mguhlin

Critical Thinking Made Simple

Need a way to teach critical thinking and problem-solving? Learn to tackle problems and make decisions. This session offers strategies to assess ideas and arguments. Discover resources to teach middle schoolers about fact-checking and critical thinking. You also get access to an AI Bot to assist you.

Short URL – https://go.mgpd.org/ctms25

Miguel Guhlin shares using Creative Commons Copyright BY-SA, and you don’t need to ask to use it in K-16 education. Check copyright holders for other stuff that isn’t Miguel’s.

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Slide Decks

Session Resources

The “Why”

MiniLesson #1 Introducing FLOATER Resources

MiniLesson #2: Deconstructing Pseudoscience Resources

Explore ONE example for the activity in this section.

  1. Marshmallow Farming
  2. Nut Milking 2: The Re-Milkening
  3. Cotton Candy Farming
  4. Rare Blue Strawberry Plant!
  5. BBC Spaghetti-Harvest in Ticino
  6. What Happened to Mike the Headless Chicken
  7. Pig Rescues Baby Goat
  8. Lake Superior Whales

Want to create your own pseudoscience or guide your students? Consider these resources from Robert T. Carroll. Here’s a summary of his steps:

  1. Make big promises about the scientific proof for something that most people fear (e.g. death, pain) or desire (e.g. money, health, long life).
  2. Use a lot of jargon and hedge your promises with words like “may help.”
  3. Reference conspiracies that try to keep the truth from the public.
  4. Claim you have discovered a secret scientists are unaware of.
  5. Make stuff up and include testimonials from famous people with big names.
  6. Charge for your product.
  7. Wear a lab coat and call yourself a doctor.

MiniLesson #3: Adding to Your Toolkit – Resources

MiniLesson #4: An AI Bot for You Resources

Try the Skeptical Thinking Evaluator, a custom GPT or Bot. You can use one of two versions that appear below. You can also flip the switch from having them evaluate claims according to a certain model to being a Socratic tutor to help you think through a model. To flip the switch, type “Active Learning Mode.”

You will be prompted to create a free ChatGPT or BoodleBox account. Remember to STEER AI for Critical Thinking.

Do you know what AI MegaPrompts are? They are “long prompts” that you can copy-n-paste into the AI chatbot of choice then use them to assess claims and pseudoscience.

Access the Skeptical Thinker Evaluator

See these megaprompts you can drop into your favorite AI chatbot (e.g. Mistral AI) to scaffold your own thinking.

If you want help on creating your own AI Bot, be sure to sign up to attend my session in the TCEA AI Educators’ Conference taking place July 22-24, 2025.

STEER AI Use for Better Critical Thinking

Read the MIT Study, Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task by authors: Nataliya Kosmyna, Eugene Hauptmann, Ye Tong Yuan, Jessica Situ, Xian-Hao Liao, Ashly Vivian Beresnitzky, Iris Braunstein, Pattie Maes

CRITICal Thinking Made Simple

The infographic below was adapted from Wayne R. Bartz‘ article (read article) from Skeptical Inquirer Sept/Oct 2002, pp. 42-44 with elements of Melanie Trecek-King’s FLOATER, and others featured in TCEA’s blog on science denial. It was put into this infographic format by Miguel Guhlin as a way to simplify and add context.

Get a copy of this infographic via this Canva template link. Or view it full size

C–Claim

What claim is being made? Is the claim testable or falsifiable? What evidence is available? 

R– ROLE

Who is making the claim and why? Is it someone you trust or based on a belief you hold dear? If so, double-check yourself.  Watch out for biases.

I–INFORMATION

What is the information or evidence behind this? Is it anecdotal or a story? Or is it a single event or based on lots of events/observations? Assess level of scientific evidence available. 

T–TESTABLE

How can the claim be tested?  How can you move from a hypothesis (none to little evidence to theory with absolute confirmation)? Is rapid prototyping an option? How will you experiment?

I–INDEPENDENT TESTING

Has the claim been tested by others? Are the results of the test, replicable or reproducible by others? 

C–CAUSE

What explanation, if any, is being suggested? Is this a conclusion that can change with fresh evidence or information? Is the explanation free from bias or self-deception?

Quote to Ponder

“Do anecdotes reflect the evidence? Find anecdotes that best represent the evidence, that are exemplars of the concept, and use it to explain the concept” says Melanie Trecek-King, Thinking is Power

Myth vs Reality

Myth #1: Teaching Critical Thinking Takes Time Away from Core Content

  • Reality: Integrating critical thinking into the curriculum can enhance students’ understanding and retention of core content. It encourages students to engage more deeply with the material and apply their knowledge in various contexts, rather than just memorizing facts.

Myth #2: Critical Thinking Skills Develop Naturally Without Explicit Instruction

  • Reality: While some aspects of critical thinking might develop through general life experiences, explicit instruction and guided practice in schools are essential for students to develop strong critical thinking skills. Educators play a crucial role in modeling and teaching these skills through structured activities and discussions.

Myth #3: Some Students Just Aren’t Good at Critical Thinking

  • Reality: All students have the potential to develop critical thinking skills. While individuals may have different starting points and learning styles, with the right instruction and opportunities, every student can improve their ability to think critically.

Myth #4: Critical Thinking is Just for Older Students

  • Reality: Critical thinking skills can and should be taught at all age levels. Young children are naturally curious and can start learning basic critical thinking skills through inquiry-based learning and age-appropriate problem-solving activities.

Myth #5: Critical Thinking is Only About Logic and Reasoning

  • Reality: While logic and reasoning are important aspects of critical thinking, it also involves creativity, intuition, and an open-minded approach to exploring multiple perspectives and solutions. Critical thinking in education encompasses a broad range of cognitive skills and dispositions.

How To Teach Critical Thinking

“Why don’t kids know critical thinking or scientific reasoning?” asks Professor of Biology, Melanie Trecek-King. She encourages teachers and students to engage in scientific skepticism:

  • Insist on evidence before accepting a claim. 
  • Then, match the strength of our belief to the strength and quality of the evidence. 
  • She describes matching the strength of your belief to evidence quality as “proportioning.” Source: Thinking Is Power 

How To Fact Check

  • Be skeptical. Stop and ask if it is true. Do this especially if it confirms existing biases or triggers strong emotions (e.g. anger or fear).
  • Check TYPE of content. What’s its purpose? Is it advertisement? Satire? Opinion?
  • Look laterally. What do others say? Search source, claims, check accuracy and bias with other independent, trustworthy sites.
  • Look for RED flags. Any signs of low quality? Is there name-calling, inflammatory language, mis-spellings, grammatical errors, etc.?

Wendy Cook’s Dealing with Disinformation

Wendy Cook suggests this simple formula for what to do when the need for debunking arrives:

  •  Fact. Lead with clear facts that are easy to remember (“sticky”).
  •  Myth. Share what was false.
  •  Fallacy. Explain what was false is wrong, and how it differs from facts. 
  •  Fact. Share the facts again in a clear, easy-to-remember approach. (Source: Journalist Field Guide via CAAD

Six Sample Stories to Evaluate

Here are some short sample stories. Can you figure out how each would score using the framework best suited for it?

  1. “A new miracle diet pill claims to help you lose 20 pounds in a week without any exercise or dietary changes. The pill’s creator, Dr. Slim, says it’s based on a secret formula.”
  2. “A recent study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that a balanced diet combined with regular exercise leads to sustainable weight loss. Researchers conducted a year-long study with 500 participants.”
  3. “Celebrity X claims that drinking lemon water every morning cured their chronic illness.”
  4. “The CDC reports a 10% decrease in flu cases this year due to increased vaccination rates.”
  5. “A new political party claims they can eliminate taxes entirely without affecting public services.”
  6. “A bipartisan committee reports that infrastructure improvements have led to a 15% reduction in traffic congestion.”

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