Critical Thinking, Curriculum and Learning

5 strategies to close the critical thinking gap

eSchool News

JUNE 4, 2024

Key points: Critical thinking should not be separate from and on top of what teachers are doing in the classroom How to help students build critical success skills 3 lessons on perseverance from Stoffel the honey badger For more news on durable skills, visit eSN’s Innovative Teaching hub Achievement discrepancies among U.S.

Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking Metacognitive Skills Knowledge Achievement

5 ways educators can shrink the critical thinking gap

eSchool News

DECEMBER 17, 2024

On the 2nd Day of Edtech, our story focuses on critical thinking. To make real gains, teachers need to address the underlying problem: the critical thinking gap. These five critical thinking strategies can help. Why focus on critical thinking? Learn these vocabulary words.

Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking Metacognitive Skills Education Knowledge

Building critical thinking skills online

eSchool News

MARCH 25, 2021

As educators, we often hear about the importance of teaching critical thinking skills to our students. In an online academic environment, the focus on critical thinking skills is amplified. Our learning model fosters independence and self-advocacy with applications in all areas of a student’s life.

Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking Skills Art Assignments

CAE’s New Critical Thinking Resources Help Students Build and Practice their Higher-Order Skills

eSchool News

OCTOBER 15, 2024

(CAE), a nonprofit developer of performance-based assessments that authentically measure students’ essential academic and career skills, today announced the launch of its new Critical Thinking Skills Resources. Custom scenarios can be developed to more tightly align with existing educational models and curriculum.

Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking Skills Students Instructors

The clock is ticking: Why standardized schedules don’t work for learning

eSchool News

MAY 20, 2025

But we often ignore one fundamental truth: Learning takes time, and the time needed is different for every student. Ask any teacher, and they will tell you that the pace of learning is not universal. And yet, our education system insists on treating time as the fixed variable in the equation of learning–even when we know better.

Learning

Learning Art Fairness Critical Thinking

Learn to use books to foster critical thinking

eSchool News

MARCH 21, 2022

While I’m a far cry from a Newbery, once a year, I’ve gotten into the habit of writing a picture book for my nephew Knox. My goal is to keep the eight-year-old excited about reading, because what little boy doesn’t want to read a book about himself?

Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking Questions Learning Reading

4 ideas to infuse critical thinking in ELA and social studies

eSchool News

FEBRUARY 11, 2022

Every teacher knows the importance of critical thinking in education. Strong critical thinkers make better decisions, are more informed, have more career opportunities, and are generally better equipped to navigate the challenges of everyday life.

Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking Social Studies Study Teachers

CAE and Pearson Partner to Bring Critical Thinking Assessment to Secondary Education Students

eSchool News

MAY 31, 2023

(CAE), a leader in designing innovative performance tasks for measurement and instruction of higher order skills, today announced the immediate availability of its College and Career Readiness Assessment (CCRA+) through a non-exclusive partnership with Pearson [FTSE: PSON.L], the world’s leading learning company.

Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking Secondary Education Evaluation Education

Gale In Context: Literature Launches to Promote Critical Thinking Skills and Better Learning Outcomes in ELA for High School Students

eSchool News

JUNE 9, 2023

The company has launched Gale In Context: Literature, a new resource for literature instruction and learning that helps high schoolers engage and thrive in English language arts (ELA). Gale, part of Cengage Group, believes in the power and joy of learning. Read our blog about why English teachers will love Gale In Context: Literature.

Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking Learning Outcomes High School High School

4 ways to build engineering into your curriculum

eSchool News

MAY 18, 2023

Key points: Engineering doesn’t have to be intimidating Engineering helps students learn the mechanics of their world Engineering is arguably one of the most useful and relevant subjects in our schools today. Here are just a few strategies that teachers can use to build engineering into their classroom curriculum: 1.

Curriculum

Curriculum Critical Thinking Communication Science

Students need–and deserve–a globalized curriculum

eSchool News

NOVEMBER 3, 2023

Key points: In preparing students for the modern workforce, think globally A globalized curriculum helps children learn without barriers See related article: 10 things schools need to do to build students’ networks For more news on global learning, visit eSN’s Innovative Teaching page Learning should be lifelong.

Curriculum

Curriculum Students Culture Intelligence

How to use PBL with makerspaces across your curriculum

eSchool News

JUNE 27, 2024

Combining PBL with makerspaces (also called maker education) gives educators an infinite number of projects, assignments, and activities that engage students and truly immerse them in learning. Educators talk about writing across the curriculum–what about arts across the curriculum? The best part? Why maker education?

Curriculum

Curriculum Failure Essay Art

Explore Interactive Announces Partnership with Award-Winning Curriculum Developer, EiE

eSchool News

FEBRUARY 7, 2023

MindLabs by Explore Interactive brings state-of-the-art technology that, combined with award-winning EiE curricula, will provide teachers with standards-aligned, engaging activities to help students build skills in problem-solving, critical thinking, engineering design, and team collaboration — all skills required for jobs in the 21st century.

Curriculum

Curriculum Critical Thinking STEM Science

Using VR to radically improve learning outcomes

eSchool News

FEBRUARY 25, 2022

It is a commonly-held belief that algebraic concepts are directly related to critical thinking skills. Our educators have been upskilled, the resources and environment have been retooled, and the technology-assisted curriculum has been modernized. . So, what is the disconnect? Disruption. Enter stage left, a worldwide pandemic.

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes Critical Thinking Beliefs Learning

Virtual field trips are an essential part of climate curriculum

eSchool News

FEBRUARY 1, 2024

Key points: Virtual field trips can help engage students in critical STEM education 8 virtual field trips for STEM education How to elevate climate literacy for future scientists For more news on virtual field trips, visit eSN’s Digital Learning page Climate change is an increasingly important subject in school curriculums.

Curriculum

Curriculum STEM Science Textbooks

5 ways to teach and assess learning in the age of AI

eSchool News

JANUARY 17, 2024

Some experts believe this new technology can have a positive impact on teaching and learning, while others fret it may weaken the teaching of critical thinking and increase bias by spreading misinformation about different groups and cultures. Does this all sound far-fetched? Secret 1: Multimedia assignments.

Teaching

Teaching Critical Thinking Assignments Learning

Introducing The Edge, a Breakthrough SEL and Life Skills Curriculum for Middle and High School Students

eSchool News

JANUARY 31, 2025

The Edge , an innovative, research-based social-emotional and life skills curriculum,creates a dynamic and effective learningenvironment where middle and high school students can build the social-emotional and life-readiness skills needed to succeed in school, relationships, and life. Compelling Content.

High School

High School High School Curriculum Skills

21 priorities for student success and learning in 2025

eSchool News

JANUARY 3, 2025

Student success is a critically important issue for school districts–and not simply because districts want students to perform well. Improving student learning and student success is necessary for students to compete in a rapidly changing world that requires critical thinking, creativity, and adaptability.

Learning

Learning Students Critical Thinking Math

The pros and cons of DEI in education

eSchool News

MAY 13, 2025

The programs are designed to address systemic inequalities, promote representation, and create inclusive spaces for learning. One of the main advantages of DEI in education is the promotion of a more inclusive and representative curriculum. This enhances critical thinking and empathy.

Education

Education Critical Thinking Motivation Culture

5 easy tools that support project-based learning

eSchool News

JULY 19, 2021

Educators know project-based learning (PBL) isn’t simply another teaching strategy. Project-based learning gives students deeper learning experiences, and as they apply their knowledge, they develop soft skills such as critical thinking and team work–skills they’ll carry through to college and the workforce.

Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking Learning Knowledge Skills

Poptential™ Free Economics Curriculum Adds Content to Explain Today’s Inflation, Recession Woes

eSchool News

AUGUST 18, 2022

To help them make sense of how we got here, Poptential has expanded and updated its Common Sense Economics digital curriculum to include recent economic events, including the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain issues, and the current inflation crisis. Click to tweet.

Curriculum

Curriculum History Quizzes Social Studies

Students using AI: It’s not that scary and shouldn’t be banned

eSchool News

DECEMBER 5, 2024

Concerns about academic dishonesty, loss of critical thinking skills, and inappropriate content creation have sparked discussions about banning AI tools like ChatGPT, Grammarly, and others. AI encourages cheating A common fear is that students will use AI to bypass learning. Misconceptions about AI in education 1.

Ethics

Ethics Critical Thinking Essay Students

9 ways to honor diversity and cultivate safe learning spaces

eSchool News

JULY 17, 2024

For students, feeling safe emotionally and physically in their learning environment is fundamental. Bloom’s Taxonomy: Enhancing learning through cultural relevance Bloom’s Taxonomy offers a framework for educational objectives, emphasizing higher-order thinking skills such as analyzing, evaluating, and creating.

Learning Spaces

Learning Spaces Culture Motivation Learning

5 essential digital learning reads

eSchool News

NOVEMBER 22, 2023

Key points: Digital learning is a key part of students’ school experiences As technology evolves, so, too, do students’ learning opportunities See related article: Is AI the future of education? Edtech tools, connected learning experiences, and 21st-century skills all play a role in preparing students for the future.

Reading

Reading Learning Beliefs Learning Styles

7 reasons to ditch recipe-style science labs

eSchool News

NOVEMBER 22, 2024

This “cookbook recipe” teaching style not only stifles creativity, but it can also hinder critical thinking skill development. After looking around at the options on the edtech market, I discovered TinkRworks , a STEAM education platform that helps educators deliver engaging, hands-on learning experiences to students.

Science

Science Critical Thinking STEM Textbooks

5 approaches that engage middle school students in STEM learning

eSchool News

DECEMBER 2, 2024

Incorporate hands-on activities and experiments Hands-on activities let students engage directly with STEM concepts, making learning tangible and memorable. This process reinforces scientific inquiry and builds critical thinking skills as students see, touch, and analyze real results from their experiments.

Middle School

Middle School Middle School STEM Interdisciplinary

How schools can respond to ChatGPT with inquiry-based learning

eSchool News

APRIL 26, 2023

How do we design worthy learning tasks, when artificial intelligence (AI) tools can do the work of a student in a fraction of the time and nearly none of the effort? Instead of blocking ChatGPT and tools like it, consider incorporating them into classrooms through an inquiry-based learning framework.

Schools

Schools Learning Critical Thinking Intelligence

4 ways to use ChatGPT for learning and creativity

eSchool News

MAY 17, 2023

While it’s important to stay cognizant of the challenges these tools present, banning them will only result in missed opportunities for growth among educators, students, and curriculums at large. Instead, educators should consider the many ways they can leverage ChatGPT and AI to foster creativity and critical thinking among their students.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism Essay Academic Integrity Learning

Hands-on learning will help Gen Alpha reach new levels of technical innovation

eSchool News

SEPTEMBER 5, 2024

The answer lies in immersive, hands-on learning experiences that start from a young age. I’ve seen firsthand how experiential learning opportunities encourage kids to build, create and innovate throughout their lives. Classroom learning can only go so far.

History

History Feedback Art Learning

MiEN Company Releases White Paper on How Flexible Furniture Creates Active Learning Environments

eSchool News

JANUARY 5, 2021

Districts and schools are increasingly adopting active learning practices in order to address businesses’ demand for employees capable of creative and collaborative work. However, research shows that the physical space that supports active learning is quite different from one designed for lecture-focused teaching. About MiEN Company.

Active Learning

Active Learning Activities Critical Thinking Teaching Methods

STEM learning makes this educator shine

eSchool News

DECEMBER 22, 2022

Not surprisingly, many of this year’s Top 10 focused on innovative ways to engage students, digital resources, and online and hybrid learning strategies related to post-pandemic teaching. It also is developing a STEM bus with fun technological gadgets to enhance student learning.

STEM

STEM Hybrid Learning Education Learning

Lifelong learning: Developing skills across all ages

eSchool News

JULY 30, 2024

Key points: A love of learning can lead to a lifetime of learning How to use PBL with makerspaces across your curriculum Here’s how schools can better support neurodiverse students For more news on instruction, visit eSN’s Innovative Teaching hub Curiosity is a fountain of opportunity for all educators.

Skills

Skills Gamification Learning Intelligence

AEF Schools: Empowering Students with Individualized Learning, Social Growth, and Real-World Skills

k12 Digest

MAY 28, 2025

That vision became AEF Schools , a place designed for students who needed something differenta structured, supportive environment where learning goes beyond textbooks and tests. Learning That Works for Every Student Imagine a student who is bright, curious, and eager to learn but constantly struggles in a traditional classroom.

Skills

Skills Schools Learning Students

How to redefine learning in the digital age

eSchool News

JULY 24, 2023

ChatGPT-4, developed by OpenAI, presents an extraordinary opportunity for higher learning institutions to revolutionize education. By incorporating ChatGPT-4 as a required part of the learning experience, institutions can unlock a new realm of innovation, critical thinking, and personalized learning.

Ethics

Ethics Learning Critical Thinking Intelligence

Top tips for great cross-curricular coding

eSchool News

JANUARY 21, 2021

How and where our students learn has radically changed over the last 10 months. When working in tandem with core curriculum standards, computational strategies inherent in coding build meaningful, essential critical-thinking and problem-solving skills in students.

Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking Physical Education English Motivation

Lessons from an online teacher: Supporting phenomena-based learning

eSchool News

MARCH 19, 2025

Our rigorous curriculum is taught by Pennsylvania-certified teachers trained to provide virtual instruction in real time and is focused on providing all students the educational resources and out-of-classroom experiences they need to become successful, lifelong learners. There is also a free trial.

Teachers

Teachers Learning Science STEM

VHS Learning Is Awarded Teaching with Primary Sources Grant from Library of Congress

eSchool News

MARCH 7, 2023

Boston – VHS Learning has been selected to receive a $25,000 grant to create a high-quality U.S. History curriculum and professional development supporting discussion-based primary source analysis online and in other learning settings. History curriculum.” History curriculum.

Teaching

Teaching History Learning Curriculum

Elmwood School: Where Girls Rise with Confidence, Curiosity and Global Vision

k12 Digest

MAY 28, 2025

The schools Lifted and Unstoppable philosophy ensures every girl learns to trust her voice, take risks, and lead with confidence. There’s a hum of excitement, the kind that comes when learning feels more like discovery than obligation. The recently reimagined Learning Commons is a perfect example. Its lively. Its hands-on.

Schools

Schools Culture Interdisciplinary Art

New Slate of Inspiring and Engaging Standards-Aligned Content Added to Discovery Education Experience for Back-to-School 2025

eSchool News

APRIL 23, 2025

Charlotte, NC Discovery Education , the creators of indispensable K-12 learning solutions used in classrooms around the world, today announced an exciting new slate of standards-aligned educational content and instructional resources for Back-to-School 2025 that will inspire teachers and engage students.

Laboratory

Laboratory Social Studies Education Middle School

Savvas Learning Company Acquires Whooo’s Reading

eSchool News

MARCH 7, 2023

PARAMUS, NEW JERSEY — Savvas Learning Company , a K-12 next-generation learning solutions leader, announced today that it has acquired Whooo’s Reading and its AI-driven technology that enables teachers to quickly and easily determine whether their students comprehend the books they are reading.

Reading

Reading Learning Feedback Critical Thinking

5 ways teaching science with probeware promotes 3D learning

eSchool News

MAY 30, 2024

Key points: Probeware helps connect students to in-depth learning opportunities Black students need more STEM career exposure 5 helpful hacks for managing a STEM classroom For more news on science learning, visit eSN’s STEM & STEAM hub Are you looking for effective ways to integrate three-dimensional learning into your science classroom?

Science

Science Mobile Devices Teaching STEM

5 news literacy resources for students

eSchool News

MAY 20, 2024

How to teach with news and media sources For more news on media literacy, visit eSN’s Digital Learning hub News literacy skills are of paramount importance in today’s world, and are especially key for students, who must be able to critically assess information sources and vet resources effectively.

Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking Students Quizzes Evaluation

Students desperately need to see relevance in their learning

eSchool News

AUGUST 29, 2022

Leveraging learnings from 50-plus years of scientific research and millions of anonymized student data points, the research asserts that many students struggle to find meaning or career direction from their education. They also don’t understand the practical applications of the material they’re learning in the real world.

Students

Students Learning Student Engagement Critical Thinking

5 ways kids will learn about careers in 2025

eSchool News

JANUARY 13, 2025

There is no substitute for real world learning starting in high school. The top reasons selected include the opportunity to participate in hands-on learning (44 percent) and the ability to complete such programs faster than they could earn a college degree (41 percent). High school internships will become more prevalent.

Mobile Devices

Mobile Devices Middle School Middle School Learning

5 strategies to close the critical thinking gap

5 ways educators can shrink the critical thinking gap

Trending Sources

Building critical thinking skills online

CAE’s New Critical Thinking Resources Help Students Build and Practice their Higher-Order Skills

The clock is ticking: Why standardized schedules don’t work for learning

Learn to use books to foster critical thinking

4 ideas to infuse critical thinking in ELA and social studies

CAE and Pearson Partner to Bring Critical Thinking Assessment to Secondary Education Students

Gale In Context: Literature Launches to Promote Critical Thinking Skills and Better Learning Outcomes in ELA for High School Students

4 ways to build engineering into your curriculum

Students need–and deserve–a globalized curriculum

How to use PBL with makerspaces across your curriculum

Explore Interactive Announces Partnership with Award-Winning Curriculum Developer, EiE

Using VR to radically improve learning outcomes

Virtual field trips are an essential part of climate curriculum

5 ways to teach and assess learning in the age of AI

Introducing The Edge, a Breakthrough SEL and Life Skills Curriculum for Middle and High School Students

21 priorities for student success and learning in 2025

The pros and cons of DEI in education

5 easy tools that support project-based learning

Poptential™ Free Economics Curriculum Adds Content to Explain Today’s Inflation, Recession Woes

Students using AI: It’s not that scary and shouldn’t be banned

9 ways to honor diversity and cultivate safe learning spaces

5 essential digital learning reads

7 reasons to ditch recipe-style science labs

5 approaches that engage middle school students in STEM learning

How schools can respond to ChatGPT with inquiry-based learning

4 ways to use ChatGPT for learning and creativity

Hands-on learning will help Gen Alpha reach new levels of technical innovation

MiEN Company Releases White Paper on How Flexible Furniture Creates Active Learning Environments

STEM learning makes this educator shine

Lifelong learning: Developing skills across all ages

AEF Schools: Empowering Students with Individualized Learning, Social Growth, and Real-World Skills

How to redefine learning in the digital age

Top tips for great cross-curricular coding

Lessons from an online teacher: Supporting phenomena-based learning

VHS Learning Is Awarded Teaching with Primary Sources Grant from Library of Congress

Elmwood School: Where Girls Rise with Confidence, Curiosity and Global Vision

New Slate of Inspiring and Engaging Standards-Aligned Content Added to Discovery Education Experience for Back-to-School 2025

Savvas Learning Company Acquires Whooo’s Reading

5 ways teaching science with probeware promotes 3D learning

5 news literacy resources for students

Students desperately need to see relevance in their learning

5 ways kids will learn about careers in 2025

Stay Connected