Intellectual character

There is widespread agreement that critical thinking is an essential skill for students to learn to be prepared for success in our rapidly changing world. Yet educators may not feel that they have the time, knowledge, or support to incorporate learning opportunities on critical thinking into the classroom. In many cases, learning experiences that encourage critical thinking may be reserved for “advanced” students or those at well-resourced schools, while struggling students, minorities, English language learners, and those at higher poverty schools may have fewer opportunities to explore complex ideas and question their and others’ beliefs. Educators can address this inequitable gap by providing work to all students that engages them in deeper learning, combining rich content knowledge with practice in asking questions, considering a diversity of perspectives, evaluating information, and changing one’s mind.

While the process of critical thinking is carried out by individuals, leaders of schools and education systems can set conditions that promote critical thinking. This includes modeling critical thinking for others by seeking out a variety of opinions and sources of information and being transparent in decision-making processes. It may involve highlighting the related values of humility, curiosity, and truth-seeking as key organizational values and then finding opportunities to act on them in concrete and visible ways. Taking the time to review processes to make improvements, incorporating critical thinking and reflection into regular meetings, and creating a culture of questioning long-standing practices and beliefs in a respectful and inclusive way are all ways to ensure that critical thinking becomes a part of the fabric of the organization.