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The Return Is Better Thinking
The Return Is Better Thinking
The term "critical thinking" has been promoted since before the twentieth century, though the practice existed in much earlier civilizations under different names. Lately, education has pushed to ensure every student learns to think critically, yet people who use the term often disagree about what it means (Lau, 2024). If this discussion is going to get anywhere, we need to settle on a common definition.
Above infographic created by Claude (Anthropic, 2024) using content from Özelçi, S. Y., & Çaliskan (2019) and Butler (2024).
Many definitions exist; for this site, we'll use one that captures the core skills most researchers agree on.
Many definitions exist; for this site, we'll use one that captures the core skills most researchers agree on.
"Critical thinking refers to the ability to engage in reflective, independent thinking, to question assumptions, to analyze information, and to make reasoned judgments." (Scriven & Paul, 1987 as cited in Gonsalves, 2026)
Why Should We Invest in Critical Thinking? Is it Worth the Time and Money?
Why Should We Invest in Critical Thinking? Is it Worth the Time and Money?
Misinformation spreads fastest when we don't notice our own part in it. Explore the poll findings and social media patterns below to see how the problem takes hold—and why critical thinking is the way through it.
Above infographic created by Claude (Anthropic, 2024) using content from Butler (2024).
Critical thinking does not eliminate errors, bias, or poor decisions, but it can reduce their frequency. As Butler (2024) notes, "thinking critically offers us some protection from making questionable life decisions."
Butler (2024) found that both critical thinking and intelligence predicted fewer negative life events, with critical thinking showing a slightly stronger effect. Unlike intelligence, however, critical thinking can be explicitly taught and developed. Although university education has traditionally been associated with gains in critical thinking, recent evidence suggests these gains have diminished over time.
AI's Influence on Critical Thinking
AI's Influence on Critical Thinking
The widespread use of AI in education has raised concerns that students may become overly reliant on AI-generated solutions, potentially limiting the development of critical thinking skills. At the same time, many teachers have received little training in teaching critical thinking and are now expected to do so in AI-enabled classrooms. This highlights the need for practical, adaptable strategies that educators can learn and implement with minimal training (Gonsalves, 2026).
Watch the video below to see some of the issues that AI creates with critical thinking in the classroom.
Why_AI_Should_Stop_Giving_Answers.mp4Video created with NotebookLM using author-provided content and sources.
If simply asking students to think critically is not enough, what does the research suggest actually develops it?
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