"The objective of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives."

Robert Maynard Hutchins, American educational philosopher

"If you have never changed your mind about some fundamental tenet of your belief, if you have never questioned the basics, and if you have no wish to do so, then you are likely ignorant.  Before it is too late, go out there and find someone who, in your opinion, believes, assumes, or considers certain things very strongly and very differently from you, and just have a basic honest conversation.  It will do both of you good.”

Vera Nazarian, The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration.

“I insist on a lot of time being spent, almost every day, to just sit and think. That is very uncommon in American business. I read and think. So I do more reading and thinking, and make less impulse decisions than most people in business. I do it because I like this kind of life.” 

Warren Buffett (American business investor)

"Millions of people just can't tell the difference between a made-up story and a factual one... media literacy needs to be taught in elementary school."

Richard Stengel (former Under Secretary of State, and previous journalist and editor)

“Group Thinking, or lack of courage to ask the tough and strategic questions, is the chief weakness on Boards today.”

Pearl Zhu  (technical and business author)

“Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.”

Margaret Mead  (American cultural anthropologist)

"Don't believe everything you say."

Unknown Source

Critical Thinking Teaching Materials for Elementary Level Students

The Critical Thinking Co.   https://www.criticalthinking.com

        Quizzes for various grade levels: https://www.criticalthinking.com/critical-thinker-quiz

      Bestsellers: https://www.criticalthinking.com/bestseller

          Critical Thinking Detective books: https://www.criticalthinking.com/critical-thinking-detective.html

 Critical Thinking Skills Worksheets:  A wealth of materials    

https://www.edhelper.com/critical_thinking.htm?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIiaL5zLWw2wIVWbjACh3pggOWEAMYASAAEgIiLvD_BwE

Skill Sharpeners Critical Thinking (pre-K to Grade 6):  https://www.evan-moor.com/p/19876/evan-moor-skill-sharpeners-critical-thinking-

The Fallacy Detective:  Books and DVD  http://www.fallacydetective.com/products/

The Fallacy Detective- Thirty-Eight Lessons on How to Recognize Bad Reasoning - 264 pages. Ages 12-Adult

The Thinking Toolbox: Thirty-five Lessons That Will Build Your Reasoning Skills - 237 pages. Ages 13 and up.

The Fallacy Detective: Thirty-eight Lessons on How to Recognize Bad Reasoning.  Readers will learn to recognize the fallacies they see every day, including the Red Herring, Ad Hominem attacks, the Straw Man, loaded questions, equivocation, circular reasoning, either-or, generalizations, analogies, propaganda, special pleading, slippery slope fallacies, and more. Dilbert, Calvin & Hobbes, Peanuts, and original cartoons illustrate many of the fallacies perfectly.  Each chapter contains examples that make each fallacy easy to understand. Exercises and "The Fallacy Detective Game" provide fun ways to really remember what you've learned! 262 pages For ages 12 through adult.

The Thinking Toolbox: Thirty-five Lessons That Will Build Your Reasoning Skills  

  By: Nathaniel Bluedorn, Hans Bluedorn

When is it dumb to argue? Do your students know the five rules of brainstorming? Who has a good reason to lie? This entertaining and enlightening book turns logic from dry to delightful as it equips kids with tools for critical thinking, developing opposing viewpoints, and scientific investigation. Features end-of-chapter exercises and an answer key.

Ages 13 and up.         234 pages.  

Computer Coding

Coding develops logical thinking and problem-solving skills.  It can help families trying to shift screen time into something creative.  This website has many choices:

https://www.websiteplanet.com/blog/safest-coding-sites-for-kids/              (Has recommended ages)

Python and JavaScript are described as beginner-friendly languages.  Python is a general-purpose programming language known for its readability and versatility.  It is designed to be easy to read and write, with a syntax that resembles plain English.  But it requires installing a compiler or interpreter.

Comments from a parent:    (numbers are from websiteplanet.com) 

1.    Scratch (18) – A great starting point for kids. It’s visual, creative, and helps grasp programming logic without complex code.

2.    Tynker (19) – Fun and game-like, gradually introducing advanced concepts.

3.    Code.org (10) – Excellent for step-by-step learning, especially for transitioning to more advanced coding languages.

     If you're just starting, check out Scratch and Tynker first; they're engaging and spark interest.

Critical Thinking Teaching Materials for High School Level Students

The Critical Thinking Co. https://www.criticalthinking.com/

        Quizzes for various grade levels: https://www.criticalthinking.com/critical-thinker-quiz

         Bestsellers: https://www.criticalthinking.com/bestseller

         Critical Thinking Detective books: https://www.criticalthinking.com/critical-thinking-detective.html

Critical Thinking Skills Worksheets:   A wealth of materials     

https://www.edhelper.com/critical_thinking.htm?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIiaL5zLWw2wIVWbjACh3pggOWEAMYASAAEgIiLvD_BwE

Groupthink: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-groupthink-2795213 How Recognize and Avoid Groupthink.

25 Resources: https://www.teachthought.com/critical-thinking/25-resources-for-teaching-critical-thinking/

Another test for logical fallacies is at: https://www.intellectualtakeout.org/article/quiz-name-logical-fallacy

The Fallacy Detective:  Books and DVD  http://www.fallacydetective.com/products/

The Fallacy Detective- Thirty-Eight Lessons on How to Recognize Bad Reasoning - 264 pages.    Ages 12-Adult

The Thinking Toolbox: Thirty-five Lessons That Will Build Your Reasoning Skills - 237 pages. Ages 13 and up

The Fallacy Detective: Thirty-eight Lessons on How to Recognize Bad Reasoning.  Readers will learn to recognize the fallacies they see every day, including the Red Herring, Ad Hominem attacks, the Straw Man, loaded questions, equivocation, circular reasoning, either-or, generalizations, analogies, propaganda, special pleading, slippery slope fallacies, and more. Dilbert, Calvin & Hobbes, Peanuts, and original cartoons illustrate many of the fallacies perfectly.  Each chapter contains examples that make each fallacy easy to understand. Exercises and "The Fallacy Detective Game" provide fun ways to really remember what you've learned! 262 pages, for ages 12 through adult.

The Thinking Toolbox: Thirty-five Lessons That Will Build Your Reasoning Skills

         By: Nathaniel Bluedorn, Hans Bluedorn

When is it dumb to argue? Do your students know the five rules of brainstorming? Who has a good reason to lie? This entertaining and enlightening book turns logic from dry to delightful as it equips kids with tools for critical thinking, developing opposing viewpoints, and scientific investigation. Features end-of-chapter exercises and an answer key.

Ages 13 and up. 234 pages.

6 short videos on thinking related topics:   https://bridge8.wordpress.com/2012/01/30/critical-thinking-animations/

         1.  A Valuable Argument   2.  Broken Logic                 3.  The Man Who Was Made of Straw

         4.  Getting Personal            5. The Gambler's Fallacy    6.  A Precautionary Tale

A 16 page critical thinking pdf which can be downloaded:   https://www.robinwood.com/Democracy/GeneralEssays/CriticalThinking.pdf

         Discussion of Red Flags, page 7 and 8,

         Pages 9-16 have a short List of Logical Fallacies, with examples

         The websites on page 9 are no longer existent or not of value at this level.

Only for class amusement - Common Sense Test:      

         https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msjN1uiUWyY&list=RDmsjN1uiUWyY&t=117

         You may need to move the monitor location back to get this to start at question 1

Computer Coding

Coding develops logical thinking and problem-solving skills.  It can help families trying to shift screen time into something creative.  This website has many choices:

https://www.websiteplanet.com/blog/safest-coding-sites-for-kids/              (Has recommended ages)

Python and JavaScript are described as beginner-friendly languages.  Python is a general-purpose programming language known for its readability and versatility.  It is designed to be easy to read and write, with a syntax that resembles plain English.  But it requires installing a compiler or interpreter.

Comments from a parent:    (numbers are from websiteplanet.com) 

1.    Scratch (18) – A great starting point for kids. It’s visual, creative, and helps grasp programming logic without complex code.

2.    Tynker (19) – Fun and game-like, gradually introducing advanced concepts.

3.    Code.org (10) – Excellent for step-by-step learning, especially for transitioning to more advanced coding languages.

     If you're just starting, check out Scratch and Tynker first; they're engaging and spark interest.

Many thought provoking and amusing items that can be incorporated into lessons:   http://brainden.com/

Resources on teaching thinking in the classroom  

http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2011/11/04/the-best-resources-on-teaching-learning-critical-thinking-in-the-classroom/

Designing a high school thinking course: http://dailynous.com/2016/07/19/designing-high-school-logic-critical-thinking-course/

         An on-line source with many comments and suggestions from teachers and others.