When two delegations of teachers from France and Germany arrived at Jump to explore critical thinking, the atmosphere was lively from the start. Before anyone discussed methods or classroom tools, we began with a deceptively simple question: what do we actually mean by critical thinking? The group quickly reached a shared and very useful idea. Critical thinking is not a personality trait and it is not the habit of criticizing everything. It is a process. More specifically, it is a process that helps us reach sensible conclusions. And sensible conclusions are, in practice, thoroughly informed decisions.
That point matters more than it may seem. In school, we often stop at information: students read, repeat, summarize, and sometimes discuss.
Yet critical thinking asks for one further step, judgment.
Only when we reach a sensible conclusion can we decide how to act, what to support, what to question, and what to improve. In that sense, critical thinking is not abstract at all. It is one of the most practical skills education can offer!
Its importance today is obvious.
We are surrounded by more information than any previous generation, and that is, in many ways, a wonderful opportunity. Teachers and students can access texts, data, news, and viewpoints from across the world in seconds. The problem is not abundance itself, but confusion. Not all information has the same value. Some of it deserves to support a judgment; some of it should remain in the realm of opinions, assumptions, and beliefs. During the course, one of the most useful moments came when we worked through a hierarchy of informational value and learned to ask a simple question: what should I base this conclusion on? That question alone can transform the quality of classroom discussion.
The course was not limited to theory. We solved logical problems, experienced how biases can distort reasoning, and practiced activities that help students think more carefully and speak more responsibly. “Town City Hall,” “Reader’s Theatre,” and “What We Need to Learn” stood out as particularly adaptable tools because they combine formal and non-formal education in a natural way.
The “Town City Hall” activity was especially memorable. Using an article about the collapsed bridge in Dresden, participants took on different roles. Some represented the construction company responsible for clearing debris and restoring the bridge. Others became owners of shops and businesses that were suddenly thriving because traffic had been diverted through a previously neglected district. A third group represented the wider population, questioning both sides. What looked at first like a simple civic problem quickly became a rich exercise in perspective-taking. Restoring the bridge would help the city move again, but it could also damage the new local economic growth. The fun part came at the end: everyone had to work toward a shared solution. That moment made something very clear—common ground is rarely automatic. It requires listening, flexibility, and effort.
In the end, the course reminded us that critical thinking is not about having the fastest answer, but the most responsible one. That is why more teachers should take part in this kind of training: it offers not only ideas, but tools; not only theory, but practice; and not only reflection, but strategies ready for real classrooms.
Author: Giuseppe Perrotti – JUMP Trainer
