university of queensland critical thinking project

Podcast: 2019 School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry Annual Lecture - Why Critical Thinking is Critical (and Thinking)

Professor Deborah Brown delivered her inaugural lecture as Professor of Philosophy at The University of Queensland on the 21st May 2019 to a capacity crowd. Professor Brown is the first female professor of philosophy in Queensland and her lecture was entitled “Why Critical Thinking is Critical (and Thinking)” which drew on her experience as Director of The University of Queensland Critical Thinking Project.

Listen to the lecture

The presentation slides can be  viewed online here . 

About the lecture

In the lecture, she noted that while Critical Thinking is the cornerstone ‘21st century skill’, enshrined in the educational goals at every level of schooling and university, too often it is conceived of on the model of a technical skill, or as consisting in a set of “reason-recognising procedures” – procedures for identifying argumentative structures and assessing inferential connections – that have little bearing on the questions ‘What should I believe?’ or ‘How should I act?’ In her lecture Professor Brown presented a more robust conception of Critical Thinking – one embodying a range of epistemic values and virtues of reasonableness, including the disposition to recognise and own the burden of proof when it is appropriate to do so and the importance of being accountable in one’s reasoning to others. She explained that one of the crucial things that have been learnt from the Critical Thinking Project is that these values, virtues and dispositions require a certain kind of educational environment in which to thrive, one focused on the development of student thinking. She discussed the nature and outcomes of the project and its successes, particularly in creating cultures of high expectation among disadvantaged students and in empowering them to exercise their voice and authority in the space of reasons.

About the presenter

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Why you have the right to be heard but not to be taken seriously | Peter Ellerton | TEDxBrisbane

Dr Peter Ellerton

About Peter

Curriculum Director,  University of Queensland Critical Thinking Project

Senior Lecturer in Philosophy and Critical Thinking 

Affiliate Senior Lecturer in Education

Fellow of the Rationalist Society of Australia

Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Critical and Creative Thinking

Peter’s areas of focus include Public Reasoning, Science Communication, Argumentation and Critical Thinking in education. Peter has been a teacher educator and a syllabus designer for the International Baccalaureate Organisation, the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) and the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). Peter was one of a small team of academics redeveloping the 2021 ACARA Critical and Creative Thinking General Capability within the Australian Curriculum. He has consulted and produced papers for a variety of organisations including the European Commission Joint Research Centre, the NSW Department of Education, the Australian Defence Force, the Queensland Office of the Coordinator General, NSW Ombudsman and many private and public schools. He has delivered professional development in Teaching for Thinking to thousands of educators throughout Australia and internationally and has been invited to deliver programs at the University of California Los Angeles, Pepperdine University Los Angeles and Simone Fraser University in Canada and across South Africa. Peter's passion is working with educators to enable a teaching for Thinking focus across all year levels and subject areas.

Live projects:

Peter is one of a small team of academics to recently rewrite the Australian Curriculum General Capabilities in Critical and Creative Thinking.

Peter also sits on the ACARA  National Assessment Program for Scientific Literacy (NAP-SL) working group.

Australian Research Council  linkage grant on Problem Based Learning in STEM with Monash University, Brisbane Catholic Education and Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools.

Peter is an expert contributor to the European Commission Joint Research Centre 's Enlightenment 2.0 project, involving public reasoning in political processes and developing meaningful and ethical communication.

Thinking Schools India — A project linking leading Indian schools and educators with students and parents to deliver a thinking focussed education .

The Aspiring Thinkers Network linking thousands of educators and institutions internationally to deliver professional learning in a Teaching for Thinking pedagogy.

Teacher comments on Teaching for Thinking workshops

Peter's TedxBrisbane Talk: The right to be heard is not the right to be taken seriously

See Peter's essay "This is why you will lose your argument."

Peter's articles on The Conversation (over 2.7 million reads)

ABC Radio National Philosopher's Zone

A video abstract of our paper: Cook, John, Ellerton, Peter and Kinkead, David (2018). Deconstructing climate misinformation to identify reasoning errors. Environmental Research Letters, 13 (2) 024018, 024018. doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/aaa49f

Some resources for teachers

Peter's Youtube Channel for educators involved in critical thinking

A philosophy and critical thinking course developed by Peter and colleagues at the University of Queensland on the EDx platform.

Register below:

https://learning.edx.org/course/course-v1:UQx+META101x+1T2020/home  

A critical thinking matrix to map critical thinking skills

Some publications

Ellerton, P., & Kelly, R. (2021). Creativity and Critical Thinking. In A. Berry, C. Buntting, D. Corrigan, R. Gunstone, & A. Jones (Eds.), Education in the 21st Century: STEM, Creativity and Critical Thinking (pp. 9–27). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85300-6_2  

On Critical Thinking and Collaborative Inquiry: Occasional paper commissioned by the NSW Department of Education National Initiatives & Performance

PREPRINT: On critical thinking and content knowledge: a critique of the assumptions of cognitive load theory. Ellerton, P. (2021, June 18). https://doi.org/10.31231/osf.io/vy687

PREPRINT: Critical thinking and the methodology of science. Ellerton, P. (2021, June 29). https://doi.org/10.31231/osf.io/xvwu7

Working from theory: developing the bases of teachers’ critical thinking pedagogies through action research Hegazy, Hind, Ellerton, Peter, Campos-Remon, Hannah, Zaphir, Luke, Mazzola, Claudio and Brown, Deborah (2021). Working from theory: developing the bases of teachers’ critical thinking pedagogies through action research . Educational Action Research, 1-16. doi: 10.1080/09650792.2021.1877757

Foundations of the DEFT Project: tertiary educators Developing Expertise Fostering Thinking Osborn, Judy-anne, Larkins, Jo-Ann, McBain, Bonnie, Ellerton, Peter, Black, Joel, Borwein, Naomi, Breuer, Florian and Roberts, Malcom (2020). Foundations of the DEFT Project: tertiary educators Developing Expertise Fostering Thinking . International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education, 28 (2), 2-15. doi: 10.30722/ijisme.28.02.001

Reichenbachian common cause clusters Mazzola, Claudio, Kinkead, David, Ellerton, Peter and Brown, Deborah (2020). Reichenbachian common cause clusters . Erkenntnis. doi: 10.1007/s10670-020-00269-6

Reasons: a digital argument mapping library for modern browsers Kinkead, Dave, Brown, Deborah, Ellerton, Peter and Mazzola, Claudio (2019). Reasons: a digital argument mapping library for modern browsers . Journal of Open Source Software, 4 (37), 1044. doi: 10.21105/joss.01044

Critical Thinking in Adolescence Ellerton, Peter (2019). Critical Thinking in Adolescence . The Encyclopedia of Child and Adolescent Development. (pp. 1-1) edited by S. Hupp and J. Jewell. London, United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons. doi: 10.1002/9781119171492.wecad370

Understanding our political nature: How to put knowledge and reason at the heart of political decision-making Mair, D., Smillie, L., La Placa, G., Schwendinger, F., Raykovska, M., Pasztor, Z., van Bavel, R. and Ellerton, Peter (Expert Contributor) (2019). Understanding our political nature: How to put knowledge and reason at the heart of political decision-making . Luxembourg, Belgium: Publications Office of the European Union. doi: 10.2760/374191

Detailed list of studies identified in systematic review of published research examining the critical thinking of higher education students Lodge, Jason, Pezaro, Charlotte, Brown, Deborah, Kent, Kirsty, Corbett, Brooklyn and Ellerton, Peter (2019). Detailed list of studies identified in systematic review of published research examining the critical thinking of higher education students . The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.14264/uql.2019.964

Deconstructing climate misinformation to identify reasoning errors Cook, John, Ellerton, Peter and Kinkead, David (2018). Deconstructing climate misinformation to identify reasoning errors . Environmental Research Letters, 13 (2) 024018, 024018. doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/aaa49f

How to read an ethics paper Jansen, Melanie and Ellerton, Peter (2018). How to read an ethics paper . Journal of Medical Ethics, 44 (12), 810-813. doi: 10.1136/medethics-2018-104997

Pragmatic epistemology, inquiry values and education for thinking Ellerton, Peter (2017). Pragmatic epistemology, inquiry values and education for thinking . The Routledge international handbook of philosophy for children. (pp. 111-118) edited by Maughn Rollins Gregory, Joanna Haynes and Karin Murris. New York, NY United States: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781315726625

Settling Science - why the scientific method confuses us Ellerton, Peter (2017). Settling Science - why the scientific method confuses us . The Best Australian Science Writing 2017. (pp. ---) Sydney NSW Australia: NewSouth Publishing.

Metacognition and critical thinking: some pedagogical imperatives Ellerton, Peter (2015). Metacognition and critical thinking: some pedagogical imperatives . Palgrave handbook of critical thinking in higher education. (pp. 409-426) edited by M. Davies and R. Barnett. US: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1007/978-1-137-37805-7_25

Full list of publications

Tools and resources to help you teach for thinking.

Values of Inquiry

Pedagogical Schema for Teaching for Thinking

Philosophy & critical thinking mooc, critical thinking matrix.

Learn more in our Teaching for Thinking newsletter

Teaching for Thinking

Developing teacher expertise in partnership with schools

360 schools, 4 universities, 5 countries

Teacher workshop October 2021—What do teachers think about this project?

Dr Peter Ellerton on 'What is critical thinking?'

Teacher reviews of our workshops

“Teachers are starved with regard to professional development. It is so rare to have an experience like this one. This is the best PD I have ever attended.”

— Classroom Teacher, United States node of the Aspiring Thinker’s Network

“As a beginning teacher, this has been the biggest possible gift I could ask for. The content, all of it, will be invaluable to me for the duration of my career. I would recommend that if ever any person (no matter how long they have been teaching) was starting to feel flat or disengaged in their role as a teacher, then they should sign up to this program.“

— Beginning Teacher, Brisbane

“Excellent delivery. Thoroughly engaging through use of practical examples that made me question my current practice. Well-paced, plenty of information, lots to think about. Content and delivery were excellent. Left me wanting more.”

— Queensland State School Curriculum Leader

Facilitators

All our facilitators are experienced teachers and engaged in Masters or PhD Research programs at the University of Queensland Critical Thinking Project.

Facilitators act as mentors for network members and deliver masterclasses in argumentation , writing and thinking , school leadership , critical thinking virtue development , action research and curiosity and questioning .

Professional workshops

We offer a range of professional learning opportunities including:

Foundational Workshops

The foundational workshop is a two-day event that challenges and extends teacher conceptions of what it means to teach for thinking across all subject areas and year levels.

Masterclasses

Our masterclasses are delivered by facilitators who are both teachers and researchers. Masterclass topics include

Argumentation

Thinking and Writing

Leading pedagogical change

Developing thinking virtues

Creating curious classrooms

Action research

Shared practice days

Our shared practice days brings teachers together to showcase, discuss and think deeply about their practice.

Queensland schools need to develop essential critical thinking, experts say

Queensland schools need to urgently overhaul the way they teach critical thinking to ensure students are better prepared for further study and jobs, according to experts.

Key points:

• There are renewed calls for critical thinking to be better taught in schools
• The Australian Curriculum for Foundation to Year 10 is currently being reviewed
• The national and Queensland curriculum authorities say critical thinking is already embedded in the curriculum

University of Queensland senior lecturer in philosophy Peter Ellerton said schools were operating like factories, focusing on transferring content rather than developing the essential critical thinking skills of their students.

He said teachers had become subject to a compliance-based curriculum and need more autonomy in the classroom.

"While critical thinking is written in the general capabilities of the curriculum as an imperative, there's very little information on how it should be implemented in the classroom," Dr Ellerton said.

"We've got to give up the idea of the classroom as simply a place where knowledge is transmitted and move to one to where students are trained in the skills of inquiry," he said.

Dr Ellerton is the curriculum director of UQ's Critical Thinking Project, which provides training for teachers and schools to develop critical thinking in education.

Throughout the project, which has engaged with hundreds of Queensland schools and national and international educators, Dr Ellerton said embedding critical thinking in learning led to improved student outcomes in subject performance and participation at school and university.

Part of the review

It comes as the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) is reviewing the Foundation —Year 10 curriculum, set to be completed by 2022.

In a statement, an ACARA spokesperson said the Australian Curriculum already explicitly included critical thinking.

"On the Australian Curriculum website materials are provided to help teachers understand the nature, scope and sequence of the general capabilities and to plan for their development across learning areas," the spokesperson said.

"Advanced thinking is part of the review of the Australian Curriculum and the general capabilities (including critical and creative thinking) are being reviewed and updated to reflect current research and feedback.

"ACARA is fortunate to have some of the country's top experts in critical and creative thinking advising us as part of the consultation process for the Review."

'Educational imperative'

Deborah Brown, a professor at UQ and director of the Critical Thinking Project, echoed the call for a revamp on critical thinking in education.

She said for critical thinking to work, there must be time and space within the curriculum and classroom for teachers and students to develop those skills.

Professor Brown added that critical thinking was foundational to the "21st-century skills" students needed in future employment.

"Given the need to build robust knowledge economies, this is actually an educational imperative, otherwise we're just going to fall behind . It's absolutely crucial that we change direction," she said.

Opportunities exist

Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority chief executive Chris Rider said there were many opportunities for teachers to develop students' critical thinking skills.

"These opportunities are clear in the general capabilities of 'Critical & creating thinking' embedded in the Australian Curriculum that's used in Queensland primary and junior secondary schools," he said.

"And the QCAA's new syllabuses for Years 11-12 are underpinned by 21st century skills such as critical and creative thinking, communication, teamwork and ICT."

Mr Rider said the syllabuses encouraged teachers to make connections between 21st century skills and the subject they were teaching, and provide learning activities that supported students to develop these skills.

"We continue to support teachers across P-12 with online resources and professional development activities that encourage the development of 21st century skills in schools," he said.

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WRIT1999 - Critical Thinking Project

Your gift will support scholarships for regionally-based high school students to visit campus to undertake WRIT1999 - a multi-day critical thinking course.

Getting Started with Reasons.io

Reasons.io is a digital argument mapping platform designed to help you visualise the inferential structure of your thinking.

Argument mapping has been shown to be a very effective way for improving critical thinking and reasons.io makes creating and sharing argument maps easy.

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Reasons was developed by Dave Kinkead for the University of Queensland Critical Thinking Project .

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Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Honours)

Develop specialised knowledge and prepare yourself for a successful professional or academic career with an honours year in criminology.

During your honours year, you’ll delve into specialised areas within criminology, building on your existing foundation. This includes in-depth exploration of criminological theory and research methods.

Apply your critical thinking skills and expand on your communication, research, and problem-solving knowledge by undertaking a thesis or research project – the major component of your honours program and a skill highly valued by potential employers.

An honours year prepares you for a range of careers in rewarding roles such as an analyst, program design consultant, criminal profiling, policy advisor, academic or researcher – all of which require a strong foundation in research skills.

Program highlights

• Deepen your knowledge and skills in your chosen field.
• Gain relevant experience that will prepare you for postgraduate study.
• Get one-on-one guidance while working with a supervisor to develop, write and submit a thesis or research project.

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Our programs prepare you for your first job and beyond. Here are some of the careers you could be on your way to:

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Case managers need to apply a high level of professional practice, judgement and decision-making to manage a caseload, ensuring that case management content is consistent with evidence-based practice.

I had the opportunity to volunteer at the Brisbane Women’s Correctional Centre. I was able to experience what a job would be like in corrections and had the privilege of being able to help the women better themselves for a new life.

The subjects taught throughout the 4 years were extremely diverse and would appeal to so many different people’s interests. The teaching staff were some of the most understanding, caring and helpful people I have ever met.

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• Should a student apply from another tertiary institution, the GPA will be calculated on the basis of the equivalent advanced courses completed.

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Use the minimum entry score as a guide. Your score must be at least equivalent to the required Australian Year 12 ATAR score. Entry requirements are subject to change.

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There are a number of requirements you must satisfy before a visa is granted, including the Genuine Student (GS) requirement.

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Approximate yearly cost of tuition (16 units). Your fees will vary according to your study load. Fees are reviewed each year and may increase.

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The Australian Government offers a number of income-support payments to eligible Australian university students.

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You may be eligible for more than 100 scholarships, including:

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Applying online.

All international applications should be submitted to UQ. If you prefer, you can use an  approved UQ agent in your country . 

The program code for the Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Honours) is  2520 . 

Find out more about applying for honours study  

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To learn more about UQ dates, including semester start dates,  view the Academic Calendar .

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Research projects

Advancing the News Media Literacy of Young Australians

Enhancing Online Assessment Through a Critical Thinking Focus

Supporting Student Cognition Through School-Led Pedagogical Change

Organizational Learning and Transformative Capabilities for Maximizing Performance in the Post-COVID 19 Era: A Situated Learning Perspective

Exploring Problem Based Learning in Schools

Towards Closure on the Animal Pain Debate

Integrating Digital Argument Mapping into Contemporary Pedagogies

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