Critical Thinking and Learning
Critical thinking becomes visible when learners explain what they know, connect ideas, test evidence, and apply understanding in new settings.
Critical thinking and learning sit at the center of this site. Miguel often returns to the same practical question: what does the learner understand, and how can that understanding be made visible? That question applies whether the topic is classroom instruction, professional learning, Gen AI, or leadership.
This hub collects resources about evidence, reflection, transfer, instructional design, and frameworks that help educators move beyond surface completion. It includes routines and examples that ask learners to articulate ideas, connect them to evidence or prior knowledge, and extend them to new situations.
Miguel’s perspective is grounded in classroom experience and professional learning. A polished product is not enough. The learner should be able to explain the thinking behind the work. That is especially important in a time when Gen AI can produce fluent answers without understanding.
Important terms include transfer, metacognition, evidence, retrieval practice, SOLO Taxonomy, articulation, connection, and extension.
From isolated facts to connected reasoning
Use these readings to plan how students will explain an idea, connect it to evidence, and apply it in a changed situation. Judge the reasoning students demonstrate, rather than the polish of the final product.
- SOLO Taxonomy and Digital Learning: Distinguish isolated ideas, coherent explanations, and generalization.
- The PRISM Framework: Use questions and sentence stems to scaffold thinking.
- Critical Thinking Frameworks for Gen AI: Read reflections on research and responsibility for reasoning.
Original Frameworks
- PRISM: Questions and sentence stems for deeper thinking.
Start Here
- SOLO Taxonomy and Digital Learning: Distinguish isolated ideas, coherent explanations, and generalization.
- The PRISM Framework: Use questions and sentence stems to scaffold thinking.
- Critical Thinking Frameworks for Gen AI: Read reflections on research and responsibility for reasoning.
Recent Writing
- ACE It: Three Checkpoints for Better Assignments
- Professional Learning That Makes a Difference: Podcast Reflection
- Science Learning Center: Visual Challenges for Texas Grades 6–8
- Science Learning Center
- Resource: History Learning Center
- The Doorway, Not the Destination
- ACE in Math: Three Questions That Show Real Understanding
- Explore PlotPoint for Grades 6-12 Literature Study
- Critical Thinking Online Breakouts for K–12 Classrooms: Bible as Literature
- Walk Through Ancient Egypt with Expeditione
- Hands-On: Student Learning in the AI era
- Science Detectives: Critical Thinking Online Breakouts (CTOBs) for Your 6–8 Classroom
Questions People Ask
How does critical thinking show up in student work?
It shows up when students explain reasoning, connect evidence to claims, notice limits, and transfer ideas beyond the original example.
Can Gen AI support critical thinking?
It can, but only when the task requires students to judge, revise, explain, and verify rather than simply accept generated output.
How can I use these frameworks together?
Use SOLO to describe the complexity of understanding in student responses. Use PRISM questions to support the thinking process. Choose a task that makes the intended reasoning visible.
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