Start Teaching Students to be Skeptical Thinkers

In today’s digital age, they need these skills more than ever.

Clearly, to cultivate a skeptical mind you need more than just a body of facts on a subject. For example, you might know that cosmologists now calculate there could be trillions of solar systems in our universe. You might therefore believe a pseudoscientific claim about the existence of UFOs without any direct evidence, because out of trillions of planets, surely some superior race of beings has built a spaceship capable of interstellar flight?

Rumors, innuendo, and connect-the-dots are not evidence, however. But if knowledge alone is not enough to protect oneself from falling for specious claims, what is?

Skeptics are not, by nature, dismissive or “negative” in the emotional sense. They merely position themselves to view an argument from all sides, judge it in a non-biased fashion, and decide whether the burden of proof has been met. It is a never-ending struggle. Skeptics are often harsh critics of themselves, constantly re-evaluating their internal motivations. This trait is perhaps the hallmark of a true skeptic. They will call anything wrong that is wrong, including and especially themselves.

This is a great launch point for a teacher to introduce skepticism to a class. The controversy is relevant in the world of children, most of whom have TikTok accounts now, thus you’ll have their attention. Begin by introducing the facts of the case objectively and dispassionately. Leave at the classroom door any judgment on your part or the students will pick up on your bias immediately and be swayed, one way or another.

Next, when the “controversy” is thoroughly understood by the class, pose a question: “Does this seem sensible to you? Is it reasonable that only now, decades after she died, that the “real” story of Helen Keller’s life should suddenly emerge on TikTok?”

(Expect a few giggles and ironic eye-rolls from the class, especially if you teach middle school, but remember this: Asking yourself whether or not an idea is sensible and reasonable is a crucial step toward evaluating a claim critically. If something smells like BS, nine out of ten times it is.)

Gullibility, like skepticism, arises from the same need for sense and order in the world. However, skepticism depends on rock-solid reasoning and facts to make its case rather than hasty speculation. It is our mission, as teachers, to equip our students with the tools and attitude to become skeptical thinkers.

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