Top 10 Ways to Build Critical Thinking

1. Socratic Seminars
2. Simulations
3. Encouraging Creativity
4. Depth and Complexity Icons
5. Compare and Contrast
Top 10 Ways to Build Critical Thinking

6. Literature Circles
7. Debates
8. Instant Challenges
9. Open-Ended Questioning
10.Reciprocal Teaching
 Socratic Seminars

• Socratic seminars are wonderful tools for

facilitating in-depth student conversations
based on a given text.
• Students are asked to read and respond to a
text assigned by the teacher and then
prepare themselves for class discussion.
 Socratic Seminars

• Students are expected to listen to and

respond to their peers, and each student
participates in the conversation while the
teacher facilitates discussion and remains
neutral.
 Simulations

• Give students opportunities to participate in

simulations.
Specific areas of study come to life, and
students will have to make decisions as if
they are experiencing events firsthand.
• Simulations can have a lasting positive
impact on content retention.
 Encouraging Creativity

• Rather than providing detailed directions

for students to complete an activity, simple
make available any necessary materials,
then step back and allow kids to use their
creativity.
 Encouraging Creativity

• Teachers might be surprised at the quality

of work that students can produce when
they control their own learning.
 Depth and Complexity Icons

• Sandra Kaplan introduced 11 depth and

complexity icons, including big idea,
details, ethics, unanswered questions, rules,
patterns, trends and the language of the
discipline.
 Depth and Complexity Icons

• These icons help stimulate in-depth

analysis.
• Use them across grade levels to help
students think critically about any subject.
 Compare and Contrast

• As part of everyday instruction, encourage

students to compare and contrast concepts,
living things and objects.
 Compare and Contrast

• Anything—from fictional characters to

animals to countries to world religions—is
fair game.
• Comparison Charts and Venn Diagrams
help assess this type of thinking.
 Literature Circles

• Allowing students to select books can lead

to great classroom discussion.
 Literature Circles

• When discussing the text with others,

young people are motivated to delve deeper
and think critically about issues they may
not have considered on their own.
 Debates

• Debates sharpen students’ ability to

persuade an audience regarding a given
stance on a topic.
 Debates

• Kids must be prepared for rebuttal, which

means they’re always “thinking on their
feet.”
• Debates force students not only to think
critically, but to listen carefully and speak
articulately.
 Instant Challenges

• Instant challenges are an excellent way to begin

the school day, as students will need to think
critically and express their creativity under
pressure.
• Working as a group, students must complete a
challenge within a short amount of time, then
present their work to the class, which judges
their performance.
 Instant Challenges

• Small groups get basic task parameters, but

not specific instructions on how to
complete their challenge.
 Open-Ended Questioning

• Students are accustomed to hearing

questions that have only one possible
answer.
• Asking students open-ended questions will
enable them to think at a higher level and
should also foster more intriguing
conversation.
 Reciprocal Teaching

• Try this strategy during language arts

instruction.
• Break students into small groups of four,
where each has a role as a summarizer,
question generator, clarifier or predictor.
 Reciprocal Teaching

• Students will also take turns as the guide.

• The purpose of reciprocal teaching is
encouraging students to participate in
discussion and think deeply about what
they are reading.
 References

Reference
Education World. (2003). Top 10 strategies for building
students’ critical thinking. Retrieved from
https://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/critical-thinking-
higher-level-instructional-strategies.shtml