Critical thinking becomes easier to teach when students have something specific to examine. Instead of asking them simply to “think critically,” we can ask them to identify a purpose, question an assumption, evaluate information, or explain how they reached a conclusion.
The eight elements provide a structure for this work: purpose, question at issue, information, interpretation and inference, concepts, assumptions, implications and consequences, and point of view. The activities below give students opportunities to practise examining these elements within the subjects they are studying.
1. Assumption Hunt
Main element: Assumptions
Give students a short argument containing an unstated assumption. For example: “All homework should be completed online because students can access it whenever they need it.”
Ask students to identify what the writer takes for granted. Does every student have reliable internet access? Does access to an assignment mean a student can complete it independently?
Students then revise the argument to acknowledge an assumption that needs checking.
Discussion prompt: What must be true for this argument to work?
2. Point-of-View Switch
Main element: Point of view
Present a school issue, such as replacing part of the playground with a parking area. Students first explain their own position, then consider the issue from another stakeholder’s perspective.
Have them identify that person’s priorities, concerns, and relevant knowledge. Provide background information so students can build a plausible perspective without relying on stereotypes.
Discussion prompt: What becomes more important when you examine the issue from this position?
3. Evidence Ranking
Main element: Information
Provide a claim and several pieces of evidence relevant to it. These might include a personal account, a survey with limited details, and a study whose methods students can examine.
Students rank the evidence according to how well it supports the particular claim. Require explanations that address relevance, credibility, and limitations.
Discussion prompt: What does this evidence allow us to conclude, and what remains uncertain?
4. Missing Information Audit
Main element: Information
Give students an incomplete proposal: “Our school should begin classes later because students will learn more.”
Students identify the information they would need before judging the proposal. They might ask about current sleep patterns, transportation arrangements, or evidence connecting start times with learning.
Have them prioritise their questions and explain which missing information could most affect their decision.
Discussion prompt: What do we need to know before accepting or rejecting this proposal?
5. Concept Mapping
Main element: Concepts
Choose a concept central to a lesson, such as fairness, adaptation, or democracy. Students create a map showing its defining features, examples, non-examples, and relationships with other concepts.
They then compare maps and examine disagreements. For fairness, students might consider whether treating everyone identically is always fair.
Discussion prompt: How does our understanding of this concept affect our judgement?
6. Consequence Chain
Main element: Implications and consequences
Present a proposed action, such as removing single-use plastic bottles from school.
Students map possible immediate and longer-term consequences. Ask them to identify who might benefit, who might face difficulties, and what conditions could affect the outcome.
Students label consequences as likely, possible, or uncertain and justify those labels.
Discussion prompt: What might follow from this decision, and how confident are we?
Related: Critical Thinking in The Age of AI
7. Inference Check
Main element: Interpretation and inference
Provide an observation: “Library visits increased after the school introduced a reading competition.”
Students distinguish the observation from possible explanations. They generate alternative explanations and identify evidence that would help assess them.
Finish by asking students to write a conclusion whose strength matches the available information.
Discussion prompt: Have we established what happened, why it happened, or both?
8. Purpose Detective
Main element: Purpose
Give students texts about the same topic with different purposes, such as an advertisement, an information sheet, and an opinion piece.
Students identify what each author appears to want readers to understand, believe, or do. They support their interpretation with details from the text.
Discussion prompt: How does the author’s purpose shape the information and language used?
9. Question Reframing
Main element: Question at issue
Start with a broad or loaded question: “Why are school uniforms unfair?”
Students identify what the wording presumes, then develop questions that allow a more open investigation. For example: “Under what circumstances might a uniform policy create difficulties for students?”
Compare how different versions change the evidence students would need.
Discussion prompt: Does our question leave room for more than one defensible answer?
10. Argument Reconstruction
Main elements: All eight elements
Give students a short editorial, speech, or proposal. Ask them to reconstruct its reasoning by identifying:
- The author’s purpose and central question
- The information and concepts used
- The assumptions and point of view
- The conclusions drawn
- The implications of accepting those conclusions
Students mark elements that are explicit and those they have inferred. They then identify one part of the argument that needs clarification or stronger support.
Discussion prompt: Can we explain the argument fairly before evaluating it?
Across these activities, choose material students know enough about to examine meaningfully. Model the reasoning, provide feedback, and return to each element through different examples. Familiarity with the labels is a starting point; students also need practice using them to make and justify judgements.
