Real-Life Scenarios to Teach Critical Thinking in Class

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

These students used SchoolAI in a choose-your-own-adventure style Space that took them back to the Roaring 20s. They had to choose between a flapper, civil rights activist, jazz musician, speakeasy owner, or baseball player. The Space lead them through scenarios, requiring them to make thoughtful decisions as their character. The Space explored cultural highlights, the economy, technological advancements, and the political landscape of the era. We had fascinating group discussions about many of the decisions they had to make. Tomorrow, students will work with a partner in the same Space to complete a graphic organizer, recording important details they retrieve from the Space. Friday, students will complete a mindmap in Canva, connecting ideas and creating visuals to represent their character. What is there to like about this experience? 💡 The Space probes for critical thinking, requiring students to reflect on the impact of their decisions on the lives of their characters. 💡 There are opportunities for students to develop AI literacy, learning new prompts, and reinforcing the idea that students are in control of AI - not the other way around. 💡 The engagement with AI actually enhances the physical face-face conversations in the class. 💡 Our English learner population could interact in the Space using their native language. 💡 Students were immersed in the time period, strategizing over complex decisions like whether their jazz musician should play a club that only admits whites, or how the speakeasy owner would maintain customer safety in the face of mounting pressure from law enforcement, or how the flapper would use her influence to fight for women's suffrage.

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