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Best Critical Thinking Apps: Enhance Your Cognitive Skills Today

In today’s fast-paced and technology-driven world, critical thinking skills are more important than ever. With an abundance of information at our fingertips, it’s essential for individuals, particularly students, to develop the ability to analyze and evaluate information effectively. One way to hone these critical thinking skills is through the use of apps specifically designed to encourage deep thinking and problem-solving.

Fortunately, there are numerous critical thinking apps available that can help students level up their critical thinking abilities. These apps encompass a variety of functions, ranging from problem-solving and memory enhancement to reading comprehension and even mind mapping. By incorporating these tools into their daily routines, students can effectively sharpen their critical thinking skills and improve their overall academic performance.

Key Takeaways

• Critical thinking apps assist students in developing vital analytical and problem-solving skills
• These apps cover various areas, including memory enhancement, reading comprehension, and mind mapping
• Incorporating these tools into daily routines can lead to improved academic performance and sharper critical thinking abilities.

Overview of Critical Thinking Apps

In today’s technology-driven world, there is a growing need for tools that promote critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Critical thinking apps are an excellent way to engage students in deep thinking, analysis, and reflection. These apps come in various formats and designs, catering to a wide range of age groups and subjects.

One popular category of critical thinking apps is mind mapping tools, such as MindNode and MindMeister . These platforms provide students with an interactive canvas to brainstorm and organize their thoughts on a particular topic. They encourage users to visualize connections, explore different perspectives, and generate innovative solutions.

Another noteworthy tool in the realm of critical thinking apps is Google Earth . This powerful application allows users to explore the Earth’s surface and delve into detailed satellite imagery, aerial photographs, and 3D models. By navigating through these rich data sources, students can practice making connections between geographical, historical, and cultural events or phenomena.

Collaboration tools also play a significant role in fostering critical thinking skills. Apps such as Coggle offer online platforms for users to collaborate on mind maps and brainstorming sessions, creating a sense of community and shared learning experiences. These collaborative environments challenge students to evaluate others’ ideas, build off each other’s perspectives, and justified their thoughts and decisions.

Overall, critical thinking apps come in a variety of forms, each designed to engage users in different aspects of problem-solving, analytical thinking, and reflection. By integrating these apps into classroom or personal learning experiences, students can develop valuable cognitive skills and become better prepared to tackle the challenges of the 21st century.

Role of Apps in Developing Critical Thinking Skills

In today’s education landscape, the use of technology is becoming increasingly important in teaching students how to develop their critical thinking skills. As critical thinking involves processes such as analysis, interpretation, evaluation, and problem-solving, incorporating apps into teaching can help students actively engage in these processes.

Apps designed for critical thinking development offer a variety of games and challenges that target different cognitive areas. For instance, Elevate is an app that focuses on improving cognitive skills like memory, comprehension, processing speed, and analytical thinking. These apps not only engage students in learning but also provide personalized training programs based on their goals and track their performance over time.

Another advantage of using apps in teaching critical thinking is that they facilitate communication and collaboration among students. For example, there are mind mapping apps like MindMeister, XMind, and Coggle that allow users to create, share, and collaborate on mind maps online. By working together on these projects, students have the opportunity to learn from their peers and sharpen their critical thinking skills.

Furthermore, incorporating apps in teaching provides a more interactive and engaging learning experience for students. Many of these apps are designed with the purpose of making learning fun and motivating students to challenge their thought processes. As a result, students are more likely to remain focused and enthusiastic about developing their critical thinking abilities.

In conclusion, using apps as a supplement to traditional teaching methods can greatly benefit the development of critical thinking skills in students. These apps provide an engaging, interactive, and personalized learning experience, enabling students to actively participate in their own education and encouraging them to think critically in various situations.

Popular Critical Thinking Apps

Google Earth is a versatile app that enables students to explore the Earth’s surface and navigate through detailed satellite imagery, aerial photographs, and 3D models of various locations. This application promotes critical thinking by encouraging students to analyze geographical data and draw inferences about the world around them.

Another useful app for developing critical thinking skills is NeoK12 Flow Chart Games . The games offered by NeoK12 combine visual and process analysis, allowing students to complete tasks in life sciences, human body, physical sciences, and more. By participating in these engaging activities, students can sharpen their analytical abilities and problem-solving skills.

Mind mapping apps like MindMeister, XMind, or Coggle are great tools for supporting critical thinking online. These apps enable users to create, share, and collaborate on mind maps, effectively organizing thoughts and enhancing cognitive processes.

For students who enjoy gaming, A Clockwork Brain and Civilization VI are excellent choices for developing critical thinking skills. A Clockwork Brain consists of games in memory, attention, language, reasoning, and dexterity in which students must solve puzzles and make quick decisions. Civilization VI, on the other hand, is an immersive strategy game that requires players to make complex decisions and build their civilization through planning and critical analysis.

Lastly, the Book Creator app can be used by students to brainstorm, plan and write their stories, utilizing critical thinking and organizational skills. By incorporating multimedia elements and recording themselves, students can effectively communicate their ideas and develop their projects using this versatile application.

Apps for Problem Solving

In the realm of problem-solving and critical thinking, there are several excellent apps designed to enhance these skills among students. These tools offer interactive platforms that encourage users to practice their problem-solving abilities while developing a better understanding of the processes involved.

One example is A Clockwork Brain , an app that tests a user’s memory, attention, language, reasoning, and dexterity through an assortment of games with increasing difficulty levels. By working quickly to solve problems, children experience a heightened development of their critical thinking skills.

Additionally, MindNode and MindMeister are two popular mind mapping tools that provide a platform for users to think critically about a single topic. These tools encourage users to engage with the topic through mind maps, fostering an innovative way to stimulate critical thinking.

Furthermore, Google Earth serves as a valuable problem-solving resource by offering users the ability to explore satellite imagery, aerial photographs, and 3D models of various locations around the world. By navigating through these complex images, users increase their understanding of the Earth’s geography and develop critical thinking skills related to spatial reasoning.

With these tools, problem-solving skills can be significantly enhanced, enabling users to approach problems with a more analytical mindset. By incorporating these apps into daily routines, individuals can sharpen their reasoning and critical thinking abilities, allowing for more efficient problem solving in real-world situations.

Memory Enhancement Apps

Memory enhancement apps are designed to help improve cognitive skills by targeting various areas of the brain, such as memory, processing speed, and analytical thinking. These apps often include a range of brain games , puzzles, and challenges to engage users in stimulating mental exercises.

One of the most popular memory enhancement apps is Lumosity . Lumosity offers a variety of brain games that motivate users to think critically and respond quickly. Lumosity users have experienced improvements in working memory, short-term memory, processing speed, problem-solving, and overall cognitive function.

Another go-to app for memory enhancement is Elevate . Elevate focuses on different cognitive abilities, including critical thinking and problem-solving. Its games and challenges target memory, comprehension, and processing speed. Elevate also offers various learning materials to support users’ progress.

For fans of classic puzzles, Genina Sudoku is an excellent choice for memory improvement. Sudoku challenges users to think analytically, increase pattern recognition, and exercise their short-term memory. Genina Sudoku provides different levels of difficulty, satisfying both beginners and advanced solvers.

New York Times Crossword offers crossword fans a daily challenge of varying difficulty levels. Crosswords are known to stimulate vocabulary, memory, and problem-solving skills. By working through New York Times Crossword’s extensive archive, users can engage their critical thinking skills and improve their use of language.

In conclusion, including memory enhancement apps – such as Lumosity, Elevate, Genina Sudoku, and New York Times Crossword – in one’s daily routine offers an entertaining way to improve cognitive abilities. These apps provide diverse, engaging content designed to stimulate the brain and enhance critical thinking skills through puzzles, brain games, and challenges.

Productivity Apps for Students

Productivity is essential for students who need to balance their academic life with extracurricular activities, internships, and personal commitments. To stay focused and manage their time effectively, students can use various productivity apps designed to help them develop their strategies and optimize their schedules.

Google Calendar is one of the top productivity apps recommended for students. It enables them to plan their days efficiently, set reminders for assignments, and synchronize their schedule across devices. This calendar app helps students stay organized, which is crucial for achieving their academic goals. For more information, check this source .

When it comes to critical thinking and problem-solving, there are several apps that can help students sharpen these skills. Google Earth is one such app that allows users to explore the Earth’s surface and navigate through detailed satellite imagery, aerial photographs, and 3D models. This app encourages students to think critically about geographical locations and helps them understand complex global issues.

Another helpful app for students is Whooo’s Reading , which enhances their critical thinking abilities in the context of reading comprehension. This app provides quizzes, writing prompts, and comprehension activities to evaluate and improve student engagement with the text, thus promoting a deeper understanding and more focused reading experience.

In summary, there are many productivity apps available for students that cater to their individual needs and help them develop effective strategies for academic success. By leveraging technology, students can stay focused, manage their time efficiently, and enhance their critical thinking skills. Ultimately, these apps contribute to better performance and a more fulfilling educational experience.

Critical Reading and Comprehension Apps

Enhancing critical reading and comprehension skills is essential for success in education and professional life. Several apps are specifically designed to improve these skills, providing innovative tools and exercises.

Elevate is one such app that focuses on enhancing cognitive skills, including critical thinking source . It offers a variety of games and challenges targeting different areas, such as memory, comprehension, processing speed, and analytical thinking.

For younger learners, the Rainbow Sentences app is designed for students in grades K-5 and focuses on sentence fluency source . The app color-codes the who, what, where, why, and when of each sentence, emphasizing word function to improve students’ understanding of text structure.

Another app, Kids Reading Comprehension Level 1 , is targeted at students in grades K-3, providing reading exercises that promote early comprehension skills source . By engaging with these age-appropriate activities, children can develop a strong foundation in critical reading.

MindNode and MindMeister are two mind-mapping tools that give students a platform to think critically about a single topic source . While mind mapping can be done without digital tools, these applications offer an enhanced, engaging experience for today’s tech-savvy students.

Lastly, Phonics Genius is an app that helps struggling readers to practice specific digraphs and trigraphs by offering 6,000 words containing patterns of phoneme blends source . As students improve their decoding skills, their comprehension and critical thinking abilities will subsequently develop.

In conclusion, there are numerous apps available targeting different aspects of critical reading and comprehension. These tools can help students of all ages enhance their skills in an engaging and interactive way.

Apps for Analyzing and Evaluating Information

In the digital age, numerous apps have been developed to help sharpen critical thinking skills, focusing on analyzing, evaluating and reasoning. Utilizing these apps can support learners in extending their cognitive abilities and boosting their progress in these areas.

One of the popular critical thinking apps is Elevate . This app offers a variety of games and challenges spanning various areas such as memory, comprehension, processing speed, and analytical thinking. Personalized training programs are designed according to user goals and performance tracking is provided.

Another valuable resource for developing critical thinking skills is A Clockwork Brain . This app includes games across different categories, including memory, attention, language, reasoning, and dexterity. Children must work quickly to solve problems before advancing to more challenging puzzles, ultimately strengthening their critical thinking abilities.

For those looking for a tool to help analyze data, Google Fusion Tables is a strong option. Students can practice filtering and summarizing large datasets, as well as create charts, maps, and network graphs. This tool helps students develop the ability to assess and analyze information efficiently.

Another innovative way to develop critical thinking is through mind mapping apps like MindMeister , XMind, or Coggle. These platforms allow users to create, share, and collaborate on mind maps online, boosting their ability to organize and analyze information effectively.

Critical Thinking Apps for STEM Students

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) students require advanced critical thinking and problem-solving skills. A variety of apps are designed specifically to help these students enhance their abilities in physics, models exploration, and problem-solving. Here are some apps that can be beneficial for STEM students.

Google Earth is a fantastic virtual globe and mapping software that allows students to explore Earth’s surface and navigate through detailed satellite imagery, aerial photographs, and 3D models of various locations. This app can be valuable for STEM students, especially those studying geography and earth sciences.

Thinkrolls 2 is an app recommended for students aged 4-9 years. It guides kids through a vertical maze with objects moving around them, encouraging critical thinking and learning through trial and error. This app can develop a foundational understanding of problem-solving and can be helpful for younger STEM students who are learning physics concepts.

Codeable Crafts is an app that helps kids write and animate their own stories. It allows students to explore coding and develop problem-solving skills, which strengthens their higher-order thinking and real-life application understanding. This app is useful for students who are interested in connecting creative arts with STEM disciplines.

The Whooo’s Reading app aids students in honing their critical thinking skills through simple games . These games focus on life sciences, human body, physical sciences, and more. By combining visual and process thinking analysis, students can enjoy engaging gaming experiences while improving their problem-solving abilities.

These critical thinking apps provide STEM students with opportunities to enhance their problem-solving skills, engage with physics and models exploration, and develop a strong foundation for their academic and personal growth.

Mind Mapping and Brainstorming Apps

In the world of critical thinking, mind mapping and brainstorming apps play a significant role in fostering creativity and organizing thoughts. These tools help individuals and teams navigate complex problems by visualizing ideas and finding connections between different concepts.

One of the top choices for mind mapping software is MindMeister . This app stands out with its collaborative features, making it perfect for brainstorming sessions among teams. MindMeister offers intuitive tools that facilitate the development of unique mind maps and organization of ideas in a visually appealing way.

Another noteworthy app is Miro , which has been recognized by ZDNet as one of the best mind mapping software in 2022 . Miro’s extensive functionalities allow users to gather and arrange ideas in a visually coherent manner. Moreover, it supports a wide range of integrations, enabling seamless communication and collaboration between team members.

Coggle is yet another powerful mind mapping tool mentioned by Zapier . This app provides an easy-to-use interface for mind mapping exercises, making it simple for users to record their thought processes in a structured manner. The collaborative nature of Coggle further supports brainstorming sessions among team members.

In summary, mind mapping and brainstorming apps play a vital role in critical thinking, as they facilitate creative idea generation, encourage collaboration, and visually represent complex concepts. Apps like MindMeister, Miro, and Coggle stand out in this area, offering various tools and features designed to support and enhance the brainstorming process.

Role of Social Media in Critical Thinking

The impact of social media on critical thinking cannot be understated. In today’s digitally connected world, social media platforms have become hubs for discussion, debate, and the dissemination of information. It is essential for users to approach these contemporary communication channels with a critical mindset.

Social media, by design, encourages users to engage in conversations and respond to what others share. These platforms create an environment where questions and understanding are vital components in navigating the information flow. A study by MIT Sloan showed that critical thinkers share higher quality content and information than intuitive thinkers on social media.

Developing a critical mindset requires users to assess the credibility of the information they encounter on social media. They must question the motives and expertise of the sources they follow and engage with, and it is essential to keep an open, curious, and non-judgmental attitude while doing so.

A significant challenge in applying critical thinking skills on social media arises from the sheer volume and speed of information. Users must learn to selectively focus their attention on topics that matter and avoid getting lost in a sea of sensationalized headlines and clickbait content. Moreover, understanding how algorithms shape the content users see is essential, as it’ll help individuals identify potential biases in the information they receive.

In summary, social media plays an influential role in shaping our critical thinking abilities. Navigating these platforms with a curious, questioning mindset enhances our ability to discern valuable information from noise. By adopting critical thinking practices, users can foster meaningful conversations and contribute to more informed and rational discourse in the ever-evolving world of social media.

Apps Enhancing Language Skills

Language skills are an important aspect of critical thinking, and several apps on the market can help users improve in this area. One such app is Elevate , which offers a variety of games and challenges that target cognitive skills such as memory, comprehension, processing speed, and analytical thinking. This app is suitable for users in grade levels 8-12 and above.

Another app that aids in developing language skills is A Clockwork Brain . This app features games in categories like memory, attention, language, reasoning, and dexterity. Critical thinking is strengthened as children work quickly to solve problems before moving on to more challenging puzzles.

Mind mapping apps, such as MindMeister , XMind , and Coggle , are also helpful for enhancing language skills as well as overall critical thinking. These apps allow users to create, share, and collaborate on mind maps online, providing an interactive and visual way to organize and analyze information.

For K-12 students, NeoK12 Flow Chart Games are an excellent resource for developing language skills. These simple games combine visual and process thinking analysis to complete tasks in the form of engaging and educational games. They cover topics such as life sciences, human body, and physical sciences.

In conclusion, incorporating these apps into one’s learning routine can greatly enhance language skills and critical thinking abilities. Whether it’s through games, puzzles, or mind mapping, these tools provide the necessary resources for users to sharpen their language skills and become more confident, knowledgeable, and analytical thinkers.

Use of Visual Resources in Apps

Various critical thinking apps incorporate visual resources such as videos, presentations, and graphics to enhance learning experiences. These tools not only make it easier for users to grasp complex concepts but also promote engagement through interactive elements.

One common visual element found in critical thinking apps is the use of videos. These videos typically feature step-by-step instructions, expert explanations, or real-life scenarios to demonstrate problem-solving strategies and thought processes. For example, Whooo’s Reading offers engaging educational videos covering various subjects to improve students’ critical thinking abilities.

Presentations, another type of visual resource, are also frequently employed in these apps. They often utilize slides, images, and animations to provide a structured approach to learning new concepts. By conveying relevant information in a clear and organized manner, presentations enable users to better understand and retain the material. In addition, interactive presentations are utilized in digital education tools for critical thinking development, incorporating discussions, brainstorming, and project-based learning.

Lastly, graphics such as charts, infographics, and diagrams play a significant role in critical thinking apps. These visual aids allow users to quickly comprehend complex information and relationships between different elements. For example, mind mapping tools in critical thinking apps enable users to create visual diagrams connecting ideas, facts, and questions to facilitate problem-solving and brainstorming activities.

By leveraging a combination of videos, presentations, and graphics, critical thinking apps enhance the learning experience and promote a deeper understanding of critical thinking principles. These visual resources make complex ideas more accessible and engaging, ultimately improving the users’ ability to think critically and solve problems effectively.

Gamification and Critical Thinking

Incorporating gamification in learning platforms has proven to be beneficial for developing various cognitive skills, including critical thinking. Games like Civilization VI provide an engaging and interactive experience that challenges players to analyze patterns, sequences, and make strategic decisions in building their own civilization.

Several apps make use of diverse game elements to strengthen critical thinking skills. For example, Elevate offers various brain games aimed at improving memory, comprehension, processing speed, and analytical thinking. Integrating these game features in educational apps can greatly enhance the learning experience and promote the development of critical thinking abilities.

Furthermore, focusing on attention and imagination in game design can significantly contribute to cultivating critical thinking. Games that require players to pay close attention to details, such as Whooo’s Reading , can be instrumental in fostering enhanced cognitive abilities. In addition, games that employ creativity, such as imagining different scenarios for problem-solving or storytelling, can help to exercise and develop higher-order thinking faculties.

Lastly, it’s essential to create games that encompass diverse cultures and civilizations because they can positively influence critical thinking. Exploring different worldviews, histories, and stories in gamified learning environments can encourage learners to evaluate and question information, thus fostering critical thinking skills. For instance, Civilization VI offers a comprehensive and immersive experience that enables players to analyze various societal and cultural aspects in different eras and regions.

By adopting a confident, knowledgeable, neutral, and clear approach, educators can effectively use gamification to develop critical thinking skills in their students. Integrating game elements, focusing on attention and imagination, and incorporating diverse civilizations and cultural stories can greatly enrich the learning process and strengthen cognitive faculties in learners.

Tools for Teachers: Rubrics and Categories

Teaching critical thinking skills can be more effective when educators use rubrics and categories . Rubrics provide a framework for assessing student performance, allowing teachers to measure progress in a systematic way. By using categories, teachers can break down complex tasks into smaller, more manageable pieces, empowering students to become deeper thinkers.

One helpful tool for creating rubrics is Quick Rubric , which allows teachers to build custom rubrics from scratch. Quick Rubric makes it easy to save, print, and share rubrics with others, while also providing resources to help educators understand the pedagogic strength of rubrics.

Category development, on the other hand, is essential when designing lessons or activities that require students to analyze premises and arrive at logical conclusions. By identifying and organizing various aspects of a problem or topic, students can systematically approach their analysis. Popular methods for organizing categories in critical thinking include using graphic organizers, mind maps, or even taxonomies, like the TeachThought Taxonomy for Understanding .

Incorporating these tools and strategies into lesson plans can make the process of teaching critical thinking more effective. By clearly outlining expectations and simplifying complex tasks, teachers are better equipped to engage their students and foster the development of essential cognitive skills.

Elevate is a widely known app that supports critical thinking development, offering a personalized training program to improve various cognitive skills. This app has received positive feedback and reviews from millions of users, making it a top choice for those looking to enhance their critical thinking abilities.

In addition to Elevate, there are several other applications that promote critical thinking. A popular choice is Lumosity , which is used by over 100 million users worldwide. With its interactive and engaging activities, Lumosity effectively helps users build their creativity and critical thinking skills.

For those looking to create mind maps and organize their thoughts, MindNode or MindMeister are effective digital platforms aimed at engaging 21st-century students. These mind mapping tools give students a space to dive deeper into single topics while honing their critical thinking abilities.

In conclusion, critical thinking skills are essential in today’s world, and various apps, such as Elevate, Lumosity, and MindNode, are available to support their development. Users can choose an app that best aligns with their preferences and learning styles to unlock their full cognitive potential.

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Gone are the days where children were expected to memorize facts and recite them at any given time. Instead, it is hoped that children will develop critical thinking skills so that they can analyze situations, think about different outcomes, and present well-reasoned conclusions. To help children develop critical thinking skills, there are some apps, tools, and resources. Here is a list of the top seven.

• Guess the Code

While this app is presented as a game, it is actually a great way for children to look at patterns and sequences, and try to figure them out. The app generates different color combinations, and it is up to the user to decipher the pattern and enter the next color.

• SimplePhysics

Physics can be a daunting subject, but the new way of approaching it makes physics more of a hands-on subject that gets students to engage in problem-solving actively. SimplePhysics provides games and puzzles that test the limits of students’ critical thinking skills.

• A Clockwork Brain

This app has a range of games in such categories as memory, attention, language, reasoning, and dexterity. Critical thinking is strengthened as children must work quickly to solve the problems before moving on to more challenging puzzles.

• Civilization VI

Now in its sixth iteration, this modern computer game is not just fun; it’s actually a place for children (and adults) to use the full extent of their imagination and critical thinking skills. The game starts with the dawn of humans, and it is up to the player to help them achieve civilization through each time period. Users must decide what it takes for a culture to evolve and this is no easy task.

• Whooo’s Reading

One of the most important steps in the journey towards critical thinking is the ability to read and interact with books. Reading is more than just memorizing letter combinations. It is about understanding the motive behind characters and the importance of setting. It is about connecting plot developments with real life and making connections between the two. To help students engage more when reading, Whooo’s Reading is a program that works to connect books at a deeper level. As a result of this program, students often increase their love of reading and as a bonus, do better on reading exams.

Social media has become pervasive in today’s culture, and while platforms like Twitter and Instagram can lead to more harm than good for most youth, social media can be used to an educator’s advantage. Edmodo provides a platform for students and teachers to engage in collaborative projects that help to foster creative thinking skills. It is a tool that can be used to bring students’ ideas together.

• Highlights Every Day

This app is a nostalgic treat for anyone that eagerly awaited their monthly Highlights magazine subscription. Updated for today’s technological world, Highlights Every Day is an app that features engaging puzzles, stories, and videos.

Critical thinking should be fostered because it creates students who actively engage in the world around them. It prepares children for a world where they will become adults and will need to navigate life. Critical thinking skills can be developed in fun, creative settings through the use of these apps, tools, and resources.

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How to develop critical thinking skills

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What are critical thinking skills?

How to develop critical thinking skills: 12 tips, how to practice critical thinking skills at work, become your own best critic.

A client requests a tight deadline on an intense project. Your childcare provider calls in sick on a day full of meetings. Payment from a contract gig is a month behind. 

Your day-to-day will always have challenges, big and small. And no matter the size and urgency, they all ask you to use critical thinking to analyze the situation and arrive at the right solution. 

Critical thinking includes a wide set of soft skills that encourage continuous learning, resilience , and self-reflection. The more you add to your professional toolbelt, the more equipped you’ll be to tackle whatever challenge presents itself. Here’s how to develop critical thinking, with examples explaining how to use it.

Critical thinking skills are the skills you use to analyze information, imagine scenarios holistically, and create rational solutions. It’s a type of emotional intelligence that stimulates effective problem-solving and decision-making . 

When you fine-tune your critical thinking skills, you seek beyond face-value observations and knee-jerk reactions. Instead, you harvest deeper insights and string together ideas and concepts in logical, sometimes out-of-the-box , ways. 

Imagine a team working on a marketing strategy for a new set of services. That team might use critical thinking to balance goals and key performance indicators , like new customer acquisition costs, average monthly sales, and net profit margins. They understand the connections between overlapping factors to build a strategy that stays within budget and attracts new sales. 

Looking for ways to improve critical thinking skills? Start by brushing up on the following soft skills that fall under this umbrella: 

• Analytical thinking: Approaching problems with an analytical eye includes breaking down complex issues into small chunks and examining their significance. An example could be organizing customer feedback to identify trends and improve your product offerings. 
• Open-mindedness: Push past cognitive biases and be receptive to different points of view and constructive feedback . Managers and team members who keep an open mind position themselves to hear new ideas that foster innovation . 
• Creative thinking: With creative thinking , you can develop several ideas to address a single problem, like brainstorming more efficient workflow best practices to boost productivity and employee morale . 
• Self-reflection: Self-reflection lets you examine your thinking and assumptions to stimulate healthier collaboration and thought processes. Maybe a bad first impression created a negative anchoring bias with a new coworker. Reflecting on your own behavior stirs up empathy and improves the relationship. 
• Evaluation: With evaluation skills, you tackle the pros and cons of a situation based on logic rather than emotion. When prioritizing tasks , you might be tempted to do the fun or easy ones first, but evaluating their urgency and importance can help you make better decisions. 

There’s no magic method to change your thinking processes. Improvement happens with small, intentional changes to your everyday habits until a more critical approach to thinking is automatic. 

Here are 12 tips for building stronger self-awareness and learning how to improve critical thinking: 

1. Be cautious

There’s nothing wrong with a little bit of skepticism. One of the core principles of critical thinking is asking questions and dissecting the available information. You might surprise yourself at what you find when you stop to think before taking action. 

Before making a decision, use evidence, logic, and deductive reasoning to support your own opinions or challenge ideas. It helps you and your team avoid falling prey to bad information or resistance to change .

2. Ask open-ended questions

“Yes” or “no” questions invite agreement rather than reflection. Instead, ask open-ended questions that force you to engage in analysis and rumination. Digging deeper can help you identify potential biases, uncover assumptions, and arrive at new hypotheses and possible solutions. 

3. Do your research

No matter your proficiency, you can always learn more. Turning to different points of view and information is a great way to develop a comprehensive understanding of a topic and make informed decisions. You’ll prioritize reliable information rather than fall into emotional or automatic decision-making. 

4. Consider several opinions

You might spend so much time on your work that it’s easy to get stuck in your own perspective, especially if you work independently on a remote team . Make an effort to reach out to colleagues to hear different ideas and thought patterns. Their input might surprise you.

If or when you disagree, remember that you and your team share a common goal. Divergent opinions are constructive, so shift the focus to finding solutions rather than defending disagreements. 

5. Learn to be quiet

Active listening is the intentional practice of concentrating on a conversation partner instead of your own thoughts. It’s about paying attention to detail and letting people know you value their opinions, which can open your mind to new perspectives and thought processes.

If you’re brainstorming with your team or having a 1:1 with a coworker , listen, ask clarifying questions, and work to understand other peoples’ viewpoints. Listening to your team will help you find fallacies in arguments to improve possible solutions.

6. Schedule reflection

Whether waking up at 5 am or using a procrastination hack, scheduling time to think puts you in a growth mindset . Your mind has natural cognitive biases to help you simplify decision-making, but squashing them is key to thinking critically and finding new solutions besides the ones you might gravitate toward. Creating time and calm space in your day gives you the chance to step back and visualize the biases that impact your decision-making. 

7. Cultivate curiosity

With so many demands and job responsibilities, it’s easy to seek solace in routine. But getting out of your comfort zone helps spark critical thinking and find more solutions than you usually might.

If curiosity doesn’t come naturally to you, cultivate a thirst for knowledge by reskilling and upskilling . Not only will you add a new skill to your resume , but expanding the limits of your professional knowledge might motivate you to ask more questions. 

You don’t have to develop critical thinking skills exclusively in the office. Whether on your break or finding a hobby to do after work, playing strategic games or filling out crosswords can prime your brain for problem-solving. 

9. Write it down

Recording your thoughts with pen and paper can lead to stronger brain activity than typing them out on a keyboard. If you’re stuck and want to think more critically about a problem, writing your ideas can help you process information more deeply.

The act of recording ideas on paper can also improve your memory . Ideas are more likely to linger in the background of your mind, leading to deeper thinking that informs your decision-making process. 

10. Speak up

Take opportunities to share your opinion, even if it intimidates you. Whether at a networking event with new people or a meeting with close colleagues, try to engage with people who challenge or help you develop your ideas. Having conversations that force you to support your position encourages you to refine your argument and think critically. 

11. Stay humble

Ideas and concepts aren’t the same as real-life actions. There may be such a thing as negative outcomes, but there’s no such thing as a bad idea. At the brainstorming stage , don’t be afraid to make mistakes.

Sometimes the best solutions come from off-the-wall, unorthodox decisions. Sit in your creativity , let ideas flow, and don’t be afraid to share them with your colleagues. Putting yourself in a creative mindset helps you see situations from new perspectives and arrive at innovative conclusions. 

12. Embrace discomfort

Get comfortable feeling uncomfortable . It isn’t easy when others challenge your ideas, but sometimes, it’s the only way to see new perspectives and think critically.

By willingly stepping into unfamiliar territory, you foster the resilience and flexibility you need to become a better thinker. You’ll learn how to pick yourself up from failure and approach problems from fresh angles. 

Thinking critically is easier said than done. To help you understand its impact (and how to use it), here are two scenarios that require critical thinking skills and provide teachable moments. 

Scenario #1: Unexpected delays and budget

Imagine your team is working on producing an event. Unexpectedly, a vendor explains they’ll be a week behind on delivering materials. Then another vendor sends a quote that’s more than you can afford. Unless you develop a creative solution, the team will have to push back deadlines and go over budget, potentially costing the client’s trust. 

Here’s how you could approach the situation with creative thinking:

• Analyze the situation holistically: Determine how the delayed materials and over-budget quote will impact the rest of your timeline and financial resources . That way, you can identify whether you need to build an entirely new plan with new vendors, or if it’s worth it to readjust time and resources. 
• Identify your alternative options: With careful assessment, your team decides that another vendor can’t provide the same materials in a quicker time frame. You’ll need to rearrange assignment schedules to complete everything on time. 
• Collaborate and adapt: Your team has an emergency meeting to rearrange your project schedule. You write down each deliverable and determine which ones you can and can’t complete by the deadline. To compensate for lost time, you rearrange your task schedule to complete everything that doesn’t need the delayed materials first, then advance as far as you can on the tasks that do. 
• Check different resources: In the meantime, you scour through your contact sheet to find alternative vendors that fit your budget. Accounting helps by providing old invoices to determine which vendors have quoted less for previous jobs. After pulling all your sources, you find a vendor that fits your budget. 
• Maintain open communication: You create a special Slack channel to keep everyone up to date on changes, challenges, and additional delays. Keeping an open line encourages transparency on the team’s progress and boosts everyone’s confidence. 

Scenario #2: Differing opinions 

A conflict arises between two team members on the best approach for a new strategy for a gaming app. One believes that small tweaks to the current content are necessary to maintain user engagement and stay within budget. The other believes a bold revamp is needed to encourage new followers and stronger sales revenue. 

Here’s how critical thinking could help this conflict:

• Listen actively: Give both team members the opportunity to present their ideas free of interruption. Encourage the entire team to ask open-ended questions to more fully understand and develop each argument. 
• Flex your analytical skills: After learning more about both ideas, everyone should objectively assess the benefits and drawbacks of each approach. Analyze each idea's risk, merits, and feasibility based on available data and the app’s goals and objectives. 
• Identify common ground: The team discusses similarities between each approach and brainstorms ways to integrate both idea s, like making small but eye-catching modifications to existing content or using the same visual design in new media formats. 
• Test new strategy: To test out the potential of a bolder strategy, the team decides to A/B test both approaches. You create a set of criteria to evenly distribute users by different demographics to analyze engagement, revenue, and customer turnover. 
• Monitor and adapt: After implementing the A/B test, the team closely monitors the results of each strategy. You regroup and optimize the changes that provide stronger results after the testing. That way, all team members understand why you’re making the changes you decide to make.

You can’t think your problems away. But you can equip yourself with skills that help you move through your biggest challenges and find innovative solutions. Learning how to develop critical thinking is the start of honing an adaptable growth mindset. 

Now that you have resources to increase critical thinking skills in your professional development, you can identify whether you embrace change or routine, are open or resistant to feedback, or turn to research or emotion will build self-awareness. From there, tweak and incorporate techniques to be a critical thinker when life presents you with a problem.

Cultivate your creativity

Foster creativity and continuous learning with guidance from our certified Coaches.

Elizabeth Perry, ACC

Elizabeth Perry is a Coach Community Manager at BetterUp. She uses strategic engagement strategies to cultivate a learning community across a global network of Coaches through in-person and virtual experiences, technology-enabled platforms, and strategic coaching industry partnerships. With over 3 years of coaching experience and a certification in transformative leadership and life coaching from Sofia University, Elizabeth leverages transpersonal psychology expertise to help coaches and clients gain awareness of their behavioral and thought patterns, discover their purpose and passions, and elevate their potential. She is a lifelong student of psychology, personal growth, and human potential as well as an ICF-certified ACC transpersonal life and leadership Coach.

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Top 10 Critical Thinking Apps for Students

Think of your brain like a toolbox. Apps are kind of like those awesome multi-tools with everything you need, but for your mind! Wouldn’t it be awesome to have a set of digital tools designed to make you a master problem-solver, a logic champion, and a super creative brainstormer? That’s where critical thinking apps come in. Ready to level up your thinking skills? Let’s explore the best of the best!

Table of Contents

Why Critical Thinking Apps Matter?

Okay, I know what you might be thinking: “Critical thinking? Isn’t that just for super-serious grown-up stuff?” Nope! Critical thinking is how you analyze information, solve problems, and make smart decisions. It’s basically the secret weapon of successful students.

Think of it like this: school throws a ton of facts at you. Critical thinking is what helps you actually use all that knowledge and apply it to the real world.

How can critical thinking apps boost learning and grades?

• Deeper Understanding : These apps help you dig beneath the surface of what you’re learning, making connections that might not be obvious at first.
• Unlock Problem-Solving Skills : They give you a whole toolbox of strategies to analyze tricky situations and find creative solutions.
• Improved Decision Making : Critical thinking helps you weigh options and make informed choices – on homework assignments, in group projects, and even in your personal life.

Helpful Hint:

Critical thinking isn’t just about getting better grades (though it definitely helps!). It’s about becoming a more flexible, adaptable thinker, ready to tackle any challenge.

Top 10 Critical Thinking Apps: Our Picks

Ready to find the perfect app? Here’s a breakdown of factors to consider before hitting that download button:

• Age Group : Choose an app that aligns with your current school subjects and learning style. A super complex logic app might frustrate an elementary schooler, while a basic pattern game might bore a high school student.
• Skill Focus : Some apps target specific critical thinking skills like problem-solving, logic, reasoning, or creativity. Think about which area you want to strengthen first.
• Free vs. Paid : There are excellent critical thinking apps in both categories. Free versions are a great way to test the waters, and paid apps often offer expanded features or more in-depth challenges.

Age 5-8: Building the Blocks of Critical Thinking

These apps focus on foundational skills like observation, pattern recognition, and basic problem-solving, all wrapped in a fun and engaging package:

1. Think!Kids

This award-winning app uses adorable animations and interactive games to introduce young students to critical thinking concepts. Kids will sort shapes, solve puzzles, and complete silly challenges that get them thinking creatively. (Free trial; paid subscription available)

• Android: Think!Kids on Google Play Store .
• iPhone: Think!Kids on Apple App Store .

2. Loopy Logic Puzzles

These colorful brain teasers introduce basic logic and reasoning skills in a playful way. Kids will use visual clues to solve mazes, unscramble patterns, and complete sequences. (Free with in-app purchases)

iPhone: Link to Loopy Logic Puzzles on Apple App Store .

Helpful Stats: A study published in the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology found that children who engaged in regular problem-solving activities scored higher on critical thinking assessments compared to those who did not.

Age 9-12: Leveling Up Thinking Skills

As kids enter middle school, the critical thinking challenges get a bit more complex. Here are some apps to match their growing minds:

3. Euclidea

This geometry game disguised as an app is a fantastic way to develop spatial reasoning and problem-solving skills. Players use logic and creativity to solve geometric puzzles that gradually increase in difficulty. (Free)

Link to the app website: euclidea.xyz iPhone: Link to Euclidea on Apple App Store .

4. CodyMaze

Coding meets critical thinking in this engaging app. Kids will use logic and step-by-step planning to guide a robot character through challenging mazes. This app is a great introduction to coding concepts while also strengthening critical thinking skills. (Free with in-app purchases)

• Android: Link to CodyMaze on Google Play Store .
• iPhone: Link to CodyMaze on Apple App Store .

5. Peak – Brain Games & Training

This app offers a fun mix of brain games that target various aspects of critical thinking, including problem-solving, memory, focus, and mental agility. Its vibrant visuals and personalized challenges make it engaging for this age group. (Free with premium subscription for additional features)

Android: Link to Peak on Google Play Store . iPhone: Link to Peak on Apple App Store .

Age 13 and Up: Critical Thinking for Teens

Teenagers are naturally curious and love a good challenge. These apps will push their critical thinking skills to the limit:

This science-backed brain training app offers a wide variety of exercises and games targeting multiple areas of cognitive function . Among its exercises, many promote critical thinking skills like problem-solving, logic, speed, and decision-making. (Free, with paid subscription for more extensive features)

Android: Link to BrainHQ on Google Play Store . iPhone: Link to BrainHQ on Apple App Store .

This mind mapping app is a fantastic tool for brainstorming, organizing ideas, and seeing the bigger picture. Teens can use it for school projects, study sessions, or just to explore their own creativity. (Free with paid upgrade options)

Link to the app website: Ayoa.com

8. Socratic by Google

This app uses real-world scenarios to pose thought-provoking questions and encourage critical thinking. Users can explore different viewpoints, analyze evidence, and develop strong arguments. (Free)

Android: Link to Socratic on Google Play Store . iPhone: Link to Socratic  on Apple App Store .

Stat: According to a study by Stanford University, students who regularly debated complex topics showed significant improvement in critical thinking skills compared to those who did not

9. DragonBox Elements

This award-winning game series cleverly combines logic puzzles with the basic principles of algebra. Players will solve increasingly complex challenges that require strategic thinking and creative problem-solving skills. (Free with in-app purchases for additional levels)

Link to the app website: dragonbox.com

10. Elevate

This app goes beyond critical thinking and offers a holistic brain-training experience. It includes games that target memory, processing speed, focus, and critical thinking. (Free with paid subscription for access to all features)

Link to the app website: elevateapp.com

Wrapping Up

Critical thinking skills are essential for success in today’s world. From schoolwork to future careers, the ability to analyze, problem-solve, and think outside the box will set you apart. Critical thinking apps offer a playful and interactive way to boost these valuable skills. Whether you’re a student or an adult seeking lifelong learning, don’t underestimate the power of enhancing your thinking toolkit. Start exploring, have fun, and let your mind stretch in unexpected ways!

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Should Good Readers Be Taught Reading Strategies?

What are suprasegmentals, inferential thinking to make conclusions, what are vowels and diphthongs, what are diacritics, what is childhood dysarthria, interpreting what teachers say about your child, what is childhood apraxia of speech (cas), getting involved: how to build a good relationship with your child’s teacher, what is phonological impairment, 7 must have apps, tools, and resources that develop critical thinking skills.

Gone are the days where children were expected to memorize facts and recite them at any given time. Instead, it is hoped that children will develop critical thinking skills so that they can analyze situations, think about different outcomes, and present well-reasoned conclusions. To help children develop critical thinking skills, there are some apps, tools, and resources. Here is a list of the top seven.

• Guess the Code

While this app is presented as a game, it is actually a great way for children to look at patterns and sequences, and try to figure them out. The app generates different color combinations, and it is up to the user to decipher the pattern and enter the next color.

• SimplePhysics

Physics can be a daunting subject, but the new way of approaching it makes physics more of a hands-on subject that gets students to engage in problem-solving actively. SimplePhysics provides games and puzzles that test the limits of students’ critical thinking skills.

• A Clockwork Brain

This app has a range of games in such categories as memory, attention, language, reasoning, and dexterity. Critical thinking is strengthened as children must work quickly to solve the problems before moving on to more challenging puzzles.

• Civilization VI

Now in its sixth iteration, this modern computer game is not just fun; it’s actually a place for children (and adults) to use the full extent of their imagination and critical thinking skills. The game starts with the dawn of humans, and it is up to the player to help them achieve civilization through each time period. Users must decide what it takes for a culture to evolve and this is no easy task.

• Whooo’s Reading

One of the most important steps in the journey towards critical thinking is the ability to read and interact with books. Reading is more than just memorizing letter combinations. It is about understanding the motive behind characters and the importance of setting. It is about connecting plot developments with real life and making connections between the two. To help students engage more when reading, Whooo’s Reading is a program that works to connect books at a deeper level. As a result of this program, students often increase their love of reading and as a bonus, do better on reading exams.

Social media has become pervasive in today’s culture, and while platforms like Twitter and Instagram can lead to more harm than good for most youth, social media can be used to an educator’s advantage. Edmodo provides a platform for students and teachers to engage in collaborative projects that help to foster creative thinking skills. It is a tool that can be used to bring students’ ideas together.

• Highlights Every Day

This app is a nostalgic treat for anyone that eagerly awaited their monthly Highlights magazine subscription. Updated for today’s technological world, Highlights Every Day is an app that features engaging puzzles, stories, and videos.

Critical thinking should be fostered because it creates students who actively engage in the world around them. It prepares children for a world where they will become adults and will need to navigate life. Critical thinking skills can be developed in fun, creative settings through the use of these apps, tools, and resources.

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Critical Thinking

Developing the right mindset and skills.

By the Mind Tools Content Team

We make hundreds of decisions every day and, whether we realize it or not, we're all critical thinkers.

We use critical thinking each time we weigh up our options, prioritize our responsibilities, or think about the likely effects of our actions. It's a crucial skill that helps us to cut out misinformation and make wise decisions. The trouble is, we're not always very good at it!

In this article, we'll explore the key skills that you need to develop your critical thinking skills, and how to adopt a critical thinking mindset, so that you can make well-informed decisions.

What Is Critical Thinking?

Critical thinking is the discipline of rigorously and skillfully using information, experience, observation, and reasoning to guide your decisions, actions, and beliefs. You'll need to actively question every step of your thinking process to do it well.

Collecting, analyzing and evaluating information is an important skill in life, and a highly valued asset in the workplace. People who score highly in critical thinking assessments are also rated by their managers as having good problem-solving skills, creativity, strong decision-making skills, and good overall performance. [1]

Key Critical Thinking Skills

Critical thinkers possess a set of key characteristics which help them to question information and their own thinking. Focus on the following areas to develop your critical thinking skills:

Being willing and able to explore alternative approaches and experimental ideas is crucial. Can you think through "what if" scenarios, create plausible options, and test out your theories? If not, you'll tend to write off ideas and options too soon, so you may miss the best answer to your situation.

To nurture your curiosity, stay up to date with facts and trends. You'll overlook important information if you allow yourself to become "blinkered," so always be open to new information.

But don't stop there! Look for opposing views or evidence to challenge your information, and seek clarification when things are unclear. This will help you to reassess your beliefs and make a well-informed decision later. Read our article, Opening Closed Minds , for more ways to stay receptive.

Logical Thinking

You must be skilled at reasoning and extending logic to come up with plausible options or outcomes.

It's also important to emphasize logic over emotion. Emotion can be motivating but it can also lead you to take hasty and unwise action, so control your emotions and be cautious in your judgments. Know when a conclusion is "fact" and when it is not. "Could-be-true" conclusions are based on assumptions and must be tested further. Read our article, Logical Fallacies , for help with this.

Use creative problem solving to balance cold logic. By thinking outside of the box you can identify new possible outcomes by using pieces of information that you already have.

Self-Awareness

Many of the decisions we make in life are subtly informed by our values and beliefs. These influences are called cognitive biases and it can be difficult to identify them in ourselves because they're often subconscious.

Practicing self-awareness will allow you to reflect on the beliefs you have and the choices you make. You'll then be better equipped to challenge your own thinking and make improved, unbiased decisions.

One particularly useful tool for critical thinking is the Ladder of Inference . It allows you to test and validate your thinking process, rather than jumping to poorly supported conclusions.

Developing a Critical Thinking Mindset

Combine the above skills with the right mindset so that you can make better decisions and adopt more effective courses of action. You can develop your critical thinking mindset by following this process:

Gather Information

First, collect data, opinions and facts on the issue that you need to solve. Draw on what you already know, and turn to new sources of information to help inform your understanding. Consider what gaps there are in your knowledge and seek to fill them. And look for information that challenges your assumptions and beliefs.

Be sure to verify the authority and authenticity of your sources. Not everything you read is true! Use this checklist to ensure that your information is valid:

• Are your information sources trustworthy ? (For example, well-respected authors, trusted colleagues or peers, recognized industry publications, websites, blogs, etc.)
• Is the information you have gathered up to date ?
• Has the information received any direct criticism ?
• Does the information have any errors or inaccuracies ?
• Is there any evidence to support or corroborate the information you have gathered?
• Is the information you have gathered subjective or biased in any way? (For example, is it based on opinion, rather than fact? Is any of the information you have gathered designed to promote a particular service or organization?)

If any information appears to be irrelevant or invalid, don't include it in your decision making. But don't omit information just because you disagree with it, or your final decision will be flawed and bias.

Now observe the information you have gathered, and interpret it. What are the key findings and main takeaways? What does the evidence point to? Start to build one or two possible arguments based on what you have found.

You'll need to look for the details within the mass of information, so use your powers of observation to identify any patterns or similarities. You can then analyze and extend these trends to make sensible predictions about the future.

To help you to sift through the multiple ideas and theories, it can be useful to group and order items according to their characteristics. From here, you can compare and contrast the different items. And once you've determined how similar or different things are from one another, Paired Comparison Analysis can help you to analyze them.

The final step involves challenging the information and rationalizing its arguments.

Apply the laws of reason (induction, deduction, analogy) to judge an argument and determine its merits. To do this, it's essential that you can determine the significance and validity of an argument to put it in the correct perspective. Take a look at our article, Rational Thinking , for more information about how to do this.

Once you have considered all of the arguments and options rationally, you can finally make an informed decision.

Afterward, take time to reflect on what you have learned and what you found challenging. Step back from the detail of your decision or problem, and look at the bigger picture. Record what you've learned from your observations and experience.

Critical thinking involves rigorously and skilfully using information, experience, observation, and reasoning to guide your decisions, actions and beliefs. It's a useful skill in the workplace and in life.

You'll need to be curious and creative to explore alternative possibilities, but rational to apply logic, and self-aware to identify when your beliefs could affect your decisions or actions.

You can demonstrate a high level of critical thinking by validating your information, analyzing its meaning, and finally evaluating the argument.

Critical Thinking Infographic

See Critical Thinking represented in our infographic: An Elementary Guide to Critical Thinking .

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What is Critical Thinking?

Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally, understanding the logical connection between ideas.  Critical thinking has been the subject of much debate and thought since the time of early Greek philosophers such as Plato and Socrates and has continued to be a subject of discussion into the modern age, for example the ability to recognise fake news .

Critical thinking might be described as the ability to engage in reflective and independent thinking.

In essence, critical thinking requires you to use your ability to reason. It is about being an active learner rather than a passive recipient of information.

Critical thinkers rigorously question ideas and assumptions rather than accepting them at face value. They will always seek to determine whether the ideas, arguments and findings represent the entire picture and are open to finding that they do not.

Critical thinkers will identify, analyse and solve problems systematically rather than by intuition or instinct.

Someone with critical thinking skills can:

Understand the links between ideas.

Determine the importance and relevance of arguments and ideas.

Recognise, build and appraise arguments.

Identify inconsistencies and errors in reasoning.

Approach problems in a consistent and systematic way.

Reflect on the justification of their own assumptions, beliefs and values.

Critical thinking is thinking about things in certain ways so as to arrive at the best possible solution in the circumstances that the thinker is aware of. In more everyday language, it is a way of thinking about whatever is presently occupying your mind so that you come to the best possible conclusion.

Critical Thinking is:

A way of thinking about particular things at a particular time; it is not the accumulation of facts and knowledge or something that you can learn once and then use in that form forever, such as the nine times table you learn and use in school.

The Skills We Need for Critical Thinking

The skills that we need in order to be able to think critically are varied and include observation, analysis, interpretation, reflection, evaluation, inference, explanation, problem solving, and decision making.

Specifically we need to be able to:

Think about a topic or issue in an objective and critical way.

Identify the different arguments there are in relation to a particular issue.

Evaluate a point of view to determine how strong or valid it is.

Recognise any weaknesses or negative points that there are in the evidence or argument.

Notice what implications there might be behind a statement or argument.

Provide structured reasoning and support for an argument that we wish to make.

The Critical Thinking Process

You should be aware that none of us think critically all the time.

Sometimes we think in almost any way but critically, for example when our self-control is affected by anger, grief or joy or when we are feeling just plain ‘bloody minded’.

On the other hand, the good news is that, since our critical thinking ability varies according to our current mindset, most of the time we can learn to improve our critical thinking ability by developing certain routine activities and applying them to all problems that present themselves.

Once you understand the theory of critical thinking, improving your critical thinking skills takes persistence and practice.

Try this simple exercise to help you to start thinking critically.

Think of something that someone has recently told you. Then ask yourself the following questions:

Who said it?

Someone you know? Someone in a position of authority or power? Does it matter who told you this?

What did they say?

Did they give facts or opinions? Did they provide all the facts? Did they leave anything out?

Where did they say it?

Was it in public or in private? Did other people have a chance to respond an provide an alternative account?

When did they say it?

Was it before, during or after an important event? Is timing important?

Why did they say it?

Did they explain the reasoning behind their opinion? Were they trying to make someone look good or bad?

How did they say it?

Were they happy or sad, angry or indifferent? Did they write it or say it? Could you understand what was said?

What are you Aiming to Achieve?

One of the most important aspects of critical thinking is to decide what you are aiming to achieve and then make a decision based on a range of possibilities.

Once you have clarified that aim for yourself you should use it as the starting point in all future situations requiring thought and, possibly, further decision making. Where needed, make your workmates, family or those around you aware of your intention to pursue this goal. You must then discipline yourself to keep on track until changing circumstances mean you have to revisit the start of the decision making process.

However, there are things that get in the way of simple decision making. We all carry with us a range of likes and dislikes, learnt behaviours and personal preferences developed throughout our lives; they are the hallmarks of being human. A major contribution to ensuring we think critically is to be aware of these personal characteristics, preferences and biases and make allowance for them when considering possible next steps, whether they are at the pre-action consideration stage or as part of a rethink caused by unexpected or unforeseen impediments to continued progress.

The more clearly we are aware of ourselves, our strengths and weaknesses, the more likely our critical thinking will be productive.

The Benefit of Foresight

Perhaps the most important element of thinking critically is foresight.

Almost all decisions we make and implement don’t prove disastrous if we find reasons to abandon them. However, our decision making will be infinitely better and more likely to lead to success if, when we reach a tentative conclusion, we pause and consider the impact on the people and activities around us.

The elements needing consideration are generally numerous and varied. In many cases, consideration of one element from a different perspective will reveal potential dangers in pursuing our decision.

For instance, moving a business activity to a new location may improve potential output considerably but it may also lead to the loss of skilled workers if the distance moved is too great. Which of these is the more important consideration? Is there some way of lessening the conflict?

These are the sort of problems that may arise from incomplete critical thinking, a demonstration perhaps of the critical importance of good critical thinking.

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In Summary:

Critical thinking is aimed at achieving the best possible outcomes in any situation. In order to achieve this it must involve gathering and evaluating information from as many different sources possible.

Critical thinking requires a clear, often uncomfortable, assessment of your personal strengths, weaknesses and preferences and their possible impact on decisions you may make.

Critical thinking requires the development and use of foresight as far as this is possible. As Doris Day sang, “the future’s not ours to see”.

Implementing the decisions made arising from critical thinking must take into account an assessment of possible outcomes and ways of avoiding potentially negative outcomes, or at least lessening their impact.

• Critical thinking involves reviewing the results of the application of decisions made and implementing change where possible.

It might be thought that we are overextending our demands on critical thinking in expecting that it can help to construct focused meaning rather than examining the information given and the knowledge we have acquired to see if we can, if necessary, construct a meaning that will be acceptable and useful.

After all, almost no information we have available to us, either externally or internally, carries any guarantee of its life or appropriateness.  Neat step-by-step instructions may provide some sort of trellis on which our basic understanding of critical thinking can blossom but it doesn’t and cannot provide any assurance of certainty, utility or longevity.

Continue to: Critical Thinking and Fake News Critical Reading

See also: Analytical Skills Understanding and Addressing Conspiracy Theories Introduction to Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)

How to Improve Your Critical Thinking Skills

Traditional tools and new technologies..

Posted September 29, 2023 | Reviewed by Lybi Ma

Technology provides access to vast information and makes daily life easier. Yet, too much reliance on technology potentially interferes with the acquisition and maintenance of critical thinking skills in several ways:

1. Information Overload : The constant influx of data can discourage deep critical thinking as we may come to rely on quick, surface-level information rather than delving deeply into a subject.

2. Shortened Attention Span: Frequent digital distractions can disrupt our ability for the sustained focus and concentration required for critical thinking.

3. Confirmatory Bias and Echo Chambers: Technology, including social media and personalized content algorithms, can reinforce confirmation bias . People are often exposed to information that aligns with their beliefs and opinions, making them less likely to encounter diverse perspectives and engage in critical thinking about opposing views.

4. Reduced Problem-Solving Opportunities: Technology often provides quick solutions to problems. While this benefits efficiency, it may discourage individuals from engaging in complex problem-solving, a fundamental aspect of critical thinking.

5. Loss of Research Skills: The ease of accessing information online can diminish traditional research skills, such as library research or in-depth reading. These skills are essential for critical thinking, as they involve evaluating sources, synthesizing information, and analyzing complex texts.

While technology can pose challenges to developing critical thinking skills, it's important to note that technology can also be a valuable tool for learning and skill development. It can provide access to educational resources, facilitate collaboration , and support critical thinking when used thoughtfully and intentionally. Balancing technology use with activities that encourage deep thinking and analysis is vital to lessening its potential adverse effects on critical thinking.

Writing is a traditional and powerful tool to exercise and improve your critical thinking skills. Consider these ways writing can help enhance critical thinking:

1. Clarity of Thought: Writing requires that you articulate your thoughts clearly and coherently. When you need to put your ideas on paper, you must organize them logically, which requires a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

2. Analysis and Evaluation: Critical thinking involves analyzing and evaluating information. When you write, you often need to assess the validity and relevance of different sources, arguments, or pieces of evidence, which hone your critical thinking skills.

3. Problem-Solving: Writing can be a problem-solving exercise in itself. Whether crafting an argument, developing a thesis, or finding the right words to express your ideas, writing requires thinking critically about approaching these challenges effectively.

4. Research Skills: Good writing often involves research, and research requires critical thinking. You need to assess the credibility of sources, synthesize information, and draw conclusions based on the evidence you gather.

5. Argumentation: Constructing a persuasive argument in writing is a complex process requiring critical thinking. You must anticipate counterarguments, provide evidence to support your claims, and address potential weaknesses in your reasoning.

6. Revision and Editing: To be an influential writer, you must learn to read your work critically. Editing and revising requires evaluating your writing objectively, identifying areas that need improvement, and refining your ideas and arguments.

7. Problem Identification: In some cases, writing can help you identify problems or gaps in your thinking. As you write, you might realize that your arguments are not as strong as you initially thought or that you need more information to support your claims. This recognition of limitations is a crucial aspect of critical thinking.

Writing is a dynamic process that engages multiple facets of critical thinking. It has been a valuable tool used in education , business, and personal development for centuries.

Yet, this traditional approach of self-generated written thoughts is rapidly being supplanted by AI -generated writing tools like Chat GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer. With over 100 million users of Chat GPT alone, we cannot ignore its potential impact. How might the increasing reliance on AI-generated writing tools influence our critical thinking skills? The impact can vary depending on how the tools are used and the context in which they are employed.

Critical thinking involves evaluating information sources for credibility, relevance, and bias. If individuals consistently trust the information provided by chatbots without critically assessing its quality, it can hinder their development of critical thinking skills. This is especially true if they depend on the chatbot to provide answers without questioning or verifying the information. Relying solely on chatbots for answers may also reduce people's effort in problem-solving. Critical thinking often requires wrestling with complex problems, considering multiple perspectives, and generating creative solutions. If we default to chatbots for quick answers, we may miss opportunities to develop these skills.

However, it's essential to note that the impact of chatbots on critical thinking skills may not be entirely negative. These tools can also have positive effects:

1. Chatbots provide quick access to vast information, which can benefit research and problem-solving. When used as a supplement to critical thinking, they can enhance the efficiency of information retrieval.

2. Chatbots can sometimes assist in complex tasks by providing relevant data or suggestions. When individuals critically evaluate and integrate this information into their decision-making process, it can enhance their critical thinking.

3. Chatbots can be used as learning aids. They can provide explanations, examples, and guidance, which can support skill development and, when used effectively, encourage critical thinking.

In summary, the impact of chatbots on critical thinking skills depends on how we use them. The effect will be harmful if they become a crutch to avoid independent thought or analysis. However, they can be valuable resources when used as tools to facilitate and augment critical thinking and writing processes. Individuals must balance leveraging the convenience of chatbots and actively engaging in independent critical thinking and problem-solving to maintain and enhance their cognitive abilities. You can do that effectively through writing regularly.

Copyright 2023 Tara Well, PhD

Tara Well, Ph.D. , is a professor in the department of psychology at Barnard College of Columbia University.

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13 Easy Steps To Improve Your Critical Thinking Skills

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With the sheer volume of information that we’re bombarded with on a daily basis – and with the pervasiveness of fake news and social media bubbles – the ability to look at evidence, evaluate the trustworthiness of a source, and think critically is becoming more important than ever. This is why, for me, critical thinking is one of the most vital skills to cultivate for future success.

Critical thinking isn’t about being constantly negative or critical of everything. It’s about objectivity and having an open, inquisitive mind. To think critically is to analyze issues based on hard evidence (as opposed to personal opinions, biases, etc.) in order to build a thorough understanding of what’s really going on. And from this place of thorough understanding, you can make better decisions and solve problems more effectively.

To put it another way, critical thinking means arriving at your own carefully considered conclusions instead of taking information at face value. Here are 13 ways you can cultivate this precious skill:

1. Always vet new information with a cautious eye. Whether it’s an article someone has shared online or data that’s related to your job, always vet the information you're presented with. Good questions to ask here include, "Is this information complete and up to date?” “What evidence is being presented to support the argument?” and “Whose voice is missing here?”

2. Look at where the information has come from. Is the source trustworthy? What is their motivation for presenting this information? For example, are they trying to sell you something or get you to take a certain action (like vote for them)?

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3. Consider more than one point of view. Everyone has their own opinions and motivations – even highly intelligent people making reasonable-sounding arguments have personal opinions and biases that shape their thinking. So, when someone presents you with information, consider whether there are other sides to the story.

4. Practice active listening. Listen carefully to what others are telling you, and try to build a clear picture of their perspective. Empathy is a really useful skill here since putting yourself in another person's shoes can help you understand where they're coming from and what they might want. Try to listen without judgment – remember, critical thinking is about keeping an open mind.

5. Gather additional information where needed. Whenever you identify gaps in the information or data, do your own research to fill those gaps. The next few steps will help you do this objectively…

6. Ask lots of open-ended questions. Curiosity is a key trait of critical thinkers, so channel your inner child and ask lots of "who," "what," and "why" questions.

7. Find your own reputable sources of information, such as established news sites, nonprofit organizations, and education institutes. Try to avoid anonymous sources or sources with an ax to grind or a product to sell. Also, be sure to check when the information was published. An older source may be unintentionally offering up wrong information just because events have moved on since it was published; corroborate the info with a more recent source.

8. Try not to get your news from social media. And if you do see something on social media that grabs your interest, check the accuracy of the story (via reputable sources of information, as above) before you share it.

9. Learn to spot fake news. It's not always easy to spot false or misleading content, but a good rule of thumb is to look at the language, emotion, and tone of the piece. Is it using emotionally charged language, for instance, and trying to get you to feel a certain way? Also, look at the sources of facts, figures, images, and quotes. A legit news story will clearly state its sources.

10. Learn to spot biased information. Like fake news, biased information may seek to appeal more to your emotions than logic and/or present a limited view of the topic. So ask yourself, “Is there more to this topic than what’s being presented here?” Do your own reading around the topic to establish the full picture.

11. Question your own biases, too. Everyone has biases, and there’s no point pretending otherwise. The trick is to think objectively about your likes and dislikes, preferences, and beliefs, and consider how these might affect your thinking.

12. Form your own opinions. Remember, critical thinking is about thinking independently. So once you’ve assessed all the information, form your own conclusions about it.

13. Continue to work on your critical thinking skills. I recommend looking at online learning platforms such as Udemy and Coursera for courses on general critical thinking skills, as well as courses on specific subjects like cognitive biases.

Read more about critical thinking and other essential skills in my new book, Future Skills: The 20 Skills & Competencies Everyone Needs To Succeed In A Digital World . Written for anyone who wants to surf the wave of digital transformation – rather than be drowned by it – the book explores why these vital future skills matter and how to develop them.

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Free Learning Apps to Help Students Develop Critical Thinking

We are excited to share two new learning apps in development for teachers. These educational apps are available for use now through any browser and have been created to assist in developing critical thinking in students. They are also ideal for parents, or anyone interested in learning about logical fallacies.

The apps are Foolacy and FactOpy. Both apps are in Beta Preview to get suggestions, find bugs and expand content.

As an early adopter you can contribute while teaching kids critical thinking.  Before we present these educational tools and resources, let us first review why teaching these concepts to kids is so important. The study of critical thinking and logical fallacies equip anyone of any age to ask questions before they make a statement of fact or form an opinion about a subject.

It’s easy for us to look at the world five hundred years ago and ridicule a societies lack of knowledge about science, the world and our place the universe. But let’s not be too hasty to look down on past cultures for their naivety.  We have enough problems of our own.  Our world today is very polarized and divisive. One could argue that this is due to a lack of training in critical thinking and even less teaching about logical fallacies.

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is essential for research to make an informed decision. It evaluates multiple sources of information objectively. Critical thinking is vital to make kids better global citizens. It empowers them to be sounder in their thinking and strong in their ability to distinguish between what is proven and that which is unfounded.

Logical Fallacies

Separate from critical thinking, but still related, logical fallacies are mistaken beliefs based on unsound arguments. While critical thinking equips one with the necessary tools to evaluate information, a study of common types of logical fallacies can enable those who wish to persuade an audience.  This is done by using the appearance of logic, which ends up in an incorrect conclusion.

Educational Tools that Engage Students

The new educational apps we’ve referenced were born out of a need to fill the gap for educators. There just isn’t much out there within this area of teaching.  The goal is to reach young minds before they develop insufficient methods of forming opinions about especially critical issues.

One  issue is that people do not read enough. This includes a lack of discipline by most to not gather information from multiple news sources when researching subjects. Beyond reading, we also need to develop critical thinking skills to properly reason for ourselves when facts to not seem clear.

These apps are safe and free to use.  Anyone can access them to educate themselves.  At the very core, they teach skills that provide proper thinking to solve any problem. Each app features a teacher login in order to assign tests.  There is no need for students to login to take the tests.

The first one is Foolacy . It teaches logical fallacies. The app has quizzes and drills to practice analyzing arguments. It has over seven hundred sample arguments. Foolacy solves the problem to the question:  Why Change Fallacies? It offers various levels of difficulty and includes themes such as Cherry Picking, Out of Context, Common Sense, Herd Mentality and Scare Tactics.  There are many more areas to explore.

What is fact and what is opinion? FactOpy provides a straightforward way to quiz your brain about how easily you can determine fact from opinion. One might think that FacOpy would not be a challenge for adults.  However, in today’s world of divided opinions and conspiracy therapies it is a good test for any age. It is a simple, yet powerful tool to help us develop our critical thinking skills, as well as teach younger minds.

While brain games are common for the development of children of all ages, it is not so clear how to teach critical thinking.   There are limited resources in this area, so these apps fill a great gap for teacher, as well as parents. It may also be beneficial to know what a child’s IQ score is, but a child’s IQ, even if lower than other, does not preclude anyone from learning critical thinking skills.

These learning apps were created by David Hundsness from Jupiter Ed .  He is also the founder of the Critical Thinking Project.

The Critical Thinking Project

Critical thinking is very important to make better decisions and to tell when someone is trying to manipulate us, such as a politician, salesman or ads in apps .  But how exactly do we teach that?  Skills in other subjects are clearly defined.  For example, in math you start with counting and work your way up.  However, the building blocks for critical thinking seem unclear. It’s not as simple as starting with a discussion with the goal of arriving at critical thinking, especially when you have a classroom of students – all with their own unique sets of preconceived notions.

The critical thinking and logical fallacies teaching featured in the Foolacy and FactOpy apps feature specific skills to help teach these concepts.

Critical thinking skills include;

• Correlation versus causation
• Assessing credibility and bias
• Understanding logical fallacies
• Detecting deceptive use of statistics
• Knowing the experimental method versus anecdotal evidence

For more information about critical thinking skills, visit criticalthinkingproject.org .  You’ll find more detail and data about critical thinking, as well as the development of free curriculum apps for specific skills.  The mission of this project is to improve K-12 instruction of critical thinking and logical fallacies. The launching of the learning apps introduced are an excellent way to begin for teachers in school and parents at home.

Kahoot is another free learning app designed to empower children at home or students in school. Teachers to engage children in a classroom by creating quiz questions. Up to 50 players can join in on the group game.  Paid versions offer additional tools, such as polls, puzzles, multi-select answers and personalized learning options.  Users can also access more learning apps.

Teachers using Kahoot are able to save combine progress monitoring with powerful play using technology that saves time. Simply find a Kahoot on the Discover page to use with students.  From there you can customize for your classroom.

There are also apps on the platform to advance math learning, learning to read through play, as well as language learning. Critical thinking skills can also be developed when students are allowed to create their own Kahoots.  Want to learn more about additional learning games .

Facts and Opinions

This video helps us understand the difference between facts and opinions. It’s also important to learn how to apply this knowldge.

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Critical thinking definition

Critical thinking, as described by Oxford Languages, is the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgement.

Active and skillful approach, evaluation, assessment, synthesis, and/or evaluation of information obtained from, or made by, observation, knowledge, reflection, acumen or conversation, as a guide to belief and action, requires the critical thinking process, which is why it's often used in education and academics.

Some even may view it as a backbone of modern thought.

However, it's a skill, and skills must be trained and encouraged to be used at its full potential.

People turn up to various approaches in improving their critical thinking, like:

• Developing technical and problem-solving skills
• Engaging in more active listening
• Actively questioning their assumptions and beliefs
• Seeking out more diversity of thought
• Opening up their curiosity in an intellectual way etc.

Is critical thinking useful in writing?

Critical thinking can help in planning your paper and making it more concise, but it's not obvious at first. We carefully pinpointed some the questions you should ask yourself when boosting critical thinking in writing:

• What information should be included?
• Which information resources should the author look to?
• What degree of technical knowledge should the report assume its audience has?
• What is the most effective way to show information?
• How should the report be organized?
• How should it be designed?
• What tone and level of language difficulty should the document have?

Usage of critical thinking comes down not only to the outline of your paper, it also begs the question: How can we use critical thinking solving problems in our writing's topic?

Let's say, you have a Powerpoint on how critical thinking can reduce poverty in the United States. You'll primarily have to define critical thinking for the viewers, as well as use a lot of critical thinking questions and synonyms to get them to be familiar with your methods and start the thinking process behind it.

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8 Awesome Critical Thinking Apps For Adults

What makes one person different from another? Well, besides their identity, it’s their ability to critically analyze everything and make a decision that carves a distinct life for everyone, making them unique from one another. Intellectual standards also come in handy when looking forward to determining the extent of critical thinking in an individual. 

Critical thinking is one trait that is used in many areas of life. From observing, and forming judgment to decision making, enhancing critical thinking skills has become imperative for adults. Apps can be an effective option to get started with this journey of developing such crucial life skills.

Hence, in this post, you will find the various apps that can help adults build and enhance their critical thinking skills. 

The concept of critical thinking 

Critical thinking is known as the process of actively and successfully conceiving, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating knowledge as a basis for belief and action. It requires intellectual discipline.

A Critical thinker with practice:

• raises important issues and articulate them simply and clearly
• collects and evaluates pertinent information, effectively interpreting it using abstract concepts.
• reaches well-thought-out findings and solutions, evaluating them in light of pertinent criteria and standards
• successfully collaborates with others to find solutions to challenging situations
• thinks critically about other schools of thought like recognizing and evaluating. Their underlying presuppositions, implications, and application of thoughts into actions also fall under the concept of thinking into practice.

Applications useful for critical thinking amongst adults

1. lumosity .

It is a popular brain training app developed by neuroscientists. Its purpose is to boost memory and attention span while encouraging problem-solving behavior and divergent thinking to think of flexible solutions. 

The cognitive training program on Lumosity is a fun, engaging method to exercise your brain and learn more about how the mind functions. The Lumosity application, which is used by more than 100 million people worldwide, consists of games that challenge players’ memory, speed, flexibility, and problem-solving skills.

This app helps train adults into a more critical state by taking their time and utilizing it into solving puzzles through this app, the critical thinking quality will flourish among them.

App link : Play store | App store | Web app

It is a personalized app to train the brain and consists of daily game workouts. It provides a calendar that is easy to access and allows you to log your workout conveniently to track your performance and progress. 

The app consists of 30 cognitive and concentration games relevant enough to help progress critical thinking and provides adaptive difficulty progression.

A very important aspect that this app provides is what medical professionals have been telling us since the inception of time, exercise. Be it physical or mental, this app helps in scheduling exercises well in advance for a busy adult.

App Link: Play store | App store | Web app

3. Brain it on

It is a physics-based puzzle game that offers different types of brain stimulation through challenges and puzzles. It asks the user to solve different puzzles by drawing on the screen, and the purpose is to encourage divergent thinking and problem-solving.

It is a highly rated app under the recommendation for mental skills.

“Brain it On!” features an arcade-style appearance and launches the main game as soon as the app is opened. The game will begin with simple challenges like drawing a straight line, tilting a form in a certain way, etc., similar to other casual puzzle games. Making the most of the early levels is crucial because as the game progresses, the riddles will become increasingly challenging.

App link: Play store | App store | Web App

This app is available on both Google Play and iOS App Store. It provides more than 45 brain training games that combine technology and neuroscience and aims to improve memory, attention, problem-solving, and mental agility through fun.

In addition, the app improves users’ performance by providing feedback after each game and provides insights and statistics based on the user’s age and profession.

Three times a week of practice is advised by the developers. Each exercise adapts to the user’s proficiency level and concludes with feedback. The basic premium edition of Peak Pro gives unlimited access to all 40+ exercises, along with individualized training sessions and comprehensive feedback (mainly percentage and graphs on progress), whereas the basic free version only permits a small selection of randomly chosen daily activities.

5. Brainwell

This rather cool app provides over 50 games to stimulate different parts of your brain. It includes journals like puzzles, teasers, mind tests, and more. It functions to improve memory, attention span, focus, and IQ. 

With over 1 million downloads, it promises to help with problem-solving, attention, visual skills, and language. Designed with neuroscience knowledge, it challenges the users and helps sharpen one’s mind.

App Link: Play store | App store

This game app has been a favorite for adults for a long time. The online version of chess, similar to the offline game, helps an individual develop foresight and perseverance. It tests an individual’s sportsmanship and helps sharpen thinking and decision-making skills.

Chess is bound to improve an individual’s cognitive skills, attention span, and memory along with logical thinking and comes with many more benefits. 

This app and its cognitive enhancing power are known to the entire world, probably the most adult-friendly among the lot, this app is an amazing productive time-pass for busy professionals out there.

App link : Play store | Web app

7. Brainturk

The printer is a mobile and computer-based app that provides over 40 games and meditation techniques based on neuroplasticity principles. These games help improve attention span, language skills, focus, short and long-term cognitive memory, and tools to address psychological barriers.

Neuropsychological researchers have used these games as they were shown to increase the strength of brain muscles and memory speed and provide complex stimulation to an individual’s brain. Some of the games include the flanker task, Stroop task, picture back, tracking objects, revised space fortress, and math games.

App link: Play store | App store | Web app

8. Geist 

Geist is another brain training app designed to keep the brain functioning actively. It is based on neuroplasticity and developed by experts and has also been used in the research community. 

It provides 24 games with more than 720 levels that help in improving brain connectivity, memory, logic concentration, reaction, and mathematical skills. It also provides workouts that a personalized win individual, cater to their curated goals, and allows tracking of the progress based on scientific testing. 

It also provides a series of meditation that helps in brain training. Geist provides a study of your performance following a brain training session. It compares you to other Geist users and identifies some of your cognitive strong points. You can unlock new tests by using the Geist points you earn by doing well on these exercises. This is a wonderful addition because it makes sure users are proficient before moving on.

App link: App store

Conclusion 

It is important that we view the world from a subjective point of view; for that, we require information and the ability to identify assumptions and arguments from hardcore facts and truth. Critical thinking aims to reason and inquire about creating and updating one’s opinions based on solid arguments. Being able to think critically is practical for us as individuals since it is important in a world that prioritizes the ability to manage information.

An engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor and animal rights activist. In more than 5+ years of my online teaching experience, I closely worked with many students struggling with dyscalculia and dyslexia. With the years passing, I learned that not much effort being put into the awareness of this learning disorder. Students with dyscalculia often misunderstood for having  just a simple math fear. This is still an underresearched and understudied subject. I am also the founder of  Smartynote -‘The notepad app for dyslexia’, 

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The 6 Best Apps to Improve Your Problem-Solving Skills

Want to improve your problem-solving skills and become more solution-oriented in your daily routine? Here are some apps to try.

Your ability to solve problems is a valuable skill you cannot do without if you want to succeed in your career, business, and life. While most people learn to solve problems primarily through exposure to challenging situations and having to find solutions almost immediately, others don't.

As such, not everyone is skilled at effective problem-solving. However, there is an easy way to improve your problem-solving skills using technology. Today, there are several fun ways to do so, including playing brain games on your mobile. Here are six game apps you can use to develop problem-solving skills while having fun.

1. Lumosity

Lumosity is a web app that helps you improve your mental skills. It is programmed with activities that help people improve their memory, flexibility, rate of processing information, and concentration levels. Thus, Lumosity is a great tool to help you develop problem-solving capabilities.

Lumosity was launched in 2007 and had over 70 million users as of January 2015. The app is available in English, French, Spanish, and German.

Download : Lumosity for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

Happify is a company that works to enhance personal, organizational, and healthcare effectiveness by improving the emotional health of its users.

The Happify app incorporates scientific experiments into gaming activities designed to improve resilience and mindfulness and tackle health conditions like mood disorders, depression, anxiety, severe pain, and insomnia. Thus, it is a great healthcare software platform for improving your mental and physical conditions.

Download : Happify for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

Launched by Elevate Labs in 2014, Elevate is a brain game app that focuses on improving its users' reading, writing, speaking, listening, and math skills. It is also one of the best android apps to help you solve math problems .

Seeing you already possess the skills mentioned above, you may wonder, is the Elevate brain training app worth your time ? The truth is, there is always room for improvement, hence, the need for you to keep developing these skills. And, as you pass each assessment in the training sessions, the difficulty level increases. This way, you can test whether your abilities are basic or strong.

Download : Elevate for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

4. Neuronation

Neuronation is a cognitive training site and app that was made public in 2011. Since then, over 10 million people have used the app. The Neuronation app focuses on improving users' cognitive abilities, such as thinking, learning, understanding, and remembering, through its specialized training activities in the program.

Although native to Germany, the app is available in over eight languages, including English, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Turkish, and German. Additionally, the app enjoys widespread use, especially among German healthcare practitioners.

Download: Neuronation for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

The Peak brain training app is designed to correct cognitive disorders with the help of short, interactive games. To get started on the Peak brain game app, you will be required to set goals on areas you want to improve, like mental processing, emotional strength, linguistic skills, recollection, concentration levels, and problem-solving.

Once you complete this stage, a virtual coach will be assigned to guide you through the program, and you will be given an assessment. Immediately after you finish each assessment, you will receive feedback based on your result.

You can start using the app for free with the basic version, but it has a limited number of daily exercises that are randomly selected. On the other hand, with the paid version, Peak Pro, you enjoy unlimited access to over 40+ exercises, alongside detailed feedback and personalized training sessions.

Download : Peak for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

6. New York Times Crossword

The New York Times Crossword is a daily puzzle published by the renowned New York Times magazine on their website and mobile apps. The New York Times Crossword puzzle dates back to 1942. The first puzzle was published on Sunday, 15 February 1942.

Several freelance puzzle developers generate the puzzle. The puzzle gets tougher as each day goes by in a week, so the simplest puzzles are on Mondays, and the hardest are on Saturdays. Sunday's crossword puzzle is a 21×21 square matrix, whereas the daily crossword puzzle is a 15×15 square matrix. The crossword and other free puzzle games greatly improve critical thinking, learning, and reasoning abilities.

Download : New York Times Crossword for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

Have Fun While Improving Your Problem-solving Skills

Developing cognitive abilities, emotional well-being, and problem-solving skills are no longer challenging. Thanks to these brain game apps, you can develop and improve your mental and emotional abilities more easily, faster, and while having fun.

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The Pros and Cons of AI in Special Education

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Special education teachers fill out mountains of paperwork, customize lessons for students with a wide range of learning differences, and attend hours of bureaucratic meetings.

It’s easy to see why it would be tempting to outsource parts of that job to a robot.

While there may never be a special educator version of “Star Wars”’ protocol droid C-3PO, generative artificial tools—including ChatGPT and others developed with the large language models created by its founder, Open AI—can help special education teachers perform parts of their job more efficiently, allowing them to spend more time with their students, experts and educators say.

But those shortcuts come with plenty of cautions, they add.

Teachers need to review artificial intelligence’s suggestions carefully to ensure that they are right for specific students. Student data—including diagnoses of learning differences or cognitive disorders—need to be kept private.

Even special educators who have embraced the technology urge to proceed with care.

“I’m concerned about how AI is being presented right now to educators, that it’s this magical tool,” said Julie Tarasi, who teaches special education at Lakeview Middle School in the Park Hill school district near Kansas City, Mo. She recently completed a course in AI sponsored by the International Society for Technology in Education. “And I don’t think that the AI literacy aspect of it is necessarily being [shared] to the magnitude that it should be with teachers.”

Park Hill is cautiously experimenting with AI’s potential as a paperwork partner for educators and an assistive technology for some students in special education.

The district is on the vanguard. Only about 1 in 6 principals and district leaders—16 percent—said their schools or districts were piloting AI tools or using them in a limited manner with students in special education, according to a nationally representative EdWeek Research Center survey conducted in March and April.

AI tools may work best for teachers who already have a deep understanding of what works for students in special education, and of the tech itself, said Amanda Morin, a member of the advisory board for the learner-variability project at Digital Promise, a nonprofit organization that works on equity and technology issues in schools.

“If you feel really confident in your special education knowledge and experience and you have explored AI [in depth], I think those two can combine in a way that can really accelerate the way you serve students,” Morin said.

But “if you are a novice at either, it’s not going to serve your students well because you don’t know what you don’t know yet,” she added. “You may not even know if the tool is giving you a good answer.”

Here are some of the areas where Park Hill educators and other school and district leaders see AI’s promise for special education—and what caveats to look out for:

Promise: Reducing the paperwork burden.

Some special education teachers spend as many as eight hours a week writing student-behavior plans, progress reports, and other documentation.

“Inevitably, we’re gonna get stuck, we’re gonna struggle to word things,” Tarasi said. AI can be great for busting through writer’s block or finding a clearer, more objective way to describe a student’s behavior, she said.

What’s more, tools such as Magic School—an AI platform created for K-12 education—can help special education teachers craft the student learning goals that must be included in an individualized education program, or IEP.

“I can say ‘I need a reading goal to teach vowels and consonants to a student,’ and it will generate a goal,” said Tara Bachmann, Park Hill’s assistive-technology facilitator. “You can put the criteria you want in, but it makes it measurable, then my teachers can go in and insert the specifics about the student” without involving AI, Bachmann said.

These workarounds can cut the process of writing an IEP by up to 30 minutes, Bachmann said—giving teachers more time with students.

AI can also come to the rescue when a teacher needs to craft a polite, professional email to a parent after a stress-inducing encounter with their child.

Some Park Hill special education teachers use “Goblin,” a free tool aimed at helping neurodivergent people organize tasks, to take the “spice” out of those messages, Tarasi said.

A teacher could write “the most emotionally charged email. Then you hit a button called ‘formalize.’ And it makes it like incredibly professional,” Bachmann said. “Our teachers like it because they have a way to release the emotion but still communicate the message to the families.”

Caveat: Don’t share personally identifiable student information. Don’t blindly embrace AI’s suggestions.

Teachers must be extremely careful about privacy issues when using AI tools to write documents—from IEPs to emails—that contain sensitive student information, Tarasi said.

“If you wouldn’t put it on a billboard outside of the school, you should not be putting it into any sort of AI,” Tarasi said. “There’s no sense of guaranteed privacy.”

Tarasi advises her colleagues to “absolutely not put in names” when using generative AI to craft documents, she said. While including students’ approximate grade level may be OK in certain circumstances, inputting their exact age or mentioning a unique diagnosis is a no-no.

To be sure, if the information teachers put into AI is too vague, educators might not get accurate suggestions for their reports. That requires a balance.

“You need to be specific without being, without being pinpoint,” Tarasi said.

Caveat: AI works best for teachers who already understand special education

Another caution: Although AI tools can help teachers craft a report or customize a general education lesson for students in special education, teachers need to already have a deep understanding of their students to know whether to adopt its recommendations.

Relying solely on AI tools for lesson planning or writing reports “takes the individualized out of individualized education,” Morin said. “Because what [the technology] is doing is spitting out things that come up a lot” as opposed to carefully considering what’s best for a specific student, like a good teacher can.

Educators can tweak their prompts—the questions they ask AI—to get better, more specific advice, she added.

“A seasoned special educator would be able to say ‘So I have a student with ADHD, and they’re fidgety’ and get more individualized recommendations,” Morin said.

Promise: Making lessons more accessible.

Ensuring students in special education master the same course content as their peers can require teachers to spend hours simplifying the language of a text to an appropriate reading level.

Generative AI tools can accomplish that same task—often called “leveling a text"—in just minutes, said Josh Clark, the leader of the Landmark School , a private school in Massachusetts serving children with dyslexia and other language-based learning differences.

“If you have a class of 30 kids in 9th grade, and they’re all reading about photosynthesis, then for one particular child, you can customize [the] reading level without calling them out and without anybody else knowing and without you, the teacher, spending hours,” Clark said. “I think that’s a super powerful way of allowing kids to access information they may not be able to otherwise.”

Similarly, in Park Hill, Bachmann has used Canva—a design tool with a version specifically geared toward K-12 schools and therefore age-appropriate for many students—to help a student with cerebral palsy create the same kind of black-and-white art his classmates were making.

Kristen Ponce, the district’s speech and language pathologist, has used Canva to provide visuals for students in special education as they work to be more specific in their communication.

Case-in-point: One of Ponce’s students loves to learn about animals, but he has a very clear idea of what he’s looking for, she said. If the student just says “bear,” Canva will pull up a picture of, for instance, a brown grizzly. But the student may have been thinking of a polar bear.

That gives Ponce the opportunity to tell him, “We need to use more words to explain what you’re trying to say here,” she said. “We were able to move from ‘bear’ to ‘white bear on ice.’”

Caveat: It’s not always appropriate to use AI as an accessibility tool.

Not every AI tool can be used with every student. For instance, there are age restrictions for tools like ChatGPT, which isn’t for children under 13 or those under 18 without parent permission, Bachmann said. (ChatGPT does not independently verify a user’s age.)

“I caution my staff about introducing it to children who are too young and remembering that and that we try to focus on what therapists and teachers can do collectively to make life easier for [students],” she said.

“Accessibility is great,” she said. But when a teacher is thinking about “unleashing a child freely on AI, there is caution to it.”

Promise: Using AI tools to help students in special education communicate.

Park Hill is just beginning to use AI tools to help students in special education express their ideas.

One recent example: A student with a traumatic brain injury that affected her language abilities made thank you cards for several of her teachers using Canva.

“She was able to generate personal messages to people like the school nurses,” Bachmann said. “To her physical therapist who has taken her to all kinds of events outside in the community. She said, ‘You are my favorite therapist.’ She got very personal.”

There may be similar opportunities for AI to help students in special education write more effectively.

Some students with learning and thinking differences have trouble organizing their thoughts or getting their point across.

“When we ask a child to write, we’re actually asking them to do a whole lot of tasks at once,” Clark said. Aspects of writing that might seem relatively simple to a traditional learner—word retrieval, grammar, punctuation, spelling—can be a real roadblock for some students in special education, he said.

“It’s a huge distraction,” Clark said. The student may “have great ideas, but they have difficulty coming through.”

Caveat: Students may miss out on the critical-thinking skills writing builds.

Having students with language-processing differences use AI tools to better express themselves holds potential, but if it is not done carefully, students may miss developing key skills, said Digital Promise’s Morin.

AI “can be a really positive adaptive tool, but I think you have to be really structured about how you’re doing it,” she said.

ChatGPT or a similar tool may be able to help a student with dyslexia or a similar learning difference “create better writing, which I think is different than writing better,” Morin said.

Since it’s likely that students will be able to use those tools in the professional world, it makes sense that they begin using them in school, she said.

But the tools available now may not adequately explain the rationale behind the changes they make to a student’s work or help students express themselves more clearly in the future.

“The process is just as important as the outcome, especially with kids who learn differently, right?” Morin said. “Your process matters.”

Clark agreed on the need for moving cautiously. His own school is trying what he described as “isolated experiments” in using AI to help students with language-processing differences express themselves better.

The school is concentrating, for now, on older students preparing to enter college. Presumably, many will be able to use AI to complete some postsecondary assignments. “How do we make sure it’s an equal playing field?” Clark said.

A version of this article appeared in the May 22, 2024 edition of Education Week as The Pros and Cons of AI in Special Education

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These skills can help you save your job

“I think, therefore I am” is one of the most profound statements by mathematician and philosopher Descartes. It speaks about finding truth in the midst of doubt and uncertainty — a skill that is getting increasingly more valuable today.

From an interview to the latest job talk, you might often be asked to demonstrate your skills around two terms that help you navigate towards the truth through uncertainty — critical thinking and problem solving.

Why are these skills needed today?

Given the rapid advances in technology and the way the future of work and jobs are unfolding, there is definitely more uncertainty today.

In fact, children studying in schools today may grow up to work in jobs we may not even recognise today. Jobs also are shape-shifting in some cases with newer jobs getting discovered as we adapt to working with machines.

Hence, instead of just preparing for short-term need-based jobs, inculcating the skills of critical thinking and problem solving can stand a person in good stead for newer challenges we might face.

What does critical thinking and problem solving look like in action?

Imagine going through vast amounts of information and being able to synthesise that, make logical and evidence-based conclusions. That’s the essence of critical thinking.

Continuing further to problem solving, it helps us find possible answers to a problem and work on the intended solutions.

Logic plays a key role in critical thinking. Daniel Kahneman in his seminal book “Thinking Fast and Slow” spoke about two kinds of thinking that we as humans do: Immediate, gut-based thinking that is often intuitive; and deep, deliverable, thinking.

Both kinds of thinking are required to make different kinds of decisions and to attack different kinds of problems that we will face in our work life.

From a logical point of view, there are two ways to approach this: Deductive logic and inductive logic

In a deductive logic and reasoning approach, we start from individual data points. We try to stitch the patterns we see from that and then arrive at the conclusion.

In inductive logic, we start from a possible hypothesis about the problem we are addressing. This hypothesis could be the result of our intuitive systems. Based on that, we are able to use data in a more streamlined way to either prove or disprove our hypothesis.

At every step, it is important to be aware of the possibility of bias creeping in.

Let’s look at a couple of real-life situations.

Say the customer satisfaction numbers for a company are reducing over time. How can you find a way to improve that situation? Such a problem might require both critical thinking and problem solving.

Using deductive logic, you might start looking at multiple data points across customer touch points to understand the key causes for concern.

On the other hand, using inductive logic, you might first create a hypothesis, like “this is due to customer service levels dropping in channel x.” Then, you start looking at data to see how the picture unfolds.

While both are valid approaches, the second one can save time in an urgent business situation.

Another example. These situations are often tested during interviews. Imagine you are asked “how do you estimate the market demand for petrol pumps in the city?”

Now that you know the two approaches, you can apply a similar logic and get to the possible approaches. The interviewer is looking at your thinking process, not at the exact answer.

There are tools such as structured thinking that take us through a step-by-step approach to focus on insights and problem solving. And reading is another way in which we can keep building our critical thinking skills.

This is also the reason why aptitude in reading, writing, mathematics and logical reasoning is tested in many competitive examinations.

The only difference is that the need for these skills may not end with clearing the exams. These need to be honed lifelong.

One of Coursera’s most popular courses is “learning how to learn.” That constant learnability can be our best guard against certain uncertainty.

For more news like this visit The Economic Times .

51 episodes

Welcome to ”Transforming Organizational Culture,” the podcast that delves into the critical topic of transforming organizational culture for sustainable success. In each episode, we explore the power of culture in driving organizational performance and the strategies and practices that can help leaders and HR professionals shift their culture towards alignment with their vision, values, and goals. Join me as I have insightful conversations with industry experts, organizational leaders, and change management specialists who have successfully navigated the complex process of cultural transformation. We delve into their experiences, lessons learned, and practical tips for creating a culture where innovation, collaboration, and employee engagement thrive. From identifying cultural gaps to implementing effective change initiatives, we cover a wide range of topics including leadership’s role in shaping culture, fostering a growth mindset, promoting diversity and inclusion, and creating a positive work environment. Whether you are a seasoned HR professional, a leader seeking to drive change in your organization, or simply passionate about understanding the dynamics of culture, ”Transforming Organizational Culture" is your go-to resource for valuable insights and actionable strategies. Tune in to each episode to gain new perspectives, challenge your thinking, and discover proven approaches to shift your organization’s culture towards one that supports high performance and sustainable success. Remember, culture is the DNA of every organization, and with ”Transforming Organizational Culture,” you’ll gain the knowledge and inspiration to create a culture that sets your organization apart. Subscribe now to ”Transforming Organizational Culture" and embark on a transformative journey towards a culture that drives excellence.

Transforming Organizational Culture HCI Podcast Network

• MAY 12, 2024

53 - Transitioning from Success to Significance, with John 'JR' Rennie

In this podcast episode, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with John 'JR' Rennie about transitioning from success to significance. As the founder of a 30+ year business software company, John 'JR' Rennie thought he was going to ride off into the sunset and retire. All that changed in 2015 when he founded BrushFires, which helps other discover their purpose. Check out all of the podcasts in the HCI Podcast Network!

• APR 28, 2024

52 - Fostering a Resilient Environment within the Workplace, with Thomas Gelmi

In this podcast episode, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with Thomas Gelmi about fostering a resilient environment within the workplace. For more than two decades, Thomas Gelmi (https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasgelmi/) has been an executive coach, facilitator, member of the Forbes Coaches Council, and sparring partner supporting leaders and teams in their development at various levels and in numerous industries. He focuses on developing personal and interpersonal competence in leadership, teamwork, and customer relations. For his practice, he draws on an extraordinary biography with exciting milestones. Besides his many years of professional experience in various management positions, he spent seven years with Swissair, the former Swiss national airline. In the worldwide leadership and training of cabin crew, and in contact with international customers at 30,000 feet, he experienced first-hand how important a high level of personal and interpersonal competence is for effective human interaction. Additionally, he has been a team leader and trained caregiver in accidents and other extreme situations for many years. Thomas is a bestselling author of several books, among them BREAKTHROUGH, What Cabin Crew can teach you about Leadership, Teamwork and Customer Contact, and THE COACHING CODE, Practical tips for cracking the code and building a successful Coaching Business. Based in Switzerland, with a home near Zurich, Thomas works with leaders all across Europe and regularly in North America, Africa, Asia, and Australia. His clients include global corporations as well as SMEs and private individuals. Check out all of the podcasts in the HCI Podcast Network!

• MAR 20, 2024

51 - Who You Are is How You Lead, with Rachel Rider

In this podcast episode, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with Rachel Rider about her book, Who You Are is How You Lead. Rachel Rider (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachellrider) founded MettaWorks in 2015 after a distinguished career in HR, receiving executive coaching certification from Columbia University, and extensive training in meditation, Somatic Experiencing, and Polarity Therapy. Starting as HR Business Partner responsible for developing and coaching leaders and teams at Bloomberg, she went on to specialize in leadership coaching at AppNexus (since acquired by AT&T) and Digital Ocean, the third-largest hosting company in the world. She studied under renowned teacher and Zen Mountain Monastery founder John Daido Loori Roshi for 13 years before continuing under his successor, Shugen Arnold Roshi. Rider completed a three-year intensive certification in Somatic Experiencing in 2018, and a 2020 training in Polarity Therapy with the aim of bringing leaders tools to unlock effective, long-lasting change in concert with the body. Since 2020, she’s been working intensively with anti-racism coach Makeda Pennycooke. Rider lives in New York with her husband and two children. Check out all of the podcasts in the HCI Podcast Network!

• MAR 13, 2024

50 - Using Reverse Mentoring to Bridge the Generational Divide in the Workforce, with Julie Noonan

In this podcast episode, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with Julie Noonan about using reverse mentoring to bridge the generational divide in the workforce. Julie Noonan (www.linkedin.com/in/jnoonanconsulting) is an executive coach and change strategist working with organizations and their leaders to successfully ride the waves of change. Her specific focus is on the last of the Boomer generation and how they are faring in the final years of their formal careers. She is passionate about inter-generational collaboration and reverse mentorship. She is also a fierce advocate of including age in DEI programs to fight ageism in recruiting and downsizing.  Check out all of the podcasts in the HCI Podcast Network!

• MAR 6, 2024

49 - How Intentional Kindness Can Help Create a Better Workplace, with Alan S. Questel

In this podcast episode, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with Alan S. Questel about how intentional kindness can help create a better workplace. Alan S. Questel (https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-questel-6a70842a/) is known for his clarity, creativity and down to earth style of teaching. He brings a depth of understanding, humor and gentle human perspective while creating lively conditions for learning. Alan has taught thousands of people in over 20 countries, on 5 continents. Trained by Dr. Feldenkrais (Amherst 1983) he has created numerous Feldenkrais programs on varied topics including one for pregnant women (Pregnant Pauses). He is author of Creating Creativity – Embodying the Creative Process. He is constantly discovering how to be kinder to others and toward himself. Practice Intentional Acts of Kindness takes readers through steps to broaden and sharpen their understanding of kindness. It will show ways to embrace kindness in everyday life. And provide the means to be kinder and generate more kindness towards yourself and others. The book will help readers break through old, unconscious, confirming patterns of thought and feeling, and free them to express all the love and kindness in their hearts.  Check out all of the podcasts in the HCI Podcast Network!

• FEB 28, 2024

48 - Innovative Ways to Develop Empathy and Critical Thinking Skills as a Lader, with Melanie Bell

In this podcast episode, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with Melanie Bell about innovative ways to develop empathy and critical thinking skills as a leader. Melanie Bell (https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanieabell/) is the Co-Founder of Strategic Piece, a company that helps B2B businesses generate outstanding revenue growth by bringing together their marketing, sales, and service teams around an information-driven customer experience built on the HubSpot platform. Melanie is an active angel investor and mentors the student accelerator programs at Rice University's OwlSpark and the University of Houston's RED Labs. She was also the President of Marketing Interface, a company created in 2014 before Strategic Piece. However, she is not only about marketing; she founded Leaders Who Fiction while operating her marketing strategy and technology consulting firm. At Leaders Who Fiction, Bell is helping people acquire and develop leadership qualities through fiction reading and intellectual, business-oriented conversations centered around a selected novel.  Check out all of the podcasts in the HCI Podcast Network!

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