state five (5) critical thinking skills

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How to build critical thinking skills for better decision-making

It’s simple in theory, but tougher in practice – here are five tips to get you started.

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Have you heard the riddle about two coins that equal thirty cents, but one of them is not a nickel? What about the one where a surgeon says they can’t operate on their own son?

Those brain teasers tap into your critical thinking skills. But your ability to think critically isn’t just helpful for solving those random puzzles – it plays a big role in your career. 

An impressive 81% of employers say critical thinking carries a lot of weight when they’re evaluating job candidates. It ranks as the top competency companies consider when hiring recent graduates (even ahead of communication ). Plus, once you’re hired, several studies show that critical thinking skills are highly correlated with better job performance.

So what exactly are critical thinking skills? And even more importantly, how do you build and improve them? 

What is critical thinking?

Critical thinking is the ability to evaluate facts and information, remain objective, and make a sound decision about how to move forward.

Does that sound like how you approach every decision or problem? Not so fast. Critical thinking seems simple in theory but is much tougher in practice, which helps explain why 65% of employers say their organization has a need for more critical thinking. 

In reality, critical thinking doesn’t come naturally to a lot of us. In order to do it well, you need to:

• Remain open-minded and inquisitive, rather than relying on assumptions or jumping to conclusions
• Ask questions and dig deep, rather than accepting information at face value
• Keep your own biases and perceptions in check to stay as objective as possible
• Rely on your emotional intelligence to fill in the blanks and gain a more well-rounded understanding of a situation

So, critical thinking isn’t just being intelligent or analytical. In many ways, it requires you to step outside of yourself, let go of your own preconceived notions, and approach a problem or situation with curiosity and fairness.

It’s a challenge, but it’s well worth it. Critical thinking skills will help you connect ideas, make reasonable decisions, and solve complex problems.

7 critical thinking skills to help you dig deeper

Critical thinking is often labeled as a skill itself (you’ll see it bulleted as a desired trait in a variety of job descriptions). But it’s better to think of critical thinking less as a distinct skill and more as a collection or category of skills. 

To think critically, you’ll need to tap into a bunch of your other soft skills. Here are seven of the most important. 

Open-mindedness

It’s important to kick off the critical thinking process with the idea that anything is possible. The more you’re able to set aside your own suspicions, beliefs, and agenda, the better prepared you are to approach the situation with the level of inquisitiveness you need. 

That means not closing yourself off to any possibilities and allowing yourself the space to pull on every thread – yes, even the ones that seem totally implausible.

As Christopher Dwyer, Ph.D. writes in a piece for Psychology Today , “Even if an idea appears foolish, sometimes its consideration can lead to an intelligent, critically considered conclusion.” He goes on to compare the critical thinking process to brainstorming . Sometimes the “bad” ideas are what lay the foundation for the good ones. 

Open-mindedness is challenging because it requires more effort and mental bandwidth than sticking with your own perceptions. Approaching problems or situations with true impartiality often means:

• Practicing self-regulation : Giving yourself a pause between when you feel something and when you actually react or take action.
• Challenging your own biases: Acknowledging your biases and seeking feedback are two powerful ways to get a broader understanding. 

Critical thinking example

In a team meeting, your boss mentioned that your company newsletter signups have been decreasing and she wants to figure out why.

At first, you feel offended and defensive – it feels like she’s blaming you for the dip in subscribers. You recognize and rationalize that emotion before thinking about potential causes. You have a hunch about what’s happening, but you will explore all possibilities and contributions from your team members.

Observation

Observation is, of course, your ability to notice and process the details all around you (even the subtle or seemingly inconsequential ones). Critical thinking demands that you’re flexible and willing to go beyond surface-level information, and solid observation skills help you do that.

Your observations help you pick up on clues from a variety of sources and experiences, all of which help you draw a final conclusion. After all, sometimes it’s the most minuscule realization that leads you to the strongest conclusion.

Over the next week or so, you keep a close eye on your company’s website and newsletter analytics to see if numbers are in fact declining or if your boss’s concerns were just a fluke. 

Critical thinking hinges on objectivity. And, to be objective, you need to base your judgments on the facts – which you collect through research. You’ll lean on your research skills to gather as much information as possible that’s relevant to your problem or situation. 

Keep in mind that this isn’t just about the quantity of information – quality matters too. You want to find data and details from a variety of trusted sources to drill past the surface and build a deeper understanding of what’s happening. 

You dig into your email and website analytics to identify trends in bounce rates, time on page, conversions, and more. You also review recent newsletters and email promotions to understand what customers have received, look through current customer feedback, and connect with your customer support team to learn what they’re hearing in their conversations with customers.

The critical thinking process is sort of like a treasure hunt – you’ll find some nuggets that are fundamental for your final conclusion and some that might be interesting but aren’t pertinent to the problem at hand.

That’s why you need analytical skills. They’re what help you separate the wheat from the chaff, prioritize information, identify trends or themes, and draw conclusions based on the most relevant and influential facts. 

It’s easy to confuse analytical thinking with critical thinking itself, and it’s true there is a lot of overlap between the two. But analytical thinking is just a piece of critical thinking. It focuses strictly on the facts and data, while critical thinking incorporates other factors like emotions, opinions, and experiences. 

As you analyze your research, you notice that one specific webpage has contributed to a significant decline in newsletter signups. While all of the other sources have stayed fairly steady with regard to conversions, that one has sharply decreased.

You decide to move on from your other hypotheses about newsletter quality and dig deeper into the analytics. 

One of the traps of critical thinking is that it’s easy to feel like you’re never done. There’s always more information you could collect and more rabbit holes you could fall down.

But at some point, you need to accept that you’ve done your due diligence and make a decision about how to move forward. That’s where inference comes in. It’s your ability to look at the evidence and facts available to you and draw an informed conclusion based on those. 

When you’re so focused on staying objective and pursuing all possibilities, inference can feel like the antithesis of critical thinking. But ultimately, it’s your inference skills that allow you to move out of the thinking process and onto the action steps. 

You dig deeper into the analytics for the page that hasn’t been converting and notice that the sharp drop-off happened around the same time you switched email providers.

After looking more into the backend, you realize that the signup form on that page isn’t correctly connected to your newsletter platform. It seems like anybody who has signed up on that page hasn’t been fed to your email list. 

Communication

3 ways to improve your communication skills at work

If and when you identify a solution or answer, you can’t keep it close to the vest. You’ll need to use your communication skills to share your findings with the relevant stakeholders – like your boss, team members, or anybody who needs to be involved in the next steps.

Your analysis skills will come in handy here too, as they’ll help you determine what information other people need to know so you can avoid bogging them down with unnecessary details. 

In your next team meeting, you pull up the analytics and show your team the sharp drop-off as well as the missing connection between that page and your email platform. You ask the web team to reinstall and double-check that connection and you also ask a member of the marketing team to draft an apology email to the subscribers who were missed. 

Problem-solving

Critical thinking and problem-solving are two more terms that are frequently confused. After all, when you think critically, you’re often doing so with the objective of solving a problem.

The best way to understand how problem-solving and critical thinking differ is to think of problem-solving as much more narrow. You’re focused on finding a solution.

In contrast, you can use critical thinking for a variety of use cases beyond solving a problem – like answering questions or identifying opportunities for improvement. Even so, within the critical thinking process, you’ll flex your problem-solving skills when it comes time to take action. 

Once the fix is implemented, you monitor the analytics to see if subscribers continue to increase. If not (or if they increase at a slower rate than you anticipated), you’ll roll out some other tests like changing the CTA language or the placement of the subscribe form on the page.

5 ways to improve your critical thinking skills

Beyond the buzzwords: Why interpersonal skills matter at work

Think critically about critical thinking and you’ll quickly realize that it’s not as instinctive as you’d like it to be. Fortunately, your critical thinking skills are learned competencies and not inherent gifts – and that means you can improve them. Here’s how:

• Practice active listening: Active listening helps you process and understand what other people share. That’s crucial as you aim to be open-minded and inquisitive.
• Ask open-ended questions: If your critical thinking process involves collecting feedback and opinions from others, ask open-ended questions (meaning, questions that can’t be answered with “yes” or “no”). Doing so will give you more valuable information and also prevent your own biases from influencing people’s input.
• Scrutinize your sources: Figuring out what to trust and prioritize is crucial for critical thinking. Boosting your media literacy and asking more questions will help you be more discerning about what to factor in. It’s hard to strike a balance between skepticism and open-mindedness, but approaching information with questions (rather than unquestioning trust) will help you draw better conclusions. 
• Play a game: Remember those riddles we mentioned at the beginning? As trivial as they might seem, games and exercises like those can help you boost your critical thinking skills. There are plenty of critical thinking exercises you can do individually or as a team . 
• Give yourself time: Research shows that rushed decisions are often regrettable ones. That’s likely because critical thinking takes time – you can’t do it under the wire. So, for big decisions or hairy problems, give yourself enough time and breathing room to work through the process. It’s hard enough to think critically without a countdown ticking in your brain. 

Critical thinking really is critical

The ability to think critically is important, but it doesn’t come naturally to most of us. It’s just easier to stick with biases, assumptions, and surface-level information. 

But that route often leads you to rash judgments, shaky conclusions, and disappointing decisions. So here’s a conclusion we can draw without any more noodling: Even if it is more demanding on your mental resources, critical thinking is well worth the effort.

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• CRITICAL THINKING

5 ESSENTIAL CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS

Critical thinking is a habit of mind that helps you explore ideas. It is both an attitude and a set of skills. A critical thinking attitude includes keeping an open mind and a willingness to have any idea questioned. Critical thinking skills include being able to define the idea in front of you clearly, determine the quality of evidence supporting that idea, and understand its’ implications or consequence.

CRAFTING CRITICAL QUESTIONS Pose a precise question that you want to explore.

PERSPECTIVES Collect the perspectives on multiple sides of the idea. Be able to state them fairly such that the people holding them would accept your summary.

INFORMATION LITERACY Test the idea first by examining the evidence or information supporting it. To what degree is the evidence or information the result of a comprehensive, credible and objective process?

ANALYSIS, CONCLUSIONS AND CONSEQUENCES  Examine the elements and the structure of the idea. What conclusions and consequences follow from the claims, arguments and elements? Which arguments are the strongest?

REFLECTIVE JOURNEY Be thoughtful about your own thinking. Fight your own biases that cause you to be quick to judge. Be open to new information that may challenge or change your own perspectives.

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Mind by Design

What are the 5 critical thinking skills?

Critical thinking is an important skill for anyone seeking to make a positive impact in the world. This article will be looking at 5 skills that can help you become a genius thinker.

The first step in understanding these skills is understanding just what critical thinking is. Critical thinking can be described as “the reflective and logical examination of arguments, claims, and statements with the goal of evaluating their truthfulness and accuracy”.

Just to clarify, critical thinking is not just the simple act of arguing with people you disagree with. It’s about gaining a higher level of understanding about how to best support your own views, while also being able to see where additional perspectives might be useful in advancing our world.

Critical thinking is not an easy skill to learn, and it will certainly take some time before you’re able to apply it in an effective way. But the good news is that it can be learned, and once learned, can help you make many more intelligent decisions in your life.

Critical thinking isn’t essential to becoming a genius thinker, but it does take some time to get used to. It doesn’t hurt to try applying critical thinking whenever you’re faced with a difficult decision though.

The 5 critical thinking skills are:

1. analysis.

A great way to improve your critical thinking skills is to adopt a more analytical approach to life. Instead of just accepting things as they are, think critically about everything you see.

It’s not easy for most people to think analytically , but it can be learned and developed over time with practice and effort. Try looking at the subject from different perspectives (one-sided and two-sided), and try formulating arguments for and against different alternatives.

2. Integrity

Integrity is one of the most important character traits you can develop in your life. When combined with critical thinking, integrity makes for better decision making because you’ll be driven by your personal values instead of external pressures or impulses.

This skill isn’t really that hard though, since having integrity basically means acting in accordance with strong morals and ethics. Learn to act in accordance with your core values, and you’ll also be improving the quality of your critical thinking skills because you won’t be blinded by external things.

3. Logical Thinking

Logical thinking separates what is true from what is false , making it important for the critical thinker. While many people will say that logic is not very important, I disagree strongly. Logic plays an incredibly important role in critical thinking because it allows you to pinpoint the flaws in arguments and proposals. It helps you identify logical fallacies so that you can avoid them yourself.

The more you practice your logical thinking skills, the more adept you’ll become at identifying logical fallacies in yourself and others.

Empathy is the ability to understand other people’s perspectives. You can think of it as “Serendipity” in the movie ‘Good Will Hunting’. It’s about being able to see things from other people’s points of view, which can help you make better decisions in your life.

By developing your empathy , you’re able to consider additional perspectives that were previously disregarded or unavailable. You also able to identify external factors that might be influencing the way people think, allowing you to see both sides of the story better.

5. Evalution

Evaluation refers to the ability to compare and contrast different alternatives. It’s about being able to see where existing things could be improved, and how they might be used in new ways. It’s about critically thinking about everything.

You should never accept or rely on something as good enough for you. Always challenge and question the things around you so that you can learn to see where alternatives might be better. It can take some time, but once developed, this skill will help you improve any situation you’re in.

Understanding how your biases affect your critical thinking

Remaining impartial during critical thinking can be one of the most difficult parts. But in order to really understand how it works, you need to understand the many biases that affect your critical thinking skills.

There are many cognitive biases that can potentially affect your decision-making skills. It’s impossible to be completely free of biases , but the more you learn about them, the better you’ll be able to cope with their effects on your critical thinking skills.

Here are some of the cognitive biases that may affect your critical thinking:

Confirmation bias

According to Wikipedia: Confirmation bias “is a tendency to search for or interpret information in a way that confirms one’s beliefs or hypotheses”. That means that if you’re making a decision, and you’re presented with contradictory evidence, you’re likely to take it as proof of your initial hypothesis and ignore the contradictory evidence.

“Bandwagon effect”

The bandwagon effect occurs when we tend to go along with the crowd in order to avoid being perceived as different. When you’re part of a group that wants or desires something, you’re more likely to get that thing yourself.

But just because others are doing something doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do. For example, you might see lots of people buying iPhones, so it seems like the right decision for you too. But just because everyone else is doing something doesn’t mean that it’s the right thing for you. Be sure to think critically about what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.

Cognitive Dissonance

You might be familiar with cognitive dissonance because it drives so much of our lives. It’s the feeling that arises when your beliefs or behaviors are in conflict with your other beliefs or behaviors. For example, if you’re an atheist but you commit immoral behavior, you might feel uncomfortable because your behavior is at odds with your belief system. Or if you’re an entrepreneur but you’re lazy, you might feel deeply uncomfortable because there’s an obvious internal conflict between two parts of yourself.

Hindsight bias

Hindsight bias refers to our tendency to think that we would’ve been able to change the past if we had known it in advance. By thinking like this, we might convince ourselves that we would’ve made better decisions if we had only known in advance what was going to happen. Hindsight bias is a pretty common human behavior and can lead us astray when it comes to critical thinking.

The three-step process for critical thinking

Decision making can be difficult, even when you’re using your critical thinking skills. There are so many factors to take into consideration before you act, which makes it hard to know how to act sometimes. That’s why following a three-step process for decision making can be helpful. It helps break down the process of decision making into smaller chunks that are easier to deal with mentally.

The process I’m talking about is called the Plan-Study-Reflect three-step process, which was originally created by Asch (1951). It’s a popular technique because it helps you make more accurate decisions. You can use this technique to decide on any topic you want, including critical thinking. Here’s how you can do it:

• Plan: Before you start thinking or doing anything, take 5 minutes to think through your current situation and your goals.
• Study: After you’ve thought for 5 minutes, take 15 minutes to review your plans and goals. What are they? What are the pros and cons of your current situation? How do they relate to your goals?
• Reflect: After you’ve done some studying, go back over what you’ve learned about your situation and the goals that you’re trying to achieve. Take about another 5 minutes to think about your situation again. Do you have any new ideas? What are you going to do?

This technique should help you make better decisions by helping you become more aware of your situation, goals, and available options. It’s not perfect, but it can be helpful when combined with critical thinking.

Exercises to train your critical thinking skills

There are lots of exercises you can do to train your critical thinking skills. Some of them are more useful than others, so it’s worth figuring out what works for you. Here are some exercises I recommend you try:

1) Neural network training: Adversarial Training is an AI technique that “increases the threshold for adversarial examples.” It will help you become better at recognizing biased messages. This technique actually works on the human brain in the same way that AI algorithms work on computers. It’s also pretty cool!

2) Stories & Analogies: Stories and analogies are great techniques for learning to understand what biases are. They’re great because they’re easy to identify and explain, so you can explain how they work in an attempt to teach them to others. There are two ways of thinking when reading stories and analogies. You can either think about them in terms of what they mean (surface thinking), or you can think about what they mean in terms of how they were created (deep thinking). It’s important to learn to identify and distinguish between the two ways of thinking.

3) Reverse-Engineer Books: This technique works best when you’re reading a book that you’ve already read, but it can be fun to try out on other books too. With this exercise, you’ll read a book and try to figure out what the author’s worldview is. Then you’ll read the book again, but this time you’ll try to hold your own worldview up to the author’s ideas and see if any of their arguments work for you.

4) Ask “what if?” questions: Asking “what if?” questions can be a fun way of learning to think critically about your situation. The idea behind this exercise is that you think about what might happen if each of your assumptions comes true. For example, what would happen if I failed my English exam? What would happen if I got stabbed on my way home? What’s the worst that could happen? You don’t always need to think about the worst-case scenario (though that can be helpful sometimes) – whatever you happen to think about is fine. This can be an exercise of both deep and surface thinking.

Critical thinking is a skill we should all work on. It’s difficult, but it’s totally worth it. Understanding these 5 skills will help you gain the clarity you need in order to make good decisions for yourself and others.

Once you know what critical thinking is, I hope that this guide will be useful for you. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them in the comments section below.

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How to build your critical thinking skills in 7 steps (with examples)

Critical thinking is, well, critical. By building these skills, you improve your ability to analyze information and come to the best decision possible. In this article, we cover the basics of critical thinking, as well as the seven steps you can use to implement the full critical thinking process. 

Critical thinking comes from asking the right questions to come to the best conclusion possible. Strong critical thinkers analyze information from a variety of viewpoints in order to identify the best course of action.

Don’t worry if you don’t think you have strong critical thinking abilities. In this article, we’ll help you build a foundation for critical thinking so you can absorb, analyze, and make informed decisions. 

What is critical thinking? 

Critical thinking is the ability to collect and analyze information to come to a conclusion. Being able to think critically is important in virtually every industry and applicable across a wide range of positions. That’s because critical thinking isn’t subject-specific—rather, it’s your ability to parse through information, data, statistics, and other details in order to identify a satisfactory solution. 

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Top 8 critical thinking skills

Like most soft skills, critical thinking isn’t something you can take a class to learn. Rather, this skill consists of a variety of interpersonal and analytical skills. Developing critical thinking is more about learning to embrace open-mindedness and bringing analytical thinking to your problem framing process. 

In no particular order, the eight most important critical thinking skills are:

Analytical thinking: Part of critical thinking is evaluating data from multiple sources in order to come to the best conclusions. Analytical thinking allows people to reject bias and strive to gather and consume information to come to the best conclusion. 

Open-mindedness: This critical thinking skill helps you analyze and process information to come to an unbiased conclusion. Part of the critical thinking process is letting your personal biases go and coming to a conclusion based on all of the information. 

Problem solving : Because critical thinking emphasizes coming to the best conclusion based on all of the available information, it’s a key part of problem solving. When used correctly, critical thinking helps you solve any problem—from a workplace challenge to difficulties in everyday life. 

Self-regulation: Self-regulation refers to the ability to regulate your thoughts and set aside any personal biases to come to the best conclusion. In order to be an effective critical thinker, you need to question the information you have and the decisions you favor—only then can you come to the best conclusion. 

Observation: Observation skills help critical thinkers look for things beyond face value. To be a critical thinker you need to embrace multiple points of view, and you can use observation skills to identify potential problems.

Interpretation: Not all data is made equal—and critical thinkers know this. In addition to gathering information, it’s important to evaluate which information is important and relevant to your situation. That way, you can draw the best conclusions from the data you’ve collected. 

Evaluation: When you attempt to answer a hard question, there is rarely an obvious answer. Even though critical thinking emphasizes putting your biases aside, you need to be able to confidently make a decision based on the data you have available. 

Communication: Once a decision has been made, you also need to share this decision with other stakeholders. Effective workplace communication includes presenting evidence and supporting your conclusion—especially if there are a variety of different possible solutions. 

7 steps to critical thinking

Critical thinking is a skill that you can build by following these seven steps. The seven steps to critical thinking help you ensure you’re approaching a problem from the right angle, considering every alternative, and coming to an unbiased conclusion.

 First things first: When to use the 7 step critical thinking process

There’s a lot that goes into the full critical thinking process, and not every decision needs to be this thought out. Sometimes, it’s enough to put aside bias and approach a process logically. In other, more complex cases, the best way to identify the ideal outcome is to go through the entire critical thinking process. 

The seven-step critical thinking process is useful for complex decisions in areas you are less familiar with. Alternatively, the seven critical thinking steps can help you look at a problem you’re familiar with from a different angle, without any bias. 

If you need to make a less complex decision, consider another problem solving strategy instead. Decision matrices are a great way to identify the best option between different choices. Check out our article on 7 steps to creating a decision matrix .

1. Identify the problem

Before you put those critical thinking skills to work, you first need to identify the problem you’re solving. This step includes taking a look at the problem from a few different perspectives and asking questions like: 

What’s happening? 

Why is this happening? 

What assumptions am I making? 

At first glance, how do I think we can solve this problem? 

A big part of developing your critical thinking skills is learning how to come to unbiased conclusions. In order to do that, you first need to acknowledge the biases that you currently have. Does someone on your team think they know the answer? Are you making assumptions that aren’t necessarily true? Identifying these details helps you later on in the process. 

2. Research

At this point, you likely have a general idea of the problem—but in order to come up with the best solution, you need to dig deeper. 

During the research process, collect information relating to the problem, including data, statistics, historical project information, team input, and more. Make sure you gather information from a variety of sources, especially if those sources go against your personal ideas about what the problem is or how to solve it.

Gathering varied information is essential for your ability to apply the critical thinking process. If you don’t get enough information, your ability to make a final decision will be skewed. Remember that critical thinking is about helping you identify the objective best conclusion. You aren’t going with your gut—you’re doing research to find the best option

3. Determine data relevance

Just as it’s important to gather a variety of information, it is also important to determine how relevant the different information sources are. After all, just because there is data doesn’t mean it’s relevant. 

Once you’ve gathered all of the information, sift through the noise and identify what information is relevant and what information isn’t. Synthesizing all of this information and establishing significance helps you weigh different data sources and come to the best conclusion later on in the critical thinking process. 

To determine data relevance, ask yourself:

How reliable is this information? 

How significant is this information? 

Is this information outdated? Is it specialized in a specific field? 

4. Ask questions

One of the most useful parts of the critical thinking process is coming to a decision without bias. In order to do so, you need to take a step back from the process and challenge the assumptions you’re making. 

We all have bias—and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Unconscious biases (also known as cognitive biases) often serve as mental shortcuts to simplify problem solving and aid decision making. But even when biases aren’t inherently bad, you must be aware of your biases in order to put them aside when necessary. 

Before coming to a solution, ask yourself:

Am I making any assumptions about this information? 

Are there additional variables I haven’t considered? 

Have I evaluated the information from every perspective? 

Are there any viewpoints I missed? 

5. Identify the best solution

Finally, you’re ready to come to a conclusion. To identify the best solution, draw connections between causes and effects. Use the facts you’ve gathered to evaluate the most objective conclusion. 

Keep in mind that there may be more than one solution. Often, the problems you’re facing are complex and intricate. The critical thinking process doesn’t necessarily lead to a cut-and-dry solution—instead, the process helps you understand the different variables at play so you can make an informed decision. 

6. Present your solution

Communication is a key skill for critical thinkers. It isn’t enough to think for yourself—you also need to share your conclusion with other project stakeholders. If there are multiple solutions, present them all. There may be a case where you implement one solution, then test to see if it works before implementing another solution. 

7. Analyze your decision

The seven-step critical thinking process yields a result—and you then need to put that solution into place. After you’ve implemented your decision, evaluate whether or not it was effective. Did it solve the initial problem? What lessons—whether positive or negative—can you learn from this experience to improve your critical thinking for next time? 

Depending on how your team shares information, consider documenting lessons learned in a central source of truth. That way, team members that are making similar or related decisions in the future can understand why you made the decision you made and what the outcome was. 

Example of critical thinking in the workplace

Imagine you work in user experience design (UX). Your team is focused on pricing and packaging and ensuring customers have a clear understanding of the different services your company offers. Here’s how to apply the critical thinking process in the workplace in seven steps: 

Start by identifying the problem

Your current pricing page isn’t performing as well as you want. You’ve heard from customers that your services aren’t clear, and that the page doesn’t answer the questions they have. This page is really important for your company, since it’s where your customers sign up for your service. You and your team have a few theories about why your current page isn’t performing well, but you decide to apply the critical thinking process to ensure you come to the best decision for the page. 

Gather information about how the problem started

Part of identifying the problem includes understanding how the problem started. The pricing and packaging page is important—so when your team initially designed the page, they certainly put a lot of thought into it. Before you begin researching how to improve the page, ask yourself: 

Why did you design the pricing page the way you did? 

Which stakeholders need to be involved in the decision making process? 

Where are users getting stuck on the page?

Are any features currently working?

Then, you research

In addition to understanding the history of the pricing and packaging page, it’s important to understand what works well. Part of this research means taking a look at what your competitor’s pricing pages look like. 

Ask yourself: 

How have our competitors set up their pricing pages?

Are there any pricing page best practices? 

How does color, positioning, and animation impact navigation? 

Are there any standard page layouts customers expect to see? 

Organize and analyze information

You’ve gathered all of the information you need—now you need to organize and analyze it. What trends, if any, are you noticing? Is there any particularly relevant or important information that you have to consider? 

Ask open-ended questions to reduce bias

In the case of critical thinking, it’s important to address and set bias aside as much as possible. Ask yourself: 

Is there anything I’m missing? 

Have I connected with the right stakeholders? 

Are there any other viewpoints I should consider? 

Determine the best solution for your team

You now have all of the information you need to design the best pricing page. Depending on the complexity of the design, you may want to design a few options to present to a small group of customers or A/B test on the live website.

Present your solution to stakeholders

Critical thinking can help you in every element of your life, but in the workplace, you must also involve key project stakeholders . Stakeholders help you determine next steps, like whether you’ll A/B test the page first. Depending on the complexity of the issue, consider hosting a meeting or sharing a status report to get everyone on the same page. 

Analyze the results

No process is complete without evaluating the results. Once the new page has been live for some time, evaluate whether it did better than the previous page. What worked? What didn’t? This also helps you make better critical decisions later on.

Critically successful 

Critical thinking takes time to build, but with effort and patience you can apply an unbiased, analytical mind to any situation. Critical thinking makes up one of many soft skills that makes you an effective team member, manager, and worker. If you’re looking to hone your skills further, read our article on the 25 project management skills you need to succeed . 

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Critical Thinking

Developing the right mindset and skills.

By the Mind Tools Content Team

We make hundreds of decisions every day and, whether we realize it or not, we're all critical thinkers.

We use critical thinking each time we weigh up our options, prioritize our responsibilities, or think about the likely effects of our actions. It's a crucial skill that helps us to cut out misinformation and make wise decisions. The trouble is, we're not always very good at it!

In this article, we'll explore the key skills that you need to develop your critical thinking skills, and how to adopt a critical thinking mindset, so that you can make well-informed decisions.

What Is Critical Thinking?

Critical thinking is the discipline of rigorously and skillfully using information, experience, observation, and reasoning to guide your decisions, actions, and beliefs. You'll need to actively question every step of your thinking process to do it well.

Collecting, analyzing and evaluating information is an important skill in life, and a highly valued asset in the workplace. People who score highly in critical thinking assessments are also rated by their managers as having good problem-solving skills, creativity, strong decision-making skills, and good overall performance. [1]

Key Critical Thinking Skills

Critical thinkers possess a set of key characteristics which help them to question information and their own thinking. Focus on the following areas to develop your critical thinking skills:

Being willing and able to explore alternative approaches and experimental ideas is crucial. Can you think through "what if" scenarios, create plausible options, and test out your theories? If not, you'll tend to write off ideas and options too soon, so you may miss the best answer to your situation.

To nurture your curiosity, stay up to date with facts and trends. You'll overlook important information if you allow yourself to become "blinkered," so always be open to new information.

But don't stop there! Look for opposing views or evidence to challenge your information, and seek clarification when things are unclear. This will help you to reassess your beliefs and make a well-informed decision later. Read our article, Opening Closed Minds , for more ways to stay receptive.

Logical Thinking

You must be skilled at reasoning and extending logic to come up with plausible options or outcomes.

It's also important to emphasize logic over emotion. Emotion can be motivating but it can also lead you to take hasty and unwise action, so control your emotions and be cautious in your judgments. Know when a conclusion is "fact" and when it is not. "Could-be-true" conclusions are based on assumptions and must be tested further. Read our article, Logical Fallacies , for help with this.

Use creative problem solving to balance cold logic. By thinking outside of the box you can identify new possible outcomes by using pieces of information that you already have.

Self-Awareness

Many of the decisions we make in life are subtly informed by our values and beliefs. These influences are called cognitive biases and it can be difficult to identify them in ourselves because they're often subconscious.

Practicing self-awareness will allow you to reflect on the beliefs you have and the choices you make. You'll then be better equipped to challenge your own thinking and make improved, unbiased decisions.

One particularly useful tool for critical thinking is the Ladder of Inference . It allows you to test and validate your thinking process, rather than jumping to poorly supported conclusions.

Developing a Critical Thinking Mindset

Combine the above skills with the right mindset so that you can make better decisions and adopt more effective courses of action. You can develop your critical thinking mindset by following this process:

Gather Information

First, collect data, opinions and facts on the issue that you need to solve. Draw on what you already know, and turn to new sources of information to help inform your understanding. Consider what gaps there are in your knowledge and seek to fill them. And look for information that challenges your assumptions and beliefs.

Be sure to verify the authority and authenticity of your sources. Not everything you read is true! Use this checklist to ensure that your information is valid:

• Are your information sources trustworthy ? (For example, well-respected authors, trusted colleagues or peers, recognized industry publications, websites, blogs, etc.)
• Is the information you have gathered up to date ?
• Has the information received any direct criticism ?
• Does the information have any errors or inaccuracies ?
• Is there any evidence to support or corroborate the information you have gathered?
• Is the information you have gathered subjective or biased in any way? (For example, is it based on opinion, rather than fact? Is any of the information you have gathered designed to promote a particular service or organization?)

If any information appears to be irrelevant or invalid, don't include it in your decision making. But don't omit information just because you disagree with it, or your final decision will be flawed and bias.

Now observe the information you have gathered, and interpret it. What are the key findings and main takeaways? What does the evidence point to? Start to build one or two possible arguments based on what you have found.

You'll need to look for the details within the mass of information, so use your powers of observation to identify any patterns or similarities. You can then analyze and extend these trends to make sensible predictions about the future.

To help you to sift through the multiple ideas and theories, it can be useful to group and order items according to their characteristics. From here, you can compare and contrast the different items. And once you've determined how similar or different things are from one another, Paired Comparison Analysis can help you to analyze them.

The final step involves challenging the information and rationalizing its arguments.

Apply the laws of reason (induction, deduction, analogy) to judge an argument and determine its merits. To do this, it's essential that you can determine the significance and validity of an argument to put it in the correct perspective. Take a look at our article, Rational Thinking , for more information about how to do this.

Once you have considered all of the arguments and options rationally, you can finally make an informed decision.

Afterward, take time to reflect on what you have learned and what you found challenging. Step back from the detail of your decision or problem, and look at the bigger picture. Record what you've learned from your observations and experience.

Critical thinking involves rigorously and skilfully using information, experience, observation, and reasoning to guide your decisions, actions and beliefs. It's a useful skill in the workplace and in life.

You'll need to be curious and creative to explore alternative possibilities, but rational to apply logic, and self-aware to identify when your beliefs could affect your decisions or actions.

You can demonstrate a high level of critical thinking by validating your information, analyzing its meaning, and finally evaluating the argument.

Critical Thinking Infographic

See Critical Thinking represented in our infographic: An Elementary Guide to Critical Thinking .

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Module 5: Thinking and Analysis

Introduction to critical thinking skills, what you’ll learn to do: d efine critical thinking and its role in your education.

The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks. —Christopher Hitchens, author and journalist

By the end of this section, you will be able to explain critical thinking, describe the role that logic plays in critical thinking, and identify how critical thinking skills can be used to evaluate information. You’ll also define information literacy and describe how critical thinking skills can be used to solve problems by identifying strategies for developing yourself as a critical thinker.

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• Outcome: Critical Thinking Skills. Provided by : Lumen Learning. License : CC BY: Attribution
• Image of three students. Authored by : PopTech. Located at : https://flic.kr/p/8tXtQp . License : CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike

The State of Critical Thinking 2020

November 2020, introduction.

In 2018, the Reboot Foundation released a first-of-its-kind survey looking at the public’s attitudes toward critical thinking and critical thinking education. The report found that critical thinking skills are highly valued, but not taught or practiced as much as might be hoped for in schools or in public life. 

The survey suggested that, despite recognizing the importance of critical thinking, when it came to critical thinking practices—like seeking out multiple sources of information and engaging others with opposing views—many people’s habits were lacking. Significant numbers of respondents reported relying on inadequate sources of information, making decisions without doing enough research, and avoiding those with conflicting viewpoints.

In late 2019, the Foundation conducted a follow up survey in order to see how the landscape may have shifted. Without question, the stakes surrounding better reasoning have increased. The COVID-19 pandemic requires deeper interpretive and analytical skills. For instance, when it comes to news about a possible vaccine, people need to assess how it was developed in order to judge whether it will actually work. 

Misinformation, from both foreign and domestic sources, continues to proliferate online and, perhaps most disturbingly, surrounding the COVID-19 health crisis. Meanwhile, political polarization has deepened and become more personal . At the same time, there’s both a growing awareness and divide over issues of racism and inequality. If that wasn’t enough, changes to the journalism industry have weakened local civic life and incentivized clickbait, and sensationalized and siloed content. 

Part of the problem is that much of our public discourse takes place online, where cognitive biases can become amplified, and where groupthink and filter bubbles proliferate. Meanwhile, face-to-face conversations—which can dissolve misunderstandings and help us recognize the shared humanity of those we disagree with—go missing. 

Critical thinking is, of course, not a cure-all, but a lack of critical thinking skills across the population exacerbates all these problems. More than ever, we need skills and practice in managing our emotions, stepping back from quick-trigger evaluations and decisions, and over-relying on biased or false sources of information. 

To keep apprised of the public’s view of critical thinking, the Reboot Foundation conducted its second annual survey in late 2019. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic forced a delay in the release of the results. Nevertheless, this most recent survey dug deeper than our 2018 poll, and looked especially into how the public understands the state of critical thinking education. For the first time, our team also surveyed teachers on their views on teaching critical thinking.

General Findings

Support for critical thinking skills remains high, but there is also clearly skepticism that individuals are getting the help they need to acquire improved reasoning skills. A very high majority of people surveyed (94 percent) believe that critical thinking is “extremely” or “very important.” But they generally (86 percent) find those skills lacking in the public at large. Indeed, 60 percent of the respondents reported not having studied critical thinking in school. And only about 55 percent reported that their critical thinking skills had improved since high school, with almost a quarter reporting that those skills had deteriorated. 

There is also broad support among the public and teachers for critical thinking education, both at the K-12 and collegiate levels. For example, 90 percent think courses covering critical thinking should be required in K-12. 

Many respondents (43 percent) also encouragingly identified early childhood as the best age to develop critical thinking skills. This was a big increase from our previous survey (just 20 percent) and is consistent with the general consensus among social scientists and psychologists. 

There are worrisome trends—and promising signs—in critical thinking habits and daily practices. In particular, individuals still don’t do enough to engage people with whom they disagree. 

Given the deficits in critical thinking acquisition during school, we would hope that respondents’ critical thinking skills continued to improve after they’ve left school. But only about 55 percent reported that their critical thinking skills had improved since high school, with almost a quarter reporting that their skills had actually deteriorated since then. 

Questions about respondents’ critical thinking habits brought out some encouraging information. People reported using more than one source of information when making a decision at a high rate (around 77 percent said they did this “always” or “often”) and giving reasons for their opinions (85 percent). These numbers were, in general, higher than in our previous survey (see “Comparing Survey Results” below).

In other areas of critical thinking, responses were more mixed. Almost half of respondents, for example, reported only “sometimes,” “rarely,” or “never” seeking out people with different opinions to engage in discussion. Many also reported only “sometimes,” “rarely,” or “never” planning where (35 percent) or how (36 percent) to get information on a given topic. 

These factors are tied closely together. Critical thinking skills have been challenged and devalued at many different levels of society. There is, therefore, no simple fix. Simply cleansing the internet of misinformation, for example, would not suddenly make us better thinkers. Improving critical thinking across society will take a many-pronged effort.

Comparing Survey Results  

Several interesting details emerged in the comparison of results from this survey to our 2018 poll. First, a word of caution: there were some demographic differences in the respondents between the two surveys. This survey skewed a bit older: the average age was 47, as opposed to 36.5. In addition, more females responded this time: 57 percent versus 46 percent.

That said, there was a great deal of consistency between the surveys on participants’ general views of critical thinking. Belief in the importance of critical thinking remains high (94 percent versus 96 percent), as does belief that these skills are generally lacking in society at large. Blame, moreover, was spread to many of the same culprits. Slightly more participants blamed technology this time (29 versus 27 percent), while slightly fewer blamed the education system (22 versus 26 percent). 

Respondents were also generally agreed on the importance of teaching critical thinking at all levels. Ninety-five percent thought critical thinking courses should be required at the K-12 level (slightly up from 92 percent); and 91 percent thought they should be required in college (slightly up from 90 percent). (These questions were framed slightly differently from year to year, which could have contributed to the small increases.)

One significant change came over the question of when it is appropriate to start developing critical thinking skills. In our first survey, less than 20 percent of respondents said that early childhood was the ideal time to develop critical thinking skills. This time, 43 percent of respondents did so. As discussed below, this is an encouraging development since research indicates that children become capable of learning how to think critically at a young age. 

In one potentially discouraging difference between the two surveys, our most recent survey saw more respondents indicate that they did less critical thinking since high school (18 percent versus just 4 percent). But similar numbers of respondents indicated their critical thinking skills had deteriorated since high school (23 percent versus 21 percent).

Finally, encouraging points of comparison emerged in responses to questions about particular critical thinking activities. Our most recent survey saw a slight uptick in the number of respondents reporting engagement in activities like collaborating with others, planning on where to get information, seeking out the opinions of those they disagree with, keeping an open mind, and verifying information. (See Appendix 1: Data Tables.)

These results could reflect genuine differences from 2018, in either actual activity or respondents’ sense of the importance of these activities. But demographic differences in age and gender could also be responsible. 

There is reason to believe, however, that demographic differences are not the main factor, since there is no evident correlation between gender and responses in either survey. Meanwhile, in our most recent survey older respondents reported doing these activities less frequently . Since this survey skewed older, it might have been anticipated that respondents would report doing these activities less. But the opposite is the case.

Findings From Teacher Survey

Teachers generally agree with general survey respondents about the importance of critical thinking. Ninety-four percent regard critical thinking as “extremely” or “very important.” 

Teachers, like general survey participants, also share concerns that young people aren’t acquiring the critical thinking skills they need. They worry, in particular, about the impact of technology on their students’ critical thinking skills. In response to a question about how their school’s administration can help them teach critical thinking education more effectively, some teachers said updated technology (along with new textbooks and other materials) would help, but others thought laptops, tablets, and smartphones were inhibiting students’ critical thinking development. 

This is an important point to clarify if we are to better integrate critical thinking into K-12 education. Research strongly suggests that critical thinking skills are best acquired in combination with basic facts in a particular subject area. The idea that critical thinking is a skill that can be effectively taught in isolation from basic facts is mistaken. 

Another common misconception reflected in the teacher survey involves critical thinking and achievement. Although a majority of teachers (52 percent) thought all students benefited from critical thinking instruction, a significant percentage (35) said it primarily benefited high-ability students. 

At Reboot, we believe that all students are capable of critical thinking and will benefit from critical thinking instruction. Critical thinking is, after all, just a refinement of everyday thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving. These are skills all students must have. The key is instilling in our young people both the habits and subject-area knowledge needed to facilitate the improvement and refinement of these skills.

Teachers need more support when it comes to critical thinking instruction. In the survey, educators repeatedly mentioned a lack of resources and updated professional development. In response to a question about how administrators could help teachers teach critical thinking more effectively, one teacher asked for “better tools and materials for teaching us how to teach these things.” 

Others wanted more training, asking directly for additional support in terms of resources and professional training. One educator put it bluntly: “Provide extra professional development to give resources and training on how to do this in multiple disciplines.” 

Media literacy is still not being taught as widely as it should be. Forty-four percent of teachers reported that media literacy courses are not offered at their schools, with just 31 percent reporting required media literacy courses. 

This is despite the fact that teachers, in their open responses, recognized the importance of media literacy, with some suggesting it should be a graduation requirement. Many organizations and some governments, notably   Finland’s , have recognized the media literacy deficit and taken action to address it, but the U.S. education system has been slow to act.

Thinking skills have been valuable in all places and at all times. But with the recent upheavals in communication, information, and media, particularly around the COVID-19 crisis, such skills are perhaps more important than ever. 

Part of the issue is that the production of information has been democratized—no longer vetted by gatekeepers but generated by anyone who has an internet connection and something to say. This has undoubtedly had positive effects, as events and voices come to light that might have previously not emerged. The recording of George Floyd’s killing is one such example. But, at the same time, finding and verifying good information has become much more difficult. 

Technological changes have also put financial pressures on so-called “legacy media” like newspapers and television stations, leading to sometimes precipitous drops in quality, less rigorous fact-checking (in the original sense of the term), and the blending of news reports and opinion pieces. The success of internet articles and videos is too often measured by clicks instead of quality. A stable business model for high-quality public interest journalism remains lacking. And, as biased information and propaganda fills gaps left by shrinking newsrooms, polarization worsens. (1)

Traditional and social media both play into our biases and needs for in-group approval. Online platforms have proven ideal venues for misinformation and manipulation. And distractions abound, damaging attention spans and the quality of debate.

Many hold this digital upheaval at least partially responsible for recent political upheavals around the world. Our media consumption habits increasingly reinforce biases and previously held beliefs, and expose us to only the worst and most inflammatory views from the other side. Demagogues and the simple, emotion-driven ideas they advance thrive in this environment of confusion, isolation, and sensationalism. 

It’s not only our public discourse that suffers. Some studies have suggested that digital media may be partially responsible for rising rates of depression and other mood disorders among the young. (2)

Coping with this fast-paced, distraction-filled world in a healthy and productive manner requires better thinking and better habits of mind, but the online world itself tends to encourage the opposite. This is not to suggest our collective thinking skills were pristine before the internet came along, only that the internet presents challenges to our thinking that we have not seen before and have not yet proven able to meet. 

There are some positive signs, with more attention and resources being devoted to neglected areas of education like civics and media literacy ; organizations trying to address internet-fueled polarization and extremism; and online tools being developed to counter fake news and flawed information. 

But we also need to support the development of more general reasoning skills and habits: in other words, “critical thinking.” 

Critical thinking has long been a staple of K-12 and college education, theoretically, at least, if not always in practice. But the concept can easily appear vague and merely rhetorical without definite ideas and practices attached to it. 

When, for example, is the best age to teach critical thinking? What activities are appropriate? Should basic knowledge be acquired at the same time as critical thinking skills, or separately? Some of these questions remain difficult to answer, but research and practice have gone far in addressing others.

Part of the goal of our survey was to compare general attitudes about critical thinking education—both in the teaching profession and the general public—to what the best and most recent research suggests. If there is to be progress in the development of critical thinking skills across society, it requires not just learning how best to teach critical thinking but diffusing that knowledge widely, especially to parents and educators. 

The surveys were distributed through Amazon’s MTurk Prime service. 

For the general survey, respondents answered a series of questions about critical thinking, followed by a section that asked respondents to estimate how often they do certain things, such as consult more than one source when searching for information. The questions in the “personal habit” section appeared in a randomized order to reduce question ordering effects. Demographic questions appeared at the end of the survey.

For the teacher survey, respondents were all part of a teacher panel created by MTurk Prime. They also answered a series of questions on critical thinking, especially focused on the role of critical thinking in their classrooms. After that, respondents answered a series of questions about how they teach—these questions were also randomized to reduce question ordering effects. Finally, we asked questions related to the role of media literacy in their classrooms.

To maintain consistency with the prior survey and to explore relationships across time, many of the questions remained the same from 2018. In some cases, following best practices in questionnaire design , we revamped questions to improve clarity and increase the validity and reliability of the responses.

For all surveys, only completed responses coming from IP addresses located in the U.S. were analyzed. 1152 respondents completed the general survey; 499 teachers completed the teacher survey.

The complete set of questions for each survey is available upon request

Detailed Findings and Discussion

As summarized above, the survey produced a number of noteworthy findings. One central theme that emerged was a general pessimism about the state of critical thinking and uncertainty about how to improve it. That is, despite the near-universal acknowledgment of the importance of critical thinking, respondents generally think society at large is doing a bad job of cultivating critical thinking skills. Respondents were, moreover, divided about what needs to be done.

Almost all the people surveyed (94 percent) believe that critical thinking is “extremely” or “very important.” But they generally (86 percent) find those skills lacking in the public at large. These numbers don’t come as a huge surprise—and they echo the 2018 results—but they do suggest broad public support for initiatives that advance critical thinking skills, both inside and outside of schools.

Respondents also reported deficits in their own critical thinking training and practices. They tended not to think critical thinking had been a point of emphasis in their own education, with a substantial majority of over 63 percent reporting that they had not studied critical thinking in school. Around 20 percent said their schools had provided no background in critical thinking at all, and another 20 percent said the background in critical thinking they gained from school was only slight.

There were significant differences among age groups in these self-reports. Around half of respondents in both the 0-19 and 20-39 age groups reported having studied critical thinking in school. Those numbers dwindled among older groups, bottoming out at 11 percent among 80 to 100-year-olds.

This result is likely in part due to the increased popularity of the phrase “critical thinking”: prior generations may have spent a substantial amount of time on reasoning skills without it coming under the same vocabulary. The young are also closer to school-age, of course, so may simply have sharper memories of critical thinking activities. But the differences in responses might also reflect genuine differences in education. 

In any case it’s clear that, even recently, many—if not most—students come out of school feeling as if they have not learned how to think critically, despite the fact that there is broad consensus on the importance of these skills. Only around 25 percent of respondents reported receiving an “extremely” or “very” strong background in critical thinking from their schools. 

There are a number of potential causes—technology, social norms, misguided educational priorities—but perhaps the most salient is that, as cognitive scientist Tim van Gelder puts it, “critical thinking is hard.” As van Gelder emphasizes, we don’t naturally think reasonably and rationally; instead we tend to rely on narrative, emotion, and intuition—what feels right. (3)   Teaching students to think critically requires much more guidance and practice, throughout the curriculum, than is currently being provided. 

There is broad support among the public and among teachers for critical thinking education, both at the K-12 and collegiate levels. 

Around 90 percent of respondents in the general public said that courses covering critical thinking should be required at the K-12 level, while 94 percent of teachers said critical thinking is important.

And schools usually echo this sentiment as well, citing the phrase “critical thinking” frequently in curricula and other materials. But it remains unclear if, in practice, critical thinking is really the priority it’s made out to be rhetorically.

One problem is a tendency to think critical thinking and reasoning are too complex for younger students to tackle. But research has shown that children start reasoning logically at a very young age. (4)   Critical thinking through activities like open-ended dialogue, weighing opposing perspectives, and backing up opinions with reasoning can have a positive effect even at the K-5 level. For example, philosophy for kids courses have shown some  positive effects on students’ reading and math skills (gains were even more substantial for disadvantaged students). (5)

Our survey respondents generally agreed that critical thinking skills should be taught from an early age. Forty-three percent favored beginning critical thinking instruction during early childhood (another 27 percent favored beginning at ages 6-12). This was more than a twofold increase over the results from 2018’s survey, in which just 20 percent thought it was best to begin instruction in critical thinking before the age of 6. This increase is encouraging since it’s consistent with recent research that understands critical thinking as part of general cognitive development that starts even before children enter school. (6)

Many teachers likewise support critical thinking instruction beginning at a young age. In the open response, for example, one wrote, “Critical thinking should be explicitly taught in earlier grades than late middle school and high school.” 

Another wrote: “By the time students get to high school they should have this skill [critical thinking] well tuned. The pressure to meet standards earlier and earlier makes it harder to teach basic skills like critical thinking.” 

Many teachers (55 percent) also thought the emphasis on standardized testing has made it more difficult to incorporate critical thinking instruction in the classroom. For example, one wrote, “Standardized testing has created an environment of quantitative results that don’t always represent qualitative gains.” 

Moreover, a plurality of teachers (25 percent) believe that state standardized tests do not assess critical thinking skills well at all, while just 13 percent believe they assess critical thinking skills extremely well. Teachers generally (52 percent) believe that their own tests do a better job of measuring critical thinking skills.

The survey also found some worrisome trends—as well as some promising signs—in how people evaluated their own critical thinking skills and daily practices. In particular, individuals don’t do enough to engage people with whom they disagree. 

Given the deficits in critical thinking acquisition during school, it might be hoped that respondents’ critical thinking skills continued to improve after they’ve left school. But only about 55 percent reported that their critical thinking skills had improved since high school, with almost a quarter reporting that their skills had actually deteriorated since then. 

This is especially alarming because thinking critically, unlike say learning about calculus or the Russian Revolution, is generally thought to be a lifelong endeavour. We are supposed to become better with age and experience. Research into adult education suggests that it’s never too late to make gains in critical thinking.  (7)

Questions about respondents’ critical thinking habits brought out more detailed information. Some of these responses were encouraging. People reported using more than one source of information when making a decision at a high rate (around 77 percent said they did this “always” or “often”), giving reason for their opinions (85 percent), supporting their decisions with information (84 percent), and listening to the ideas of those they disagree with (81 percent). Participants generally reported engaging in more critical thinking activities this time than in our initial survey. (See “Comparing Survey Results” above.)

It’s difficult to totally identify the drivers of these figures. After all, all humans are prone to overestimating the amount and quality of reasoning we do when we come to decisions, solve problems, or research information. But, at the very least, these numbers indicate that people acknowledge that these various critical thinking habits are admirable goals to shoot for. 

At the same time and unsurprisingly, these results suggest a reluctance to engage in the more demanding aspects of critical thinking: difficult or unpleasant tasks like seriously considering the possibility that our opponents might be right or thinking carefully about how to approach information-gathering before we engage in it.

Weaknesses in these areas of critical thinking can be especially easily exploited by emotionalized, oversimplified, and sensationalistic news and rhetoric. If people jump in to information-gathering without even a rough plan or method in mind they’re more likely to get swept up by clickbait or worse. 

The current media environment requires a mindful and deliberate approach if it is to be navigated successfully. And one’s own opinions will remain under-nuanced, reactive, and prone to groupthink if they’re influenced by the extreme opinions and caricatures that are often found online and on television instead of by engagement with well-reasoned and well-intentioned perspectives.

Poor media consumption habits can have a distorting effect on our political perceptions, especially. Recent research, for example, has identified wildly inaccurate stereotypes among the general public about the composition of political parties. One study found that “people think that 32% of Democrats are LGBT (versus 6% in reality) and 38% of Republicans earn over $250,000 per year (vs. 2% in reality).” (8) The study also suggested, alarmingly, that “those who pay the most attention to political media may […] also [be] the likeliest to possess the most misinformation about party composition.” (9)

The public is worried about the impact of technology on the acquisition of critical thinking skills. They also blamed deficits in critical thinking on changing societal norms and the education system.

Modern technology was the most cited reason for a lack of critical thinking skills among the general public, with “changing societal norms” coming in a close second. Over 200 respondents also cited the educational system (see chart below).

A number of the teachers also mentioned potential drawbacks of technology in the classroom environment. For example, in the open response portion of the survey, which allowed teachers to voice general concerns, one teacher wrote: “Get rid of the laptops and tablets and bring back pencil and paper because the students aren’t learning anything using technology.” Another said: “Personal Electronic devices need to be banned in schools.”

In our own work at the Reboot Foundation, the research team found evidence of negative correlations between technology use at schools and achievement. For example, an analysis of data from the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) showed that fourth graders using tablets “in all or almost all” classes performed significantly worse (the equivalent of a full grade level) than their peers who didn’t use them. 

Another recent study the foundation supported also suggested students benefited from using pencil and paper as opposed to technology to do math homework. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development found similar results a few years ago in their international study of 15-year-olds and computer usage. (10)

There is a great deal the field still doesn’t know about the effects of different kinds of technology on different kinds of learning. But a growing stock of research suggests that schools should be cautious about introducing technology into classrooms and the lives of students in general, especially young students. (11)

It would also be a mistake to slip into simple Luddism though. Technology, obviously, provides benefits as well—making education more accessible, reducing costs, helping teachers to fine-tune instruction to student needs, to name a few. During the coronavirus crisis, moreover, educators have had no choice but to rely and hopefully help improve these tools.

Still, too often in the past schools have turn ed to technology without properly weighing the costs against the benefits, and without determining whether technology is truly needed or effective. A recent RAND Corporation paper, for example, discussed programs “seeking to implement personalized learning” but without “clearly defined evidence-based models to adopt.” (12)

The Reboot survey suggests that members of the public as well as teachers generally share these concerns, both about educational technology specifically and about the general impact of technology on student learning.

While teachers support critical thinking instruction, they are divided about how to teach it, and some educators have beliefs about critical thinking instruction that conflict with established research.

One central question in the research about how to best instill critical thinking skills in students is whether critical thinking should be taught in conjunction with basic facts and knowledge or separated from it. 

Teachers were split on this question, with 41 percent thinking students should engage in critical thinking practice while learning basic facts, while 42 percent thought students should learn basic facts first then engage in critical thinking practice. A further 16 percent believe that basic facts and critical thinking should be taught separately. (However, only about 13 percent of teachers surveyed say that content knowledge either doesn’t matter at all or only matters slightly for critical thinking skills.)

The view that knowledge and critical thinking skills can and should be taught separately is mistaken. There is a common view that since information is so widely accessible today, learning basic facts is no longer important. According to this view, it’s only cognitive skills that matter. But the two cannot be so neatly divorced as is often assumed. (13)

Research in cognitive science strongly suggests that critical thinking is not the type of skill that can be divorced from content and applied generically to all kinds of different contexts. As cognitive scientist Daniel T. Willingham argues, “The ability to think critically […] depends on domain knowledge and practice.” (14)

This means students need to practice critical thinking in many different kinds of contexts throughout the curriculum as they acquire the background knowledge needed to reason in a given context. There are of course general skills and habits that can be extrapolated from these various kinds of practice, but it is very unlikely that critical thinking can be taught as a skill divorced from content. “It […] makes no sense,” Willingham writes, “to try to teach critical thinking devoid of factual content.”

This doesn’t necessarily mean standalone critical thinking courses should be rejected. Students can still gain a lot from learning about formal logic, for example, and from learning about metacognition and the best research practices. But these standalone courses or programs should include acquisition of basic factual knowledge as well, and the skills and habits learned in them must be applied and reinforced in other courses and contexts.

Students, moreover, should be reminded that being “critical” is an empty slogan unless they have the requisite factual knowledge to make a cogent argument in a given domain. They need background knowledge to be able to seek out evidence from relevant sources, to develop reliable and nuanced interpretations of information, and to back the arguments they want to make with evidence.

Reboot also asked teachers about which students they thought benefited from critical thinking instruction. A majority (52 percent) thought it benefits all students, but 35 percent said (with the remaining 13 percent thinking it primarily benefits lower-ability students). 

The view that critical thinking instruction is only effective for higher achieving students is another common misconception. Everyone is capable of critical thinking, and even, to a certain extent, engages in critical thinking on their own. The key is for students to develop metacognitive habits and subject-area knowledge so that they can apply critical thought in the right contexts and in the right way. Educators should not assume that lower-achieving students will not benefit from critical thinking instruction. 

Teachers need more support when it comes to critical thinking instruction, though at least some teacher training and professional development programs do seem to help.

In the survey, educators repeatedly mentioned a lack of resources and updated professional development. In response to a question about how administrators could help teachers teach critical thinking more effectively, one teacher asked for “better tools and materials for teaching us how to teach these things.” 

Another said, “Provide opportunities for teachers to collaborate and cross train across subject areas, as well as providing professional development that is not dry or outdated.” Another characteristic comment: “Provide extra professional development to give resources and training on how to do this in multiple disciplines.”

Overall teachers were relatively satisfied that teacher training and professional development programs were helping them teach critical thinking. Forty-six percent said that their teacher training helped them a lot or a great deal, while 50 percent said professional development programs help them a lot or a great deal.

But other teachers reported burdensome administrative tasks and guidelines were getting in the way of teacher autonomy and critical thinking instruction. For example, one teacher wrote, “Earlier in my career I had much more freedom to incorporate instruction of critical thinking into my lessons.”

Media literacy is still not being taught as widely as it should be. 

In our survey, teachers rightly recognized that media literacy is closely bound up with critical thinking. One said, “I believe that media literacy goes hand in hand with critical thinking skills and should be a requirement […] especially due to the increase in use of technology among our youth.” Another offered that “media literacy should be a graduation requirement like economics or government.”

But schools, at least judging by teachers’ responses in the survey, have been slow in prioritizing media literacy. More than 44 percent reported that media literacy courses are not offered at their schools, and just around 30 percent reported that media literacy courses are required. That said, the majority of teachers did report teaching typical media literacy skills occasionally in their classes. 

For example, over 60 percent said that, in at least one class, they “teach students how to distinguish legitimate from illegitimate sources,” and over two-thirds said they “teach students how to find reliable sources.” (15)

Despite the assumption sometimes made that young people (“digital natives”) must be adept navigators of the internet, recent studies have found that students have trouble evaluating the information they consume online. They have problems recognizing bias and misinformation, distinguishing between advertising and legitimate journalism, and verifying information using credible sources. 

Our age is one in which unreliable information proliferates; nefarious interests use the internet to influence public opinion; and social media encourages groupthink, emotional thinking, and pile-on. New skills and training are required to navigate this environment. Our schools must adapt. 

This means generating and implementing specific interventions that help students learn to identify markers of misinformation and develop healthy information-gathering habits. The Reboot Foundation’s own research suggests that even quick and immediate interventions can have a positive impact. But it also means instilling students with life-long critical thinking habits and skills which they’ll be able to apply to an ever-changing media landscape. 

Despite its importance, which is widely acknowledged by the general public, critical thinking remains a somewhat vague and poorly understood concept. Most people realize that it is of vital importance to individual success and educational attainment, as well as to civic life in a liberal democracy. And most seem to realize that 21st-century challenges and changes make acquiring critical thinking skills of even more urgent importance. But when it comes to instilling them in children and developing them in adults, we are, in many ways, still at square one. 

Over the course of the last few decades, K-12 educators have been urged to teach critical thinking, but they have been given conflicting and inconsistent advice on how to do it. There remains a lack of proven resources for them to rely on, a lack of administrative support—and sometimes even a lack of a clear sense of what exactly critical thinking is. Perhaps most importantly, teachers lack the time and freedom within the curriculum to teach these skills.

But there have been a number of insights from cognitive science and other disciplines that suggest a way forward. Perhaps the most important is that critical thinking cannot be understood as a skill on par with learning a musical instrument or a foreign language. It is more complicated than those kinds of skills, involving cognitive development in a number of different areas and integrated with general knowledge learned in other subject areas. Critical thinking courses and interventions that ignore this basic fact may produce some gains, but they will not give students the tools to develop their thinking more broadly and apply critical thought to the world outside of school.

College and continuing education deserve attention too. It should be considered a red flag that only 55 percent of respondents didn’t think they’d made any strides in critical thinking skills since high school. Colleges have long been moving away from a traditional liberal arts curriculum . The critical thinking skills acquired across those disciplines have likely suffered as a result. 

In recent years, we’ve seen smart people who should know better time and again exhibit poor judgment online. It is important to remind each other of the importance of stepping back, managing emotions, engaging with others charitably, and seriously considering the possibility that we are wrong. This is especially important when we are searching for information online, an environment that can easily discourage these intellectual virtues. Ramping up media literacy—for both adults and young people—will be a vital part of the solution.

But, ultimately, critical thinking, which touches on so many different aspects of personal and civic life, must be fostered in a multitude of different ways and different domains. A secure, prosperous, and civil future may, quite literally, depend on it.

Appendix 1: Data Tables

When I have a task to do, I collaborate with other people to get ideas.

I plan where to get information on a topic.

[table id=72 /]

I listen to the ideas of others even if I disagree with them.

[table id=73 /]

I keep an open mind to different ideas when making a decision.

[table id=74/]

I make sure the information I use is correct.

[table id=75 /]

I seek out people who tend to have different opinions than me to engage in discussion or debate

[table id=76 /]

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(1)* W  Gandour, R. (2016) A new information environment: How digital fragmentation is shaping the way we produce and consume news. Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas. https://knightcenter.utexas.edu/books/NewInfoEnvironmentEnglishLink.pdf (2)* Twenge, J. M., Cooper, A. B., Joiner, T. E., Duffy, M. E., & Binau, S. G. (2019). Age, period, and cohort trends in mood disorder indicators and suicide-related outcomes in a nationally representative dataset, 2005–2017. Journal of Abnormal Psychology .

(3)*  Gelder, T. V. (2005). Teaching critical thinking: Some lessons from cognitive science. College Teaching , 53 (1), 41-48.

(4)*  Gelman, S. A., & Markman, E. M. (1986). Categories and induction in young children. Cognition, 23 , 183-209.

(5)*  Gorard, S., Siddiqui, N., & See, B. H. (2015). Philosophy for Children: Evaluation report and executive summary. Education Endowment Foundation. https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/public/files/ Projects/Evaluation_Reports/EEF_Project_Report_PhilosophyForChildren.pdf

(6)*  Kuhn, D. (1999). A developmental model of critical thinking. Educational researcher , 28 (2), 16-46.

(7)*  Dwyer, C. P., & Walsh, A. (2019). An exploratory quantitative case study of critical thinking development through adult distance learning. Educational Technology Research and Development, 1-19.

(8)*  Ahler, D. J., & Sood, G. (2018). The parties in our heads: Misperceptions about party composition and their consequences. The Journal of Politics, 80 (3), 964-981. 964.

(9)*  Ibid., 965.

(10)*  Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. (2015). Students, computers and learning: Making the connection . https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264239555-en

(11)*  Madigan, S., Browne, D., Racine, N., Mori, C., & Tough, S. (2019). Association between screen time and children’s performance on a developmental screening test. JAMA pediatrics, 173(3), 244-250.

(12)*  Pane, J. F. (2018). Strategies for implementing personalized learning while evidence and resources are underdeveloped. RAND Corporation. https://www.rand.org/pubs/perspectives/PE314.html

(13)*  Wexler, N. (2019). The knowledge gap: The hidden cause of America’s broken education system–and how to fix it. Avery.

(14)*  Willingham, D. T. (2007). Critical thinking: Why is it so hard to teach? American Federation of Teachers (Summer 2007) 8-19.

(15)*  Wineburg, S., McGrew, S., Breakstone, J., & Ortega, T. (2016). Evaluating information: The cornerstone of civic online reasoning. Stanford Digital Repository, 8, 2018.

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5 Ways to Develop Critical Thinking Skills in Your Students

More than ever, schools are focusing their curricula on fostering critical thinking skills. The movement to the Common Core and other college-and-career ready standards requires students to develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills . They can no longer rely on memorization; instead, they need to implement higher-order thinking and explain the strategies used to solve a problem.

As students progress through their education and into adulthood, the role of critical thinking reaches its height. Now, independent members of society, they will face the challenges of daily life and an unending supply of information. It’s imperative they are able to analyze information and form their own opinions and perspectives. Helping to develop these skills early on is key to later success.

Students with strong critical thinking skills tend to have these characteristics:

• They are deliberate decision makers.
• They are curious and inquisitive.
• They are creative and think outside the box.
• They are open-minded to other opinions and views.
• They are organized and focused.

Here are five ways you can develop critical thinking skills in your students.

• 1. Answer Questions with a Question

The #1 rule in improv comedy is to always respond with “yes, and…” Consider the same strategy for your students. Instead of giving them an answer to their question and ending the conversation, lead them to the answer. “What ideas do you have?” “What would you do next?” “Why do you think that will work?” Give them the confidence to solve their own problems.

• 2. Creativity

Your class is making pumpkins to celebrate the fall season. So, you provide orange circles and black triangles, right? How about letting kids think outside the box. Maybe their pumpkin is green or blue. Maybe instead of a face, they create something spooky. Letting their minds run free is another way you can help them become critical thinkers.

• 3. The Problem of the Day

Start each morning with a “problem” and ask your students to spend time throughout the day thinking about solutions. As a class, brainstorm ways to solve the problem. Hearing their classmates’ ideas will give children opportunities to view different perspectives, work through their own thought processes, and understand that there is more than one way to solve a problem.

• 4. Compare and Contrast/Pros and Cons

Give your students a chance to see both sides of the story (no pun intended). Compare and contrast the main characters of a story, talk about similarities and differences between works of art, or list the pros and cons of visiting a new geographic location. Making lists like these sharpen students’ critical thinking skills.

5. Brainstorming

Get their minds churning by taking time to brainstorm each and every day . During language arts, have students look at the cover of a book and brainstorm what the story will be about. Is the main character facing a dilemma? Brainstorm what choices he/she might make. During a science lesson, brainstorm which objects will float and which objects will sink when placed in water. In math, brainstorm items you can measure in ounces, pounds, or tons.

Our various Reading for Comprehension series focus on the fundamental principles necessary to develop critical thinking skills in your students.

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5 Essential Critical Thinking Skills Every Parent Should Teach Their Kids

Are you looking to equip your children with essential critical thinking skills for success in life? As parents, it is vital to foster their intellectual growth by teaching them key skills. Encourage them to ask questions, analyze information objectively, and evaluate different perspectives.

Teach them to think critically, problem-solve creatively, and make informed decisions. These skills will empower them to navigate a complex world, fostering independence, adaptability, and lifelong learning.

Table of contents

Introduction, 1. problem identification and definition, 2. analysis and evaluation, 3. creative thinking and innovation, 4. decision making and problem solving, 5. communication and collaboration, frequently asked questions.

In today’s world, critical thinking skills have become increasingly important. They enable individuals to navigate a rapidly changing and complex environment, making informed decisions and solving problems effectively. For children, developing critical thinking skills provides numerous benefits.

In academics, critical thinking enhances their ability to analyze information, evaluate arguments, and think independently, leading to improved academic performance. In problem-solving, critical thinking promotes creative and logical reasoning, enabling children to find innovative solutions.

Additionally, critical thinking empowers children to make informed decisions by considering multiple perspectives, weighing evidence, and understanding consequences. Ultimately, these skills equip children with the tools they need for success in various aspects of life.

Critical thinking skills for kids are essential in developing their ability to analyze information, solve problems, and make informed decisions. Encouraging children to ask questions, consider different perspectives, and evaluate evidence helps them become independent thinkers and prepares them to face challenges with confidence and creativity as they grow and learn.

Critical thinking is the ability to objectively analyze information, evaluate arguments, and make reasoned judgments. It is a vital skill in today’s world as it helps individuals navigate the complexities of life and make informed decisions. To teach kids how to identify and define problems effectively, parents can engage in the following practical tips and activities:

1. Encourage questioning : Encourage your child to ask questions about the world around them. Teach them to inquire about why things work the way they do and what problems exist that need solving.

2. Define the problem : Teach your child to clearly define the problem they are facing. Help them break it down into smaller, manageable parts. This promotes critical thinking by focusing on the core issue.

3. Brainstorming sessions : Engage in brainstorming activities with your child. Encourage them to think of as many potential solutions as possible, without judgment. This fosters creative and divergent thinking.

4. Analyze cause and effect : Help your child identify the root causes of a problem and the potential effects of different solutions. This trains them to think critically about the consequences of their decisions.

Also, Conflict resolution skills for kids include the ability to analyze cause and effect, which enables them to identify the root of conflicts and their consequences. By understanding the reasons behind disagreements and how actions impact others, children can develop empathy and find constructive ways to resolve conflicts, fostering harmonious relationships and effective communication with their peers.

5. Role-playing scenarios : Create real-life scenarios where your child encounters problems and challenges. Encourage them to think critically about the situation, consider different perspectives, and devise solutions.

RoboCHAMPS programs encourage critical thinking by engaging children in hands-on activities that foster problem-solving skills through the exciting world of robotics and coding.

Real-life examples showcasing the application of critical thinking skills include:

1. Current events analysis : Discuss news articles or current events with your child, encouraging them to think critically about the information presented, identify biases, and evaluate different viewpoints.

2. Science experiments : Engage your child in hands-on experiments where they need to observe, analyze data, and draw conclusions. This nurtures their critical thinking abilities.

3. Decision-making & Problem-solving scenarios : Present your child with hypothetical situations that require them to make decisions. Encourage them to weigh different options, consider potential outcomes, and make informed choices. Encourage your child to tackle puzzles, riddles, or logical problems. Teaching kids about emotions and decision-making is vital for their emotional intelligence and personal development. By helping them identify and understand their feelings, children can learn to manage emotions in a healthy way.

By incorporating these practical tips and real-life examples into your parenting approach, you can help your child develop and apply critical thinking skills effectively, empowering them to thrive academically and in problem-solving and decision-making situations.

Critical thinking is a cognitive skill that involves analyzing and evaluating information, arguments, and evidence in a logical and objective manner. It helps individuals make well-informed decisions, solve problems effectively, and understand complex concepts. To help children develop the ability to analyze and evaluate information, arguments, and evidence, parents can employ the following strategies:

1. Teach information literacy : Help your child distinguish between reliable and unreliable sources of information. Teach them how to fact-check and verify information using credible sources.

2. Ask probing questions : Encourage your child to ask questions about the information they encounter. Teach them to question the source, motives, biases, and logical consistency of the information.

3. Teach logical reasoning & Discuss different perspectives : Introduce your child to basic principles of logic, such as identifying logical fallacies and understanding deductive and inductive reasoning. This equips them to assess the strength of arguments. Encourage your child to consider multiple viewpoints on a topic.

Engaging exercises and scenarios to practice critical analysis and evaluation include:

1. Debate or discussion activities : Organize debates or discussions where your child can analyze different perspectives, present evidence, and evaluate arguments.

2. Case studies : Present your child with real or fictional case studies where they must analyze the given information, consider different factors, and make reasoned judgments or recommendations.

3. Critical reading : Select age-appropriate books, articles, or essays that challenge your child’s thinking. Encourage them to critically analyze the content, identify main arguments, and evaluate evidence presented.

By implementing these strategies and engaging in exercises that promote critical analysis and evaluation, parents can help their children develop and refine their critical thinking skills, enabling them to become discerning and analytical thinkers.

CodeCHAMPS empowers young learners to develop essential critical thinking skills through its interactive coding courses, enabling them to creatively tackle challenges in the digital realm.

Importance of creativity in critical thinking:

1. Out-of-the-box problem-solving : Creativity adds a valuable dimension to critical thinking by encouraging individuals to explore unconventional approaches and alternative solutions. It allows children to think beyond traditional boundaries, facilitating innovative problem-solving and encouraging them to explore diverse perspectives.

2. Adaptability and flexibility : In a rapidly changing world, creative thinking enables children to adapt to new challenges and situations. It encourages them to embrace ambiguity, think flexibly, and generate unique ideas. By nurturing creativity alongside critical thinking, children develop the ability to adapt, innovate, and find creative solutions to complex problems.

3. Expression and communication : Creativity enhances children’s ability to express their thoughts and ideas in imaginative and engaging ways. It empowers them to communicate their critical thinking effectively, whether through art, writing, storytelling, or other creative outlets. This combination of critical thinking and creativity allows children to share their insights and perspectives more compellingly.

Techniques and exercises to foster creative thinking in children:

1. Brainstorming : Encourage children to engage in brainstorming sessions where they generate as many ideas as possible, without judgment. Create a safe and supportive environment where they feel free to express their thoughts and explore unconventional solutions.

Also, Stress management for kids can be facilitated through brainstorming activities. Encouraging children to engage in creative problem-solving and express their feelings and concerns during brainstorming sessions helps them develop coping strategies, reduce anxiety, and build resilience in the face of stressors, ultimately promoting their emotional well-being and overall mental health.

2. Divergent thinking activities : Engage children in activities that encourage them to think divergently, such as open-ended questions, riddles, or puzzles with multiple possible answers. This encourages them to explore different possibilities and consider various perspectives.

3. Creative exploration : Provide children with opportunities for creative exploration, such as arts and crafts, imaginative play, or storytelling. Encourage them to think creatively, experiment, and express their ideas through different mediums. This helps foster their creative thinking skills while allowing them to develop their unique voices.

Creative thinking often enables individuals to solve problems in unconventional ways. For instance, in the field of medicine, creative thinking has led to the development of new surgical techniques, medical devices, and treatments that revolutionize healthcare and improve patient outcomes.

By nurturing creative thinking in children, parents can unlock their full potential for imaginative problem-solving and encourage them to explore new possibilities.

Effective decision-making and problem-solving are essential skills that empower individuals to make informed choices and overcome challenges. Here’s a step-by-step guide for parents to teach kids these approaches:

1. Identify the problem : Help your child clearly define the problem they are facing. Encourage them to understand the root cause and break it down into smaller, manageable parts.

2. Gather information : Teach your child to collect relevant information about the problem. This may involve researching, interviewing, or observing.

3. Generate alternatives : Encourage your child to brainstorm multiple possible solutions or approaches. Encourage creative thinking and explore various options without judgment.

4. Evaluate options : Help your child analyze and evaluate each alternative. Discuss the pros and cons, potential consequences, and feasibility of each option.

5. Make a decision : Guide your child in making a final decision. Encourage them to select the option that aligns with their goals, values, and the information they have gathered. Emphasize the importance of being confident in their choice. Positive thinking for kids empowers them to approach decision-making with confidence and optimism. Encouraging a positive mindset helps children believe in their abilities, embrace challenges, and make decisions that align with their values and goals, leading to a more fulfilling and successful path in life.

6. Implement the decision & Reflect and learn : Assist your child in developing an action plan to implement their decision. Help them consider any necessary resources, timelines, or steps to take. After the decision has been implemented, engage in a reflection process with your child.

Explore more about computer coding for kids

Practical scenarios for children to apply decision-making strategies:

1. Role-playing situations : Create scenarios where your child must make decisions, such as a fictional business venture or a community project. Allow them to navigate through challenges and make choices while considering various factors.

2. Everyday choices : Encourage your child to practice decision-making in their daily lives, such as choosing extracurricular activities, planning their schedule, or deciding what to eat for lunch. Discuss the decision-making process with them and ask for their reasoning.

3. Ethical dilemmas : Present your child with ethical dilemmas and discuss the different perspectives and potential consequences of each choice. This encourages them to think critically about moral considerations and make principled decisions.

These skills will enable children to approach problems and choices in a thoughtful and strategic manner, leading to better outcomes and fostering their independence and problem-solving abilities.

Children’s language development is a fascinating and complex process that begins from birth and continues throughout childhood. During this period, children learn to understand and use language, gradually progressing from simple sounds and gestures to forming words, sentences, and eventually engaging in conversations. Effective communication and collaboration play crucial roles in enhancing critical thinking skills. They enable individuals to articulate their thoughts, listen actively, exchange ideas, and work collaboratively to solve problems. Here are some tips for parents:

1. Develop communication skills:

   – Encourage open dialogue : Create a supportive environment where your child feels comfortable expressing their thoughts and opinions without fear of judgment.

   – Teach effective expression : Help your child develop clarity in their communication by encouraging them to articulate their ideas, use appropriate language, and organize their thoughts.

   – Promote non-verbal communication : Teach your child the importance of non-verbal cues, such as maintaining eye contact, using appropriate body language, and active engagement in conversations.

2. Foster active listening:

   – Model active listening : Set an example by actively listening to your child and showing genuine interest in their ideas. Reflect back their thoughts to show that you are engaged.

   – Practice paraphrasing : Teach your child to paraphrase or summarize what others have said to ensure understanding and demonstrate active listening.

   – Encourage asking questions : Promote asking thoughtful questions to gather more information and show a genuine desire to understand others’ perspectives.

Mindfulness exercises for kids , such as focused listening, can promote a sense of calm and self-awareness. Engaging children in activities where they actively listen to sounds in their environment, like bird songs or flowing water, helps them develop attention and concentration skills while cultivating mindfulness, which can benefit their emotional well-being and overall mental focus.

3. Encourage teamwork:

   – Collaborative projects : Engage your child in collaborative projects or group activities that require teamwork. This can include building puzzles, creating art together, or working on science experiments as a team.

   – Role-playing exercises : Organize role-playing scenarios where your child must work in a team to solve problems or make decisions. This allows them to understand the dynamics of teamwork and the importance of effective communication.

   – Foster empathy and respect : Teach your child to appreciate diverse perspectives, value others’ contributions, and practice empathy. This creates a positive and inclusive atmosphere for effective collaboration.

Activities that encourage collaborative problem-solving and communication:

1. Group discussions : Initiate group discussions where children can exchange ideas and opinions on specific topics. Encourage them to actively listen, respect others’ viewpoints, and build on each other’s ideas.

2. Collaborative storytelling : Encourage children to work together to create a story, with each child contributing a part. This activity fosters communication, creativity, and teamwork as they listen to each other’s ideas and build a coherent narrative.

3. Team-building games : Engage children in team-building activities or games, such as building structures with blocks or solving puzzles collectively. These activities promote collaboration, effective communication, and problem-solving skills.

By focusing on developing communication skills, active listening, and teamwork, parents can nurture their children’s ability to effectively express themselves, understand others, and work collaboratively. Child development and communication skills are closely intertwined, as effective communication plays a crucial role in a child’s overall growth and well-being. As children develop their language and social skills, they learn to express their thoughts, emotions, and needs more clearly, which enhances their ability to build relationships, problem-solve, and succeed in various aspects of life.

In conclusion, effective communication, active listening, and collaboration are essential components of developing critical thinking skills in children. By fostering these skills, parents can empower their children to think critically, solve problems, and make informed decisions.

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Teaching children how to express their thoughts clearly, actively listen to others, and work collaboratively allows them to exchange ideas, consider diverse perspectives, and find innovative solutions collectively. Through various activities and practical tips, parents can provide opportunities for their children to practice and strengthen these skills.

By nurturing effective communication and collaboration, parents pave the way for their children to become independent thinkers and problem solvers, equipped to navigate the complexities of the world.

Exploring the diverse educational offerings on BrightChamps opens up exciting opportunities for children to learn and thrive in a supportive and dynamic online environment.

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Critical thinking skills are important for children’s development as they enhance problem-solving abilities, foster independent thinking, and promote informed decision-making.

Parents can foster critical thinking skills in children from an early age by encouraging curiosity, asking open-ended questions, and providing opportunities for exploration and problem-solving.

Practical activities to enhance critical thinking in kids include puzzles, debates, experiments, and analyzing real-life situations to encourage analysis, evaluation, and logical reasoning.

Critical thinking skills benefit children academically by improving comprehension, analytical skills, and problem-solving abilities. They also help in making sound decisions and navigating challenges in daily life.

The five essential critical thinking skills for parents to teach their kids include analysis, evaluation, logical reasoning, problem-solving, and information literacy.

Parents can incorporate critical thinking skills into everyday conversations by encouraging thoughtful questioning, discussing multiple perspectives, and fostering open-mindedness during discussions and problem-solving situations.

Common challenges in teaching critical thinking skills include resistance to questioning, limited exposure to diverse perspectives, and difficulty in evaluating information. Overcoming these challenges requires patience, modeling, and providing varied learning experiences.

Parents can nurture creativity alongside critical thinking by encouraging imaginative play, promoting arts and crafts, and providing opportunities for self-expression and divergent thinking.

Parents can assess their children’s critical thinking skills through observation, analyzing problem-solving approaches, evaluating decision-making processes, and reviewing their ability to analyze and evaluate information.

Recommended resources for parents interested in cultivating critical thinking skills in children include books like “Mind in the Making” by Ellen Galinsky and “Thinking, Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman, as well as online platforms that offer critical thinking activities and resources for children.

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5 Critical Skills Every Leader in Public Service Should Have

Leading is challenging in any environment. Leading in the public sector can be even more so. And when a public service leader holds multiple roles, that environment can become increasingly complicated.

The work of a public servant is never done. But it does need to be done well.

Great work and great leadership often go hand-in-hand. So when it comes to success, good leaders tend to share these five key qualities across the board that make them both competent managers and effective public servants. Which begs the question, do you demonstrate any of these qualities in your everyday work?

1. Good leaders motivate and encourage others.

Public employees are often faced with increased workloads and added stress as a result of declining resources. Government leaders are then tasked with the challenge of motivating and encouraging their staff in this bleak environment. But good leaders can shift employees’ attitudes for the better without promising compensation-driven incentives or leveraging fear. Instead, good leaders create supportive atmospheres and encourage initiative. They invest in their people and foster skill development. And when employees are satisfied in a healthy environment, great results will follow.

2. Good leaders communicate clearly and listen attentively. 

Good leaders must be able to communicate a vision and interact productively with a diverse and ever-changing workforce and citizenry in a way that inspires action. And one of the most powerful ways to inspire action, and conversely, one of the hardest, is to listen. When good leaders listen to the needs and challenges of their communities sincerely, they can respond effectively and bring about the greatest change.  

3. Good leaders are trustworthy.

Trustworthiness is built upon integrity and character. People trust and follow leaders when those leaders exude the types of behaviors they value themselves. Building trust can take time and is no easy task, but it is a valuable effort to make, if sincere. When people trust leaders and value their integrity, they tend to be more open to new ideas and exude a willingness to try.

4. Good leaders think critically. 

Good public governance requires good leaders who are effective decision makers in the policy process. Solving significant issues and affecting the greatest change requires careful consideration and analysis of the evidence before formulating a decision. So having strong analytical, problem solving and critical thinking skills is essential to the job.  

5. Good leaders are resilient.

In the world of public policy and governance, the only constant is change. Budgets get cut. Resources shrink. People come and go. But leaders must be able to respond accordingly and continue to produce results amidst an ever-evolving landscape. Good leaders assume these challenges and develop alternative solutions. They remain positive during difficult times. And most importantly, they encourage confidence in their employees so, they too, will remain effective at the most crucial times.

Are you prepared to lead? Discover how you can enhance your leadership skills and grow as a leader with an online master's degree in Public Service Leadership . 

Written by Thomas Edison State University

Subscribe to the Thomas Edison State University Blog and get the latest updates delivered straight to your inbox.

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5.19: Assignment- Critical Thinking Skills

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Assignment Option 1

Option 1 objective.

• Assess your basic understanding of the skills involved in critical thinking.

Option Directions

• Visit the Quia Critical Thinking Quiz page and click on Start Now (you don’t need to enter your name). Select the best answer for each question, and then click on Submit Answers. A score of 70 percent or better on this quiz is considering passing.
• Based on the content of the questions, do you feel you use good critical thinking strategies in college? In what ways might you improve as a critical thinker? Write a paragraph summarizing and analyzing your results.

Assignment Option 2

Option 2 objective.

• Apply critical thinking strategies to your life

Option 2 Directions

• Think about someone you consider to be a critical thinker (friend, professor, historical figure, etc). What qualities does he/she have?
• Review some of the critical thinking strategies discussed on this page. Pick one strategy that makes sense to you. How can you apply this critical thinking technique to your academic work?
• Habits of mind are attitudes and beliefs that influence how you approach the world (i.e., inquiring attitude, open mind, respect for truth, etc). What is one habit of mind you would like to actively develop over the next year? How will you develop a daily practice to cultivate this habit?
• Write your responses in journal form.
• College Success. Authored by : Linda Bruce. Provided by : Lumen Learning. License : CC BY: Attribution