In my last post, I suggested that perhaps we’re asking the wrong question.

Instead of asking, “How do we teach critical thinking?”, we should be asking:

“How do we design learning experiences in which critical thinking becomes unavoidable?”

Here’s an example.

Year 8 Interdisciplinary Unit

The Future of Water: Who Gets What and Why?

(Linked to UN Sustainable Development Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation)

Rather than teaching critical thinking as a separate lesson, students investigate a real-world problem:

Should a growing community facing water shortages prioritise households, agriculture, industry, or environmental sustainability?

Critical thinking is not best taught as a standalone skill, disconnected from context and content. Rather, it emerges when students are challenged to grapple with complex questions, evaluate evidence, make connections, justify decisions, and apply knowledge in meaningful situations.