Hands-On Activities That Encourage Critical Thinking

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? 🛠️

Here is another example of young children and critical thinking. One day, a teacher found this fallen apple on the ground near the apple tree and noticed these interesting marks on its flesh. Instead of just throwing it away the teacher brought it to her class and posed these two questions, "I wonder what happened to this apple? Who made these marks?" The theories and questions started coming: Somebody was trying to eat it! It was definitely an animal! A cat did this! Maybe it was a squirrel? Why didn't they eat all of it? The mystery of it all! The children were immediately engaged in thinking and wondering. The teacher set up a table with the apple, magnifying glasses, and a book about apples. That extended the inquiry as interested children came by to offer their own ideas and consider those of their peers. When they didn't agree with an idea they would challenge it and provide their own reasoning. This discussion wasn't after actual answers. What it provided was an opportunity to think and not just be told what to think. We can grow critical thinkers by starting this thinking routine in the early years. The teacher recognized the potential in what would otherwise be considered trash, and the children benefited. #CriticalThinking #ECE #preschool #ChildDevelopment #TeacherDevelopment #21stCenturyLearning #21stCenturySkills

Teaching doesn’t have to stick to textbooks. Sometimes, it’s the unconventional ideas that leave the deepest impact. Imagine walking into a classroom to see an inflatable pool filled with water—and plastic bottles, wrappers, straws, and other trash floating on the surface. It’s not just a setup; it’s a vivid reminder of what our oceans face every single day. This creative approach to teaching ocean pollution allows students to see and feel the problem, making it real and urgent. Here’s why it works: 👉 Hands-On Learning: Students can interact with the setup—attempting to “clean up” the pool and realizing how challenging it is to remove every tiny piece of waste. 👉 Awareness Through Action: Seeing the pollution firsthand helps students connect emotionally, sparking curiosity and empathy for marine life. 👉 Critical Thinking: Discussions around the pool lead to questions like: “How does this happen?” and “What can we do to prevent it?” It encourages students to think of sustainable solutions. 👉 Empowering Change: By the end of the lesson, the goal isn’t just awareness—it’s action. Students leave inspired to reduce single-use plastics and advocate for cleaner oceans. Teaching creatively isn’t just about making lessons fun—it’s about making them unforgettable. And when we combine creativity with a purpose, the impact goes beyond the classroom. 💡 How can you add creativity to your teaching or work today? Let’s start inspiring change together. P.S. Small efforts can lead to big waves. What creative methods have you seen or used to teach important lessons? Follow for more insights from Ian Tenenbaum Press 🔔 for regular updates Video Credit: All rights belong to the respective owner. Please DM for credit or removal. #IanTenenbaum #founders #entrepreneur #ADHDcoach