Increasing Critical Thinking in Education: How to Prepare Students for the Future

The world is changing rapidly, and the critical thinking skills needed to succeed in the workplace vastly differ from those of the past. Rote memorization and basic recall of facts are no longer enough. Today’s students need to be critical thinkers – able to analyze information, solve problems creatively, and collaborate effectively.

Richard Riley, former US Secretary of Education, encapsulated this need succinctly by predicting that “We are currently preparing students for jobs that don’t yet exist, using technologies that haven’t been invented, in order to solve problems we don’t even know are problems yet.” This stark reality underscores the need for an educational paradigm that evolves past the traditional focus on memorization and rote learning to embrace a more robust focus on critical thinking in the classroom and beyond.

The Challenge of Current Educational PracticesThe concept of having students use higher order thinking strategies has been around for over half a century. However, in a study conducted over several years by McREL (Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning), data was collected from over 27,000 classroom observations to determine the level at which instruction was occurring. They discovered that in over half of those classroom observations, student learning was centered around the two lowest levels of thinking, remembering (25%) and understanding (32%), and in less than 1/6 of the classrooms students were developing higher-order thinking. (Goodwin, 2010)

In 2018, the Opportunity Myth was published by TNTP, and similar to the study by McREL, they found that of the “180 classroom hours in each core subject during the school year, students spend 133 hours on assignments that were not grade-appropriate and 47 hours on assignments that were grade appropriate.”
In addition, they found that when they “compared classrooms with primarily (>75%) low-income students, classrooms with primarily higher-income students tended to receive two times more grade-appropriate assignments and over five times more likely to grade-appropriate lessons.”

As curriculum standards have changed, the number of standards that require a higher level of thinking has increased. These standards emphasize the importance of critical thinking skills and require students to engage with complex texts and problems on a deeper level. The emphasis on higher level thinking is reflected by employers seeking individuals who can think critically, analyze information, solve problems creatively, and collaborate effectively.
In 2023 IBM conducted a survey to determine the most critical skills required in the workforce. How many of the skills most in demand require critical thinking?

Why Critical Thinking?
Critical thinking in the classroom is essential because it fosters independence in learning and enables students to engage with content deeply.

For instance, compare the following two activities from a literature lesson:

Activity #1: Students are asked to identify and sequence challenges a character faces.
Activity #2: Students are asked to identify challenges a character faces and analyze how these challenges changed the character and how the plot shifted as a result.
The difference in cognitive demand is clear. The former is a recall exercise, while the latter encourages synthesis, evaluation, and creative thinking.

Implementing Critical Thinking In the Classroom: Challenges & Solutions
One of the biggest challenges is ensuring students have ample opportunities to develop critical thinking skills. Teachers often struggle with balancing the demands of covering a vast amount of content with the need for in-depth learning experiences.

There is a misconception that critical thinking is an innate ability or a skill that develops naturally over time. Research shows that critical thinking skills can be explicitly taught and developed through deliberate practice.

Here are some ideas for how to increase critical thinking:

Move beyond rote memorization: Activities that require students to simply recall facts do not promote critical thinking. Instead, design tasks that encourage students to analyze information, identify patterns, and draw conclusions.
Ask open-ended questions: Open-ended questions encourage students to think critically and develop their answers. These questions can prompt students to analyze a situation, evaluate evidence, and form opinions.
Encourage discussion and debate: Discussions allow students to share their perspectives, challenge each other’s ideas, and develop a deeper understanding of the topic at hand.
Use problem-based learning: Problem-based learning presents students with real-world problems that they need to solve using their critical thinking skills. This approach encourages students to think creatively, analyze information, and collaborate with others.
Model critical thinking: Model critical thinking by showing students how they approach problems, analyze information, and form conclusions. This can help students develop their critical thinking skills.

The Role of Professional Development on Critical Thinking

It is crucial that teachers have the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively integrate critical thinking into their classroom and curriculum. Professional development programs that help educators learn to promote students’ critical thinking skills can play a vital role in this process. These programs provide teachers with:

A strong understanding of critical thinking: Teachers need a clear understanding of what critical thinking is and how it can be developed in students.
Instructional strategies: Professional development programs can introduce teachers to a variety of research-based instructional strategies that promote critical thinking.
Resources and support: These programs can provide teachers with access to resources and support networks to help them implement critical thinking instruction in their classrooms.

Critical Thinking in Education: Questions to Ponder

How does the emphasis on higher order thinking in current standards translate into everyday classroom activities and assessments?
In what ways can educators balance the need to cover the curriculum with the imperative to delve deeper into subjects using critical thinking strategies?
How can we measure the effectiveness of critical thinking activities in improving student outcomes beyond traditional testing methods?
What role do socio-economic factors play in the availability and quality of critical thinking opportunities in different educational settings?
How can technology be leveraged to enhance critical thinking skills while ensuring it doesn’t simply become a digital version of rote learning?

Actions to Take

Facilitate Structured Debates: Organize structured debates on relevant topics within the curriculum to encourage students to research, argue, and think critically about different perspectives.
Use Open-Ended Questions Regularly: Regularly employ open-ended questions in lessons to prompt students to think deeply and express their reasoning, moving beyond simple recall of facts.
Create Collaborative Learning Opportunities: Design collaborative group tasks that compel students to discuss, negotiate, and synthesize information, thereby enhancing their critical thinking and teamwork skills.
Provide Feedback that Encourages Reflection: Offer students constructive feedback that prompts them to reflect on their thought processes and consider alternative approaches or solutions.

Ideas for Leaders

Invest in Professional Development: Invest in continuous professional development for teachers focused on effective strategies for teaching critical thinking, including workshops/courses, coaching, and sharing best practices.
Integrate Critical Thinking Across All Subjects: Work to integrate critical thinking skills across all subjects, not just in traditionally analytical courses like math and science. This includes the arts, humanities, and physical education.
Establish Partnerships for Real-World Learning: Establish partnerships with local businesses, community organizations, and higher education institutions to provide students with real-world critical thinking challenges and mentorship opportunities.
Monitor and Adjust Curriculum and Instruction: Continuously monitor the effectiveness of critical thinking instruction and make adjustments based on student performance data and feedback from teachers and students.
Promote a Culture of Inquiry: Encourage a school-wide culture of inquiry where questioning and exploring are valued over simply knowing. This can be supported by professional development that focuses on teaching how to foster curiosity and inquiry in students.