2025 Critical Thinking Spots

2025 - Index

At the beginning of June 2024, we started putting "Critical Thinking Spots" onto our pages. These are mostly articles from The Conversation written by academics who have researched the topic thoroughly.

The Critical Thinking Spots have questions to ponder after reading the article. It is hoped teachers and students, after a few minutes read - 4 - 5 mins, will take advantage of these spots for some deep thinking and maybe discussion.

A great way to focus students at the beginning or end of a lesson & encourage critical thinking.

Teacher

To advance your students' critical thinking, you might use the Question Grid [Matrix] Strategy for one or all these CTS.

Link to overall Index

Past CTS

2024 Index of CTS (24 CTS)

Air Force Officer		Chinese fighters encounters with Australian RAAF jets 13 February 2025 20 October 2025
Arachnologist		Summarise the article. Can you explain what is happening to another pair of students? The Conversation 21 September 2023
Artist Courtroom Artist		Examine the following article and discuss as a class The Conversation 18 April 2023
Botanical Illustrator		You are to research a "Hidden Woman of Australian History" - Louisa Ann Meredith - and create a Voki about Louisa's life and her contribution to botanical art. The Conversation 7 January 2025
Carcinologist		Research the following article and extract 10 essential sentences. Share with a partner - do you have the same sentences? Why? Why not? Poseidonsweb - What are Copepods? Essential to the Web of Life
Cetologist		Hypothesise other solutions by brain-storming in a group of 3 - 5 students The Conversation 22 November 2024
Cinematographer		How toxic is this workplace? Secondary What would you, as a group (3-5 students) do to change this toxicity? The Conversation 28 July 2022
Conservator		CSIRO & MS3 Resin Read the article and explain the CSIRO's invention to a partner. Should this invention be listed under the CSIRO's 10 most famous inventions? CSIRO Top 10
Emergency Disaster Planner		How flammable is your street? Suburb? Region? State? The Conversation 10 November 2025
Exercise Sports Scientist		Summarise the article and share with a partner The Conversation 3 December 2024
Food Scientist		Research the experiments outlined here. Do you get the same results as the article? The Conversation 16 January 2019
Gynaecologist		Secondary Bionity 4 November 2024 In pairs, read the article and write down as many things that you understand and those things that need further investigation. Share with another pair.
Horse Breeder		Secondary List what you learnt Why is the date of this article significant? The Conversation 1 September 2019
Horse Trainer		Here is a tribute to Bart Cummings on his death in 2015. The Conversation 1 September 2015 What is his work ethic? At what age did he last win a Melbourne Cup? What do you think of his life's philosophy? "When asked the secret of his remarkable success, Cummings responded that he always looked to the future and never dwelt on the past." Do you think he was the "Cups King"?
Insurance Claims Handler		With a partner, describe what this article entails for: a. Insurance company b. Person affected by the disaster c. The Government - State & Federal The Conversation 23 October 2024
Luthier		Middle Secondary How does a researcher examine the evidence presented? Write up this evidence. What is the conclusion? The Conversation 4 July 2017
Miner		Primary Middle Secondary Investigate the following article and evaluate what has been done, the timeframe, and, who was involved. The Conversation 9 February 2022
Neurologist		Middle Secondary An interesting read! With a partner discuss: What do you think about these flashing mouthguards for all sports? The Conversation 21 August 2025
Nutritionist		Middle Secondary Compare & Contrast Draw up a table showing the research: Milk on one side and plant-based milk products on the other. The Conversation 20 May 2022
Optometrist		Collate & Compile Middle Secondary Read the following article about the history of contact lens and compile/collate all the dates and the inventor's name and where they lived into a timeline. Share your timeline with a partner
Paramedic		What problems do you see that could happen with this Smartphone app? Good idea? Why? Why not? The Conversation 19 June 2024
Physiologist		Analyse the article & discuss with a partner The Conversation 28 August 2024
Postal Worker		What is the problem for Australian Post? Any solutions? The Conversation 26 November 2024
Rat Farmer		Could you explain this to another student in 2 mins? The Conversation 8 May 2024
Secretary/PA		Primary With a partner, explain the QWERTY keyboard The Conversation 29 April 2019
Set Designer		What does this scene tell you? It is from The Shape of Water (2017) and won an Academy Award for Best Production Design. List what the scene tells you and why? Give reasons to your partner
Social Media Influencer		Can you tell the difference between "fake" and "real" images? How? Discuss The Conversation 2 April 2025
Soil Scientist		In pairs, read about Biochar. What are the conclusions? Does your school have a kitchen garden? What about using Biochar? The Conversation 4 September 2024
Teacher		What are the stated pros and cons of this article? The Conversation 15 November 2024
Transport Services Officer		Melbourne's new metro. How will it change people's behaviour? Share with a partner The Conversation 28 November 2025
Urban & Regional Planner		With a partner, read and write a report (one paragraph) of your thoughts. The Conversation 11 November 2025
Zoo Education Manager		Research The Conversation 9 July 2024 A wildlife park has scrapped Koala cuddles. Why? Have other wildlife parks followed suit?