12 Articles About Critical Thinking In The Classroom
by TeachThought Staff
Critical thinking remains one of the most discussed—and least clearly defined—ideas in education.
It’s often treated as a skill, a habit, or a process, depending on the context, but at its core, it’s about how we make sense of information, perspectives, and problems.
This small collection of essays explores critical thinking as both a concept and a practice, examining its role in learning, its relationship, and the challenges of teaching it meaningfully in schools and classrooms today.
20 Questions To Help Students Think Critically About The News
Is this headline entirely ‘true’/accurate or based instead on partially true information/data? Misleading information is often based on partial truths and then reframed to fit a particular purpose: to cause an emotion such as anger or fear that leads to an outcome of some kind: a ‘like,’ donation, purchase, signup, vote, etc.
48 Critical Thinking Questions For Any Content Area
This article presents a curated list of 48 questions designed to foster critical thinking across various subjects and educational levels.
The questions are intended to encourage students to analyze, evaluate, and reflect on information, promoting deeper understanding and engagement.
Examples include prompts like “Why is this important?”, “What are the causes and effects of this?”, and “How do we know if this is true?”
Educators can adapt these questions to suit different content areas and learning objectives, using them to stimulate discussion, guide inquiry-based learning, or assess comprehension.
This article presents a collection of ten team-building activities designed to enhance critical thinking and collaboration among students. Each game focuses on different skills such as communication, problem-solving, and creative thinking.
For instance, “If You Build It…” involves teams constructing structures with limited materials, emphasizing planning and cooperation. “Save the Egg” challenges students to devise methods to prevent an egg from breaking when dropped, fostering innovation and teamwork.
Other activities like “Zoom” and “Minefield” require participants to engage in storytelling and navigation tasks that build trust and strategic thinking. These exercises can be used practical tools for educators aiming to create an interactive learning environment that promotes essential cognitive and social skills.
10 Team-Building Games That Promote Critical Thinking
50 Examples Of Analogies For Critical Thinking
This post provides a list of analogies grouped by type, including synonym, antonym, part/whole, cause/effect, and others. Each example is intended to help students recognize relationships between ideas or objects, which can support analytical reasoning in classroom settings. The post is structured as a reference for educators designing critical thinking activities.
Correcting The Deficit In Critical Thinking
This article discusses what the author identifies as a widespread lack of critical thinking in education, attributing it to structural and cultural issues within schools. It explores the idea that instructional design and school culture often prioritize efficiency and compliance over cognitive development. Several suggestions are offered for integrating critical thinking more intentionally into teaching and learning.
40 Of The Best Quotes About Critical Thinking
This post features a curated list of quotes from historical and contemporary figures that reference the value and function of critical thinking. The quotes are not categorized or analyzed in depth but are presented as standalone prompts for classroom use, discussion, or reflection. It serves primarily as a source of content to supplement lessons or provoke thought.
20 Types Of Questions For Teaching Critical Thinking
This article outlines 20 distinct types of questions educators can use to support critical thinking in the classroom. It categorizes questions into groups like clarifying, probing, and evaluative, with brief explanations of how each can guide students toward deeper analysis and reflection.
Rather than offering a fixed method, the piece provides a practical overview of how varied questioning strategies can influence classroom dialogue and cognitive engagement.
4 Levels Of Integration For Critical Thinking
This article introduces a framework outlining four levels at which critical thinking can be integrated into educational settings: assignment, unit, instructional design, and learning model.
Each level includes specific strategies—for example, the assignment level suggests using analogies and debates, while the learning model level discusses approaches like project-based learning and inquiry learning. The framework aims to assist educators in embedding critical thinking practices throughout various aspects of curriculum planning and instruction.
20 Types Of Learning Journals That Help Students Think
This article from TeachThought outlines 20 distinct types of learning journals designed to promote various aspects of student thinking. Each journal type serves a specific purpose:
- Question Journal: Encourages students to formulate and refine their own questions, fostering inquiry-based learning
- Metacognitive Journal: Focuses on students reflecting about their own thinking processes and cognitive development.
- Change Journal: Allows students to document shifts in their understanding or perspectives over time.
- Connecting Journal: Helps students make connections between new information and prior knowledge or different subject areas.
- Transfer Journal: Aims to assist students in applying learned concepts to new and varied contexts.
The article suggests that these journals can be adapted to suit individual student needs and combined to support personalized learning strategies.
Using The 3-2-1 Learning Strategy For Critical Thinking
This article introduces the 3-2-1 strategy as a flexible framework to facilitate critical thinking across various educational contexts. The strategy involves prompting students to identify three pieces of information they have learned, two aspects they found interesting or confusing, and one question they still have.
The article provides examples of how this format can be adapted for different purposes, such as reading comprehension, classroom discussions, and reflective writing. It also suggests variations tailored to analytical, metacognitive, and inquiry-based activities.
The 3-2-1 approach is presented as a simple tool to encourage structured reflection and deeper engagement with learning material.
What Does Understanding Look Like?
This article examines the complexities of assessing student understanding beyond traditional testing methods. It highlights the limitations of standardized assessments in capturing the depth of student learning and advocates for alternative approaches that reflect real-world applications.
It describes a 21st-century learning environment where students engage in project-based activities, utilizing various digital tools to explore and address real-life issues. Ideally, these environments encourage self-directed learning, collaboration, and the creative application of knowledge, offering a more comprehensive picture of student understanding than conventional assessments.
8 Science-Based Strategies For Critical Thinking
This article outlines eight strategies rooted in scientific thinking intended to support the development of critical thinking skills in educational settings.
The strategies include challenging assumptions, suspending judgment, revising conclusions based on new evidence, prioritizing data over belief, continuously testing ideas, viewing mistakes as informative, entertaining possibilities without immediate acceptance, and seeking overlooked variables.
Each approach is briefly explained as a means to promote analytical reasoning and a mindset aligned with scientific inquiry.
25 Of The Best Resources For Teaching Critical Thinking
The article suggests that these journals can be adapted to suit individual student needs and combined to support personalized learning strategies.
This article compiles a diverse set of 25 resources aimed at supporting the instruction of critical thinking in educational settings. The collection includes taxonomies, such as the TeachThought Taxonomy for Understanding; strategies like the “60 Critical Thinking Strategies for Learning”; and various tools including Bloom’s Taxonomy posters, Socratic seminar guidelines, and rubrics for assessment.
Additionally, it references digital platforms and communities that facilitate debate and inquiry-based learning. Each resource is briefly described to assist educators in selecting appropriate materials for their instructional needs.
12 Articles About Critical Thinking In The Classroom
Founder & Director of TeachThought
