Critical Thinking Skills Through Real-World Applications

AI was trained on dominant narratives. That makes it the perfect tool for flipping them. Welcome to: 🧠 Day 6: Activist Engagement with Knowledge aka: the ability to use what you learn to challenge existing systems, surface inequity, and act on what needs to change. This isn’t “critical thinking as critique.” It’s knowledge as leverage —a willingness to wrestle with injustice, and the skill to revise the script that’s been handed down. Most classrooms stop at awareness. They ask for reflection, not redesign. They critique power, but don’t practice rewriting its rules. That’s where AI becomes subversive. Used well, AI can simulate the dominant narrative, expose its inherent assumptions, and build scaffolding for constructing alternatives. Here are 3 AI-powered activities that transform passive critique into activist redesign: › 🚨 Rewrite the Record Start with a known injustice (e.g. school discipline disparities, algorithmic bias in hiring). ⤷ Students prompt AI to generate how that issue is typically framed by those in power. ⤷ Then they ask AI to simulate the same issue from multiple marginalized perspectives—documenting shifts in framing, priority, and language. ⤷ Final phase: students use AI to help them compose a new policy, framework, or public narrative that could be implemented, challenged, and iterated. _____ › 📊 Data Doubt Engine Students choose a common data claim (e.g. “Crime is rising in urban areas”). ⤷ Ask AI: What data supports this? Who collects it? What’s missing? ⤷ Then students prompt AI to help generate counterfactual scenarios: What would the data look like if we measured community trust? If we disaggregated by neighborhood? ⤷ Students build a parallel dashboard or model—and then refine it across iterations to visualize what’s been erased. _____ › 🧬 System Swap Lab Students select a complex system (e.g. standardized testing, housing policy, scientific peer review). ⤷ They use AI to map its historical origins, intended function, and who benefits. ⤷ Then prompt AI to help them redesign the system with a different foundational logic (e.g. equity-first, anti-racist, community-controlled). ⤷ Students critique their own version using stakeholder simulations generated by AI—forcing them to defend, refine, or rebuild. _____ Activist thinking doesn’t end at critique. It lives in the messy, iterative work of building what’s better. When used wisely, AI doesn't need to be a reflection of the biases we've collected. It can be a thought and prototype partner for the futures that are waiting to be authored. Which of these would move your students from resistance to reimagining? 🛠️

When Students Over-Rely on ChatGPT, Critical Thinking Suffers—Here’s How to Turn the Tide Educators worldwide are seeing an unsettling trend: students increasingly defaulting to ChatGPT for essays, problem-solving, and research. The immediate result? Polished homework with minimal effort. The long-term impact? A real risk to the very skills we strive to instill—critical thinking and problem-solving. But it doesn’t have to be this way. ChatGPT can be a powerful ally if we (1) acknowledge its limitations, (2) teach students how to use it responsibly, and (3) design activities that still require their brainpower. Here are concrete strategies—both in and out of the classroom—to flip ChatGPT from crutch to catalyst: 1️⃣ In-Class Engagement - Think-Pair-Share-ChatGPT: Pose a question, let students first discuss in pairs, then compare their ideas with ChatGPT’s answer. Have them critique the bot’s reasoning, exposing gaps and sharpening their own analyses. - Fact-Checking Face-Off: Challenge small groups to verify the references ChatGPT provides. They’ll quickly see its “credibility” can be smoke and mirrors, reinforcing the need for proper research and source validation. 2️⃣ Homework Hacks - Two-Version Assignments: Encourage students to submit one draft written themselves and one draft generated (or revised) by ChatGPT—then highlight and explain every change. They learn that blindly copying AI output often produces superficial work. - ChatGPT as Peer Reviewer: Ask the bot for feedback or counterarguments—and have students defend which suggestions they accept or reject. This fosters deeper reflection and ownership. 3️⃣ Project-Based Learning (PBL) Approaches - Authentic Audiences: Require real-world deliverables (e.g., presentations to the local council, kids’ books for a younger class). ChatGPT can supply initial facts, but students must tailor and translate knowledge for a specific audience—no bot can do that seamlessly. - Process Show-and-Tell: Have students document how they arrived at each conclusion, including any AI prompts. If ChatGPT did most of the heavy lifting, it’ll be obvious in their final presentation—and in their understanding (or lack thereof). The bottom line? ChatGPT isn’t the end of critical thinking—unless we let it be. By designing assignments that value process over one-click answers, we can harness AI to enhance rather than erode our students’ intellectual growth. Check out “ChatGPT vs. Critical Thinking: Friend, Foe, or Frenemy in the Classroom?” by Ruopeng An for a deep dive into research, anecdotes, and classroom-tested ideas. Let’s equip the next generation to use AI as a thought partner—not a substitute for thinking. Share this post with fellow educators who might be wrestling with the same issues, and let’s ignite a new wave of critical thinkers! #ChatGPT #CriticalThinking #Teaching

Over time, my approach to teaching graduate classes has shifted towards creating an environment where students act more like a group of consultants tackling real-world, data-driven problems. Instead of simply following theoretical frameworks, students now dive into real-life datasets, analyze trends, and craft creative solutions. This hands-on method encourages them to think critically and out of the box—steering away from the temptation of copy-pasting from AI tools like ChatGPT. The focus isn’t just on solving problems; it’s about viewing challenges from different perspectives. By engaging with diverse datasets, students learn to approach problems with fresh eyes, ensuring a deeper retention of knowledge. It also makes the learning process more interactive and fun! This week, we focused on conducting data-driven SWOT analyses. Students worked in teams, using multiple datasets to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Along the way, they developed their soft skills, learned the value of collaboration, and strengthened their ability to work effectively in groups. This approach not only prepares students for real-world consulting roles but also equips them with the skills to think critically, collaborate, and adapt to a rapidly evolving business landscape. #DataDrivenLearning #ConsultingSkills #RealWorldProblems #GraduateEducation #CriticalThinking #OutOfTheBox #SWOTAnalysis #SoftSkillsDevelopment #CollaborativeLearning #FunInTheClassroom #BusinessEducation #InnovationInTeaching #HigherEd