Tutoring students to pass an exam is one thing. At best, it calls for you to set up a study schedule with them, review their progress from session to session and answer any questions they might have.

Setting out to improve students' critical thinking skills is something else altogether, not the least of which is clarifying what critical thinking skills. They encompass:

  • recognizing problems and finding the means to address them
  • seeking relevant information about the problem and possible solutions
  • interpreting data, evaluating evidence and arguments
  • understanding precedence and prioritizing when problem-solving
  • drawing conclusions
  • using language clearly, accurately and appropriately to express yourself throughout the exercise

For someone such as yourself, who no doubt thinks critically as a matter of course, such processes are self-evident. But what works best according to kids is learning to challenge their own arguments until they're satisfied with the conclusions they've drawn.

So let's take a closer look at what critical thinking is and where it would fit in your pedagogy. We'll also present a few ways you can help your students develop their critical thinking skills.

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What is Critical Thinking?

The concept of critical thinking stems from ancient philosophers, Socrates among them. Those learned men encouraged their students to analyse the validity of their arguments by answering a series of questions that usually exposed contradictions in their initial postulates.

Today, formal exercises in critical thinking incorporate the Socratic methodology outlined above, but then go further by trialling conclusions made during discussions to solve current issues or even to create new models participants had not envisioned at the start of the class/discussion.

You don't have to be lost in thought to think critically
Critical thinking doesn't necessarily mean being lost in thought or thinking bad things about a situation. Photo by Anthony Tran on Unsplash

That sounds a bit confusing but if you know how a flowchart works, you would aver that the principle is exactly the same. The chart starts with a question or condition, outlines a row of information that may or may not apply - and thus, is accepted or rejected, goes on to refine and interpret the information in the context of the question/condition... and so on, until a final conclusion is reached.

The Duke University Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP) posits that critical thinking is often regarded as equivalent to higher-order thinking, the theory that some types of learning demand more cognitive work. In return, however, the learner derives more benefit, both from cultivating and using these skills, and because such thinking is better adapted to understanding novel concepts or analysing new situations.

The Duke team goes on to state that "...critical thinking requires individuals to engage in more complex processes, frequently connected with the upper domains of Bloom’s Cognitive Taxonomy: analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. This kind of thinking assists individuals in their quest for greater understanding and responsible, independent inquiry”.

Introducing critical thinking exercises into your lessons is just one of 8 ways to become a better tutor.

Critical Thinking Frameworks

Bloom's Taxonomy may be far and away the most renowned of all educational taxonomies but it is not the only one to consider when teaching your students how to think critically. We'll cover Bloom's Taxonomy first and then look at a second method you might initiate, particularly if your pupils dread writing assignments.

Bloom’s Cognitive Taxonomy

This learning taxonomy may sound like a complex piece of reading but, in fact, it is very accessible and easy to digest. It presents a highly practical set of learning objectives. Proposed in 1956 by a group of educators in the US, spearheaded by educational psychologist Benjamin Bloom, the intent was to help teachers better understand the concepts they outlined. Thus, they shared their research and materials.

The impact of their effort was much deeper than they imagined. It urged educators to go beyond the superficial handling of subjects - what's commonly known as rote learning, and highlighted the need to engage students in classes and tutoring sessions.

That's not to say that rote learning doesn't have a place in modern educational theory. It's very effective for teaching/learning fundamentals: multiplication tables, phonics and sight reading, for example. Rote learning comes in handy when students need to memorise the periodic table of elements in their chemistry classes, algebraic formulas in maths and so on.

Unfortunately, this need for rote instruction sets up an unintentional dichotomy.

Younger students need rote learning exercises but they could also benefit from critical thinking work.
Younger students typically benefit more from rote learning but they can also learn to become critical thinkers. Photo by Japheth Mast on Unsplash

Most classes, especially at the primary and secondary levels need rote learning so the students can learn and memorise foundational information. That need causes teachers to focus only on knowledge and comprehension; they have little opportunity to coach their students into deeper analysis, argumentation and application of gained knowledge.

According to Bloom, education should go much further, encouraging students to synthesise what they have learned to produce totally new ways of thinking and find creative solutions to problems, Additionally, students should be encouraged to evaluate the validity of their ideas and the quality of their work based on set criteria.

In the classroom as well as during tutoring sessions, using learning maps is one way to task your students to think critically.

Another good way to use Bloom’s Cognitive Taxonomy in your tutoring session is to present them with a set of questions that will challenge both their rote learning skills and their critical thinking abilities.

Consider this application of that dual-track analysis. Simpler questions would involve testing your students' knowledge and comprehension – e.g. “When was Parliament established?” and “How would you compare the House of Commons to the House of Lords?”. Such questions should be easy to answer because your students (should) have knowledge of those facts.

Now that you've ascertained what they know, it's time for more complex questions that call for the students to apply their knowledge.

To answer the question of “What would happen if the election process for the House of Commons were changed?”, your students should engage in:

  • Analysis – “What ideas justify the existence of the House of Commons?”
  • Synthesis – “What changes would you make to the current government?”
  • Evaluation – “What data did you use to make that conclusion?”

You might consider such exercises as leading your students to 'complete thoughts'. You will take them from a postulate through an examination of known facts, which will then pave the way to new ideas and their justification.

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The Toulmin Model of Argumentation

This model presents another interesting framework for classroom educators and tutors to help their charges hone critical thinking skills. It was developed by British philosopher Stephen Toulmin, whose focus on morality and ethics was more in line with classical thinkers like Plato and Socrates.

His model of argumentation consists of a diagram made up of six interconnected phases to analyse arguments. This diagram - all six of its 'phases' can be used to construct and deliver compelling essays.

The first phase is the pre-writing phase. During this stage, the teacher/tutor presents students with a question/argument and helps him/her ‘unpack’ it by asking more questions to ensure they understand what it means. During this phase, the tutor and students should conduct research into the topic and gather evidence. The second phase is when the writing begins.

Tutor and student will use the Toulmin model to make a claim, clarify the scope of the claim (called the 'Ground' phase), provide evidence to back it (the 'Warrant' phase) and justify the ways in which the evidence backs the claim (Backing). The remaining two phases, Rebuttal and Qualifier, are self-explanatory; they're comparable to Bloom's Taxonomy in that they involve evaluation: checking for clarity of meaning, depth, relevance and accuracy.

Particularly if you're tutoring secondary school and university students, a chart illustrating the Toulmin Model of Argumentation is one of the ten things you should take into every lesson, to keep the concept fresh in your students' minds as they prepare for their exam essays. It will prove to be a handy guide as your uni students prepare to write their thesis papers, too.

Tutoring groups of students allows them to sharpen their critical thinking skills on one another
If you tutor small groups, you can arrange for your students to debate a topic and find lapses of logic in each other's arguments. Photo by Dylan Gillis on Unsplash

Things You Can Do Today to Develop Your Students Critical Thinking Skills

A while ago, we admitted the need for rote learning in education but that doesn't mean that even the youngest students can't begin their training as critical thinkers.

In that spirit, we present these methodologies. They will be highly useful in helping you structure your tutoring sessions - though you may wish to warm your student up first by leading them through a few higher-order thinking exercises.

You can try these tips to get the ball rolling effortlessly.

Ask questions that have more than one answer. One of the foundations of critical thinking lies in understanding how subjective considerations often underpin many ideas and assertions we hold as inexorable truths. Socrates was a true champion at getting his students to reassess their values and beliefs through logical argumentation.

Encourage thoughtful discussions on matters that are important to your student. As a tutor, your role is not only to help your student achieve specific academic aims but also to encourage them to think in a more enlightened, responsible and profound way about an array of issues, ideas and institutions.

To encourage critical thinking, introduce themes your student will always question and ruminate over, even when your mentoring relationship comes to an end. Don't worry about feeling like an intruder; if you've built a good rapport, your past pupils will likely enjoy hearing from you occasionally.

Use critical thinking games to pique your student’s interest. You can find a host of websites that offer critical thinking games for students of all ages and levels or you could devise your own. Note that riddles are, in the truest sense, exercises in critical thinking so if you open each learning session with a thought-provoking riddle, you may consider that you're already conditioning your students to think critically.

Present your student with examples. Occasionally, at the end of a tutoring session, point your student to a written text that stands out as a sterling example of critical thinking skills usage. Be sure to tell them you'll discuss that text during your next session together.

Teach your students introductory phrases that reveal they are thinking critically, such as “We should, however, ask ourselves if this is a universal truth” or “This assertion may or may not be evidence of…”, etc.

Be a model for your student; there is no better way to teach than leading by example. Inspire your students with your own higher-order questions and analyses.

Encourage healthy debate. If you are tutoring a group, before or after going through a topic in depth, arbitrarily assign students to two different groups and ask them to argue for or against a topic. The best thing about this type of debate is that it forces a student to find arguments to back an assertion or belief they may not agree with in real life. This encourages them to approach one issue from various contradictory angles.

And if you tutor one-to-one, nothing says you can't present the opposing view. In this case, you might ask the student which views they would like to present or, to make things more challenging, leave it up to fate. A coin toss (pro=heads, con=tails) could be a fun way of deciding the matter.

If you are in a group session, ask students to evaluate each other’s arguments and point out their flaws. You should provide them with objective criteria which will help them better assess their peers.

The key thing is not for the tutor to behave like Socrates, by pointing out gaping holes in their student’s work. Rather, it is to encourage students to ask important, relevant, valid questions of their own that will turn them into profound thinkers.

I hope that you have found this blog post interesting and useful. If you would like to share your tips on tutoring strategies to foster critical thinking skills, or just want to let us know how you are getting on, feel free to add a comment using the box below.

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Emma

I am passionate about traveling and currently live and work in Paris. I like to spend my time reading, gardening, running, learning languages, and exploring new places.