This is an adaptable classroom activity for a teacher or discussion facilitator. It focuses on designing a lesson and reviewing student reasoning, rather than repeating the student-facing critical-thinking exercises.
Choose a question with inspectable evidence
For example: should a class replace a printed assignment notice with a digital checklist? This is a hypothetical decision, not a report of a school trial. Prepare two short pieces of permitted material, such as a sample notice and a mock checklist, and label invented observations clearly.
Avoid asking students to expose personal messages, disclose health information or take a side on an issue for which you have not provided suitable sources.
Plan the activity
| Stage | Facilitator action | Student output |
|---|---|---|
| Clarify | Define the decision and who it affects | A specific question |
| Inspect | Provide the materials and identify which details are hypothetical | Claims separated from evidence |
| Challenge | Ask what an alternative explanation or objection would be | A missing fact or competing explanation |
| Conclude | Ask what the evidence justifies now | A conclusion with a limitation |
| Revisit | Add a clearly labelled new observation | An explanation of whether the conclusion changes |
Assess the reasoning, not agreement
Look for a defined question, relevant evidence, a connection between evidence and conclusion, and acknowledgement of uncertainty. Two different conclusions can both expose useful reasoning; an unsupported answer does not become sound because it matches the teacher’s view.
Ask a student to point to the material supporting a factual statement. When that material is absent, accept “we need more information” as an appropriate limit rather than encouraging invented evidence.
Handle common difficulties
- Discussion stalls: ask participants to write one claim and one unanswered question before speaking.
- One voice dominates: collect short written responses and invite missing perspectives.
- Opinions replace evidence: distinguish personal preference from a factual assertion.
- Students chase a correct label: ask which new evidence would change their decision.
These are proposed facilitation adjustments, not measured learning gains or an expert-approved curriculum. Adapt the activity to the class, language and access needs.
For individual practice and a source-evaluation checklist, assign the student exercises guide. For generating options before the evidence discussion, see the small-team brainstorming session.
