tech-based distractions, students need tools to think critically about information and media.
7. Teaching Civics: How to Cover Society and Politics in Contentious Times
8. philosophy and critical thinking: the value of asking the deep questions.
Although not typically taught in K-12, philosophy can develop critical thinking skills. It helps students to reflect deeply and abstractly on their own values and knowledge, and to build connections between subjects.
Lindsey Jansen on Reboot's Teachers' Guide
Watch Illinois Teacher of the Year Lindsey Jensen describe the value of Reboot’s Teachers’ Guide to Critical Thinking.
How to Teach Critical Thinking: A Roundtable Discussion
Reboot teacher network.
These outstanding teachers offered feedback and shared their ideas as we developed the content for this guide. All are former teachers of the year for their state or county. We are very grateful for their insights
- Susan Barry, 11-12th grade English/Language Arts, New Jersey
- Katherine Bassett, CEO, Tall Poppy, LLC
- David Bosso, 9th-12th grade Social Studies, Connecticut
- Allan D. Bruner, 8th-12th grade Statistics, Biology, Chemistry, and Earth Sciences, Oregon
- Whitney Crews, 4th-6th grade Gifted and Talented, Science, and Social Studies, Texas
- Michael Dunlea, 3rd grade, New Jersey
- Mohsen Ghaffari, 5th grade, Utah
- Marguerite Izzo, 5th grade English/Language Arts and Social Studies, New York
- Lindsey Jensen, 12th grade English/Language Arts, Illinois
- Rebecca Mieliwocki, 7th grade English/Language Arts, California
- Amanda Miliner, 4th grade and Assistant Principal, Georgia
- Susanne Mitko, 7th-8th grade History and Social Studies, Missouri
- Michelle Pearson, 7th-8th grade History, Social Studies, and Humanities, Colorado
- Mary Eldredge Sandbo, 10th-12th grade Biology, North Dakota
We are also very grateful to two external expert reviewers who generously offered their feedback on the guide: Dr. Benjamin Motz , Research Scientist in the Department of Psychological and Brain Science at Indiana University, and Dr. Andrew Shtulman , Professor of Cognitive Science and Psychology at Occidental College.
Neither the reviewers nor the members of the Reboot Teacher Network are responsible for the content of the guide.
To download the PDF of the Teachers’ Guide
(please click here)
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Critical Thinking in the Classroom: A Guide for Teachers
In the ever-evolving landscape of education, teaching students the skill of critical thinking has become a priority. This powerful tool empowers students to evaluate information, make reasoned judgments, and approach problems from a fresh perspective. In this article, we’ll explore the significance of critical thinking and provide effective strategies to nurture this skill in your students.
Why is Fostering Critical Thinking Important?
Strategies to cultivate critical thinking, real-world example, concluding thoughts.
Critical thinking is a key skill that goes far beyond the four walls of a classroom. It equips students to better understand and interact with the world around them. Here are some reasons why fostering critical thinking is important:
- Making Informed Decisions: Critical thinking enables students to evaluate the pros and cons of a situation, helping them make informed and rational decisions.
- Developing Analytical Skills: Critical thinking involves analyzing information from different angles, which enhances analytical skills.
- Promoting Independence: Critical thinking fosters independence by encouraging students to form their own opinions based on their analysis, rather than relying on others.
Creating an environment that encourages critical thinking can be accomplished in various ways. Here are some effective strategies:
- Socratic Questioning: This method involves asking thought-provoking questions that encourage students to think deeply about a topic. For example, instead of asking, “What is the capital of France?” you might ask, “Why do you think Paris became the capital of France?”
- Debates and Discussions: Debates and open-ended discussions allow students to explore different viewpoints and challenge their own beliefs. For example, a debate on a current event can engage students in critical analysis of the situation.
- Teaching Metacognition: Teaching students to think about their own thinking can enhance their critical thinking skills. This can be achieved through activities such as reflective writing or journaling.
- Problem-Solving Activities: As with developing problem-solving skills , activities that require students to find solutions to complex problems can also foster critical thinking.
As a school leader, I’ve seen the transformative power of critical thinking. During a school competition, I observed a team of students tasked with proposing a solution to reduce our school’s environmental impact. Instead of jumping to obvious solutions, they critically evaluated multiple options, considering the feasibility, cost, and potential impact of each. They ultimately proposed a comprehensive plan that involved water conservation, waste reduction, and energy efficiency measures. This demonstrated their ability to critically analyze a problem and develop an effective solution.
Critical thinking is an essential skill for students in the 21st century. It equips them to understand and navigate the world in a thoughtful and informed manner. As a teacher, incorporating strategies to foster critical thinking in your classroom can make a lasting impact on your students’ educational journey and life beyond school.
1. What is critical thinking? Critical thinking is the ability to analyze information objectively and make a reasoned judgment.
2. Why is critical thinking important for students? Critical thinking helps students make informed decisions, develop analytical skills, and promotes independence.
3. What are some strategies to cultivate critical thinking in students? Strategies can include Socratic questioning, debates and discussions, teaching metacognition, and problem-solving activities.
4. How can I assess my students’ critical thinking skills? You can assess critical thinking skills through essays, presentations, discussions, and problem-solving tasks that require thoughtful analysis.
5. Can critical thinking be taught? Yes, critical thinking can be taught and nurtured through specific teaching strategies and a supportive learning environment.
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Daniel Willingham is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia. His paper explores the ongoing debate over how critical thinking skills are developed and taught. He also outlines a plan for teaching specific critical thinking skills.
Willingham argues that while there is plenty of evidence to support explicit instruction of critical thinking skills, the evidence for how well critical thinking skills transfer from one problem to another is mixed.
Published: 2019.
Download the paper
How to teach critical thinking (PDF 373KB)
Other resources
- Peter Ellerton, Thinking critically for an AI world (Edspresso episode 3)
- Sandra Lynch, Teaching critical thinking through philosoph y (Edspresso episode 4)
- Peter Ellerton, On critical thinking and collaborative inquiry
- Learning First, Teaching critical thinking: Implications for stages 4 and 5 Science and History teaching
- Teaching and learning
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- Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation
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Teaching critical thinking, as most teachers know, is a challenge. Classroom time is always at a premium and teaching thinking and reasoning can fall by the wayside, especially when testing goals and state requirements take precedence. But for a growing number of educators, critical thinking has become a priority.
We understand critical thinking to be purposeful, self-regulatory judgment which results in interpretation, analysis, evaluation, and inference, as well as explanation of the evidential, conceptual, methodological, criteriological, or contextual considerations upon which that judgment is based. . . . The ideal critical thinker is
Critical thinking is an important and vital topic in modern education. All educators are interested in teaching critical thinking to their students. Many academic departments hope that its professors and instructors will become informed about the strategy of teaching critical thinking skills, identify areas in
2) with the intent to improve one's thinking. The challenge, of course, is to create learning environments that promote cri. ical thinking both in the classroom and beyond. Teaching and practicing critical thinking provides adults with the opportuni. to embrace and take charge of their learning. Adults engaged in critical thinki.
thinking varies from domain to domain.Critical Thinking Can Be TaughtPlanning how t. teach students to think critically should perhaps be our second task. Our first should be to ask whether eviden. e shows that explicitly teaching critical thinking brings any benefit. There are many examples of critical thinking skills that are open to ...
The essence of critical thinking concepts and tools distilled into a 20-page pocket-size guide. It is a critical thinking supplement to any textbook or course. It is best used in conjunction with the Analytic Thinking Guide. Keywords: critical thinking concepts; critical thinking tools; analytic thinking; thinker's guide Created Date
In order to display critical thinking, students need to develop skills in. ♦ interpreting: understanding the significance of data and to clarify its meaning. ♦ analysing: breaking information down and recombining it in different ways. ♦ reasoning: creating an argument through logical steps.
Immediate Transfer of the Thinking Skill to a Relevant, Meaningful Learning Experience. Lessons can be Used to Teach Thinking Skills and the Focus Could be on Learning the Skills and Nothing Else. Relevance is Established. Practice can be Supported/Scaffold by the Teacher through Modeling and Active Engagement.
how to teach critical thinking skills within majors or specific disciplines (e.g., science, history, psychology). Likewise, Abrami et al. (2015) found interventions targeting general critical thinking skills and dispositions were only moderately effective, but discipline-specific critical thinking interven-tions were more promising.
It requires, in brief, critical thinking. Yet we largely do not teach our children how to do it. Reboot's guide for teachers contains resources for teaching critical thinking to students of all ages, in any subject, including math, science, literature, civics, writing, and philosophy. The guide — written with teachers, for teachers — is ...
Glaser defined critical thinking as: (1) an attitude of being disposed to consider in a thoughtful way the problems and subjects that come within the range of one's experience; (2) knowledge of the methods of logical enquiry and reasoning; and (3) some skill in applying those methods. Critical thinking calls for a persistent effort to examine ...
The author recommends a four-step process to develop a program to teach critical thinking: (1) identify a list of critical thinking skills for each subject domain; (2) identify subject matter content for each domain; (3) plan the sequence in which knowledge and skills should be taught; (4) plan which knowledge and skills should be revisited ...
Critical thinking is novel in that you don't simply remember a solution or a. situation that is similar enough to guide you. For example, solving a complex but familiar physics prob-lem by applying a multi-step algo-rithm isn't critical thinking because you are really drawing on memory to solve the problem.
Critical thinking has become the focus of attention since 1960s notified and tracked by the educators' becoming thoughtful about students' incapability ofhigher order thinking or critical thinking. Followed that, there was a secondly rated concern, which was about a definite framework or a model to teach critical thinking that was well
teaching critical thinking and Problem solving skills Lisa Gueldenzoph Snyder Mark J. Snyder Abstract Critical thinking is a learned skill that requires instruction and practice. Business education instructors at both the secondary and post-secondary levels can enhance students' critical thinking skills by (1) using instructional strategies ...
4. Use a defensible conception of critical thinking with which you feel comfortable. 5. Provide for many guided opportunities in varied contexts for students to practice critical thinking in application of critical thinking principles to examples, including a number of opportunities in realistic situations that they see as signicant. 6.
1.1.1 John Dewey and 'refl ective thinking'. People have been thinking about 'critical thinking' and researching how to teach it for about 100 years. In a way, Socrates began this approach to learning over 2,000 years ago, but John Dewey, the American philosopher, psychologist and educator, is widely regarded as the 'father' of the ...
y nine steps for project-based learning:The teacher-coach sets the stage for students with real-life sa. les of the projects they will be doing.Students take on the role of project designers, possibly establis. ng a fo-rum for display or competition.Students discuss and accumulate the backgro.
Provides grading rubrics and outlines five levels of close reading and substantive writing. #563m. "Aspiring Thinker's Guide to Critical Thinking" Mini-Guide Price List: (+ shipping and handling) Item #554m. 1-24 copies $6.00 each 25-199 copies $5.00 each 200-499 copies $4.00 each 500+ copies $3.50 each.
from him on how to teach philosophy. But even more than this, I am indebted to him for the way he so easily mixes philosophy, wit, and good humor in equal parts. I learned more from him than from anyone about how to teach critical thinking, and about the central role it ought to play in education and in a full life. I also owe a great deal to Gerry
Critical thinking is a key skill that goes far beyond the four walls of a classroom. It equips students to better understand and interact with the world around them. Here are some reasons why fostering critical thinking is important: Making Informed Decisions: Critical thinking enables students to evaluate the pros and cons of a situation ...
Overview. Daniel Willingham is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia. His paper explores the ongoing debate over how critical thinking skills are developed and taught. He also outlines a plan for teaching specific critical thinking skills. Willingham argues that while there is plenty of evidence to support explicit instruction ...
The tools provided as part of this guide are designed to support the implementation of discussion-based pedagogies in a way that will deepen and extend student learning. The literature provides a supportive stance towards the development and integration of discussion-based pedagogies in higher education.
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