Critical thinking: Your compass for clear insights

Dit Engelstalig lesmateriaal kan worden ingezet in immersieonderwijs.

Every day, our brains are flooded with stimuli. And although we like to believe that we critically assess all the information that comes our way, this is often not the case. The ability to think and look critically is essential and helps us navigate life in a more conscious, independent, and resilient way. With the EDUbox Critical Thinking, young people discover what critical thinking really means, how their brains process information, and which strategies they can use to critically evaluate new information.

How do you use this EDUbox in the classroom?

Read the manual (in Dutch)

Choose your format

This EDUbox is available in the following formats.

What's inside the EDUbox Critical thinking?

The EDUbox Critical Thinking is an interactive teaching package for secondary education. Through texts, videos, thinking exercises, and an interactive tool, young people discover what critical thinking really means, how their brains process information, and which strategies they can use to critically assess new information.

The EDUbox consists of five parts, which students can complete in two to three class periods. Each part builds on the previous one, allowing students to gradually learn what critical thinking entails and how to apply it.

In the first part, students are introduced to how the brain works and the importance of critical thinking. Through five thought-provoking exercises, they test their own thinking skills and experience how cognitive biases can arise. They also gain insight into two thinking systems: fast thinking and slow thinking.

In the second part, researcher Edward De Vooght introduces the four layers of critical thinking in a video, along with the associated pitfalls. Using relatable examples from, among others, Bavo Mortier (Sporza) and Aurélie Boffé (VRT NWS), young people learn to recognise and apply these layers and pitfalls.

In the third part, students then get to work themselves with the Kriticoach, an interactive chat in which they apply their newly acquired knowledge to an article. Silas and the Professor, two fictional characters, guide them through this tool and stimulate their thinking process by supporting and challenging them.

In the fourth part, students reflect individually and as a group on their own thinking process. Luc Van Bakel, editor-in-chief at VRT NWS, also explains how a news editorial team critically evaluates information.

The final part contains a series of in-depth links, carefully selected for young people who want to learn more about the topic.