Inquiry into the 4 C’s: Critical Thinking

This is a series of provocations designed to provide resources for students to inquire into the Four C’s of 21st Century Learning. For more, click here.

Critical thinking can be exceptionally difficult to describe, even for adults. Why is this? How might giving students resources to investigate it as a concept help them develop their own views on what it really means to be a critical thinker?

Resource #1: What’s Going On In This Photo photoseries by NY Times

Resource #2: How to Spot a Pyramid Scheme by TED Ed & Stacie Bosley, via The Kid Should See This

Resource #3: Anti-Racism Experiment on Oprah (note: 2:32, the “N” word is used to describe racist thinking)

Resource #4: Except If by Jim Averbeck

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Resource #4: The Girl Who Thought in Pictures by Julia Finley Mosca & Daniel Rieley

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Provocation Questions:

  • Why can critical thinking be hard for us to define?
  • What might be some differences between critical thinking and ordinary thinking?
  • Why is critical thinking important today? How does the massive volume of information available online make it even more important?
  • What is the connection between critical thinking and addressing racism and social injustice?
  • What is our personal responsibility to develop our own critical thinking? How can it impact our lives? Our communities?

featured image: DeathToTheStockPhoto

2 Replies to “Inquiry into the 4 C’s: Critical Thinking”

  1. Hi Mary,
    I love this post, but just to let you know that the first resource you mentioned is not available.
    The blue eye/brown eye experiment is powerful. What a great exercise to do with a group of children, and adults.
    I recently published an article on critical thinking and saw another by another blogger who believed it couldn’t be taught.
    It’s obviously the flavour of the month.
    I would love to share your post as I often do, but can’t see the buttons this time.

    1. Thank you so much for the heads up, Norah! Jetpack is having some issues right now, so that’s why those disappeared, but I’ve added some temporary buttons. And I updated that first resource as well. Thanks again!

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