| Standards | Qty | Grade | |
| Experimental Design | 1 | 6-8 | |
| Correlation/Causation | 1 | 9-12 | |
| Fact/Opinion | 1 | 6-8 | |
| Fallacious Reasoning | 3 | 9-10 | |
| Evaluate Claims | 3 | 9-12 | |
| Credibility, Motive | 11 | 6-12 | |
| Quadratic Equations | 14 | 9-12 | |
| Vocabulary | 17 | 4-12 |
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MISSION:
To improve K-12 instruction of critical thinking skills.
See Data
These skills need ongoing practice every semester, every year. If critical thinking is at least as important as math and vocabulary, then shouldn’t it be taught as much?
Past research has shown small but significant short-term effectiveness of one-time lessons to detect misinformation. The Critical Thinking Project is now preparing a study in schools to measure the long-term effectiveness of teaching many lessons across many skills toward general critical thinking. We will post our findings here.
We all agree critical thinking is important, but it is not evident in political partisans, science deniers, and conspiracy theorists. They have access to all the same information, but they lack the skills to distinguish fact from misinformation, all while claiming they are the true critical thinkers.
While most schools cite critical thinking as one of their highest goals, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) have relatively few requirements for the fundamental skills of critical thinking. Consequently, the data below shows critical thinking skills get very little instruction time.
“Critical thinking” is a very abstract goal with a broad definition, so first let’s clarify the meaning, then break it down to more specific concrete skills.
Critical Thinking
Abstract Definition: Decision-making and problem-solving using reason, logic, analysis, unbiased objectivity, and good judgment.
Operational Definition: A critical thinker is one who detects and avoids bad reasoning, especially to detect false claims and avoid being fooled and manipulated, even when some information is unknown.
Measurable Objectives: The ability to identify and distinguish:
• Fact vs Opinion
• Correlation vs Causation
• Credibility, Bias, Motive (Media Literacy)
• Logical Fallacies
• Scientific Method vs Pseudoscience
• Empirical Evidence vs Anecdotal
• Misleading Statistics
• Deceptive Ad Techniques
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Logic, analysis, reason, objectivity, and judgment are included in the CCSS & NGSS standards. However, these are broad and highly subjective qualities. A student in class may write an objective analysis with sound reason, but then go online and sincerely push a conspiracy theory with a veneer of objective analysis and reason. To achieve critical thinking, they must learn a broader range of more specific concrete skills to distinguish anecdotal experiences from evidence, correlation from causation, deceptive statistics, logical fallacies, etc.
This chart shows how many standards in the CCSS & NGSS mention each concrete critical thinking skill. Notice how much less they are listed than Quadratic Equations.
Classroom data from over 500 schools shows a similar imbalance. Below are the relative number of assignments and tests given for various topics. Do you think this reflects the most important life skills for students to learn?
Assignments & Tests
See Data
| Quadratic Eq. | |
| Photosynthesis | |
| Gravity | |
| Media Literacy | |
| Covalent Bonds | |
| Synonyms | |
| Experim. Design | |
| Spelling | |
| Antonyms | |
| Fallacies | |
| Fact/Opinion | |
| Pseudoscience | |
| Homonyms | |
| Cause/Correlate |
One of the first things taught in introductory
statistics textbooks is that correlation is not causation.
It is also one of the first things forgotten.
statistics textbooks is that correlation is not causation.
It is also one of the first things forgotten.
— Thomas Sowell
These skills need ongoing practice every semester, every year. If critical thinking is at least as important as math and vocabulary, then shouldn’t it be taught as much?
Ideally, we should revise the CCSS & NGSS to include more fundamental skills for critical thinking at every grade level. In the meanwhile, we can augment the district and school curriculum, and schools might designate a Critical Thinking Coordinator to facilitate this.
On the Resources tab, we have curated many free lessons and resources, and we have developed free learning apps.
Educational institutions, from elementary schools to universities, could make critical thinking a greater part of their curricula. Rationality should be the fourth R, together with reading, writing, and arithmetic. Mere instruction fails to provide lifetime immunity to fallacies, and almost no one makes the leap from abstract principles to everyday pitfalls. But well-designed courses and video games — ones that single out cognitive biases, challenge students to spot them in lifelike settings, and provide immediate feedback — really can train them to avoid the fallacies outside the classroom.
— Steven Pinker, Rationality
Past research has shown small but significant short-term effectiveness of one-time lessons to detect misinformation. The Critical Thinking Project is now preparing a study in schools to measure the long-term effectiveness of teaching many lessons across many skills toward general critical thinking. We will post our findings here.