This resource was originally published in 2019.

Summary

Daniel Willingham is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia.

This paper was commissioned by the department to explore the ongoing debate over how critical thinking skills are developed and taught. Willingham argues that while there is plenty of evidence to support explicit instruction of critical thinking skills, the evidence for how well critical thinking skills transfer from one problem to another is mixed.

The paper also outlines a plan for teaching specific critical thinking skills.