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41+ Critical Thinking Examples (Definition + Practices)

Critical thinking is an essential skill in our information-overloaded world, where figuring out what is fact and fiction has become increasingly challenging.

But why is critical thinking essential? Put, critical thinking empowers us to make better decisions, challenge and validate our beliefs and assumptions, and understand and interact with the world more effectively and meaningfully.

Critical thinking is like using your brain's "superpowers" to make smart choices. Whether it's picking the right insurance, deciding what to do in a job, or discussing topics in school, thinking deeply helps a lot. In the next parts, we'll share real-life examples of when this superpower comes in handy and give you some fun exercises to practice it.

Critical Thinking Process Outline

Critical thinking means thinking clearly and fairly without letting personal feelings get in the way. It's like being a detective, trying to solve a mystery by using clues and thinking hard about them.

It isn't always easy to think critically, as it can take a pretty smart person to see some of the questions that aren't being answered in a certain situation. But, we can train our brains to think more like puzzle solvers, which can help develop our critical thinking skills.

Here's what it looks like step by step:

Spotting the Problem: It's like discovering a puzzle to solve. You see that there's something you need to figure out or decide.

Collecting Clues: Now, you need to gather information. Maybe you read about it, watch a video, talk to people, or do some research. It's like getting all the pieces to solve your puzzle.

Breaking It Down: This is where you look at all your clues and try to see how they fit together. You're asking questions like: Why did this happen? What could happen next?

Checking Your Clues: You want to make sure your information is good. This means seeing if what you found out is true and if you can trust where it came from.

Making a Guess: After looking at all your clues, you think about what they mean and come up with an answer. This answer is like your best guess based on what you know.

Explaining Your Thoughts: Now, you tell others how you solved the puzzle. You explain how you thought about it and how you answered. 

Checking Your Work: This is like looking back and seeing if you missed anything. Did you make any mistakes? Did you let any personal feelings get in the way? This step helps make sure your thinking is clear and fair.

And remember, you might sometimes need to go back and redo some steps if you discover something new. If you realize you missed an important clue, you might have to go back and collect more information.

Critical Thinking Methods

Just like doing push-ups or running helps our bodies get stronger, there are special exercises that help our brains think better. These brain workouts push us to think harder, look at things closely, and ask many questions.

It's not always about finding the "right" answer. Instead, it's about the journey of thinking and asking "why" or "how." Doing these exercises often helps us become better thinkers and makes us curious to know more about the world.

Now, let's look at some brain workouts to help us think better:

1. "What If" Scenarios

Imagine crazy things happening, like, "What if there was no internet for a month? What would we do?" These games help us think of new and different ideas.

Pick a hot topic. Argue one side of it and then try arguing the opposite. This makes us see different viewpoints and think deeply about a topic.

3. Analyze Visual Data

Check out charts or pictures with lots of numbers and info but no explanations. What story are they telling? This helps us get better at understanding information just by looking at it.

4. Mind Mapping

Write an idea in the center and then draw lines to related ideas. It's like making a map of your thoughts. This helps us see how everything is connected.

There's lots of mind-mapping software , but it's also nice to do this by hand.

5. Weekly Diary

Every week, write about what happened, the choices you made, and what you learned. Writing helps us think about our actions and how we can do better.

6. Evaluating Information Sources

Collect stories or articles about one topic from newspapers or blogs. Which ones are trustworthy? Which ones might be a little biased? This teaches us to be smart about where we get our info.

There are many resources to help you determine if information sources are factual or not.

7. Socratic Questioning

This way of thinking is called the Socrates Method, named after an old-time thinker from Greece. It's about asking lots of questions to understand a topic. You can do this by yourself or chat with a friend.

Start with a Big Question:

"What does 'success' mean?"

Dive Deeper with More Questions:

"Why do you think of success that way?" "Do TV shows, friends, or family make you think that?" "Does everyone think about success the same way?"

"Can someone be a winner even if they aren't rich or famous?" "Can someone feel like they didn't succeed, even if everyone else thinks they did?"

Look for Real-life Examples:

"Who is someone you think is successful? Why?" "Was there a time you felt like a winner? What happened?"

Think About Other People's Views:

"How might a person from another country think about success?" "Does the idea of success change as we grow up or as our life changes?"

Think About What It Means:

"How does your idea of success shape what you want in life?" "Are there problems with only wanting to be rich or famous?"

Look Back and Think:

"After talking about this, did your idea of success change? How?" "Did you learn something new about what success means?"

8. Six Thinking Hats 

Edward de Bono came up with a cool way to solve problems by thinking in six different ways, like wearing different colored hats. You can do this independently, but it might be more effective in a group so everyone can have a different hat color. Each color has its way of thinking:

White Hat (Facts): Just the facts! Ask, "What do we know? What do we need to find out?"

Red Hat (Feelings): Talk about feelings. Ask, "How do I feel about this?"

Black Hat (Careful Thinking): Be cautious. Ask, "What could go wrong?"

Yellow Hat (Positive Thinking): Look on the bright side. Ask, "What's good about this?"

Green Hat (Creative Thinking): Think of new ideas. Ask, "What's another way to look at this?"

Blue Hat (Planning): Organize the talk. Ask, "What should we do next?"

When using this method with a group:

• Explain all the hats.
• Decide which hat to wear first.
• Make sure everyone switches hats at the same time.
• Finish with the Blue Hat to plan the next steps.

9. SWOT Analysis

SWOT Analysis is like a game plan for businesses to know where they stand and where they should go. "SWOT" stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.

There are a lot of SWOT templates out there for how to do this visually, but you can also think it through. It doesn't just apply to businesses but can be a good way to decide if a project you're working on is working.

Strengths: What's working well? Ask, "What are we good at?"

Weaknesses: Where can we do better? Ask, "Where can we improve?"

Opportunities: What good things might come our way? Ask, "What chances can we grab?"

Threats: What challenges might we face? Ask, "What might make things tough for us?"

Steps to do a SWOT Analysis:

• Goal: Decide what you want to find out.
• Research: Learn about your business and the world around it.
• Brainstorm: Get a group and think together. Talk about strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
• Pick the Most Important Points: Some things might be more urgent or important than others.
• Make a Plan: Decide what to do based on your SWOT list.
• Check Again Later: Things change, so look at your SWOT again after a while to update it.

Now that you have a few tools for thinking critically, let’s get into some specific examples.

Everyday Examples

Life is a series of decisions. From the moment we wake up, we're faced with choices – some trivial, like choosing a breakfast cereal, and some more significant, like buying a home or confronting an ethical dilemma at work. While it might seem that these decisions are disparate, they all benefit from the application of critical thinking.

10. Deciding to buy something

Imagine you want a new phone. Don't just buy it because the ad looks cool. Think about what you need in a phone. Look up different phones and see what people say about them. Choose the one that's the best deal for what you want.

11. Deciding what is true

There's a lot of news everywhere. Don't believe everything right away. Think about why someone might be telling you this. Check if what you're reading or watching is true. Make up your mind after you've looked into it.

12. Deciding when you’re wrong

Sometimes, friends can have disagreements. Don't just get mad right away. Try to see where they're coming from. Talk about what's going on. Find a way to fix the problem that's fair for everyone.

13. Deciding what to eat

There's always a new diet or exercise that's popular. Don't just follow it because it's trendy. Find out if it's good for you. Ask someone who knows, like a doctor. Make choices that make you feel good and stay healthy.

14. Deciding what to do today

Everyone is busy with school, chores, and hobbies. Make a list of things you need to do. Decide which ones are most important. Plan your day so you can get things done and still have fun.

15. Making Tough Choices

Sometimes, it's hard to know what's right. Think about how each choice will affect you and others. Talk to people you trust about it. Choose what feels right in your heart and is fair to others.

16. Planning for the Future

Big decisions, like where to go to school, can be tricky. Think about what you want in the future. Look at the good and bad of each choice. Talk to people who know about it. Pick what feels best for your dreams and goals.

Job Examples

17. solving problems.

Workers brainstorm ways to fix a machine quickly without making things worse when a machine breaks at a factory.

18. Decision Making

A store manager decides which products to order more of based on what's selling best.

19. Setting Goals

A team leader helps their team decide what tasks are most important to finish this month and which can wait.

20. Evaluating Ideas

At a team meeting, everyone shares ideas for a new project. The group discusses each idea's pros and cons before picking one.

21. Handling Conflict

Two workers disagree on how to do a job. Instead of arguing, they talk calmly, listen to each other, and find a solution they both like.

22. Improving Processes

A cashier thinks of a faster way to ring up items so customers don't have to wait as long.

23. Asking Questions

Before starting a big task, an employee asks for clear instructions and checks if they have the necessary tools.

24. Checking Facts

Before presenting a report, someone double-checks all their information to make sure there are no mistakes.

25. Planning for the Future

A business owner thinks about what might happen in the next few years, like new competitors or changes in what customers want, and makes plans based on those thoughts.

26. Understanding Perspectives

A team is designing a new toy. They think about what kids and parents would both like instead of just what they think is fun.

School Examples

27. researching a topic.

For a history project, a student looks up different sources to understand an event from multiple viewpoints.

28. Debating an Issue

In a class discussion, students pick sides on a topic, like school uniforms, and share reasons to support their views.

29. Evaluating Sources

While writing an essay, a student checks if the information from a website is trustworthy or might be biased.

30. Problem Solving in Math

When stuck on a tricky math problem, a student tries different methods to find the answer instead of giving up.

31. Analyzing Literature

In English class, students discuss why a character in a book made certain choices and what those decisions reveal about them.

32. Testing a Hypothesis

For a science experiment, students guess what will happen and then conduct tests to see if they're right or wrong.

33. Giving Peer Feedback

After reading a classmate's essay, a student offers suggestions for improving it.

34. Questioning Assumptions

In a geography lesson, students consider why certain countries are called "developed" and what that label means.

35. Designing a Study

For a psychology project, students plan an experiment to understand how people's memories work and think of ways to ensure accurate results.

36. Interpreting Data

In a science class, students look at charts and graphs from a study, then discuss what the information tells them and if there are any patterns.

Critical Thinking Puzzles

Not all scenarios will have a single correct answer that can be figured out by thinking critically. Sometimes we have to think critically about ethical choices or moral behaviors. 

Here are some mind games and scenarios you can solve using critical thinking. You can see the solution(s) at the end of the post.

37. The Farmer, Fox, Chicken, and Grain Problem

A farmer is at a riverbank with a fox, a chicken, and a grain bag. He needs to get all three items across the river. However, his boat can only carry himself and one of the three items at a time. 

Here's the challenge:

• If the fox is left alone with the chicken, the fox will eat the chicken.
• If the chicken is left alone with the grain, the chicken will eat the grain.

How can the farmer get all three items across the river without any item being eaten? 

38. The Rope, Jar, and Pebbles Problem

You are in a room with two long ropes hanging from the ceiling. Each rope is just out of arm's reach from the other, so you can't hold onto one rope and reach the other simultaneously. 

Your task is to tie the two rope ends together, but you can't move the position where they hang from the ceiling.

You are given a jar full of pebbles. How do you complete the task?

39. The Two Guards Problem

Imagine there are two doors. One door leads to certain doom, and the other leads to freedom. You don't know which is which.

In front of each door stands a guard. One guard always tells the truth. The other guard always lies. You don't know which guard is which.

You can ask only one question to one of the guards. What question should you ask to find the door that leads to freedom?

40. The Hourglass Problem

You have two hourglasses. One measures 7 minutes when turned over, and the other measures 4 minutes. Using just these hourglasses, how can you time exactly 9 minutes?

41. The Lifeboat Dilemma

Imagine you're on a ship that's sinking. You get on a lifeboat, but it's already too full and might flip over. 

Nearby in the water, five people are struggling: a scientist close to finding a cure for a sickness, an old couple who've been together for a long time, a mom with three kids waiting at home, and a tired teenager who helped save others but is now in danger. 

You can only save one person without making the boat flip. Who would you choose?

42. The Tech Dilemma

You work at a tech company and help make a computer program to help small businesses. You're almost ready to share it with everyone, but you find out there might be a small chance it has a problem that could show users' private info. 

If you decide to fix it, you must wait two more months before sharing it. But your bosses want you to share it now. What would you do?

43. The History Mystery

Dr. Amelia is a history expert. She's studying where a group of people traveled long ago. She reads old letters and documents to learn about it. But she finds some letters that tell a different story than what most people believe. 

If she says this new story is true, it could change what people learn in school and what they think about history. What should she do?

The Role of Bias in Critical Thinking

Have you ever decided you don’t like someone before you even know them? Or maybe someone shared an idea with you that you immediately loved without even knowing all the details. 

This experience is called bias, which occurs when you like or dislike something or someone without a good reason or knowing why. It can also take shape in certain reactions to situations, like a habit or instinct. 

Bias comes from our own experiences, what friends or family tell us, or even things we are born believing. Sometimes, bias can help us stay safe, but other times it stops us from seeing the truth.

Not all bias is bad. Bias can be a mechanism for assessing our potential safety in a new situation. If we are biased to think that anything long, thin, and curled up is a snake, we might assume the rope is something to be afraid of before we know it is just a rope.

While bias might serve us in some situations (like jumping out of the way of an actual snake before we have time to process that we need to be jumping out of the way), it often harms our ability to think critically.

How Bias Gets in the Way of Good Thinking

Selective Perception: We only notice things that match our ideas and ignore the rest. 

It's like only picking red candies from a mixed bowl because you think they taste the best, but they taste the same as every other candy in the bowl. It could also be when we see all the signs that our partner is cheating on us but choose to ignore them because we are happy the way we are (or at least, we think we are).

Agreeing with Yourself: This is called “ confirmation bias ” when we only listen to ideas that match our own and seek, interpret, and remember information in a way that confirms what we already think we know or believe. 

An example is when someone wants to know if it is safe to vaccinate their children but already believes that vaccines are not safe, so they only look for information supporting the idea that vaccines are bad.

Thinking We Know It All: Similar to confirmation bias, this is called “overconfidence bias.” Sometimes we think our ideas are the best and don't listen to others. This can stop us from learning.

Have you ever met someone who you consider a “know it”? Probably, they have a lot of overconfidence bias because while they may know many things accurately, they can’t know everything. Still, if they act like they do, they show overconfidence bias.

There's a weird kind of bias similar to this called the Dunning Kruger Effect, and that is when someone is bad at what they do, but they believe and act like they are the best .

Following the Crowd: This is formally called “groupthink”. It's hard to speak up with a different idea if everyone agrees. But this can lead to mistakes.

An example of this we’ve all likely seen is the cool clique in primary school. There is usually one person that is the head of the group, the “coolest kid in school”, and everyone listens to them and does what they want, even if they don’t think it’s a good idea.

How to Overcome Biases

Here are a few ways to learn to think better, free from our biases (or at least aware of them!).

Know Your Biases: Realize that everyone has biases. If we know about them, we can think better.

Listen to Different People: Talking to different kinds of people can give us new ideas.

Ask Why: Always ask yourself why you believe something. Is it true, or is it just a bias?

Understand Others: Try to think about how others feel. It helps you see things in new ways.

Keep Learning: Always be curious and open to new information.

In today's world, everything changes fast, and there's so much information everywhere. This makes critical thinking super important. It helps us distinguish between what's real and what's made up. It also helps us make good choices. But thinking this way can be tough sometimes because of biases. These are like sneaky thoughts that can trick us. The good news is we can learn to see them and think better.

There are cool tools and ways we've talked about, like the "Socratic Questioning" method and the "Six Thinking Hats." These tools help us get better at thinking. These thinking skills can also help us in school, work, and everyday life.

We’ve also looked at specific scenarios where critical thinking would be helpful, such as deciding what diet to follow and checking facts.

Thinking isn't just a skill—it's a special talent we improve over time. Working on it lets us see things more clearly and understand the world better. So, keep practicing and asking questions! It'll make you a smarter thinker and help you see the world differently.

Critical Thinking Puzzles (Solutions)

The farmer, fox, chicken, and grain problem.

• The farmer first takes the chicken across the river and leaves it on the other side.
• He returns to the original side and takes the fox across the river.
• After leaving the fox on the other side, he returns the chicken to the starting side.
• He leaves the chicken on the starting side and takes the grain bag across the river.
• He leaves the grain with the fox on the other side and returns to get the chicken.
• The farmer takes the chicken across, and now all three items -- the fox, the chicken, and the grain -- are safely on the other side of the river.

The Rope, Jar, and Pebbles Problem

• Take one rope and tie the jar of pebbles to its end.
• Swing the rope with the jar in a pendulum motion.
• While the rope is swinging, grab the other rope and wait.
• As the swinging rope comes back within reach due to its pendulum motion, grab it.
• With both ropes within reach, untie the jar and tie the rope ends together.

The Two Guards Problem

The question is, "What would the other guard say is the door to doom?" Then choose the opposite door.

The Hourglass Problem

• Start both hourglasses. 
• When the 4-minute hourglass runs out, turn it over.
• When the 7-minute hourglass runs out, the 4-minute hourglass will have been running for 3 minutes. Turn the 7-minute hourglass over. 
• When the 4-minute hourglass runs out for the second time (a total of 8 minutes have passed), the 7-minute hourglass will run for 1 minute. Turn the 7-minute hourglass again for 1 minute to empty the hourglass (a total of 9 minutes passed).

The Boat and Weights Problem

Take the cat over first and leave it on the other side. Then, return and take the fish across next. When you get there, take the cat back with you. Leave the cat on the starting side and take the cat food across. Lastly, return to get the cat and bring it to the other side.

The Lifeboat Dilemma

There isn’t one correct answer to this problem. Here are some elements to consider:

• Moral Principles: What values guide your decision? Is it the potential greater good for humanity (the scientist)? What is the value of long-standing love and commitment (the elderly couple)? What is the future of young children who depend on their mothers? Or the selfless bravery of the teenager?
• Future Implications: Consider the future consequences of each choice. Saving the scientist might benefit millions in the future, but what moral message does it send about the value of individual lives?
• Emotional vs. Logical Thinking: While it's essential to engage empathy, it's also crucial not to let emotions cloud judgment entirely. For instance, while the teenager's bravery is commendable, does it make him more deserving of a spot on the boat than the others?
• Acknowledging Uncertainty: The scientist claims to be close to a significant breakthrough, but there's no certainty. How does this uncertainty factor into your decision?
• Personal Bias: Recognize and challenge any personal biases, such as biases towards age, profession, or familial status.

The Tech Dilemma

Again, there isn’t one correct answer to this problem. Here are some elements to consider:

• Evaluate the Risk: How severe is the potential vulnerability? Can it be easily exploited, or would it require significant expertise? Even if the circumstances are rare, what would be the consequences if the vulnerability were exploited?
• Stakeholder Considerations: Different stakeholders will have different priorities. Upper management might prioritize financial projections, the marketing team might be concerned about the product's reputation, and customers might prioritize the security of their data. How do you balance these competing interests?
• Short-Term vs. Long-Term Implications: While launching on time could meet immediate financial goals, consider the potential long-term damage to the company's reputation if the vulnerability is exploited. Would the short-term gains be worth the potential long-term costs?
• Ethical Implications : Beyond the financial and reputational aspects, there's an ethical dimension to consider. Is it right to release a product with a known vulnerability, even if the chances of it being exploited are low?
• Seek External Input: Consulting with cybersecurity experts outside your company might be beneficial. They could provide a more objective risk assessment and potential mitigation strategies.
• Communication: How will you communicate the decision, whatever it may be, both internally to your team and upper management and externally to your customers and potential users?

The History Mystery

Dr. Amelia should take the following steps:

• Verify the Letters: Before making any claims, she should check if the letters are actual and not fake. She can do this by seeing when and where they were written and if they match with other things from that time.
• Get a Second Opinion: It's always good to have someone else look at what you've found. Dr. Amelia could show the letters to other history experts and see their thoughts.
• Research More: Maybe there are more documents or letters out there that support this new story. Dr. Amelia should keep looking to see if she can find more evidence.
• Share the Findings: If Dr. Amelia believes the letters are true after all her checks, she should tell others. This can be through books, talks, or articles.
• Stay Open to Feedback: Some people might agree with Dr. Amelia, and others might not. She should listen to everyone and be ready to learn more or change her mind if new information arises.

Ultimately, Dr. Amelia's job is to find out the truth about history and share it. It's okay if this new truth differs from what people used to believe. History is about learning from the past, no matter the story.

Related posts:

• Experimenter Bias (Definition + Examples)
• Hasty Generalization Fallacy (31 Examples + Similar Names)
• Ad Hoc Fallacy (29 Examples + Other Names)
• Confirmation Bias (Examples + Definition)
• Equivocation Fallacy (26 Examples + Description)

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6 Strategies for Increasing Critical Thinking with Problem Solving

By Mary Montero

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For many teachers, problem-solving feels synonymous with word problems, but it is so much more. That’s why I’m sharing my absolute favorite lessons and strategies for increasing critical thinking through problem solving below. You’ll learn six strategies for increasing critical thinking through mathematical word problems, the importance of incorporating error analysis into your weekly routines,  and several resources I use for improving critical thinking – almost all of which are free! I’ll also briefly touch on teaching students to dissect word problems in a way that enables them to truly understand what steps to take to solve the problem.

This post is based on my short and sweet (and FREE!) Increasing Critical Thinking with problem Solving math mini-course . When you enroll in the free course you’ll get access to everything you need to get started:

• Problem Solving Essentials
• Six lessons to implement into your classroom
• How to Implement Error Analysis
• FREE Error Analysis Starter Kit
• FREE Mathematician Posters
• FREE Multi-Step Problem Solving Starter Kit
• FREE Task Card Starter Kit

Introduction to Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

According to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, “The term “problem solving” refers to mathematical tasks that have the potential to provide intellectual challenges for enhancing students’ mathematical understanding and development .)”

That’s a lot of words, but I’d like to focus in on the word POTENTIAL. I’m going to share with you strategies that move these tasks from having the potential to provide a challenge to actually providing that challenge that will enrich their mathematical understanding and development. 

If you’re looking for an introduction to multi-step problem solving, I have a free multi-step problem solving starter kit for that! 

I also highly encourage you to download and use my free Mathematician posters that help students see what their “jobs” are as mathematicians. Giving students this title of mathematician not only holds them accountable, but it gives them greater confidence and gives me very specific verbiage to use when discussing math with my students. 

The impacts of Incorporating Problem Solving

When I made the shift to incorporate problem solving into my everyday instruction intentionally, I saw a distinct increase in student understanding and application of mathematical concepts, more authentic connections to real-world mathematics scenarios, greater student achievement, and notably increased engagement. There are also ripple effects observed in other areas, as students learn grit and a growth mindset after tackling some more challenging problem-solving situations. I hope that by implementing some of these ideas, you see the very same shift.

Here’s an overview of some problem solving essentials I use to teach students to solve problems.

Routine vs. Non-Routine Problem Solving

Routine problems comprise the vast majority of the word problems we pose to students. They require using an algorithm through one or more of the four major operations, have relevance to real-world situations, and often have a distinct answer. They are solvable, and students can use several concrete strategies for solving, like “make a table” or “draw a picture” to solve.

Conversely, non-routine problem-solving focuses on mathematical reasoning. These are often more open-ended and allow students to make generalizations about math and numbers. There isn’t usually a straight path leading to the answer, there isn’t an algorithm readily available for finding the solution (or students are going to have to come up with the algorithm), and it IS going to require some level of experimentation and manipulation of numbers in order to solve it. In non-routine problems, students learn to look for patterns, work backwards, build models, etc. 

Incorporating both routine and non-routine problems into your instruction for EVERY student is critical. When solving non-routine problems, students can use some of the strategies they’ve learned for solving routine problems, and when solving routine problems, students benefit from a deeper understanding of the complexity of numbers that they gained from non-routine problems. For this training, we will focus heavily on routine problems, though the impacts of these practices will transition into non-routine problem solving.

Increasing Critical Thinking in Problem Solving

When tackling a problem, students need to be able to determine WHAT to do and HOW to do it.  Knowing the HOW is what you likely teach every day – your students know how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide. But knowing WHAT to do is arguably the most essential part of solving problems – once students know what needs to be done, then they can apply the conceptual skills – the algorithms and strategies – they’ve learned and will know how to solve. While dissecting word problems is an excellent starting point, exposing students to various ways to examine problems can help them figure out the WHAT. 

Being faced with a lengthy, complex word problem can be intimidating to even your most adept students. Having a toolbox of strategies to use when you tackle problems and seeing problems in various ways can enable students to get to the point where they feel comfortable knowing where to begin.

Shifting away from keywords

While it isn’t best practice to rely solely on operation “keywords” to determine what operation needs to occur when solving a problem, I’m not ready to fully ditch keyword-based instruction in math. I think there’s a huge difference between teaching students to blindly rely on keywords to determine which operation to use for a solution and using words found in the text to guide students in figuring out what to do. For that reason, I place heavy emphasis on using precise mathematical vocabulary , including specific operation keywords, and when students become accustomed to using that precise mathematical vocabulary every day, it really helps them to identify that language in word problems as well.

I also allow my students to dissect math word problems using strategies like CUBES , but in a way that is more aligned with best practice. 

Six Lessons for Easy Implementation

Here are six super quick “outside the box” word problem, problem solving lessons to begin implementing into your classroom. These lessons shouldn’t replace your everyday problem solving, but are instead extensions that will help students tackle those tricky problems they encounter everyday. As a reminder, we look at all of these lessons in the FREE Increasing Critical Thinking with problem Solving math mini-course .

Lesson #1: What’s the Question?

In this lesson, we’ll encourage students to see. just how many different questions can be asked about the same statements or information. We start with a typical, one-step, one-operation problem. Then we cross out or cover up the answer and ask students to generate possible questions.

After students have come up with a variety of questions, ask them to determine HOW they would solve for each one.

Reveal the question and ask students how they would solve this one and see if any of the questions they came up with match.

This activity is important because it demonstrates to students just how many different questions can be asked about the same statement or information. It’s perfect for your students who automatically pick out numbers and start “operating” on them blindly. I’ve had students come up with 5-8 questions with a single statement!

I like to do this throughout the year using different word problems based on the skill we’re focused on at the time AND skills we’ve previously mastered, but be careful not to only use examples based on the skill you’re teaching right then so their brains don’t automatically go to the same place.

These 32 What’s My Operation? task cards will help your student learn and review which operations to use for different types of word problems! They’re perfect to use as a quick assessment, game of SCOOT, math center activity, or homework.

Lesson 2: Similar Scenarios

In this lesson, students will evaluate similar scenarios to determine the appropriate operations. Start with three similar scenarios requiring different operations and identify what situation is happening in each scenario (finding total, determining an amount, splitting or combining, etc.).

Read all three-word problems on a similar topic. Determine the similarity of all of them and determine which operation would be used to solve them. How does the situation/action of the problem help you determine what step to take?

I also created these differentiated word problem task cards after noticing my students struggling with which operation to choose, especially when given multiple problems from a similar scenario. They encourage students to select the appropriate operation for each word problem.

Lesson 3: Opposing Operations

In this lesson, students will determine relevant information from a set of facts, which requires a great deal of critical thinking to determine which operation to use. Give students a scenario and a variety of facts/information relating to the scenario as well as several questions to answer based on the facts . Students will focus on determining HOW they will solve each question using only the relevant information. 

These Operation Fascination task c ards engage students in critical thinking about operations. Each card has a scenario, multiple clues and facts to support the scenario, and four questions to accompany each scenario. The questions are a variety of operations so that students can see how using the same information can solve multiple problems.

Lesson 4: Next Level Numberless

In this lesson, we’ll take numberless word problems to the next level by developing a strong conceptual understanding of word problems. Give students scenarios without numbers and have them write a question and/or insert numbers using a specific operation and purpose . This requires a great deal of thinking to not only determine the situation, but to also figure out numbers that fit into the situation in a way that makes sense.

By integrating these types of math problems into your daily lessons, you can significantly enhance your students’ comprehension of word problems and problem-solving. These numberless word problem task cards are the ideal to improve your students’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills. They offer a variety of numbered and numberless word problems.

Lesson 5: Story Situations

In this lesson, we’ll discuss the importance of students generating their own word problems with a given set of information. This requires a great deal of quantitative reasoning as students determine how they would use a given set of numbers to create a realistic situation. Present students with two predetermined numbers and a theme. Then have students write a word problem, including a question, using the given information. 

Engage your students in additional practice with these differentiated division task cards that require your students to write their OWN word problems (and create real-world relevance in their learning!). Each task card has numbers and a theme that students use to guide their thinking and creation of a word problem.

Lesson 6: No Scenario Solving

In this lesson, we’ll decontextualize problem solving and require students to create the situation, represent it numerically, and solve. It’s a cognitively demanding task! Give students an operation and a purpose (joining, separating, comparing, etc.) with no other context, numbers, numbers, or theme. Then have students generate a word problem.

For additional practice, have students swap problems to identify the operation, purpose, and solution.

Implementing Error Analysis

Error analysis is an exceptional way to promote thinking and learning, but how do we teach students to figure out which type of math error they’ve made? This error analysis starter kit can help!

First, it is very rare that I will tell my students what error they have made in their work. I want to challenge them to figure it out on their own. So, when I see that they have a wrong answer, I ask them to go back and figure out where something went wrong. Because I resist the urge to tell them right away where their error is, my students tend to get a lot more practice identifying them!

Second, when I introduce a concept, I always, always, always create anchor charts with students and complete interactive notebook activities with them so that they have step-by-step procedures for completing tasks right at their fingertips. I have them go back and reference their notebooks while they are looking at their errors.  Usually, they can follow the anchor chart step-by-step to make sure they haven’t made a conceptual error, and if they have, they can identify it.

Third, I let them use a calculator. When worst comes to worst, and they are fairly certain they haven’t made a conceptual mistake to identify, I let them get out a calculator and start computing, step-by-step to see where they’ve made a mistake.

IF, after taking these steps, a student can’t figure out their mistake (especially if I find that it’s a conceptual mistake), I know I need to go back and do some individual reteaching with them because they don’t have a solid understanding of the concept.

This FREE addition error analysis is a good place to start, no matter the grade level. I show them the process of walking through the problem and how best to complete an error analysis task.

Digging Deeper into Error Analysis

Once students show proficiency in the standard algorithm (or strategies), I take it a step further and have them dive into error analysis where they can show a “reverse” understanding as they evaluate mistakes made and fix them. Being able to identify an error in someone else’s work requires higher order thinking not found in most other projects or activities and certainly not found in basic math fact completion.

First, teach students the difference between a computational error and a conceptual error. 

• Computational is when they make a mistake in basic math facts. This might look as simple as  64/8 does not equal 7. Oops!
• A Conceptual or Procedural Error is when they make a mistake in the procedure or concept. 
• I can’t tell you how many times students show as not proficient on a topic when the mistakes they are making are COMPUTATIONAL and not conceptual or procedural. They don’t need more review in how to use a strategy… they need to slow down and pay closer attention to their math facts!

Once we’ve introduced the types of errors they should be looking out for, we move on to actually analyzing these errors in someone else’s work and fixing the mistake.

I have created error analysis tasks for you to use with you students so they can identify the errors, types of errors, rework the problem, and create their own version of the problem and solve it. I have seen great success with incorporating these tasks into ALL of my math units. I even have kids beg to take their error analysis tasks out to recess to finish! These are great resources to start:

• Error Analysis Bundle
• 3rd Grade Word Problem of the Day
• 4th Grade Word Problem of the Day
• 5th Grade Word Problem of the Day

The final step in using error analysis is actually having students correct their OWN mistakes. Once I have instructed on types of errors, I will start by simply telling them, Oops! You’ve made a computational error here! That way they aren’t furiously looking through the procedure for a mistake, instead they are looking to see where they computed wrong. Conversely, I’ll tell them if they’ve made a procedural mistake, and that can guide them in figuring out what they need to look for.

Looking at the different types of errors students are making is essential to guiding my instruction as well, so even though it takes a bit longer to grade things like this, it is immensely helpful to me as I make adjustments to my instruction.

Resources and Ideas for Critical Thinking

I’ve compiled a collection of websites for complex tasks with multiple, open-ended answers and scenarios. The majority of these tasks are non-routine and so easy to implement. I often post these tasks and allow students short bursts of time to strategize and plan for a solution. Consider using the tasks and problems from these sites as warm-ups, extensions of your morning meeting, during enrichment groups, or on a Problem of the Week board. I also highly encourage you to incorporate these non-routine problems into your core instruction time for all students at least once or twice a month.

• NRICH provides thousands of FREE online mathematics resources for ages 3 to 18. The tasks focus on developing problem-solving skills, perseverance, mathematical reasoning, the ability to apply knowledge creatively in unfamiliar contexts, and confidence in tackling new challenges..
• Open Middle offers challenging math word problems that require a higher depth of knowledge than most problems that assess procedural and conceptual understanding. They support the Common Core State Standards and provide students with opportunities for discussing their thinking. All problems have a “closed beginning,” meaning that they all start with the same initial problem, a “closed-end” meaning that they all end with the same answer, and an “open middle” meaning that there are multiple ways to approach and ultimately solve the problem.
• Mathcurious offers interactive digital puzzles. Each adventure is dedicated to exploring the world of math and sharing experiences, knowledge, and ideas.
• Robert Kaplinsky shares math strategies, lessons, and resources designed to create problem solvers. The lessons are detailed and challenging!
• Mathigon “The mathematical playground” offers free manipulatives, activities, and lessons to make online learning interactive and engaging. The digital manipulates are a must-use!
• Fractal Foundation uses fractals to inspire interest in science, math and art. It has numerous fractal activities, software to help your students create their own fractals, and more.
• Greg Fletcher 3 Act Tasks contain engaging math videos with guiding questions. You can also download recording sheets to go with each video.

Mary Montero

I’m so glad you are here. I’m a current gifted and talented teacher in a small town in Colorado, and I’ve been in education since 2009. My passion (other than my family and cookies) is for making teachers’ lives easier and classrooms more engaging.

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Foundations

The Basic Skills Why do you believe what you believe? How do you evaluate claims to determine if something is true? In this “ mini course ,” learn the three skills–– critical thinking, information literacy, and science literacy –– that can keep you from being fooled.

Real-World Application The real world provides endless opportunities to practice good thinking… or to be fooled. Topics applies the skills learned in Foundations to evaluate a variety of claims, from pseudoscience to good science and everything in between.

Thinking Is Power was created by Melanie Trecek-King to teach critical thinking in an accessible and (hopefully) entertaining way. If you want to learn how to save money, make better decisions, and avoid being fooled or harmed, this site is for you!

Are you an educator or parent interested in curriculum or activity ideas? Visit the For Educators page.

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Thinking Is Power manages a pitch-perfect balance between ideas and empathy. With a celebration of “how to think” over “what to think,” its content is easy to digest, fun to look at, and relatable to everyday lives. Wonderful stuff.

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I have been visiting ThinkingIsPower.com regularly and find the content provided by Melanie Trecek-King to be reliably informative and thoughtfully presented. Melanie excels in making complex subjects more accessible, encouraging readers to think critically about various topics. Her articles are well-researched and present clear, concise viewpoints that are easy to follow and understand.

Anthony Magnabosco

Practical critical thinking tools, shareable content, accessible analysis, and great graphics, the world needs more of this! In this era of misinformation and science spin, I’m deeply thankful for science communicators like Melanie!

Timothy Caulfield, PhD

Thinking Is Power is the very definition of how to put logic and critical thinking to good use in our troubled world. Socrates would be a fan, and so am I.

Lee McIntyre, PhD

Trecek-King has a knack for explaining philosophical concepts in a lucid and accessible way.

Maarten Boundry, PhD

Trecek-King has demonstrated mastery of science communication on historically challenging topics that require an incisive yet careful approach, such as pseudoscience, science literacy, and critical thinking. This kind of work is a public service.

Jonathan N. Stea, PhD, R. Psych

Trecek-King’s approach to science literacy and critical thinking is innovative and accessible, refined over years of practical experience in the classroom.

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Psychology Spot

All About Psychology

What is critical thinking? It’s not what you think, but how you think

Critical thinking is an essential skill to become a person who thinks autonomously and does not allow himself to be infected in a thoughtless way by the ideas in vogue or by those that some manipulative groups or people want to impose. Despite this, it is also a rare ability in a society designed to tell us what to think, not to teach us to think.

More than 2,400 years ago, Socrates defended the importance of critical thinking through a series of logical and rational tools. At that time the world did not embrace his idea and did not even understand the need to apply it on a wide scale in society. The same happens today. Critical thinking has become something of an oxymoron. It is “valued” but not developed.

In 1997, a group of experts conducted a study for the California Commission on Teacher Accreditation to determine the extent to which colleges and universities were developing critical thinking through the curriculum. The research analyzed institutes and universities of the California educational system, as well as private colleges such as Stanford University.

The researchers found that the majority of teachers (89%) stated that “critical thinking” was of vital importance in their classes, but only 19% were able to offer even a moderately acceptable definition of critical thinking. In addition, most claimed that they were cultivating critical thinking in students, but when asked to give examples of critical thinking in their classes, very few were able to provide real evidence that they were actually fostering this ability in their students.

The good news is that, although the school does not enhance this cognitive ability as much as it should, we can all develop a more critical thinking to assume a more reflective, conscious and independent posture before the world.

Definition of critical thinking: It’s not what you think but how you think

Critical thinking is the ability to properly organize, verify and evaluate the information we generate or receive using explicit and consistent criteria. It is the tendency to show a reflective skepticism that allows us to decide autonomously what to believe or not.

Therefore, it implies being able to interpret the data, facts and expressions, as well as analyze the ideas, intentions, concepts and arguments to reach a personal conclusion. However, the concept of critical thinking does not only turn outward, it also has a metacognitive component. It implies being able to think one’s own thought; that is, being aware of cognitive biases or errors in our thought process to correct them.

The essential skills of critical thinking

Critical thinking demands the development of a series of basic skills that become the pillars of autonomous reasoning. These are skills that allow us to think more freely, outside of established canons.

•Open mentality . Open mindedness does not mean accepting anything just because it is a new and different idea, rejecting old ones, but just being willing to analyze new ideas. It means not closing in on what’s different and new, rejecting it just because it doesn’t fit our mental paradigm.

• Intellectual humility . Intellectual humility is the ability to recognize our mistakes, stereotypes and prejudices, realizing that we are not immune to cognitive biases and emotions. It implies being aware that we do not have the absolute truth, always keeping ourselves open to different ideas that can contribute something or make us grow.

• Healthy doubts . Critical thinking feeds on healthy doubts. It is not about becoming cynical people who do not believe in anyone or anything, even doubting our shadow and rejecting the good intentions and goodness of the others, but to nurture a reflective skepticism according to which, we do not have to believe certain statements straight up just because they come from so-called authority figures.

• Intellectual perseverance . To go beyond what is seen and taken for granted, we need to be persistent. Critical thinking often involves swimming against the current, so we need to be highly motivated to seek personal truth, even when much of the world is going against it. This intellectual perseverance is what will allow us to continue searching and analyzing information until we find an answer that satisfies us.

Examples of critical thinking in everyday life

Critical thinking doesn’t just apply to science or philosophy. Critical thinking plays an essential role even in everyday life in making many of the decisions that will determine our destiny. Is giving shape to our convictions and helps us choose the causes with which we commit ourselves and those that do not make any sense to us.

It allows us to elucidate what each statement really contains. Critical thinking allows us to question the statements we hear or make, from the simplest such as “The sun is shining today” to the more complex such as “All men/women are equal” or “Communists /capitalists are bad.” In this way, critical thinking prevents us from falling into the trap of slogans devoid of meaning or cultural, generational or other stereotypes.

Critical thinking is also essential to grow as people because it allows us to look inward. It’s what allows us to ask ourselves: Did I do my best? Did I behave in a logical way? If it happened again, would I act differently? Have I acted according to my values ​​or have I been carried away by the group? Have I been a victim of my stereotypes and prejudices? Did I rush into making that decision?

This type of thinking, in short, allows us to develop a critical view from a more open and reflective attitude, to ensure that we make our own decisions, as little influenced as possible by the opinions, judgments and pressures of the others.

Duro, E. et. Al. (2013) In Search of Critical Thinking in Psychology: an exploration of student and lecturer understandings in higher education.  Psychology Learning and Teaching ; 12(3): 275-281.

Elder, L. et. Al. (1997) California  Teacher Preparation for Instruction in Critical Thinking: Research Findings and Policy Recommendations . ERIC Clearinghouse: Washington, D.C.

Jennifer Delgado

I am a psychologist and I spent several years writing articles for scientific journals specialized in Health and Psychology. I want to help you create great experiences. Learn more about me .

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A Beginner’s Guide for Upgrading Your Critical Thinking Skills

Of one thing we can be sure: The quality of our life will be determined by the quality of our thinking. – Edward de Bono

The Keys to Becoming a Critical Thinker

Each of us tends to perceive and understand the problems, events, and circumstances of our lives somewhat differently. In fact, we believe that our understanding of reality is built upon the foundations of our perceptions. This is however only one half of the picture.

Our perception of reality is actually built upon the foundations of our filtering mechanisms, which tend to interpret how we perceive the problems, events, and circumstances of our lives as a result of the thoughts, beliefs, habitual behaviors and emotions we tend to cultivate on a daily basis.

Becoming an outstanding critical thinker has more to do with a state-of-mind rather than a specific set of tools, techniques or strategies you have at your disposal. It is this state-of-mind that will help you to overcome the obstacles and challenges you face on a daily basis. Moreover, it is exactly this state-of-mind that will help you pierce through the veil of filters coloring your understanding of reality. As a result, you will be better prepared to deal with the problems, challenges, and obstacles that are impeding your progress as you make your way towards the attainment of your goals and objectives.

Our discussion today will delve into the mind of an outstanding critical thinker. We will first break down the essential qualities of critical thinking, after which we will delve into the critical thinking process and analyze the different types of perspectives that critical thinkers adopt into their everyday thinking routine. And finally, we will explore a variety of questions that are essential to a critical thinker’s habitual thought process as they work their way through a problem.

This article post is part of the  Effective Thinking  series of IQ Matrix maps that are designed to help you successfully deal with the problems and challenges confronting your reality. Topics within this series include:

• Part 1: Strategic Questions • Part 2: Creative Thinking • Part 3: Problem Solving • Part 4: Critical Thinking • Part 5: Six Thinking Hats

A Critical Thinker’s Indispensable Traits

Becoming an outstanding critical thinker requires the cultivation of a number of key traits and qualities that will help instill a specific set of habitual thoughts and patterns of behavior that are essential when working through life’s daily problems.

Definition of Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is the process of critically judging the validity of information while using a specific set of criteria that help you to better understand your outcomes, thereby enabling you to make better and more educated decisions about the problems confronting your reality.

The better critical thinker you become, the more effective your decisions will become, and the more likely you are to achieve your goals and objectives.

Advantages of Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is an essential habitual thought process that is imperative to cultivate and grow on a daily basis. Without it, we will struggle to make sense of reality. However, with it, we will open new doors of understanding about the events and circumstances of our lives.

Here is a break down of the advantages of critical thought:

Expands Perspective and Possibilities

Critical thinking allows us to see things from unique perspectives that under normal circumstances we might not have been aware of.

By learning to ask the right kinds of questions in order to break down each angle and avenue for new answers, we expand the possibilities of the reality we find ourselves in. With this unique outlook, we are better able to reach new solutions and find the answers that will help us to overcome our problems and challenges.

Identifies Hidden Facts and Assumptions

Many events and circumstances are riddled with hidden facts that we do not recognize and therefore we tend to make assumptions and uneducated guesses.

By learning to ask the right kinds of critical questions , you will unveil that which is hidden from view. You will, therefore, have a greater array of information to work with in order to reach effective conclusions about the circumstances confronting your reality.

Builds Confidence, Knowledge, and Understanding

Asking the right kinds of critical questions helps us to gain new knowledge, perspective, and understanding about the state of our current life circumstances. As a result of acquiring this knowledge, we gain the confidence we need to overcome the obstacles standing in our way.

Helps with Problem Solving and Creativity

Effective critical thinking goes hand-in-hand with problem solving and creativity.

When you think critically about a problem, you essentially open the floodgates to new insights, encouraging deeper and more creative thought about your circumstances and predicament.

Each of these three methods will help you gain perspective about your life, and will lead you to the answers you have been searching for.

The Mindset of a Critical Thinker

An outstanding critical thinker’s mindset may seem complex at first, and somewhat difficult to understand. Yet, their habitual thought process is built upon simple patterns of thinking that piece information together from a detached and unemotional perspective.

An outstanding critical thinker sees everything as part of an all-encompassing canvas that needs to be understood in its entirety before all the answers can be revealed. It is these insights that allow them to make effective decisions that further help them overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles confronting their reality.

Ability to Distinguish Between Pieces of Information

An outstanding critical thinker has the ability to distinguish between different chunks or pieces of information that appear to be very similar on the surface.

They understand that if they make quick judgments or assumptions about information, that they may misinterpret their circumstances. As a result, they always attempt to separate distinguishing fragments of conflicting pieces of information in order to gain the widest perspective of the events and circumstances confronting their reality.

They consciously and consistently distinguish facts from opinions, causes from effects, and ideas from assumptions. These distinguishing characteristics allow them to better understand the world from a completely unbiased and reflective perspective.

Ability to Identify Patterns and Connections

When we take information in through our senses, we naturally tend to categorize and segregate it accordingly in a way that will promote a greater sense of understanding and awareness. We then categorically try and make sense of this information based on our understanding of the patterns evident within it.

An outstanding critical thinker will tend to identify a greater array of patterns within a piece of information when compared to the rest of the population. As a result, they are better able to make the necessary connections and associations with existing memories, which helps them to gather insights that others are simply not aware of. This is, in fact, a primary quality that separates a genius from everybody else.

Ability to Analyze Information

An outstanding critical thinker always thinks about information from an analytic perspective. They are constantly questioning, ordering and comparing different pieces of information, which helps trigger new insights and understandings that enable them to find suitable answers to the most difficult challenges.

Characteristics of a Critical Thinker

An outstanding critical thinker has a set of character traits that are essential for effective and efficient thought. These traits help them to think more proficiently about the problems they are confronted with. As a result, they are able to gather unexpected insights and understandings that help improve their decision-making abilities.

Open Minded

An outstanding critical thinker is always open-minded to all possibilities, interpretations, and perspectives. They understand that unless they keep an open mind at all times, that they may essentially miss important cues and pieces of information that will provide them with new insights and understandings to successfully overcome the problems confronting their reality.

Has Flexibility of Thought

An outstanding critical thinker understands that a flexible and fluid thought process is required at all times in order to successfully gain new insights and perspectives about events and circumstances.

They are fully aware that there are always a variety of ways to look at a situation, and that there are an endless amount of possibilities and perspectives available to them at any one moment in time. They, therefore, maintain their flexible nature and change course with their thinking, decision making, and actions whenever an opportunity presents itself to move them forward in a more proficient way.

The Vocabulary of a Critical Thinker

An outstanding critical thinker’s vocabulary is focused on breaking down the problems and circumstances from a multitude of angles and perspectives. Their words help bring clarity and understanding to situations that at first may seem foggy and misdirected.

The following is a list of words that outstanding critical thinkers use to formulate questions to the problems confronting their reality:

Meaning, Reasons, Example, Prejudice, Evidence, Reliability, Viewpoint, Credibility, Explanation, Consequences, Assumptions, and Relevance .

Each of these words can be formulated into insightful and thought-provoking questions that will help you to break down any problem or situation from a critical perspective.

Critical Thinking Process for Problem Solving

The critical thinking process for problem-solving will help you to gain a wider perspective of the events and circumstances of your life. These insights will stimulate new ideas that will help you to find solutions that would not have been possible when using standard patterns of thinking.

As you progress through this section you will discover a simple step-by-step process of critical thought that will improve your ability to overcome the obstacles and challenges confronting your reality in the most efficient and effective way. You will also be presented with some key insights and perspectives of the critical thinking process that will become indispensable to your growth as a critical thinker.

Steps for Effective Critical Thinking

The following is one of several methods of critical thought that will help you to break down your problems most effectively.

As you follow these steps, it is important to reflect back on the critical thinking traits we discussed above. This is relevant because without these traits you will struggle to establish the patterns of thinking that are required to successfully work your way through this process.

Your first step is to tune-in to your past memories, knowledge, and understanding of this problem or a similar challenge you previously experienced. Recall how you dealt with this circumstance — identifying the exact approach you took. You are essentially trying to bring forth useful insights and experiences from your past into the present moment.

Here are some questions to get you started:

What past experiences could be useful with assisting me here? What could I use from my past that would effectively help me here? How is this relevant to my current circumstances and problem? Why did these tactics work for me in the past? Who helped me in the past, and how can they assist me in the present? Why is all this important? And how can capitalize on it?

Comprehension

Your goal here is to demonstrate your understanding of your current problem or predicament.

You must gather thorough objective insights about the events and circumstances that are manifesting within your reality. This is best achieved through a process of organizing , comparing , translating and interpreting your predicament from a variety of perspectives. This is in fact where the outstanding critical thinker distinguishes between facts and opinions, between causes and effects, and between ideas and assumptions.

What is really going on here? How could I look at this problem from a variety of different perspectives? How does this problem compare with my past experience and understanding?

Application

Your goal here is to take a look at hypothetical solutions to your problem. This is best achieved through the process of applying your acquired knowledge and by using the insights you gained from the previous two steps in a unique way.

We discuss many of these strategies throughout the creative thinking and problem-solving process. If you haven’t done so already, then have a read through them to further your understanding of this step.

Before proceeding to the questions, it is important to clarify that the key here is to only flex your understanding about the potential solutions that may be possible. It’s all about possibilities, and not so much about probabilities. Which is why you must keep a flexible approach and gain as clear of a perspective about your circumstances as is possible.

What if…? How would I best use…? What examples, techniques, objects and tools can I find that could further assist me here? What approach could I use that would expand the possibilities here? What would result if I did…?

Now that you have loosened your mind through the process of formulating hypothetical solutions, you are now free to enter the examination stage, where you break the information and knowledge you have gathered into chunks, that will help you to reach effective explanations for the motives or causes of this problem. By fully understanding the causes, you will be better prepared to critically examine the concrete solutions within the synthesis stage.

This is the moment where the outstanding critical thinker analyzes all the information they have collected through a means of comparing, ordering and via intensive questioning tactics.

How is this related to…? What is the relationship between…? What distinctions can I make between…? What are the possible causes that triggered this problem in the first place? What possible conclusions can be drawn from this? What evidence can I find to back up these conclusions? What other ideas can justify this? What new possibilities does this bring to mind?

Now that you have a rough idea of the potential solutions and have pinpointed the causes that led to the formation of this problem, you are finally ready to synthesize and compile all this information in a way that will help you gain unique insights into the potential solutions to your problem.

This is where the outstanding critical thinker begins their search for patterns and connections between pieces of information — helping them to reach new insights and answers that may not have been evident before.

What possible changes could I make to solve this effectively? How would I potentially improve…? What would happen if…? How could I potentially change…? What could be done to minimize this problem? Suppose I could… What would I do? What could I construct that would change…? What is the best potential solution for this problem? How would I test the potential consequences of these outcomes?

Within the final stage of this critical thinking process, you must be prepared to defend and test the validity of the solutions you brought forward throughout the synthesis stage.

Spend time developing a set of criteria that you will use to evaluate the potential solutions to your problem. Without this criteria, you will struggle to find the answers you are after.

How could I prove or disprove the advantages of choosing this method to overcome my problem? How could I evaluate this more thoroughly? What new insights could I gain? How could I be certain of the potential outcomes? How can I justify that this is the ideal and correct solution? How could I argue against this? What solution would I choose if…?

Critical Thinking Perspectives

An outstanding critical thinker perceives the world from a vastly different perspective than the average person. They naturally see things that others don’t because they are not afraid to ask the difficult questions that will help to open their mind and expand their habitual processes of thinking. As a result, they gain better insights and are therefore able to reach more effective decisions quickly.

The following is a list of methods that critical thinkers use to analyze the problems they are confronted with. Each step of this analysis process allows them to dig ever deeper into the underlying factors of a problem, and thusly enables them to gain a wider perspective of the events and circumstances.

Facts vs. Opinion Analysis

An outstanding critical thinker understands and immediately picks up on the differences between facts and opinions.

They realize that opinions are based on feelings, suggestions and future predictions. On the other hand, facts are built upon evidence, past events and upon variables that can easily be proven and measured.

They fully realize that the best way to work through their problems is to base their understanding upon concrete facts that will help them reach effective solutions to their circumstances.

• Fact-based words: “Has… Was… Is…”
• Opinion based words: “Could… Should… Might… Possibly… Potentially…”

Definitive vs. Indefinitive Analysis

An outstanding critical thinker takes time to analyze each and every circumstance from a definitive and indefinite perspective.

They understand that they must be very careful not to jump to any rushed conclusions or make unnecessary assumptions about the events and circumstances they are experiencing. Yet at the same time, they fully realize the importance of bringing forth all the possible assumptions that could be made when dealing with this particular problem. As a result, this conscious assumption awareness leads them to the answers they are searching for.

Here are some questions that will help you to break through the assumptions that may be hindering your understanding of your problems:

What can I directly observe? What could potentially be misinterpreted here? What is another explanation for this?

Reliable vs. Unreliable Analysis

An outstanding critical thinker takes time to judge whether or not a certain perspective or piece of information is reliable or unreliable. They fully understand that if they are unable to identify the reliability of something, that this could throw them off the beaten track, thereby hindering their ability to overcome their problems.

Here are some questions that will help you break down the reliability of the perspectives you have taken:

Can this perspective be justified? Where is the evidence for this? What is it about this that doesn’t quite compute?

Relevant vs. Irrelevant Analysis

An outstanding critical thinker does not waste their time on irrelevant perspectives or pieces of information. They fully know that focusing on irrelevant information and perspectives will lead them to a dead-end that could essentially exacerbate their problems even further. As a result, they zero-in on the most relevant information, perspectives and solutions that will help them to successfully overcome the obstacles and challenges standing in their way.

Here are some questions that will help you to identify the relevance and irrelevance of the perspectives you have taken:

Is this really relevant to the outcome I seek to attain? Is this really relevant to the solutions I hope to realize? What is most relevant to my outcome, and what should I focus my attention on? What is not relevant to my outcome at all?

Critical Thinker’s Questioning Tactics

Outstanding critical thinking rests upon the quality of questions we tend to ask ourselves on a daily basis.

Our problems have an amazing and all-encompassing power when we fail to control and understand their fickle ways. However, through the process of asking effective critical questions, we gain new insights that open the doors to a greater sense of control, helping us reach better solutions to our problematic circumstances.

Within this section, we will focus on a simple questioning process that will force you to think more critically about the problems and circumstances in your life.

Seek Clarification

Whenever first confronted with a problem it is paramount that you immediately seek to clarify what exactly is going on from a variety of different angles and perspectives.

Your goal is to immediately question yourself and others about the problem, identifying the potential causes, reasons, meanings and possible solutions that need to be pieced together.

Here are some questions you should ask yourself or ask others about the problem:

What do you mean when you say…? Why do you say that? Could you give me an example of why this is the case? Can you provide reasons for your perspective and the stance you have taken? Could you explain that further? What other possible factors could have triggered this problem? What else could this mean? Why is this important? Can you restate that another way?

Breakdown Assumptions

Once you have thoroughly clarified the problem, your next step is to break down all the possible assumptions that may be coloring your perception of reality. This is achieved by questioning possible misunderstandings or misleading conclusions that have been made.

Could this potentially be a simple overlooked assumption? How can you justify this statement? Why do you think your assumptions hold here? Why can’t you conclude that? How can you break this down another way?

Probe Different Points of View

Once you have identified and broken down the possible assumptions that you or others might be making, you are now ready to probe for different points-of-view or perspectives that will help you to understand the problem from a variety of unique angles.

What would someone who disagrees with you say? Does anyone see this another way? How exactly? Why have you approached the issue from this perspective? Have you considered the opposite point-of-view? What are some other points-of-view? How are other points-of-view justified?

Probe for Evidence

Having obtained a variety of perspectives and points-of-view, your next step is to begin questioning the validity of these perspectives.

A few words of warning: If you do not validate these perspectives accurately, they may lead you down the wrong path, and you will, therefore, fail to find an effective solution to your problem.

What are your reasons for saying that? Could you explain your reasons further? How do you know that’s true? How does that apply here in this particular situation? Why did you say that? Are these reasons adequate?

Probe for Potential Consequences

The final step of this critical questioning process is to question the possible solutions and implications of the outcomes and perspectives you have reached.

Here are some questions you should ask yourself or ask others about this problem:

When you say… are you implying that…? What effect will that have in the short and long-term? If this is the case, then what else must follow? What are the possible consequences of this decision? Is this the only solution that is available, or is there another alternative?

Concluding Thoughts

Critical thinking is more than just a way of processing, organizing and validating chunks of information, it is, in fact, a lifestyle that we must cultivate and adapt into our habitual patterns of thought and behavior in order to break through the obstacles confronting our lives.

Many of us may very well ignore the critical thinking process and continue to go about our daily lives accepting reality as it appears to be from our limited perspective.

We accept that problems exist, we accept that circumstances will not go our way, and we accept that disappointment awaits us around the corner. This act of acceptance breeds lazy habitual patterns of thinking, acting and decision making, that lock us away into a never-changing inflexible world. We struggle to find answers because we lack the necessary habits of thought that will allow us to expand our understanding and perspective of our circumstances. And as a result, we fail to find the solutions that will awaken our critical thinker from within.

The solution is to begin transforming our perspective through the meticulous process of asking effective questions that will help us to expand our understanding and awareness of our own reality. Cultivate these critical thinking questions, practice them, work through them, and bring them forth into your daily patterns of thinking and behaving, and you will progressively become an outstanding critical thinker.

Time to Assimilate these Concepts

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How can we minimize Instagram’s harmful effects?

Vol. 53 No. 2 Print version: page 30

• Mental Health
• Digital Impact
• Social Media and Internet
• Technology and Design

More than a billion people use Instagram, spending an estimated average of 30 minutes per day on the image-heavy platform ( eMarketer , 2020). But researchers know very little about how Instagram affects the mental health of its users.

Facebook’s internal studies, published by The Wall Street Journal  in September, point to how the app may harm teens, including worsening body image concerns for 1 in 3 teenage girls, but that data is correlational and self-reported. The same is true for much of the research in the field, which is in its early stages but starting to accelerate, including experimental studies, longitudinal analyses, and fMRI efforts.

“It’s quite hard to replicate the many different interactions between comments and likes, known and unknown people,” said Jasmine Fardouly, PhD, a psychology researcher who studies social media use and body image at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. “Everyone’s experience on Instagram is slightly different—and we’re only just starting to get at some of the nuances.”

Still, there is plenty of cause for concern. Studies have linked Instagram to depression, body image concerns, self-esteem issues, social anxiety, and other problems. By design, the app capitalizes on users’ biological drive for social belonging—and nudges them to keep on scrolling.

“There’s something about the interactions occurring on social media that makes them qualitatively different from in-person interactions,” some of which are intentionally part of the way apps are designed, said Mitch Prinstein, APA’s chief science officer. “This introduces risks that were not there before, which are causing harm as a result.”

[ Related: Potential risks of content, features, and functions: The science of how social media affects youth ]

How use affects mental health

Part of what makes Instagram problematic is its addictive nature. Unlike a magazine, television show, or video game, the platform rarely delivers “stopping cues”—or gentle nudges that prompt users to move on to a different activity, said psychologist Adam Alter, PhD, a professor of marketing at New York University’s Stern School of Business. Instead, it continually serves up content, driving users back to the top of their feeds to repeat the descent.

“Instagram, like many tech platforms, is designed to be bottomless, and you don’t have to do much to access that bottomless content. Just keep scrolling,” he said.

Social interactions also play out in different ways, said Jacqueline Nesi, PhD, an assistant professor of psychology at Brown University, because quantified measures of status—likes, views, and comments—tend to remain visible in perpetuity and can be viewed anytime, anywhere, and often by anyone ( Psychological Inquiry , Vol. 21, No. 3, 2020).

Perhaps surprisingly, spending hours at a time on Instagram is not unilaterally harmful. One of the field’s most robust findings is that raw time spent on social media has little to no effect on psychopathology (Odgers, C. L., & Jensen, M. R., The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry , Vol. 61, No. 3, 2020). Instead, the way people engage with the app appears to be what can impact mental health.

“Specific social media experiences are much more important than overall time spent on the platforms,” said Sophia Choukas-Bradley, PhD, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Delaware who studies adolescent mental health.

In particular, Instagram users who engage in digital status seeking (looking for popularity online) and social comparison (evaluating oneself in relation to others) tend to experience negative psychological outcomes. Such behaviors have been linked to increases in depressive symptoms, social anxiety, and body image concerns across age groups, as well as decreases in self-esteem (Sherlock, M., & Wagstaff, D. L., Psychology of Popular Media , Vol. 8, No. 4, 2019; Cohen, R., et al., Body Image , Vol. 23, 2017).

Upward social comparison in particular is extremely common on Instagram, said Fardouly. Users evaluate their own life alongside curated—and often edited—images of others ( Body Image , Vol. 20, 2017). Because users tend to follow both people they know personally and people they’ve never met, the app also blurs the boundaries between peers and celebrities, Choukas-Bradley said. That can lead to false social comparison when users contrast their appearance with idealized images ( PsyArXiv Preprints , 2021).

Posting edited “selfies” on apps like Instagram is also correlated with disordered eating behavior. In one study of 2,475 undergraduate students led by doctoral student Madeline Wick and her advisor, Pamela Keel, PhD, a psychology professor at Florida State University, 1 in 3 women said they edited images to alter their weight or shape before posting photos on Instagram. That practice was associated with an increased likelihood of a probable eating disorder. The study also found a causal relationship between posting edited photos and body image concerns ( International Journal of Eating Disorders , Vol. 53, No. 6, 2020; Cohen, R., et al., Computers in Human Behavior , Vol. 79, 2018).

These behaviors tend to be more prevalent among younger users compared with older ones, and in women compared with men (Saiphoo, A. N., & Vahedi, Z., Computers in Human Behavior , Vol. 101, 2019; Body Image , Vol. 33, 2020). Though men and boys are less likely to use Instagram for social comparison and status seeking, those who do experience a similar level of harm to women and girls (Lonergan, A. R., et al., “ Social media and eating and body image concerns among men and boys ” in Eating Disorders in Boys and Men , 2021; International Journal of Eating Disorders , Vol. 53, No. 6, 2020).

The research is also clear that this is not just a problem for teens. Adults who use the app and are prone to social comparison consistently face problems with social anxiety, self-esteem, and mood (Jiang, S. & Ngien, A., Social Media + Society , Vol. 6, No. 2, 2020; Midgley, C., et al., Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , Vol. 121, No. 2, 2021).

While much of this data is correlational, researchers are starting to test Instagram use experimentally, said Sarah Diefenbach, a professor at the Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich in Germany who holds a doctoral degree in psychology. For example, when participants in one study viewed either appearance-conscious photos from fitness, modeling, and beauty Instagram accounts or control photos from nature, food, and home-décor accounts, those in the former condition experienced increases in negative mood and anxiety (Kohler, M. T., et al., Psychology of Popular Media , Vol. 10, No. 3, 2021). Another experiment found that viewing retouched Instagram selfies, versus unedited ones, directly harmed body image in teenage girls (Kleemans, M., Media Psychology , Vol. 21, No. 1, 2018).

As those findings imply, Instagram users can attempt to curate their feeds to be less harmful, for instance by muting or unfollowing accounts that post idealized content and following those that promote diversity. In one experiment led by Fardouly and Rachel Cohen, PhD, a clinical psychologist based in Australia, women who viewed “body positive” posts—which promote acceptance of diverse body types—reported improved mood, body satisfaction, and body appreciation ( New Media & Society , Vol. 21, No. 7, 2019). However, a content analysis of body positive accounts led by Jennifer Harriger, PhD, an associate professor of psychology at Pepperdine University, found that 8% of posts still reinforced thin beauty ideals, for instance by encouraging dieting to change one’s appearance ( Body Image , Vol. 34, 2020).

“The body positivity movement is a great example of a user-based initiative that leverages social media to promote diversity and effect positive change,” said Keel, a co-author on the content analysis. “But people still need to be critical consumers of what they’re viewing.”

Instagram in adolescence

As some of the most voracious users of image-heavy social media platforms, including Instagram, teens have been a major focus of research ( Teens, Social Media & Technology 2018 , Pew Research Center). Facebook’s internal studies of more than 22,000 users indicate that adolescents face challenges with social comparison, social pressure, and negative peer interactions on Instagram—and that “teens who struggle with mental health say Instagram makes it worse” ( Hard Life Moments—Mental Health Deep Dive , Facebook, 2021).

Still, most teens report that social media makes them feel more connected to their friends, more included, and more confident, which suggests that online experiences are often multidimensional ( Teens’ Social Media Habits and Experiences , Pew Research Center, 2018; Pouwels, J. L., et al., Developmental Psychology , Vol. 57, No. 2, 2021).

“Peer relationships are absolutely essential for kids’ well-being and social media use is now a primary source of those relationships,” Choukas-Bradley said. “It can present both risks and benefits at the same time.”

For example, transgender and gender diverse adolescents often use Instagram and other platforms to learn about sexual health and identity and to form community with other LGBTQ teens, according to research by Choukas-Bradley and her colleagues ( Psychology of Sexual Orientation , 2021). Social media can be particularly important for LGBTQ teens in rural areas who may lack role models in their communities (Escobar-Viera, C. G., et al., JMIR Mental Health , Vol. 5, No. 3, 2018).

However, transgender and gender diverse teens also report being victimized on social media because of their gender identities—and teens who are bullied on social media report high levels of depression and suicidal thoughts and behaviors (Hamm, M. P., et al., JAMA Pediatrics , Vol. 169, No. 8, 2015; Nesi, J., et al., Clinical Psychology Review , Vol. 87, 2021). Researchers are also starting to document the interaction between online and offline bullying, especially for people of color, and are finding that teens who face offline racial discrimination are more likely to face online discrimination down the line (Lozada, F. T. , et al., Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology , Vol. 27, No. 3, 2021).

Adolescents are both powerfully drawn to social media—and particularly vulnerable to it—partly because of their biological drive for popularity and connection, Prinstein said. Areas of the brain linked to social rewards develop a significant increase in dopamine and oxytocin receptors during adolescence, which motivates teens to seek approval from their peers—right around the same time many teens gain access to Instagram and other image-conscious apps.

“Kids have a biological vulnerability to want social rewards, and now we’re handing them a way to get it—on steroids,” he said.

That drive for approval bears out in experimental research, too. In a series of studies led by developmental psychologist Hae Yeon Lee, PhD, of Yale-NUS College in Singapore, teens who received fewer “likes” in a simulated social media interaction similar to Instagram reported more negative emotions and thoughts about themselves, especially if they were already victimized by peers at school ( Child Development , Vol. 91, No. 6, 2020).

An fMRI study led by psychologist Lauren Sherman, PhD, also found that teens had increased activation in reward-associated regions of the brain when viewing Instagram-like photos with more “likes.” When viewing Instagram-like photos showing risky behaviors such as drinking and smoking, teens had decreased activation in areas of the brain linked to inhibition, including the prefrontal cortex ( Psychological Science , Vol. 27, No. 7, 2016). (Sherman now works for Instagram, doing user experience research.)

The main takeaway from existing research, said Choukas-Bradley, is not to keep teens off Instagram and other social apps. Instead, it’s a more nuanced understanding that some behaviors that occur online, like social comparison, are harmful, while others, like intimacy and connection with peers, are a part of healthy and normative development.

“Our question now is: How can we decrease time spent on experiences that confer risk, and increase time spent on things we know to be protective?” she said.

Improving Instagram use

Unlike medications or cigarettes, social media platforms don’t come with warning labels, said Keel. But since Instagram’s internal research leaked to the public in September, there’s an increasing recognition that caution may be warranted when engaging with the platform. Alter recommends spending several hours at a time away from the app, either by leaving one’s phone in another room, activating airplane mode, or turning off notifications.

Concerned parents should avoid banning or overly restricting social media use among teens, Fardouly says, but instead have discussions with their children about harms and benefits. Start that discussion with open-ended questions, for example by asking kids how they feel when viewing different types of content and whether the images they see are real or edited. Encouraging critical thinking about material posted online can also help, because research suggests that kids and teens with strong media literacy skills struggle less with self-esteem and body image issues ( Media Education and Body Image , Media Smarts, 2018).

“Adults can also model healthier behavior on Instagram by unfollowing people who post idealized content, following content unrelated to appearance, and spending less time on the app overall,” Fardouly said.

Future studies of Instagram should focus on testing Instagram’s effects on mental health experimentally and longitudinally, said Nesi. Researchers are now moving toward studying individual differences in usage and conducting experiments with more diverse samples, and away from questions about raw time spent on the app.

“We also need to develop constructs that allow us to understand how adolescents use social media more broadly, because their preferred platforms change so rapidly,” said Choukas-Bradley. Instagram has already lost traction with teens, who tend to prefer TikTok and Snapchat ( Taking Stock with Teens , Piper Sandler, 2021).

Instagram and other platforms can bolster these efforts, researchers say, with more collaboration and data sharing. APA is engaged in advocacy efforts to increase transparency into the company’s massive internal datasets and to increase federal funding for studying the mental health effects of social media use.

“Different people use social media in very different ways,” Nesi said. “We need to understand what factors make some people more sensitive to experiences they have online—and how those experiences might impact psychological problems in the future.”

Further reading

Teens & Tech Winston Family Initiative in Technology and Adolescent Brain Development , 2021

Irresistible: The rise of addictive technology and the business of keeping us hooked Alter, A., Penguin Press, 2017

Plugged in: How media attract and affect youth Valkenburg, P. M., & Piotrowski, J. T., Yale University Press, 2017

Recommended Reading

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What Critical Thinking Is—And 7 Ways to Improve Yours

Making a hire. Debugging a website glitch. Deciding how to tell your boss they have a stain on their shirt.

All of these tasks, and more, require critical thinking skills. And whether you think you have them or not, they’re critical (see what we did there?) for your career—here’s why.

What is critical thinking and why is it so important?

Critical thinking “requires us to give a second thought to our own interpretations” as we’re making a decision or trying to understand a given situation, Constance Dierickx , a clinical psychologist and decision-making coach for CEOs and executives, told The Muse.

There are three steps to critical thinking, according to Lily Drabkin, a graduate student specializing in organizational psychology who facilitates a class called “Developing Critical Thinkers” at Columbia University:

• Becoming aware of our assumptions : This is the process of tuning into what we’re believing or thinking, otherwise known as metacognition.
• Researching our assumptions: This is the process of checking our assumptions using a wide range of sources. “Generally, it can be helpful to involve other people who can help us see ourselves in our actions from unfamiliar perspectives,” Drabkin said.
• Testing our analysis: This step involves putting our research into action to see if it’s accurate, as well as being open to our initial assumptions being wrong and ready to change our perspective.

Critical thinking is beneficial for building relationships, starting or pivoting your career, or even just doing your everyday job. It’s also a highly-sought-after skill in job seekers. “You want someone who has good critical thinking skills because they're not going to be an attention sponge,” Muse career coach Yolanda Owens said. “They're going to be able to figure things out and…be more resourceful.”

Here are two other ways it’s helpful to be good at critical thinking:

Critical thinking leads to better decision-making

Owens pointed out that good critical thinkers always seek to understand the “why.” “When they can do that, they're better problem solvers,” she said. “It really helps people analyze situations and viewpoints.”

Critical thinking can also prevent you from having knee-jerk reactions that backfire in the long run, Dierickx said. “Decisions based on critical thinking are more likely to be ones that we feel confident about,” Drabkin added.

Critical thinking makes you look smart

Dierickx said when we use critical thinking, we have more proof to back up our statements or decisions, making it easier to influence and earn the respect of others.

“You build up a reputation as somebody who's a reliable thinker,” Dierickx said. “It makes you stand out because in most organizations, a lot of people say the same things.”

7 ways to improve your critical thinking skills

The following habits are worth incorporating into your daily routine—that is, if you want to impress your colleagues and avoid falling into a spiral of poor choices.

1. Ask questions

Good critical thinkers, Owens said, aren’t afraid to ask others when they’re unsure about something. This allows them to have as much information in front of them as possible before making a decision. It also ensures they’re never so confident in their assumptions that they ignore better options.

2. Practice reflection

Dierickx advised baking time for reflection into your day, particularly after an emotional situation is resolved or a big project is completed. Consider:

• What was the context?
• What was I thinking and feeling in the moment?
• What were other people thinking and feeling in the moment?
• What could I have done differently knowing what I know now?

It can be helpful, too, to loop in someone you trust or admire for feedback on how you handled it and what they would have done differently.

3. Be open to change

Owens and Dierickx agreed that people who are open minded have more success when it comes to critical thinking. “My biggest pet peeve is when people say, ‘Well, we've always done it that way.’ Don't become that person,” Owens said. “There's always an alternate way to do something, and understanding that your way is not always the only way or the right way to do something.”

Dierickx advised being “willing to let go of what you believed was true yesterday in the face of new evidence.”

“We need to be certain and uncertain,” she added. “You can't be so certain that you never question. That's not critical thinking. That's blind ignorance.”

4. Build a diverse network

You’ll never learn to think critically if you’re only faced with perspectives that mimic your own. So make the effort to surround yourself with people of different backgrounds, expertise, interests, and viewpoints and actively seek out their advice, feedback, and ideas on a regular basis.

“Learning from peers is one of the most important ways that adults learn something, which is great actually for critical thinking, because critical thinking skills are often learned in conversation,” Drabkin said.

“Even if there might be somebody whose views you disagree with, it's still helpful to hear them out,” she added.

5. Get good at active listening

When you’ve developed a diverse network of friends, colleagues, and mentors, it’s important that you’re really engaged with what they’re saying to you so you can leverage those insights for your own critical thinking.

Here’s our guide to becoming an active listener , or someone who listens with intent and strategy (and most definitely doesn’t scroll on their phone while chatting with others).

6. Read and study widely

Just as it’s important to interact with different types of people to get better at critical thinking, Dierickx said, it’s also important to take in new information outside your profession or area of expertise.

She suggested setting aside time in your schedule to read scholarly articles or books on topics you’re not as familiar with or even ideas you disagree with.

Similarly, she said, it can be helpful to take on new hobbies or study up on activities that are unfamiliar.

7. Take on stretch assignments

Critical thinking can come into play when you put yourself outside your comfort zone, and there’s no better way to do that than to tackle something new and different in your job.

That isn’t to say that you should raise your hand to lead an important project without understanding what it requires or flagging to your boss where your knowledge gaps are. But you should be open to being the dumbest person in the room or having your skill set and confidence questioned by other people and new ideas.

How to show off your critical thinking skills in the job search

Employers value critical thinkers because they’re often autonomous, innovative, and enjoyable to work with, so it’s key to incorporate examples of your critical thinking in action at several points in your job search process.

In a resume or cover letter

Job search wisdom states your resume bullets and cover letter should focus on your accomplishments instead of your duties. Owens added this is a great way to imply you’re a good critical thinker on paper.

She suggested including not just ways that you moved the needle or added value but “how you made those types of decisions, or what it was that influenced you to do things the way that you've done them.”

In a job interview

Critical thinking skills are frequently assessed by employers through behavioral questions , skills tests, and case studies. Owens said when approaching any job assessment, think out loud—“not just necessarily telling them your answer, but helping them understand how you got to the answer.”

And don’t be afraid to ask follow-up questions before providing a response. “Ask for some context as to why they're asking you that question so you can understand the type of example you need to give them in order to frame your answers,” Owens said. “And that's all part of critical thinking—knowing what questions to ask or knowing that you have to ask a question in order to be able to come up with a solution.”

Drabkin noted that part of critical thinking is seeing beyond what’s in front of you. In an interview, this could mean looking for and pointing out gaps in a job or team where you could be a unique asset. “Finding that and demonstrating that will show your interviewer and show the company that you have these critical thinking skills because you're able to analyze the role in a way that maybe they haven't,” she said.

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Critical Thinking: A Simple Guide and Why It’s Important

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Critical Thinking: A Simple Guide and Why It’s Important was originally published on Ivy Exec .

Strong critical thinking skills are crucial for career success, regardless of educational background. It embodies the ability to engage in astute and effective decision-making, lending invaluable dimensions to professional growth.

At its essence, critical thinking is the ability to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information in a logical and reasoned manner. It’s not merely about accumulating knowledge but harnessing it effectively to make informed decisions and solve complex problems. In the dynamic landscape of modern careers, honing this skill is paramount.

The Impact of Critical Thinking on Your Career

☑ problem-solving mastery.

Visualize critical thinking as the Sherlock Holmes of your career journey. It facilitates swift problem resolution akin to a detective unraveling a mystery. By methodically analyzing situations and deconstructing complexities, critical thinkers emerge as adept problem solvers, rendering them invaluable assets in the workplace.

☑ Refined Decision-Making

Navigating dilemmas in your career path resembles traversing uncertain terrain. Critical thinking acts as a dependable GPS, steering you toward informed decisions. It involves weighing options, evaluating potential outcomes, and confidently choosing the most favorable path forward.

☑ Enhanced Teamwork Dynamics

Within collaborative settings, critical thinkers stand out as proactive contributors. They engage in scrutinizing ideas, proposing enhancements, and fostering meaningful contributions. Consequently, the team evolves into a dynamic hub of ideas, with the critical thinker recognized as the architect behind its success.

☑ Communication Prowess

Effective communication is the cornerstone of professional interactions. Critical thinking enriches communication skills, enabling the clear and logical articulation of ideas. Whether in emails, presentations, or casual conversations, individuals adept in critical thinking exude clarity, earning appreciation for their ability to convey thoughts seamlessly.

☑ Adaptability and Resilience

Perceptive individuals adept in critical thinking display resilience in the face of unforeseen challenges. Instead of succumbing to panic, they assess situations, recalibrate their approaches, and persist in moving forward despite adversity.

☑ Fostering Innovation

Innovation is the lifeblood of progressive organizations, and critical thinking serves as its catalyst. Proficient critical thinkers possess the ability to identify overlooked opportunities, propose inventive solutions, and streamline processes, thereby positioning their organizations at the forefront of innovation.

☑ Confidence Amplification

Critical thinkers exude confidence derived from honing their analytical skills. This self-assurance radiates during job interviews, presentations, and daily interactions, catching the attention of superiors and propelling career advancement.

So, how can one cultivate and harness this invaluable skill?

✅ developing curiosity and inquisitiveness:.

Embrace a curious mindset by questioning the status quo and exploring topics beyond your immediate scope. Cultivate an inquisitive approach to everyday situations. Encourage a habit of asking “why” and “how” to deepen understanding. Curiosity fuels the desire to seek information and alternative perspectives.

✅ Practice Reflection and Self-Awareness:

Engage in reflective thinking by assessing your thoughts, actions, and decisions. Regularly introspect to understand your biases, assumptions, and cognitive processes. Cultivate self-awareness to recognize personal prejudices or cognitive biases that might influence your thinking. This allows for a more objective analysis of situations.

✅ Strengthening Analytical Skills:

Practice breaking down complex problems into manageable components. Analyze each part systematically to understand the whole picture. Develop skills in data analysis, statistics, and logical reasoning. This includes understanding correlation versus causation, interpreting graphs, and evaluating statistical significance.

✅ Engaging in Active Listening and Observation:

Actively listen to diverse viewpoints without immediately forming judgments. Allow others to express their ideas fully before responding. Observe situations attentively, noticing details that others might overlook. This habit enhances your ability to analyze problems more comprehensively.

✅ Encouraging Intellectual Humility and Open-Mindedness:

Foster intellectual humility by acknowledging that you don’t know everything. Be open to learning from others, regardless of their position or expertise. Cultivate open-mindedness by actively seeking out perspectives different from your own. Engage in discussions with people holding diverse opinions to broaden your understanding.

✅ Practicing Problem-Solving and Decision-Making:

Engage in regular problem-solving exercises that challenge you to think creatively and analytically. This can include puzzles, riddles, or real-world scenarios. When making decisions, consciously evaluate available information, consider various alternatives, and anticipate potential outcomes before reaching a conclusion.

✅ Continuous Learning and Exposure to Varied Content:

Read extensively across diverse subjects and formats, exposing yourself to different viewpoints, cultures, and ways of thinking. Engage in courses, workshops, or seminars that stimulate critical thinking skills. Seek out opportunities for learning that challenge your existing beliefs.

✅ Engage in Constructive Disagreement and Debate:

Encourage healthy debates and discussions where differing opinions are respectfully debated.

This practice fosters the ability to defend your viewpoints logically while also being open to changing your perspective based on valid arguments. Embrace disagreement as an opportunity to learn rather than a conflict to win. Engaging in constructive debate sharpens your ability to evaluate and counter-arguments effectively.

✅ Utilize Problem-Based Learning and Real-World Applications:

Engage in problem-based learning activities that simulate real-world challenges. Work on projects or scenarios that require critical thinking skills to develop practical problem-solving approaches. Apply critical thinking in real-life situations whenever possible.

This could involve analyzing news articles, evaluating product reviews, or dissecting marketing strategies to understand their underlying rationale.

In conclusion, critical thinking is the linchpin of a successful career journey. It empowers individuals to navigate complexities, make informed decisions, and innovate in their respective domains. Embracing and honing this skill isn’t just an advantage; it’s a necessity in a world where adaptability and sound judgment reign supreme.

So, as you traverse your career path, remember that the ability to think critically is not just an asset but the differentiator that propels you toward excellence.

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Teachers Toolkit Blog

Fun Critical Thinking Activities for Kids

Resources · Thematic · Thinking Skills

Critical thinking is a skill that your students will use well into their adult lives. It’s not something that necessarily comes naturally to everyone, though. This means it must be actively taught as a specific skill. Here are some ideas for fun critical thinking activities for your young students. And don’t miss my earlier post on thinking skills.

critical thinking activities

Analyzing information using logic, creativity and reasoning involves critical thinking skills. There are many ways you can incorporate this skill into other lessons or activities.

What Happened Next?

This seems like a simple game, but it’s great for exercising imagination and creativity.

Start off with a story prompt that you give your students. For example, “Once there was a little green frog.” One of the students adds a sentence, taking the story in a new direction. Then continue around the room, having each student add their bit of the story.

This can also be done in small groups, with you adding a line after each child adds one. The stories usually end up being totally ridiculous, but that’s half the fun!

Another seemingly simple game that requires analysis and creativity.

Divide students into groups and give them a category title or theme, such as Snacks or Summertime.

Students list as many words as they can think of that fit the category within a specific time, usually a minute and a half.

At the end of the time, the groups count their words. The team with the most words wins. Challenge them to beat their own number.

A different play on this would be to give the groups a specific number of words that they should try to think of. The group that comes closest to coming up with that number of words wins.

The Value of Storytime

Reading aloud to your students is valuable in and of itself. But intentionally adding critical thinking questions to your reading takes the simple idea of storytime and ramps it up to a whole new level

Make predictions

• By looking at the cover, what do you predict the story will be about?
• Read 3/4 of the story and ask students to predict the ending.
• If characters are making a decision about something, ask them to predict what the decision will be.

Students often struggle with summarizing a story or reading passage. Their summaries usually tend to be too broad or too specific, often based on the first sentence.

Ask your students to tell you in one sentence what a story or passage is about. This will help them to clearly form a concise summary.

make an inference

The ability to make inferences is a necessary skill needed for critical thinking.

Use illustrations in stories to form questions where students need to infer the answer. For example, if the picture shows an outdoor scene, ask them to tell you what season it is.

Critical Thinking Ideas and Puzzles

Puzzles are always a fun way for students to utilize critical thinking.

These   Critical Thinking Activities Task Cards   provide teachers with   activities and puzzles  to help students  develop critical thinking skills . In this pack you will find  80 quick start task cards  – 4 cards per page. Your elementary students will love trying to figure out the puzzle or challenge and you will love knowing that they are using higher order thinking skills!

These ‘quick starts’ are ideal  warm-up activities  for the beginning of a lesson. They should be used flexibly and can be used in any order, at any time. As these task cards are intended for  repeated use , I would suggest laminating them for durability.

Today’s students are the  problem-solvers  of the future. If they are taught factual knowledge only, they tend to respond with conventionally correct answers rather than exploring  creative solutions.  All students can learn to think critically and creatively.

Students need to be able to  judge, analyze and think critically  in order to participate fully in a democratic and technological society. This can be achieved if the teacher recognizes the value of thinking skills and provides opportunities for the thinking processes to be  modeled and developed .

When to use: (10-15 minutes group/class)

• at the beginning of a lesson
• during circle time

Let us know if you try any of these activities. We’d love to know how it goes!

And check out my other critical thinking resources!

• Thinking Skills Think Outside of the Box Series: Surprising Shapes
• Think Outside of the Box Series: Activities
• Thinking Skills Think Outside of the Box Series: Bundle

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• Published: 15 July 2024

The influence of using instagram on EFL learners’ critical thinking in language institutes

• Mahdi Zalani   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-7322-9354 1 &
• Nouroddin Yousofi   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-8981-5246 1  

Smart Learning Environments volume  11 , Article number:  33 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

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This study examined the influence of using Instagram on EFL learners’ critical thinking in language institutes. The participants were 98 students (40 males and 58 females) studying English at three branches of a language institute in Iran who were 20–24 years old and shared the same L1 which was Persian. They were selected through purposive sampling. Their proficiency in English was checked by administering DIALANG. Based on their scores on DIALANG, two equal groups were formed as experimental and control. As the pretest, California Critical Thinking Skills Test and California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory were utilised. Afterward, the experimental group were taught in class and via Instagram, while the control group were taught only in class without using Instagram. The treatment lasted for 12 weeks each week for two sessions each session for 2 h. Then the posttest, which included administering California Critical Thinking Skills Test and California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory was administered. The two groups got nearly the same scores on the pretest which showed their same proficiency level, but, their performances on the posttest were significantly different and the experimental group performed much better than the control group. This study may have implications for teacher trainers, supervisors, teachers, and textbook writers.

Introduction

According to Van Dijk ( 2005 ) language can be utilised to control those with whom there is a conflict of interest; it is a communicative process in which a manipulator controls the targeted individuals known as “Language Manipulation”. Power relations in language manipulation are established through a process of constructing a dominant ideology for which language is the vital medium. Even though language itself does not have power assigned to it, it can be utilised to challenge power, destroy its authority, and to change power distributions. Foreign language learners transfer thoughts, beliefs, and culture of the foreign language to that of their own. Thus, learners need to identify the meaning embedded in discourses to recognise the ideologies and thoughts that are being imposed on them. Learners’ lack of critical awareness lets the dominant groups colonise their minds. Consequently, by controlling the mentalities of educated groups of a society, they colonise the country and conquer its culture, identity, and civilisation (Van Dijk, 2005 ). Vasquez ( 2014 ) argued that a curriculum should be critical and guide educators and students to unfold issues of social justice in class by asking critical questions and having discussions. According to the available literature, the democratic or emancipatory essence of critical thinking has been emphasised. In this regard, critical thinking instruction entails transformation and change. Critical thinking should be utilised as a means for disciplinary knowledge acquisition; students need critical thinking skills to understand themselves and act autonomously and critically in new contexts. It could be inferred that critical thinking advocates a critical mode of rationality and argumentation for epistemic benefits (Bailin & Battersby, 2020 ).

Mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) generally refers to learning language anytime, anywhere regardless of time or space limitations. Laptops, tablets, and smart phones are used for language learning and make the learning process easier for learners. Ubiquitous features of mobile devices have made them suitable for modern education and MALL is supported all around the world (Nanjundan et al., 2020 ). Recently, many scholars have paid noticeable attention to MALL. They have worked on the possibilities and barriers of MALL, the effect of mobile learning on academia, technologies of MALL, and educational environments. It has been proved that smartphones can be utilised for learning English due to the accessibility of many applications like WhatsApp, Viber, Line, Telegram, and Instagram which could be utilised in this field (Rajendran &Yunus, 2021 ). By mobile-assisted language learning (MALL), social networking systems (SNS) can be brought into the class which enable learners to interact with an authentic L2 community outside the formal context of education. Technology and critical thinking are the two most important factors of modern education. The utilisation of technology like online learning by using digital platforms could improve learners’ critical thinking and develop their reasoning, problem-solving, and decision making (Lopez-Perez et al., 2011 ); it could also foster collaboration among learners by activities such as online discussions (Foo & Quek, 2019 ). To the best of our knowledge, in the available literature Instagram has never been utilised for developing EFL learners’ critical thinking skills in language institutes. Therefore, with the aim of filling the lacuna, two questions should be answered:

Does any significant difference exist between critical thinking proficiency of EFL learners who receive critical thinking instructions in class and via Instagram and EFL learners who receive instructions only in class without using Instagram?

What are EFL learners’ perspectives on using Instagram for learning English in language institutes?

Review of literature

Critical thinking originates from the Socratic Method. The Socratic Method is a philosophy that advocates correcting illogical thinking (Paul et al., 1997 ). The Socratic Method advocated evidential reasoning, meticulous investigation of justifications and presumptions, analysing fundamental concepts, and tracing out implications. Plato recorded Socrates’ thoughts and followed the Socratic Method by critical thinking. Plato was followed by Aristotle and the Greek skeptics who believed that only trained minds can see through the surface level what exactly exists beyond that (Paul et al., 1997 ). According to Dewey ( 1933 ) open-mindedness, responsibility, and wholeheartedness were the three fundamental attitudes for critical thinking. Open-mindedness referred to considering more than one side when investigating an issue. Responsibility referred to thoughtful and careful evaluation of the consequences an action might have. Wholeheartedness referred to the diligence of critical thinkers for finding the truth. Critical thinking relies on an individual’s inclination, motivation, and determination and a disposition to involve in reflecting on important issues, solving problems, and making decisions. Zoller et al. ( 2000 ) argued that the prerequisite for critical thinking is an individual’s disposition to think critically. This influences one’s critical thinking ability. Dewey ( 1910 , 1933 ) emphasised “reflective thinking”, which was later being renamed “critical thinking”, as a fundamental competence for students. The concept of critical thinking refers to the investigation of the grounds that a belief is built on and their implications (Dewey, 1910 , 1933 ). People need critical thinking to assess the upcoming information, form rational opinions, and draw mindful conclusions (Morales-Obod et al., 2020 ). Critical thinking is an inseparable part of language education, because language learners need critical thinking to analyse the information they are exposed to all the time. Critical thinking is not acquired naturally. It should be explicitly taught to learners (Bezanilla et al., 2019 ). The ultimate goal of modern education is to teach critical thinking to learners (Gilmanshina et al., 2021 ). Even though it is widely accepted that teaching critical thinking to students is an essential goal of education, critical thinking skills have not been taught to the desired extent. To change this situation, a major shift in educational paradigms, public investment in teacher education, and policies on school curricula is required. It is necessary that education policy makers consider disciplines at how to develop students’ critical thinking rather than concentrating on individual subjects continuously (Alandejani, 2021 ; Al-Zou’bi, 2021 ; Patonah et al., 2021 ). To deal with the complexity of problems caused by the fast development of technology, learning critical thinking is increasingly required. Thus, educational systems are expected to teach critical thinking to students (Ali & Awan, 2021 ). Regarding the integration of critical thinking into pedagogical courses, two approaches are mainly discussed: the explicit approach and the implicit approach. The explicit approach advocates the direct teaching of critical thinking principles; on the other hand, the implicit approach does not specify critical thinking instructions. In other words, the explicit approach aims to promote individuals’ critical thinking proficiency by clarifying critical thinking skills and dispositions to them. In contrast, the implicit approach does not introduce basic critical thinking concepts to individuals and expects their critical thinking to develop as a result of learning the content (Ennis, 1989 ). For effective incorporation of critical thinking in educational courses, researchers have strongly advocated the explicit approach, because learning critical thinking is not a product of studying certain subjects (Halpern, 2007 ). There is also empirical support for the superiority of the explicit approach of critical thinking instruction over the implicit approach. Based on a meta-analysis of over a hundred empirical studies, Abrami et al. ( 2015 ) concluded that in spite of obtaining mixed results, the explicit approach of critical thinking instruction was more effective compared with the implicit approach. Similarly, Bensley and Spero ( 2014 ) found that explicit teaching of certain critical thinking skills substantially promoted the college students’ critical thinking and metacognition. In this study, we adopted the explicit approach for teaching critical thinking. Utilising Instagram eased the teaching practice since the political analyses presented in Instagram were utilised to uncover the meaning embedded in them. The contents presented in Instagram were implicit in nature but utilised for the explicit teaching of critical thinking by means of the critical thinking instructions delivered by the teacher.

Materials and methods

Participants.

Ninety-eight EFL learners studying at three branches of a language institute located in Iran with a limited age range (20–24 years old) including 58 females and 40 males took part in this research. They were selected through purposive sampling and shared the same L1 which was Persian. Two equal groups as control and experimental were formed.

Instrumentation

Homogeneity test.

The learners’ proficiency in English was checked by administering DIALANG. DIALANG assesses reading, listening, writing, grammar, and vocabulary. DIALANG tests learners’ proficiency level in 14 European languages. It is only utilised as a diagnosis test and its usage for purposes other than diagnosis is rejected by its inventors. DIALANG provides its users with feedback and reviews their answers to the test items. Users’ proficiency level is determined based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Based on CEFR, levels of proficiency are categorised as A1 (Breakthrough), A2 (Wastage), B1 (Threshold), B2 (Vantage), C1 (Effective Operational Proficiency), and C2 (Mastery). The participants were asked to consult https://dialangweb.lancaster.ac.uk and take the test. They were required to send the results to the teacher via e-mail. The proficiency level of the participants was C1. Then the learners were assigned to two equal groups as experimental and control based on their scores on DIALANG.

California critical thinking skills test (CCTST)

This test is owned and administered by Insight Assessment and available at www.insightassessment.com . There are 34 multiple-choice items which include 8 distinctive subscales for assessing critical thinking. The subscales are: Numeracy, Deductive Reasoning, Inductive Reasoning, Explanation, Evaluation, Inference, Interpretation, and Analysis. Scores are made based on a propriety formula and range from low to non-manifested, weak development, moderate development, strong development, and superior development. As a part of the pretest and posttest, the test was administered with the aim of evaluating the participants’ improvement and figuring out which group could progress more significantly. By comparing the learners’ performances on the pretest and posttest, the researchers could discover which group’s treatment was more effective.

California critical thinking disposition inventory (CCTDI)

This test is owned and administered by Insight Assessment and available at www.insightassessment.com . There are 75 statements in it and should be responded based on a 6-point Likert scale. The test assesses individuals’ dispositions toward critical thinking. Seven distinctive subscales are included in this test: Maturity of Judgement, Inquisitiveness, Confidence in Reasoning, Systematicity, Open-Mindedness, Analyticity, and Truth Seeking. The scores range from 5 to 60 for each subscale. As a part of the pretest and posttest, the test was administered with the aim of evaluating the participants’ improvement and figuring out which group could progress more significantly. By comparing the learners’ performances on the pretest and posttest, the researchers could discover which group’s treatment was more effective.

California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) and California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI) were administered online. The participants were required to consult www.insightassessment.com and take the tests. The participants sent the tests’ results to their teacher via e-mail.

Educational materials and instructions

Control group.

The control group received instructions for critical thinking in class without using Instagram. They were studying their coursebooks during the semester which were Viewpoint (2) and Oxford Word Skills (Advanced). Moreover, Halpern ( 2014 ) , Thought and Knowledge: An Introduction to Critical Thinking and Corey ( 2010 ) , Audio Production and Critical Listening were taught in addition to the coursebooks. The treatment lasted for 12 weeks each week for two sessions and each session for 2 h. The researchers prepared summaries of each unit of the books and presented them during 30 min in each session. The 30-min-instruction was delivered at the beginning of each session and the rest of time (90 min) was devoted to teaching the coursebooks. The control group were asked to watch some TV channels devoted to news. The channels introduced to them were Euronews, BBC, VOA, CNN, Reuters, Foxnews, and France 24—En. The control group were asked to watch these channels daily on TV to view videos about political and social subjects. Two important political issues that the participants had viewed some contents about prior to the upcoming session would become the subject of classroom discussion. The teacher and all the students would participate in the discussion to identify the strategies used for making and presenting the contents in the channels to have the most influential impact on the audiences’ minds. The teacher made use of the summaries of the books which were taught each session to help the students improve their critical thinking.

Experimental group

The experimental group studied Viewpoint (2) and Oxford Word Skills (Advanced) as their coursebooks. Moreover, Halpern ( 2014 ) , Thought and Knowledge: An Introduction to Critical Thinking and Corey ( 2010 ) , Audio Production and Critical Listening were taught in addition to the coursebooks. The treatment lasted for 12 weeks each week for two sessions and each session for 2 h. The researchers prepared summaries of each unit of the books and presented them during 30 min in each session. The 30-min-instruction was delivered at the beginning of each session and the rest of time (90 min) was devoted to teaching the coursebooks. The experimental group, who were all Instagram users, were asked to view @euronews, @bbc, @voa, @cnn, @reuters, @foxnews, and @france24_en on Instagram daily with the aim of watching videos about political and social subjects presented in the accounts and analysing the analyses presented there. Two important political issues that the participants had viewed some contents about prior to the upcoming session would become the subject of classroom discussion. The teacher and all the students would participate in the discussion to identify the strategies used for making and presenting the contents in the accounts to have the most influential impact on the audiences’ minds. The teacher made use of the summaries of the books which were taught each session to help the students improve their critical thinking. Additionally, an Instagram account was created by the teacher and the posts, reels, and stories adopted from some Instagram accounts available in Instagram Explore were re-shared there. The experimental group were required to follow the account and participate in the process and interact with their peers and the researchers. The content was mostly adopted from the accounts active in social and political news and issues, but, they were not as famous as the ones mentioned earlier. Hence, this was not easy for the participants to find these accounts and view what they presented. The teacher eased the process of finding new contents by searching and obtaining these materials and presenting them in the account of the class. The teacher would upload questions in stories and the learners were required to answer the questions by replying the stories. The teacher would read all the messages received and answer them. The responses were also uploaded as stories until all the participants could see their classmates’ responses and the teacher’s explanations. The teacher also made some videos using Inshot application. In the videos the teacher provided some explanations on the videos which were presented in @euronews, @bbc, @voa, @cnn, @reuters, @foxnews, and @france24_en and the account of the class. It was a way of online learning where students could see their teacher explaining critical thinking instructions in a context other than classroom setting. The teacher also held meetings once a week via Instagram Live and the learners could interact with their teacher and peers by talking in the Live via their cameras or commenting on the Live while others were speaking. The teacher adopted a turn taking strategy and each session was devoted to letting five students attend the Live by their cameras on and interacting with their teacher. The comments under each Instagram Post uploaded in the classroom account provided the users with an opportunity for having discussions. Everybody was supposed to write his/her comments regarding the uploaded post and then the interactions among the learners and the teacher would begin.

At the end of the treatments, California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) and California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI) were administered online. The participants were required to consult www.insightassessment.com and take the tests. The participants sent the tests’ results to their teacher via e-mail.

Interview (Appendix A)

As the final phase of this study, fifteen members of the experimental group were interviewed. These fifteen students were selected based on their scores on the posttest. Five of them were the top five high scorers, the other five ones were average, and the last five ones had scored the lowest in the group. To provide the participants with the opportunity to state their attitudes and express their emotions precisely, the researchers conducted the interviews in the participants’ native language which was Persian; so their English proficiency would not be an obstacle preventing them from declaring their attitudes precisely. Each interview lasted 30 min which was recorded and transcribed verbatim. The teacher translated the interviews into English and the other researcher checked the transcripts to make sure that they were translated appropriately. The focus of the interview was on the participants’ suggestions and criticisms of the study.

For doing this research Nonrandomized Control Group, Pretest–Posttest design (Ary et al., 2019 ) was employed. Ninety-eight students of three branches of a language institute in Iran with a limited age range (20–24 years old) including 40 males and 58 females participated in this study. They were selected through purposive sampling and shared the same L1 which was Persian. Based on their scores on DIALANG, two equal groups were formed as experimental and control. Then as the pretest, California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) and California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI) were administered online. The participants were required to consult www.insightassessment.com and take the tests. The participants sent the tests’ results to their teacher via e-mail. The control group received instructions for critical thinking in class without using Instagram. They were studying their coursebooks during the semester which were Viewpoint (2) and Oxford Word Skills (Advanced). Moreover, Halpern ( 2014 ) , Thought and Knowledge: An Introduction to Critical Thinking and Corey ( 2010 ) , Audio Production and Critical Listening were taught in addition to the coursebooks. The treatment lasted for 12 weeks each week for two sessions and each session for 2 h. The researchers prepared summaries of each unit of the books and presented them during 30 min in each session. The 30-min-instruction was delivered at the beginning of each session and the rest of time (90 min) was devoted to teaching the coursebooks. The control group were asked to watch some TV channels devoted to news. The channels introduced to them were Euronews, BBC, VOA, CNN, Reuters, Foxnews, and France 24–En. The control group were asked to watch these channels daily on TV to view videos about political subjects. Two important political issues that the participants had viewed some contents about prior to the upcoming session would become the subject of classroom discussion. The teacher and all the students would participate in the discussion to identify the strategies used for making and presenting the content in the channels to have the most influential impact on the audiences’ minds. The teacher made use of the summaries of the books which were taught each session to help the students improve their critical thinking. The experimental group studied Viewpoint (2) and Oxford Word Skills (Advanced) as their coursebooks. Moreover, Halpern ( 2014 ) , Thought and Knowledge: An Introduction to Critical Thinking and Corey ( 2010 ) , Audio Production and Critical Listening were taught in addition to the coursebooks. The treatment lasted for 12 weeks each week for two sessions and each session for 2 h. The researchers prepared summaries of each unit of the books and presented them during 30 min in each session. The 30-min-instruction was delivered at the beginning of each session and the rest of time (90 min) was devoted to teaching the coursebooks. The experimental group, who were all Instagram users, were asked to view @euronews, @bbc, @voa, @cnn, @reuters, @foxnews, and @france24_en on Instagram daily with the aim of watching videos about political subjects presented in the accounts and analysing the analyses presented there. Two important political issues that the participants had viewed some contents about prior to the upcoming session would become the subject of classroom discussion. The teacher and all the students would participate in the discussion to identify the strategies used for making and presenting the contents in the accounts to have the most influential impact on the audiences’ minds. The teacher made use of the summaries of the books which were taught each session to help students improve their critical thinking. Additionally, an Instagram account was created by the teacher and the posts, reels, and stories adopted from some Instagram accounts available in Instagram Explore were re-shared there. The experimental group were required to follow the account and participate in the process and interact with their peers and the researchers. The content was mostly adopted from the accounts active in social and political news and issues, but, they were not as famous as the ones mentioned earlier. Hence, this was not easy for the participants to find these accounts and view what they presented. The teacher eased the process of finding new contents by searching and obtaining these materials and presenting them in the account of the class. The teacher would upload questions in stories and the learners were required to answer the questions by replying the stories. The teacher would read all the messages received and answer them. The responses were also uploaded as stories until all the participants could see their classmates’ responses and the teacher’s explanations. The teacher also made some videos using Inshot application. In this videos the teacher provided some explanations on the videos which were presented in @euronews, @bbc, @voa, @cnn, @reuters, @foxnews, and @france24_en and the account of the class. This was a way of online learning where the students could see their teacher explaining critical thinking instructions in a context other than classroom setting. The teacher also held meetings once a week via Instagram Live and the learners could interact with their teacher and peers by talking in the Live via their cameras or commenting on the Live while others were speaking. The teacher adopted a turn taking strategy and each session was devoted to letting five students attend the Live by their cameras on and interacting with their teacher. The comments under each Instagram Post uploaded in the classroom account provided the users with an opportunity for having discussions. Everybody was supposed to write his/her comments regarding the uploaded post and then the interactions among the learners and the teacher would begin. After the treatments ended, California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) and California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI) were administered online. The groups were required to consult www.insightassessment.com and take the tests. The participants sent the tests’ results to their teacher via e-mail. Finally, fifteen members of the experimental group were interviewed (Appendix A). The focus of the interview was on the participants’ suggestions and criticisms of the study.

Data analysis

The teacher was in charge of analysing the data. For answering the research question (1), first, the tests’ descriptive statistics were calculated for both groups. Then the Independent Samples t - test and Paired Samples t-test were run to determine the effectiveness of using Instagram on EFL learners’ critical thinking. In this study, group membership was the independent variable with two levels (i.e. experimental and control) and the learners’ scores on the posttest were the dependent variable; additionally, the learners’ scores on the pretest were considered as the covariate to partial out their background knowledge of the educational materials. The difference scores of the two groups on (CCTST) and (CCTDI) were evaluated employing the Independent Samples t - test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) which were calculated by utilising the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). For answering the research question (2), fifteen members of the experimental group were interviewed and their assertions were analysed. Each interview lasted 30 min which was recorded and transcribed verbatim. The focus of the interview was on the participants’ suggestions and criticisms of the study.

Research question (1)

The question this research tried to answer was “Does any significant difference exist between critical thinking proficiency of EFL learners who receive critical thinking instructions in class and via Instagram and EFL learners who receive instructions only in class without using Instagram?”. As a part of the pretest, CCTST was utilised to assess the participants’ critical thinking skills. Table 1 represents the descriptive statistics of the two groups’ marks on CCTST (pretest).

By comparing the total scores of both groups, it could be inferred that the experimental group (M = 11.30) scored slightly higher on CCTST (pretest) than the control group (M = 11.29). After administering the pretest, the two groups received their treatments and then the posttest was administered. Table 2 represents the descriptive statistics of the two groups’ marks on CCTST (posttest).

To examine the statistical differences between the two groups’ marks on CCTST (pretest and posttest), the Independent Samples t-test was employed. Table 3 represents the results of the Independent Samples t-test.

It is obvious that the Total Score and the Analysis subscale mark of the experimental group were substantially greater than the control group on the CCTST (posttest), while the two groups’ performances on the CCTST (pretest), in terms of the Total Score and all the subscales were not substantially different.

To determine the statistical difference between the pretest and posttest marks of the experimental group, the Paired Samples t-test was employed. Table 4 represents the descriptive statistics of the Paired Samples t-test.

As represented in Table  4 , the statistical difference for the control group’s pretest and posttest marks was assessed by running the Paired Samples t-test for the Total Score and the subscale marks of CCTST. No significant difference was found for Total Score of CCTST (t = − 0.300; p  = 0.767 [˃ 0.05]), the subscale score of Analysis (t = − 0.369; p  = 0.696 [˃ 0.05]); the subscale score of Evaluation (t = 0.365; p  = 0.699 [˃ 0.05]); and the subscale score of Inference (t = − 0.400; p  = 0.731 [˃ 0.05]) as the results of the Paired Samples t-test proved. The statistical difference for the experimental group’s pretest and posttest scores was assessed, too. Based on the results of the Paired Samples t-test for the Total Score and the subscale scores of CCTST, there were substantial differences for the Total Score (t = − 2.779; p  = 0.020 [< 0.05]), the subscale of Analysis (t = − 2.697; p  = 0.010 [< 0.05]), Evaluation (t = − 2.240; p  = 0.031 [< 0.05]), and Inference (t = 1.088; p  = 0.290 [< 0.05]). Therefore, it can be concluded that using Instagram positively influenced the experimental group’s critical thinking skills and they got better scores on the posttest in comparison with the control group.

As the other part of the pretest and to examine the participants’ critical thinking dispositions, CCTDI was also administered. Table 5 represents the descriptive statistics of the experimental and control groups’ scores on CCTDI (pretest).

As shown in Table  5 , the experimental group’s critical thinking dispositions were slightly higher in comparison with the control group. Nevertheless, the total critical thinking scores of the two groups were not substantially different (t = 0.340; p  = 0.729 [˃ 0.05]). Thus, it can be inferred that the two groups had similar critical thinking dispositions.

No substantial difference was seen between the marks of the two groups on the CCTDI (pretest). To examine the difference between the two groups’ marks on the pretest and posttest, the One Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) for non-related measurements was used. Table 6 represents descriptive statistics of the pretest–posttest difference scores.

As shown in Table  6 , critical thinking dispositions difference marks for the experimental and control groups were X = 17.95 and X = 5.100 respectively. The experimental group’s difference mark was greater. To ensure that the difference between the two groups’ critical thinking disposition scores was significant, ANOVA was run and Table  7 represents its results.

Based on the descriptive statistics presented in Table  7 , a substantial difference was observed in terms of the two groups’ pretest–posttest difference scores in critical thinking dispositions (F = 7.020, p <  0.05). Therefore, it can be concluded that using Instagram positively influenced the experimental group’s critical thinking dispositions. Table 8 represents the differences between the experimental and control groups’ marks in terms of the subscales of CCTDI.

As shown in Table  8 , the two groups’ critical thinking dispositions substantially differed at all the subscales of CCTDI and the experimental group got higher scores. Thus, it can be concluded that using Instagram positively influenced the critical thinking dispositions of the experimental group and they improved more than the control group.

Research question (2)

The research question (2) was “What are EFL learners’ perspectives on using Instagram for learning English in language institutes?”. With the aim of obtaining qualitative data, fifteen members of the experimental group were interviewed (Appendix A). These fifteen students were selected based on their scores on the posttest. Five of them were the top five higher scorers, the other five ones were average, and the last five ones had scored the lowest in the group. A thematic analysis of the participants’ assertions in the interviews revealed five broad themes: (1) using Instagram for teaching listening, speaking, reading, and writing, (2) using Instagram for teaching vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation, (3) the difficulties they faced when viewing the Instagram accounts and educational material, (4) their improvement in terms of critical thinking, and (5) their improvement in using English both formally and informally. The participants’ assertions have been provided here by using pseudonyms.

(1) Using Instagram for teaching listening, speaking, reading, and writing:

Seven of the participants stated that teachers had better utilise Instagram for teaching listening, speaking, reading, and writing. They believed that Instagram could also be used for receiving educational materials relating to critical listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

Ali: In my opinion, teachers should use Instagram for teaching listening, speaking, reading, and writing, too. I liked critical thinking instructions and also like to receive critical listening, speaking, reading, and writing instructions. Instagram is a very good tool for delivering educational material to learners for all language skills.

(2) Using Instagram for teaching vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation:

Seven of the participants declared that teachers should make use of Instagram for teaching vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. They said this way of education would be easier and more effective because it constantly keeps learners in touch with the educational materials and English language.

Kaveh: I think teachers can use Instagram for teaching vocabulary and grammar. I usually use Instagram a couple of hours a day and teachers sharing educational materials via Instagram provides me with the opportunity to constantly review my previous lessons and learn the new ones. This really eases leaning.

They had difficulty understanding native speakers’ pronunciation and accent. But, after viewing the Instagram accounts and the account of the class, their listening skill improved. Their pronunciation improved as well. They no longer had difficulty comprehending native speakers’ speaking and could even make improvements to their accent.

Artin: My pronunciation and accent improved after using Instagram for learning English. I always had difficulty understanding native speakers’ speaking which I believe was due to their accent and pronunciation. By using Instagram, my listening skill improved which consequently led to the improvement in my speaking skill. I wish I had used Instagram for learning English a long time ago.

(3) The difficulties they faced when viewing accounts and the educational materials:

All of the participants stated that they faced difficulties at the start of the treatment. They said that they were confused about how to manage their learning and make the most of their opportunities. They said that it was hard for them to understand native speakers’ speaking due to their use of new vocabulary, complicated grammatical structures, pronunciation, and their accents. They also had difficulties understanding the political analyses presented in the accounts they were supposed to visit. But, when talking about the Instagram account created by the teacher, they all admitted that the contents presented there were more comprehensible. The reason was the fact that the teacher prepared and presented the contents which pertained to the units of the textbooks taught at the language institute. The participants had background knowledge in this regard and were familiar with the contents. In addition, the teacher was perfectly aware of the participants’ English proficiency level; when preparing the contents, he knew what to select to be in line with the learners’ knowledge and needs.

Sepideh: At the start of the treatment, I felt kind of confused in using Instagram for learning English. Additionally, it was difficult for me to learn from the Instagram accounts that I was supposed to visit. Since the political analyses were complicated and the language used for discussing them was complex too. It was hard for me to understand native speakers’ speaking. The situation was much better when viewing the Instagram account created by our teacher.

Despite all the difficulties they faced at the beginning of the treatment, they could improve and adapt to the new learning method. They could take advantage of the opportunities provided for them and were pleased with the treatment in the end.

(4) Their improvement in terms of critical thinking:

All of the participants believed that using Instagram was very effective for improving their critical thinking. They all praised the selection of the Instagram accounts that were introduced to them and all of them stated that prior to participating in the study, they had very little knowledge about the concept of critical thinking. They declared that receiving critical thinking instructions in class and studying the books which were introduced were effective in introducing the concept of critical thinking to them; but, without using Instagram, they could not improve as much as they did. Furthermore, they stated that viewing posts, stories, reels, and lives on Instagram was very interesting to them and encouraged them to learn as well as easing the process of learning for them. They had also enjoyed reading the comments posted in the accounts and liked to comment on the posts and declare their ideas and perceptions. They also said that they had been able to interact with other users and the interactions had made the experience even more exciting to them. However, the participants believed that the selected accounts had a similar focus in terms of content and suggested that introducing more Instagram accounts with more varied contents could be so much better. They also criticised the contents presented in the Instagram account of our class and believed that the efforts which were made to make the contents varied were not enough.

Saba: I knew a little about the concept of critical thinking; but, after receiving the instructions in class, my knowledge increased a lot. I liked the books which were introduced and appreciate our teacher’s efforts regarding the way the course was planned. I enjoyed having classroom discussions with my peers, but, I believe using Instagram played a very important role in developing and improving my critical thinking. However, the contents of the Instagram accounts that we consulted and even that of our own class were kind of monotonous. I was sometimes bored and I believe the educational materials should be more varied and interesting.

(5) Their improvement in using English formally and informally:

Eight of the participants believed that the way they received the instructions helped them identify the differences between formal and informal English language use. When listening to experts being interviewed, the participants could learn how to speak English formally in those kind of formal conversations. Moreover, they could learn informal English language use by listening to people having casual conversations and interviews. Consequently, the participants’ listening proficiency improved and so did their speaking skill. They also had the chance to become familiar with cultural differences and improve their cultural knowledge.

Zeynab: After using Instagram for learning English I could recognise the differences between formal and informal English language use. There were many precious points that I had never paid attention to. Communication skills could be perfectly taught via Instagram since learners have the chance to witness the way native speakers interact in various social situations.

This research aimed to examine the influence of using Instagram on EFL learners’ critical thinking in language institutes. The question that this study tried to answer was “Does any significant difference exist between critical thinking proficiency of EFL learners who receive critical thinking instructions in class and via Instagram and EFL learners who receive instructions only in class without using Instagram?”. The two groups’ close mean scores on the pretest showed their same level of proficiency in critical thinking. But, on the posttest they had different mean scores which could be considered as the evidence supporting the superiority of the instructions that were taught to the experimental group. The experimental group’s critical thinking proficiency improved significantly and they performed more successfully on the posttest compared with their counterparts in the control group. Comparing the two marks of the control group, it could be inferred that their performance slightly improved on the posttest. Perhaps they had practiced critical thinking skills independently after taking the pretest and became interested. Moreover, attending their classes and being taught based on a traditional approach certainly contributed to their improvement. Additionally, taking the pretest helped them gain experience and consequently perform better on the posttest. Nevertheless, they could not perform as well as the experimental group on the posttest. Based on the results of this study, utilising Instagram improved the experimental group’s critical thinking skills and dispositions. Thus, Instagram can be utilised as a means for delivering critical thinking instructions and practicing it as well as motivating and encouraging learners to think critically. The second research question was “What are EFL learners’ perspectives on using Instagram for learning English in language institutes?”. The experimental group had positive perceptions of the study. The participants believed that the treatment of the study was effective for promoting their critical thinking. They were also satisfied with using Instagram in educational courses. However, the participants criticised the focus of the research project and believed that Instagram had to be used for teaching all the language skills, but we had narrowed down the scope of the study and restricted it to critical thinking to get the specific results we had in mind. The teacher tried to train the experimental group the best way possible, however, the participants might have some criticisms about teacher’s competency. Maybe we could ask for their opinions during the treatment and by listening to them the teacher could improve his teaching practice. The researchers selected the instructional materials on their own. Perhaps knowing the students’ interests and ideas in this regard could help the researchers provide the learners with the educational materials they would enjoy. In terms of working with Instagram, the researchers focused on the accounts which were devoted to political subjects. The Instagram accounts they selected were all devoted to news which might not have been very pleasant to the participants. The teacher tried to present attractive and interesting contents in the Instagram account created for the class; but, the efforts were not enough to satisfy the students very much. Based on the findings of this study, it could be concluded that the researchers had to talk with the participants about instructional matters before and during the conduction of the study. Maybe that way the researches could achieve more fruitful results and the learners would be more satisfied as well. Despite all the criticisms and negative points that the researchers identified, the participants generally had positive perceptions of the study. The findings of this study were in line with Erarsalan ( 2019 ) who found that the students had positive attitudes toward employing Instagram for pedagogical goals. Likewise, Gonlul ( 2019 ) found that the students’ overall opinions about utilising Instagram were positive and they virtually regarded Instagram as a good mobile learning tool. They also considered Instagram as an easy and convenient way of improving communication skills. Contrary to our findings, Gonlul ( 2019 ) reported that the participants had relatively negative attitudes toward using Instagram for improving grammar knowledge or overcoming structure-related mistakes because of the prevalence of the informal language used on Instagram. In addition, they believed that Instagram was not an optimal mobile language learning tool for contents or skills that are cognitively demanding.

The period of time during which we conducted our study was short. We suggest that future studies be conducted during a longer period of time. Moreover, the time devoted to delivering instructions via Instagram can be enhanced by increasing the number of online sessions and the time devoted to each session. This study was restricted to the context of language institutes; we suggest that future studies be conducted in pedagogical contexts of ESL/EFL other than language institutes. Learners at higher or lower proficiency levels from our participants can be selected as participants, too. However, care should be taken that the educational materials used for the conduction of the study should be appropriate for their English proficiency level. Even choosing Instagram accounts for the participants’ consultation should be checked in advance in order not to be unsuitable for them. In case of creating a classroom account, the content should be presented with careful consideration of the participants’ proficiency in English. In this study, we did not investigate the role of gender in the experimental group’s progression in critical thinking after receiving the treatment. Future studies can investigate the role of gender in ESL/EFL learners’ improvement after receiving critical thinking instructions via Instagram. Furthermore, we did not investigate the role of our participants’ gender in forming their perceptions’ of receiving critical thinking instructions via Instagram. Future studies can investigate the role of the participants’ gender in forming their perceptions of receiving critical thinking instructions via Instagram. Additionally, teachers can be considered as participants as well to know their ideas and experiences of using Instagram or other mobile applications for teaching critical thinking.

Data availability

All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article.

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MZ designed the study, performed the statistical analyses, wrote the first draft of the manuscript, administered and rated the homogeneity test (DIALANG), taught the experimental and control groups, and administered the pretest and posttest and analysed their results. NY commented on the first draft of the manuscript. The authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.

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Zalani, M., Yousofi, N. The influence of using instagram on EFL learners’ critical thinking in language institutes. Smart Learn. Environ. 11 , 33 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-024-00320-x

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Critical thinking in the age of outrage

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Break the algorithm, abandon the tribe. Resist forming opinions based solely on sensationalized headlines and soundbites you’re being served, and instead, cultivate a stubborn commitment to objectivity. Be vigilant in recognizing when you’re being manipulated by the very platforms claiming to better connect you. Seek out diverse perspectives with an open mind and be willing to disagree with someone without turning each other into enemies. The choice is not as binary as allowing our beliefs to be moulded by mindless scrolling vs. freedom through digital detox.

Practicing awareness, intention and critical thinking, we DO have the ability to connect without being pulled down the rabbit hole, digitally categorised into side-vs-side and turned against one another based on what’s on our phone screen. 

Matt Popkes is Head of Strategy at The Brand Agency Perth.   

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1.  how to think differently & critically (skillshare).

In 7 easy steps, this online critical thinking course, for beginners and advanced thinkers alike, will help you see the world differently by examining different perspectives and using logic and critical reasoning to expand your mind. 

Troye Bates is your instructor for this course online class, who writes a popular online blog on brain-training, and began teaching several years ago, sparked by his passion for enhancing our mental capabilities.

Through the 7-step process, students learn how to become a mental master of critical thinking, logic, and reasoning, strategy, abundance, big-picture thinking, reflecting before they act, and tons more!

Global online learning platform Skillshare is where you will find this online course.   There are over 29,000 other courses available on the platform and you even get a 1-month free trial!   Overall, this is one of the best critical thinking classes you can find online!

• 10 video lessons
• 1 hour and 26 minutes of content
• 271 students have taken the course
• Suited to all levels

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2.  Critical Thinking: How to Find Out What Really Works (Skillshare)

Keen to level-up your critical thinking skills at work, school, or in day-to-day life? Critical thinking is an essential life skill, and this online course teaches you key strategies to make better life decisions.  

Andre Klapper , Ph.D., is your teacher, who is a researcher, psychologist, and neuroscientist with decades of experience in working with the mind and understanding cognitive processes. This is also 1 of 9 courses Andre currently has on Skillshare.

Spread across 14 lessons over 1-hour, students will learn the reasoning fallacy, everyday examples, how to eliminate alternative explanations, how to rule out coincidences, how to draw conclusions efficiently, the scientific thinking blueprint, and tons more!

Currently, you can find this online course hosted on the global online learning platform, Skillshare. There are over 29,000 other courses available on the platform, plus you get a 1-month free trial as a new user! Overall, this is a great introductory class to enroll in.

• 14 video lessons
• 1 hour and 11 minutes
• 211 students have taken the course
• Suited to beginners

3.  Welcome to critical thinking (LinkedIn Learning)

Learn how to make more thoughtful and effective decisions in every area of your life with this online critical-thinking course designed to challenge and expand your current level of thinking.   Clocking in at an hour, this introductory critical thinking course is just the right length to get some learning in on your commute or while out for a run!

Leading this online course is   Mike Figliuolo , the Managing Director of Thought LEADERS LLC, and an author at LinkedIn Learning. Mike is also a nationally renowned speaker, blogger, author, and teacher.

Throughout the course’s one-hour running time, students explore a series of techniques to assist with developing critical thinking skills by sharing how to redefine problems and use specific strategies such as the ‘5 Whys’, the ‘7 So Whats’, and the 80/20 rule.

You can find this online critical thinking course hosted on LinkedIn Learning, offering over 150,000 courses on a range of topics, all available to students worldwide! The expert teaching and quality content make this a not-to-miss online course!

• Approx. 1 hour of content
• Downloadable on Apple and GooglePlay for offline learning
• 312,745 people have viewed the course

Visit LinkedIn.con

4.  Critical Thinking In The Workplace (Skillshare)

Next up on my list is a critical-thinking course designed specifically for the workplace. Whether you’re looking to enhance your own skills, or you’re a manager or CEO aiming to increase staff productivity,   this short 50-minute course is highly recommended.

Katie Hall is your instructor, a representative of Talent Zoom, which is a company that helps businesses identify their unique workplace talents. Katie also has 3 courses on Skillshare and is dedicated to helping people succeed in their professional lives.

Some of the many topics covered in this online critical thinking course include the foundations of critical thinking, as well as understanding left, right, whole-brain thinking, consistency of ideas, building an explanation, active listening, and tons more!

For those interested, this online course is hosted on the global online learning platform, Skillshare. There are over 29,000 other courses available on the platform, plus a 1-month free trial! Overall, this is one of the best online critical thinking classes out there!

• 50 minutes of content
• 429 students have taken the course
• 2 downloadable resources

5.  Critical Thinking for Better Judgment and Decision-Making (Skillshare)

Did you know that having solid critical-thinking skills leads to better decision-making and a higher quality of life as a result? This online course empowers you to make the right decisions for your life by teaching you objective and rational analysis techniques to apply to any situation you might find yourself in.  

Taught by Becki Saltzman , this class is expertly led in short-format video lectures. Becki is an author, speaker, and founder of the Applied Curiosity Lab. She is focused on teaching skills to companies to improve their operations, and how their teams innovate, tackle challenges, and respond to change.

Each module of this critical thinking course covers topics such as the foundational aspect of critical thinking, how to minimize bad judgment, improving vision quality, and creating a culture of curiosity.  

Hosted on LinkedIn Learning, you can access this course and then choose from more than 150,000 others taught by industry experts once you’ve completed it! Definitely a recommended short class that you can access from anywhere.

• Approx. 55 minutes of content
• 78,641 people have viewed the course
• Suited to advanced level

6.  Master Cognitive Biases and Improve Your Critical Thinking (Udemy)

My next standout pick is an online critical-thinking course to fast-track your mental upgrade. Master your understanding of cognitive biases and learn the most effective strategies to improve the quality of your thinking in just under 2.5 hours!

Kevin DeLaplante Ph.D. is your course instructor, who is a philosopher and the founder of the Critical Thinker Academy. Kevin has taught more than 62,000 students in his 4 online courses on Udemy and works with groups, universities, and in 1-1 coaching for improving critical thinking.

In over 50 von-demand video lectures, students are guided through an explanation of cognitive bias is and how it relates to critical thinking. Lessons include confirmation bias, pattern-seeking, hindsight bias, and the anchoring effect, ending with some helpful strategies for debasing ideas.

Udemy is where you can access this critical thinking course, a great online course platform that offers its students over 150,000 on-demand online courses from beginner to advanced level!

• 50 video lectures
• 2 hours and 26 minutes of content
• Lifetime access
• Certificate of Completion
• 4.4/5 from 4,812 ratings
• 13,803 students have taken the course

Visit Udemy.com

7.  Teaching Critical Thinking through Art with the National Gallery of Art (edX)

Are you an artist or an art enthusiast? Next up is a specialist online course examining critical thinking through an artistic lens.   You’ll learn how to strengthen your thinking and facilitate meaningful conversations by applying artistic critical-thinking techniques.

As for your instructor, this online critical thinking course is offered by The Smithsonian Institute with Julie Carmean , the Museum Educator and Coordinator of Professional Development at The National Gallery of Art in Washington, United States, as your leading you.

Through 4 content units, which will take up to 20 hours to complete via self-paced learning, students investigate thinking routines, observing and describing tactics, reasoning with evidence, and questioning and investigating, receiving downloadable artful thinking lesson plans as a bonus!

You can find this online critical thinking course can be found on the nonprofit education platform edX, founded by Harvard and MIT, and offering courses form the leading worldwide universities to more than 20 million students! This particular course is one of the best online critical thinking classes I’ve found.

• 18,073 students have enrolled
• Takes 16 weeks to complete
• 3-4 hours a week of work
• Great for all levels

Visit edX.org

8.  Master your Decision-Making, and Critical Thinking Skills (Udemy)

Are you looking for a comprehensive online course to improve your decision-making? You can work towards mastering good decision-making in this 4-hour online critical-thinking course that comes highly recommended with a 4.4/5 rating!  

Your course instructor is Sivakami S , an experienced business leader and research/doctoral scholar who has taught over 20,000 students in his 12 online courses on Udemy. With nearly 2 decades of experience, she has led many initiatives in large corporations such as Verizon and Microsoft.

Spanning 45 video lectures presented in just over 4 hours, students learn how humans think, judge, and decide key cognitive biases, irrationality versus rationality, de-biasing techniques, logical fallacies, and so much more.  

Head to Udemy to check this course out, a global online learning platform that offers more than 150,000 on-demand courses on a whole range of topics no matter your level! Overall, this online course is a great deep-dive into critical-thinking!.

• 45 video lectures
• 4 hours and 3 minutes of content
• 4.4/5 from 1,183 ratings
• 5,129 students have taken the course
• 15 downloadable resources

9. Philosophy and Critical Thinking (edX)

Another online critical thinking course that I’m excited to show you is a totally free, university-led offering for anyone who wants to improve their critical thinking skills. Over a period of 6 weeks, students learn how to use philosophical inquiry to improve your personal and professional decision-making.  

Two instructors share the teaching of this online course, Professor Deborah Brown and Dr. Peter Ellerton , both lecturers and Directors of the University of Queensland Critical Thinking Project who  

Students are led through critical thinking content that teaches them how to identify, analyze, and construct cogent arguments, and how to think of solutions to the central philosophical problems. There is also an option to add a verified certificate for an extra fee, for students looking for this proof of completion of the course.

edX hosts this online critical thinking course,   offering more than 20 million students incredible access to online courses at leading universities across the globe. Plus, as a nonprofit, it’s totally free! Overall, a high-quality course for anyone wanting to develop critical thinking.  

• 95,967 students have enrolled
• 6 weeks long
• 1-4 hours of work per week

10.  Critical Thinking (Udemy)

If you’re keen to study an online critical thinking course that’s both broad and detailed, this could be the one for you! In just 3 hours, you’ll have a greater grasp of logic and reasoning to apply to every area of your life.

Presented by Joss Colchester of Systems Innovation , an eLearning platform that is focused on complex systems and system change, this course is an entry into this subject. This course is led in an accessible way, making complex ideas feel easy to understand.

Joss takes students through course content covering cognition, including evolutionary psychology, as well as informal and formal logic examples and explanations, the different types of reasoning, the elements of reasoning, and argumentation rules and strategies.

One of the best online critical thinking courses around, you can find it on Udemy, which offers its students over 150,000 on-demand online courses on critical thinking and more, from beginner to advanced level!

• 21 video lectures
• 3 hours and 5 minutes of content
• 4.3/5 from 118 ratings
• 427 students have taken the course

11. Introduction to Critical Thinking (Udemy)

If you’re a critical-thinking newbie looking to get your decision-making off to a good start, this is a brilliant beginner’s course to help you process information and make thoughtful decisions.  

Teaching duo Gorden Bonne t and Carol Bloomgarden are your instructors. Golden is the author of the blog Skeptophilio, which looks at science and media through a skeptical lens. He is also a novelist and teacher of critical thinking, and various other science topics. Carol is Gorden’s wife, and she is responsible for the video production and graphic design at Skeptophilia. They both lead this course with patience and passion.

Throughout 39 on-demand video lectures, students will explore the fundamentals of critical thinking, skepticism, learn how to recognize fallacies in the media, identify questionable statistics, construct arguments, and know when scientific terms are not being used correctly.

Udemy is where you will find this critical thinking hosted, a great online course platform which offers its students over 150,000 on-demand online courses from beginner to advanced level!

Udemy was founded in 2010 and has risen to the forefront of online learning in just a decade, to become the leader in skill-based and professional online education. To learn more, also check out my other posts on NLP and CBT !

• 39 video lectures
• 1 hour and 19 minutes of content
• Course: Introduction to Critical Thinking
• 4.5/5 from 34 ratings
• 46 students have taken the course

My name is Lewis Keegan and I am the writer and editor of SkillScouter.com. I'm extremely passionate about online education and what it can do for those to better their lives. I spend most of my time blogging, hiking, and drinking coffee. I also have a Bachelor's Degree in Education and Teaching.

Critical thinking definition

Critical thinking, as described by Oxford Languages, is the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgement.

Active and skillful approach, evaluation, assessment, synthesis, and/or evaluation of information obtained from, or made by, observation, knowledge, reflection, acumen or conversation, as a guide to belief and action, requires the critical thinking process, which is why it's often used in education and academics.

Some even may view it as a backbone of modern thought.

However, it's a skill, and skills must be trained and encouraged to be used at its full potential.

People turn up to various approaches in improving their critical thinking, like:

• Developing technical and problem-solving skills
• Engaging in more active listening
• Actively questioning their assumptions and beliefs
• Seeking out more diversity of thought
• Opening up their curiosity in an intellectual way etc.

Is critical thinking useful in writing?

Critical thinking can help in planning your paper and making it more concise, but it's not obvious at first. We carefully pinpointed some the questions you should ask yourself when boosting critical thinking in writing:

• What information should be included?
• Which information resources should the author look to?
• What degree of technical knowledge should the report assume its audience has?
• What is the most effective way to show information?
• How should the report be organized?
• How should it be designed?
• What tone and level of language difficulty should the document have?

Usage of critical thinking comes down not only to the outline of your paper, it also begs the question: How can we use critical thinking solving problems in our writing's topic?

Let's say, you have a Powerpoint on how critical thinking can reduce poverty in the United States. You'll primarily have to define critical thinking for the viewers, as well as use a lot of critical thinking questions and synonyms to get them to be familiar with your methods and start the thinking process behind it.

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