Unlocking Critical Thinking: Essential Skills for Problem-Solving and Student Success
by Josh McHugh, Program Manager, Future Anything
In today’s blog, we explore how embedding critical thinking in the classroom builds students’ ability to analyse, evaluate, and make reasoned decisions. Discover 10 practical and engaging activities to cultivate reflective and evaluative thinking skills for future-ready learning.
Have you ever asked students to “explain how you know” and been met with a blank stare?
Maybe students have copied something straight from a website?
That’s where critical thinking steps in, helping students move beyond “giving an answer” to questioning, analysing, and understanding the problem.
It’s about preparing young people to thrive in a world of constant change, where adaptability, creativity, and purpose matter more than memorising facts.
That’s where the Future Anything Capability Framework comes in.
What is Critical Thinking?
In our Capability Framework, we define Critical Thinking as:
“…the process of analysing, evaluating, and synthesising information to make reasoned judgments.”
Critical Thinking competencies include the ability for students to be:
- Reflective: Drawing on knowledge and experience to guide decisions.
- Analytical: Identifying patterns, evaluating sources, and assessing relevance.
- Evaluative: Applying criteria to make well-informed and defensible conclusions.
Why Critical Thinking Matters: What the Research Tells Us
True Critical Thinking demands purpose and clarity in our reasoning, not just quick or clever responses.
Educational researchers like Facione (2011) and Ennis (1993) have demonstrated that critical thinking skills are associated with improved problem-solving abilities, higher academic achievement, and more effective decision-making in real-world contexts.
For instance, Facione’s research highlights that students who engage in critical thinking exhibit enhanced reasoning skills, leading to better problem-solving outcomes.
Similarly, Ennis’s work emphasises that fostering critical thinking dispositions in students can lead to more thoughtful and informed decision-making processes.
Source: OECD. (2019). OECD Learning Compass 2030: Concept Note series. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
This is echoed in frameworks like the OECD Future of Education and Skills 2030 (OECD, 2019), which highlights critical thinking as a core competency within “creating new value” for thriving in an unpredictable future. Similarly, with a growing wave of “fake news” and digital technologies transforming traditional news media, there are growing demands for schools to develop students’ media literacy – the ability to derive meaning from and assess the credibility of multiple media sources through critical thinking.
From a cognitive science perspective, critical thinking activates higher-order thinking skills (analysis, evaluation, and creation) as described in Bloom’s Taxonomy, which are essential for deep learning and transferring knowledge across domains (Willingham, n.d.).
A cornerstone of our research is Peter Ellerton’s work on teaching Critical Thinking, which reinforces that these skills can be deliberately taught and scaffolded, not just left to natural talent (Ellerton, 2020).
Key insights that shaped our Capability Framework include:
- It’s teachable: Critical thinking is not innate but can be modelled, scaffolded, and practised (Ellerton, 2020).
- It fuels informed action: Students who think critically better assess risks, weigh evidence, and make purposeful choices – skills central to professional practice and everyday decisions (Schön, 1994).
- It builds resilience to misinformation: In an age of AI-generated content and fast-moving media, critical thinking acts as a shield against bias, propaganda, and poor reasoning (OECD, 2019).
In short: if we want learners to navigate the complexity of the modern world, making critical thinking non-negotiable is essential.
10 Practical Classroom Activities to Develop Critical Thinking Skills
Critical Thinking is something that can be practiced and built in every classroom. Embedding Critical Thinking doesn’t mean adding more to educators’ plates, instead, it’s about rethinking the way we teach so that questioning, analysing, and evaluating are woven into everyday routines.
Even within a crowded curriculum, teachers can integrate Critical Thinking by framing lessons around open-ended challenges and discussion, encouraging debate, and using tools like Venn diagrams, concept maps, and comparative writing prompts to make reasoning visible.
By modelling curiosity, inviting multiple perspectives, and providing structured opportunities for students to reflect on their thinking, educators can deepen learning across the curriculum. The key is to make cognitive intent clear; setting tasks that ask students to connect, compare, evaluate, and refine ideas, so that critical thinking becomes a natural and essential part of classroom learning.
1. The “5 Whys” Root Cause Analysis
Purpose: Encourage deep analysis by repeatedly questioning causes to uncover underlying biases or misconceptions.
Description: Present students with a problem (e.g., “Plastic waste in the ocean”). Ask them why it happens, then ask “Why?” again to each response. Five times in total. This encourages moving past surface answers to uncover underlying causes. Students document each “why” in a chain to see the progression.
Example: Investigate a popular misconception or viral social media claim by repeatedly asking “Why?” to uncover underlying biased narratives or misinformation.
Critical Thinking Competencies: Analytical/Reflective
- Fact or Opinion? Debate Cards
Purpose: Build evaluative judgement by distinguishing facts from opinions and detecting persuasive language in media.
Description: Provide a mix of statements (some factual, some opinion-based) on cards. In pairs, students sort them into “Fact” or “Opinion” piles, explaining their reasoning. Then swap with another group to challenge or agree with each other’s categorisation.
Example: Use media headlines or social posts that contain biased language or persuasive framing; students classify them, explaining subtle cues that indicate bias.
Critical Thinking Competencies: Evaluative
- Reverse Brainstorm
Purpose: Stimulate reflective thinking by exploring how misinformation spreads and creatively devising counter-strategies.
Description: Instead of asking, “How can we solve this?”, ask, “How could we make this problem worse?” Students brainstorm all the “worst ideas,” then flip each into a possible solution.
Example: Brainstorm “ways misinformation spreads” (exaggeration, emotional appeals, selective facts), then flip to solutions like fact-checking strategies or media literacy.
Critical Thinking Competencies: Reflective
- The Point of Difference Pitch
Purpose: Refines the skill of comparing and assessing competing ideas.
Description: Present students with two or three similar products, businesses, or solutions. Ask them to identify what makes each unique and then pitch why one stands out most. They must back their choice with clear reasoning and evidence.
Example: Compare two news articles on the same event from different outlets; identify which contains bias or propaganda techniques, and argue for the more balanced report.
Critical Thinking Competencies: Evaluative
- The Consequence Wheel
Purpose: Helps students think about long-term and indirect impacts.
Description: Draw a large circle on the board with the problem written in the centre. Students suggest consequences (first-order effects) around the outside, then add second- and third-order effects radiating out like ripples.
Example: Map the ripple effects of sharing biased or misleading information. From personal impacts to societal consequences like polarisation or distrust.
Critical Thinking Competencies: Analytical/Reflective
- The Skeptical Scientist
Purpose: Strengthens the habit of questioning evidence.
Description: Give students a “breaking news” headline. In groups, they list 3–5 questions they would ask before believing or sharing it (e.g., “What’s the source?” “Has this been verified elsewhere?”).
Example: Analyse a viral news story or social media claim; generate questions about source credibility, motives, and evidence sufficiency before accepting or sharing.
Critical Thinking Competencies: Analytical/Evaluative
- Idea Speed Dating
Purpose: Builds rapid thinking, listening, and synthesis skills.
Description: Students form two lines facing each other. One side pitches an idea; the other asks one probing question. After one minute, they switch partners. Students record the best questions they heard and use them to improve their idea.
Example: Rapidly exchange potential bias indicators noticed in different media examples; ask probing questions to challenge confirmation biases and unsupported claims.
Critical Thinking Competencies: Analytical
- The “Devil’s Advocate” Challenge
Purpose: Encourages students to explore opposing viewpoints.
Description: Students present their solution, then swap roles and argue against it as if they were the biggest critic. They must back their critique with plausible reasons.
Example: Adopt opposing viewpoints on a controversial media claim, defending and debating both sides to reveal underlying biases and propaganda tactics.
Critical Thinking Competencies: Evaluative
- Prove Me Wrong
Purpose: Builds reasoning and evidence-based argumentation skills.
Description: Teacher makes a provocative statement (e.g., “Fast fashion is good for the economy”). Students work in teams to find evidence that challenges the claim.
Example: Task students to fact-check a widely shared misleading post or advertisement, gathering evidence that challenges biased or false claims.
Critical Thinking Competencies: Analytical/Evaluative
- The Innovation Autopsy
Purpose: Encourages reflective analysis of real-world failures and successes.
Description: Students investigate a failed product or business (e.g., Google Glass, New Coke) and present why it didn’t succeed (considering design, market readiness, user needs, and competition).
Example: Study a failed advertising campaign or propaganda effort; analyse why it didn’t work and what bias or flawed reasoning led to its rejection or backlash
Critical Thinking Competencies: Analytical/Reflective
Want to Dig Deeper? Explore These Critical Thinking Resources
Here’s a curated list of tools and voices to help you embed critical thinking into your classroom practice:
Books and Frameworks:
- Critical Thinking: Skill Development Framework (2nd ed.) – ACER (2025)
A framework outlining critical thinking across three strands: constructing knowledge, evaluating ideas, and making decisions—tailored for classroom implementation.
- Critical Thinking – Jonathan Haber
Offers practical guidance for teachers by exploring structured thinking, information literacy, and intellectual humility. Designed for educators, leaders, and policymakers.
- Teaching for Critical Thinking – Stephen Brookfield
A how-to guide full of classroom-ready activities, rubrics, and reflective strategies—built for higher ed but highly adaptable for school settings.
Professional Learning Resources:
- UQ Critical Thinking Project – Teaching for Thinking Basics (Webinar Modules)
A PD offering that equips educators with conceptual tools and lesson-planning guidance to encourage critical inquiry.
- Critical Thinking Matrix – Peter Ellerton, University of Queensland
A metacognitive tool designed to help students evaluate the quality of their thinking—perfect for classroom self-reflection.
Podcasts and Media:
- Critical Thinking Revealed
Hosted by a UWA PhD researcher, this Australian podcast showcases examples of exceptional reasoning and how to highlight critical thinking in real contexts. - Re: thinking education
Conversations between educators and The Critical Thinking Consortium exploring pedagogical issues, including critical thinking. - Teach NSW Podcast – Ep.21: Inquiry-Based Learning & Critical Thinking
A NSW Education-produced podcast diving into how inquiry approaches foster critical thinking within Australian classrooms. - Talking Teaching (University of Melbourne)
Features interviews with Australian teachers and leaders about effective classroom practices—including critical thinking approaches.
Final Thought
In a world overflowing with information, knowing what to think is less important than knowing how to think. When we crack open critical thinking in our classrooms, we equip students to challenge assumptions, weigh evidence, and design better solutions. We give them the confidence to navigate complexity and the wisdom to act with purpose.
Let’s build capability-rich classrooms. And let’s think critically about everything along the way.
References
Facione, P. A. (2011). Critical thinking: What it is and why it counts (Research Report). Millbrae, CA: California Academic Press. https://www.insightassessment.com/wp-content/uploads/ia/pdf/whatwhy.pdf
Ennis, R. H. (1993). Critical thinking assessment. Theory Into Practice, 32(3), 179–186. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405849309543594
OECD. (2019). OECD Learning Compass 2030: A series of concept notes. Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. https://www.oecd.org/education/2030-project/
Brookhart, S. M. (2010). How to assess higher-order thinking skills in your classroom. ASCD.
Bloom, B. S., Engelhart, M. D., Furst, E. J., Hill, W. H., & Krathwohl, D. R. (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives: The classification of educational goals. Handbook I: Cognitive domain. Longmans, Green.
Willingham, D. T. (n.d.). How to teach critical thinking. NSW Department of Education. https://education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main-education/teaching-and-learning/education-for-a-changing-world/media/documents/How-to-teach-critical-thinking-Willingham.pdf
Ellerton, P. (2020). On critical thinking and content knowledge: A critique of the assumptions of cognitive load theory. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 43, 100975. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2021.100975
Schön, D. A. (1991). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. Ashgate Publishing.
About the author: Josh McHugh
Josh McHugh, a seasoned educator with over a decade of experience in the education sector, is a Program Manager here at Future Anything.
A key aspect of Josh’s teaching philosophy is his keen interest in design learning. He has consistently integrated innovative design learning strategies into his classrooms, believing that engaging, hands-on experiences are crucial for effective student learning. Josh’s approach emphasises the importance of student engagement and the delivery of high-quality educational experiences.
Future Anything’s Activate in-curriculum program and student workshops build confident communicators of all ages, by empowering young people to develop, and then persuasively pitch, innovative social enterprise solutions to the problems they care about.
Find out more about our programs here.
