Creating a Culture of Critical Thinking
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This resource supports educators in creating a culture in their classroom that intentionally fosters learners’ development of critical thinking. Examples of practices, strategies, and pedagogical approaches are included that allow this competency to flourish in a classroom.
- Model and engage learners using a variety of text types to interpret ideas and information, while considering viewpoints/perspective, assumptions, bias, reliability, validity, relevance, etc.
- Establish a classroom culture where multiple perspectives are valued, discourse is invited, dialogue is encouraged, and reasoned judgments are the end goal.
- Encourage learners to ask meaningful questions, make connections, think deeply, and come to their own conclusions independently or collaboratively, using peers or texts as instructional resources.
- Encourage learners to question why they may agree or disagree with the opinions of others, and to consider why they may align with or dispute generally accepted views.
- Make learner thinking visible by introducing learners to a variety of thinking-related vocabulary, strategies, routines, and tools to evaluate evidence and make reasoned judgments, using a critical mindset in all that they encounter and do.
- Provide learners with open-ended and authentic learning opportunities or “critical challenges” (Gini-Newman and Case), which set the stage for them to determine what is relevant, plan for how they will share their thinking, and offer various pathways for solutions.
Gini-Newman, Garfield, and Roland Case. Creating Thinking Classrooms: Leading Educational Change for This Century. Corwin, 2018.
