Overview

In 2021, the Department commissioned the Learning First education research group to review the existing research base for best practice approaches to teaching critical thinking skills. The report focuses on Science and History teaching in Stages 4 and 5, and seeks to identify solutions that could assist teachers to better interpret documented curricula and create effective teaching and learning programs.

The second part of the report features case studies of Singapore and Hong Kong’s approaches to teaching critical thinking skills in secondary school curricula.

Key findings include the need for ‘knowledge rich’ teaching and learning programs to support the development of critical thinking and related capabilities, and that evidence-based best practices for teaching also apply to the teaching of critical thinking.

Authors: Learning First: Ben Jensen, Katie Roberts-Hull and Nicole Murnane.

Published: 2021.

Other resources

• Peter Ellerton, Thinking critically for an AI world (Edspresso episode 3)
• Sandra Lynch, Teaching critical thinking through philosophy (Edspresso episode 4)
• Peter Ellerton, On critical thinking and collaborative inquiry
• Daniel Willingham, How to teach critical thinking