Critical Thinking
The ability to evaluate and analyse a situation by applying critical reasoning is a crucial skill in everyday life, as well as in education. For students preparing for university, developing critical thinking skills is now highly regarded as a key ingredient for academic success.
Critical thinking skills form an important part of decision making, problem solving and being able to qualify your judgements.
In Company 3.0: Making decisions under pressure
Critical thinking is easier when time is on your side, but what happens when you are under pressure or even face a life or death situation? This upper intermediate worksheet from In Company 3.0 looks at how you might respond in a life or death situation, when you only have a split second to think.
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2.22 2.23 2.24 2.25 2.26 2.27 2.28 2.29
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Open Mind: Types of bias
No matter how information is reported there will invariably be an element of bias. This advanced worksheet from Open Mind looks at different kinds of bias and encourages students not to take information at face value. Rather, they should learn to think critically and evaluate sources with reasoning.
Lesson: Critical Thinking
This lesson explains what critical thinking is and why it is an important life skill. It also provides information about how to think critically and gives students the opportunity to put their own critical thinking into practice.
Article: Developing Critical Thinking Skills
In this article from our life skills examples, Dr Sara Hannam discusses the importance of developing critical thinking skills and how we can teach these skills to university level students in the EAP (English for Academic Purposes) classroom.
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Lesson: Critical Thinking
How deeply do you think about information you read or hear? This lesson encourages students to think more critically about things like news reports, advertising and information found online.
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Lesson: Challenging Assumptions
Do you question your assumptions? This lesson is designed to get your students reflecting on their critical thinking skills and thinking about how quickly we make assumptions.
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For Fun: Timetable Challenge
Test your logic! Using the clues, can you fill out the timetable accurately?
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For Fun: Critical Thinking Puzzle
Work out the quote! Using your knowledge of English words, can you work out this famous quote by Aristotle?
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Onestopenglish Lesson: Reviews
Being able to critically express your opinion is important. In this lesson, students recommend and review their favourite local restaurants.
Download the lesson plan from onestopenglish
Onestopenglish Lesson: Movie Review
Analysing information and thinking critically are important skills. In this lesson, students write a review of imaginary movies using pictures as a guide.
Download the lesson plan from onestopenglish
Featured Products
Open Mind
Open Mind is a groundbreaking course which provides adult and young adult learners with the professional, academic and personal skills they need for success. More details here. Also available as an American English course, The Mind Series 2nd edition.
Grammar Goals
Grammar Goals is a new six-level grammar series for children aged 6-12 years. It presents and practises grammar in lively and meaningful age-appropriate contexts that reflect pupils' real lives and interests. More details here.
Featured Quotes
"Obstacles, of course, are developmentally necessary: they teach kids strategy, patience, critical thinking, resilience and resourcefulness."
- Naomi Wolf