Critical Thinking Toolkit

Overview of Critical Thinking
 

Defining Critical Thinking

• The Ultimate Cheatsheet for Critical Thinking — Global Digital Citizen Foundation
• Defining Critical Thinking — The Foundation for Critical Thinking
• Our Concept and Definition of Critical Thinking — The Foundation for Critical Thinking
• What It Means to Think Critically — Terry Heick, TeachThought

Models of Critical Thinking Development

• Analyzing the Thinking Process: Interview with Diane Halpern by Jamie Hale
• Critical Thinking Development: A Stage Theory — The Foundation for Critical Thinking 
• Developing as Rational Persons: Viewing Our Development in Stages — The Foundation for Critical Thinking 
• Perry's Scheme - Understanding the Intellectual Development of College-Age Students — Johns Hopkins University 

Teaching Critical Thinking Skills

• Beyond Critical Thinking — M. Roth, The Chronicle of Higher Education
• Critical Thinking — Nel Noddings, Stanford University 
• Critical Thinking, Moral Integrity and Citizenship — The Foundation for Critical Thinking
• Critical Thinking Won't Develop Through Osmosis — Bryan Goodwin, ISTE+ASCD
• Critical Thinking: Why Is It So Hard to Teach? — D.T. Willingham, Arts Education Policy Review
• Fact or Opinion — The K. Patricia Cross Academy, University of Alabama
• The Importance of Critical Thinking Skills, For Students and Ourselves — Southern New Hampshire University 
• Teaching Critical Thinking — Dr. Stephen D. Brookfield
• 3-2-1 — The K. Patricia Cross Academy, University of Alabama

Thinking & Research on Critical Thinking

• Instructional Interventions Affecting Critical Thinking Skills and Dispositions: A Stage-1 Meta-Analysis — Abrami et al., Review of Educational Research 
• Research in Critical Thinking — The Foundation for Critical Thinking
• Study of 38 Public Universities and 28 Private Universities to Determine Faculty Emphasis on Critical Thinking in Instruction — The Foundation for Critical Thinking
• Strategies for Teaching Students to Think Critically: A Meta-Analysis — Abrami et al., Review of Educational Research
• The State of Critical Thinking Today — The Foundation for Critical Thinking
• Universal Intellectual Standards — The Foundation for Critical Thinking 

Curricular Ideas

Approaches and Strategies

• Critical Thinking and Other Higher-Order Thinking Skills — University of Connecticut 
• 6 Domains of Cognition: The Heick Learning Taxonomy — Terry Heick, TeachThought
• Contemporary Issues Journal — The K. Patricia Cross Academy, University of Alabama 
• Teaching Critical Thinking: Some Practical Points — Linda Nilson, Faculty Focus
• Teaching Strategies to Promote Critical Thinking — Janelle Cox, TeachHub
• Variations — The K. Patricia Cross Academy, University of Alabama
• Developing Identity and Perspective — Matthew Miller, Fostering Agency in Learning Innovative Teaching Showcase 2025-26, Western Washington University 

Discussion

• 5 Ways to Help Students Ask Better Questions — Terry Heick, TeachThought
• Paper Seminar — The K. Patricia Cross Academy, University of Alabama
• The Role of Socratic Questioning in Thinking, Teaching, and Learning — The Foundation for Critical Thinking 
• Three Categories of Questions: Crucial Distinctions — The Foundation for Critical Thinking 
• Two Professors, One Valuable Lesson: How to Respectfully Disagree — Seesholtz & Polk, The Chronicle of Higher Education
• Why Questions Are More Important Than Answers — TeachThought

Evaluating Sources

• Evaluating Sources: Know What's Credible on the Web — Winston Sieck, Global Cognition 
• Evaluating Sources - Critical Sources [Video] — Empire State College Online Library
• Evaluating Sources for Credibility [Video] — North Carolina State University Libraries
• Evaluating Information Sources — University of Louisville Libraries

Deep Reading

• The Art of Close Reading (Three Part Series) — The Foundation for Critical Thinking 
• How to Perform Close Reading — Odegaard Writing & Research Center, University of Washington
• Reading Assignment Strategies that Encourage Deep Learning — Faculty Focus
• Helping Difficult Students Read Difficult Texts — John C. Bean, Engaging Ideas: The Professor's Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom 
• Learning to Analyze and Critically Evaluate Ideas, Arguments, and Points of View — Rick Reis, Baylor University 
• Reading as Interpretation, Not Compliance — Matthew Miller, Fostering Agency in Learning Innovative Teaching Showcase 2025-26, Western Washington University 

Resources for Students

• Becoming a Critic of Your Thinking — The Foundation for Critical Thinking
• Critical Thinking in Everyday Life: 9 Strategies — The Foundation for Critical Thinking
• How to Study and Learn (Four Part Series) — The Foundation for Critical Thinking
• Introduction to Critical Thinking (Video) — Geoff Pynn, Northern Illinois University

Socratic Method

• Examples of Socratic Seminar-Style Questions — changingminds.org
• Socratic Seminars: Guidelines — Grant Wiggins, Authentic Education
• Socratic Teaching — The Foundation for Critical Thinking 
• The Role of Socratic Questioning in Thinking, Teaching and Learning — The Foundation for Critical Thinking
• The Socratic Method: Fostering Critical Thinking — Colorado State University

Disciplinary Ideas

General Assignments

• A Sample Assignment Format — The Foundation for Critical Thinking
• Critical Thinking Resources — Florida State University Libraries 

Arts & Humanities

• Critical Thinking About the Humanities — Michael Delahoyde and Collin Hughes, Washington State University
• Critical Thinking and the Liberal Arts — Jeffrey Scheuer, American Association of University Professors
• Diversity: Making Sense of It Through Critical Thinking — The Foundation for Critical Thinking 
• Enhancing Critical Thinking in Foreign Language Learners — Servat Shirkhani and Mansour Fahim, International Conference on Education and Educational Psychology
• Enhancing Critical Thinking Skills for Humanities Students: An Art History Model — Michael Reese, Johns Hopkins University
• Ethics Without Indoctrination — Richard Paul, The Foundation for Critical Thinking 
• Sample Course: American History: 1600-1800 — The Foundation for Critical Thinking 

Business

• Critical Thinking for Business Administration Students — Northwest Career College 
• Why Critical Thinkers Thrive in Business — Lamar University 
• Critical Thinking in Business Education — Brian Critchley, London Metropolitan Business School
• Critical Thinking in Business Education: Current Outlook and Future Prospects — Angelito Calma & Martin Davies, Studies in Higher Education 
• Critical Thinking Means Business — Judy Chartrand et al., Pearson
• Using Technology to Teach Critical Thinking in Higher Education – A Look at an Undergraduate Business Course — Mak Khojasteh and Janice Witt Smith, Winston-Salem University

Education

• Teaching Critical Thinking: From Concepts to Classroom Practice — McGraw Hill 
• Making Socratic Seminars Work — Edutopia

Social Sciences

• Syllabus: Psychology 1 — The Foundation for Critical Thinking 
• Critical Reading in the Social Sciences — Manuel Vallée, University of California, Berkeley
• Applying Critical Thinking: Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper — University of Southern California 
• Critical Thinking in Social Sciences: 6 Tips [Prezi presentation] —Jermaine Walker

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics)

• Applied Disciplines: A Critical Thinking Model for Engineering — The Foundation for Critical Thinking 
• What's the Alternative?: Using Model-Evidence Link Diagrams to Weigh Alternative Models in Argumentation — Lombardi et al., The Science Teacher 
• Teaching Critical Thinking in Higher Education — American Public University 
• Assessing Critical Thinking in STEM and Beyond — Barry Stein et al, Tennessee Technological University

Objectives & Assessment
 

Active Verbs for Writing Outcomes

• Bloom et al.'s Taxonomy of the Cognitive Domain — EdPsychInteractive.org
• Revised Bloom's Taxonomy — Iowa State University 
• List of Measurable Verbs Used to Assess Learning Outcomes — University of Colorado 
• Creating Constructively Aligned Learning Outcomes — Teaching & Learning Co-operative, Western Washington University 

Assessing Critical Thinking Outcomes

• A Brief Guide for Teaching and Assessing Critical Thinking in Psychology — D. Alan Bensley, Association for Psychological Science
• Critical Thinking Class: Grading Policies — Richard Paul, The Foundation for Critical Thinking 
• Promoting and Assessing Critical Thinking — Centre for Teaching Excellence, University of Waterloo
• Structures for Student Self-Assessment — The Foundation for Critical Thinking 

Creating Rubrics

• Grade Profiles — The Foundation for Critical Thinking 

Sample Rubrics: Holistic

• Critical & Integrative Thinking Rubric — Washington State University
• Critical Thinking VALUE Rubric — AAC&U
• General Education Critical Thinking Rubric — Northeastern Illinois University
• Holistic Critical Thinking Scoring Rubric — Facione & Facione
• Critical Thinking VALUE Rubric — AAC&U 

Sample Rubrics: Paper Assignments

• Critical Thinking Rubric for a Paper — NEIU
• Critical Thinking Rubric — Isothermal Community College 
• Critical Thinking Testing and Assessment — The Foundation for Critical Thinking 
• Critical Thinking ILO Rubric - Essays — Berkeley City College 

Sample Rubrics: Projects

• ARC Scoring Tool (Assessment of Critical Thinking) — St. Petersburg College 
• California Critical Thinking Skills Test® (CCTST®)
• Quantitative Reasoning Scoring Rubric — University of Rhode Island

Books

Critical Thinking Guides

• Critical Thinking — Richard Epstein and Michael Rooney (454 pages)
• Critical Thinking: A Beginner's Guide — Sharon M. Kaye (192 pages)
• The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking Concepts & Tools (Eighth Edition) — Richard Paul & Linda Elder (48 pages, 7th ed. print*)
• Pocket Guide to Critical Thinking — Richard Epstein (152 pages) (abridged version of author's longer book)

Cultural & Social Implications of Critical Thinking

• Intellectual Empathy: Critical Thinking for Social Justice — Maureen Linker (240 pages)
• Practical Media Literacy: An Essential Guide to the Critical Thinking Skills for Our Digital World — Nick Pernisco (250 pages)
• Weaponized Lies: How to Think Critically in the Post-Truth Era — Daniel Levitin (320 pages)

Developing Critical Thinking Skills

• Asking the Right Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking — M. Neil Browne (176 pages, print*)
• Critical Thinking: A Beginner's Guide to Critical Thinking, Better Decision Making, and Problem Solving — Jennifer Wilson (114 pages)
• Critical Thinking: A Powerful Critical Thinking Guide: 20 Effective Strategies to Improve Critical Thinking and Decision Making Skills — by Mark Williams (54-page mini-book)
• Critical Thinking Skills: Developing Effective Analysis and Argument — Stella Cottrell (296 pages)
• The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking — Edward B. Burger & Michael Starbird (168 pages)
• Think Smarter: Critical Thinking to Improve Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills — Michael Kallet (240 pages, eBook*)

Teaching Critical Thinking

• Critical Thinking: How to Prepare Students for a Rapidly Changing World — Richard Paul, Jane Willsen, and A.J.A. Binker (572 pages, print*) 
• Critical Thinking Development: A Stage Theory — Linda Elder and Richard Paul (print article*)
• Engaging Ideas: The Professor's Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom (3rd ed.) — John C. Bean (3rd ed. 400 pages) (2nd ed. eBook*, print*)
• Making Thinking Visible: How to Promote Engagement, Understanding, and Independence for All Learners — Ron Ritchhart, Mark Church, and Karin Morrison (eBook*) (320 pages)
• Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom — bell hooks (208 pages, eBook*) 
• Teaching for Critical Thinking: Tools and Techniques to Help Students Question Their Assumptions — Stephen D. Brookfield (304 pages, eBook*, print*) 

Discipline-Specific Books

• Critical Thinking for Helping Professionals: A Skills-Based Workbook — Eileen Gambrill & Leonard Gibbs (402 pages) 
• Critical Thinking TACTICS for Nurses: Achieving the IOM Competencies (3rd ed.) — M. Gaie Rubenfeld & Barbara Scheffer (382 pages) 
• How to Think Like a Psychologist: Critical Thinking in Psychology — Donald H. McBurney (128 pages)
• Science Stories: Using Case Studies to Teach Critical Thinking — Clyde Freeman Herreid, Nancy A. Schiller, and Ky F. Herreid (394 pages) 
• Teaching Critical Thinking in Psychology: A Handbook of Best Practices — Dana S. Dunn, Jane S. Halonen, and Randolph A. Smith (eBook*)

Textbooks about Critical Thinking

• Critical Thinking: Tools for Taking Charge of your Professional and Personal Life (4th ed.) — Linda Elder and Richard Paul (642 pages) 
• Critical Thinking, Science and Pseudoscience: Why We Can't Trust Our Brains — Caleb Lack, PhD., and Jacques Rousseau, M.A. (304 pages)
• Becoming a Critical Thinker: A User-Friendly Manual (6th ed.) — Sherry Diestler (512 pages)
• Beyond Feelings: A Guide to Critical Thinking (9th ed.) — Vincent Ryan Ruggiero (256 pages, print*)
• Critical Thinking (13th ed.) — Brooke Moore & Richard Parker (528 pages)
• Critical Thinking: A Concise Guide (5th ed.) — Tracy Bowell & Gary Kemp (348 pages)
• Critical Thinking: A User's Manual (2nd ed.) — Debra Jackson & Paul Newberry (368 pages)
• Critical Thinking: Learn the Tools the Best Thinkers Use — Richard Paul & Linda Elder (342 pages)
• Critical Thinking: The Art of Argument (2nd ed.) — George Rainbolt and Sandra Dwyer (496 pages)
• From Critical Thinking to Argument: A Portable Guide (4th ed.) — Sylvan Barnet & Hugo Bedau (432 pages)
• Thinking Critically (13th ed.) — John Chaffee (592 pages)

Books for K-12 Teachers

• Moving from What to What If?: Teaching Critical Thinking with Authentic Inquiry and Assessments — John Barell (230 pages, eBook*) 
• Socratic Circles: Fostering Critical and Creative Thinking in Middle and High School — Matt Copeland (176 pages, print*)
• Teaching Controversial Issues: The Case for Critical Thinking and Moral Commitment in the Classroom — Nel Noddings and Laurie Brooks (192 pages, print*) 

* = available at CII or WWU Libraries