It got me thinking about how these networks (particularly professional networks that operate in person) can help to shape critical thinking.

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Moving away from solo thinking

Like many others, I am often talking to myself when deep in thought. This usually involves me gathering my ideas or linking different concepts. Or sometimes, just thinking out loud.

I’ve noticed how much I will run a thought or idea by a friend, colleague or family member. This is where I am exploring perhaps an alternative perspective or getting their take on something.

What I’ve realised is that critical thinking happens in conversations with your partner, in your group chats, over dinner with family and communities you are a part of.

Similarly, a professional network is not a place you go to or attend once you’ve already figured something out. These networks allow the ‘figuring out’ part of thinking to thrive and unfold.

Why thinking in networks can help?

In a professional network, the personal element is taken away so you are no longer interacting with your friends or family whom you share close bonds with, but instead other professionals with a wealth of collective experiences.

You may find yourself in interactions where they ask “how do you know that?” in a way that feels like they can support and direct you to something of use/help or perhaps learn something themselves or question the validity of information. Curiosity and scepticism can both be helpful.

They may see things differently to you, on purpose. If everyone around you reads the same things, works the same role, and votes the same way, you’ll all agree easily and miss the same blind spots together. Having even one or two people who see the world differently is usually worth it. It helps with perspective.

You will find that there will be people in the network who are willing to put forward the unpopular opinion. Every good group needs someone who’ll ask “hang on, has anyone actually checked for X?” while everyone else is nodding along.

The Real Impact

It’s not often we get to share ideas in a room filled with varying voices that have walked so many different paths.

The people who challenge you constructively, and who are happy to sit with your half-formed, initial ideas long enough for you to work through them, can be a real help when you're in the middle of a project. You end up picking up extra nuggets of information along the way. Applying this level of thinking can be a useful process as long as you're willing to put yourself out there.

I recently discovered the concept of a dedicated thinking book through Rachelle on YouTube. What resonated with me most was her approach to using templates as a framework for thinking. It’s adaptable depending on what you’re trying to achieve.

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I have notebooks everywhere: filled ones, half-filled ones, untouched ones. And I’ve always found that writing by hand lets my thinking go somewhere it wouldn’t otherwise. There’s something about being in the mess of it and not knowing quite where you’re headed that I find comforting.

Here are the dedicated notebooks I currently keep:

• Journal: completely free-form, no structure, no agenda. Just space to exist on the page.

• Projects: this keeps track of conversations, ideas for any new and long-standing projects I am working towards with any updates.

• Conference & Events: a way of keeping those insights separate from my day-to-day notes, so I can actually find them again. Keynotes, conversations, ideas sparked in the room. I keep these all in one place.

• Bag book: a slim notebook that lives in my bag and catches everything: reminders, shopping lists, passing thoughts, small reflections. What I love about it is that nothing gets lost. Even in the busiest, most distracted moments, I can capture it and come back to it later.

And here’s what I’m working towards:

• Mind mapping notebook: I heard someone at an online event last year mention they kept a notebook purely for mind maps, and it immediately clicked for me. I’m very visual in the early stages of an idea, so having dedicated space for that just makes sense. I’ve already bought a beautiful A4 notebook for this purpose now I just need to actually use it. That’s my goal for this month.

• Thinking notebook: Rachelle’s video re-sparked the idea of building something more personalised: a book shaped around how my thinking actually works, designed to help me develop and transfer ideas rather than just capture them. I’ll report back in a few months.

How do you organise your thoughts? I’d love to know!

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Bored Again

People often tell me they scroll on their phones simply because they’re bored or distracting themselves from reality. But I often wonder: if they had something more intentional to focus on, even for a few minutes, would that sense of boredom start to fade on its own and help them be more present?

3-minutes of thinking

To encourage you toward looking inward with clarity, I’ve pulled together 10 prompts. I wonder if trying them in the format below might help break the brain‑rot cycle and give your mind something sharper to focus on:

• What assumption am I making?

• Is this a fact, a feeling, or a fear?

• What story am I telling myself right now?

• What patterns do I keep repeating?

• What belief is shaping my reaction?

• Is X still serving me?

• What’s the one thing I seem to be avoiding?

• What can I let go of to think more clearly?

• What is within my control?

• What is not within my control?

Putting it into practice

Ask yourself one of the questions above, depending on the context you find yourself in, and answer it with honesty.

For example, I want to start going to the gym, but I am feeling overwhelmed by the machines.

Question: ‘What story am I telling myself right now?’

Answer: ‘Everyone knows what they’re doing in the gym except me.’

By applying this question and taking just 3-minutes to think about it, you break down your thoughts and help to unpack why you are feeling a certain way.

I like to think of it as a first step of breaking a negative thought, action and supporting yourself to shift your mindset.

Ask yourself one of the clarity questions above. Choose the one that fits the moment you’re in and answer it honestly.

Take this example: You want to start going to the gym, but the machines feel overwhelming.

Question: “What story am I telling myself right now?”

Answer: “Everyone here knows what they’re doing except me.”

By pausing for just three minutes and naming the story, you break the thought open. You can see it clearly instead of letting it run in the background. That moment of awareness helps you understand why you’re feeling the way you do.

I think of it as the first step in interrupting a negative thought loop. It’s a way to support yourself to shift your mindset and move forward with more clarity.

I’d love to know if you try it!

Notifications walk straight in without knocking.

A quick message here.
A reel (or ten) there.
Three new posts in the fifty-participant family WhatsApp group.
A meme from a colleague.
A “this is so you!” from a friend.

Each one is short, mostly relatable and often funny, pressured with high hopes to turn moments of misery into joy.

But I’ve started asking myself a quiet question:

Are they really bringing joy?

The Currency of Attention

We say we are busy. We say we are overwhelmed. We say, “There aren’t enough hours between Friday and Monday.” Yet our phones vibrate hundreds of times a day. However, every notification carries a huge cost: a chunk of our attention. When that attention is constantly being eroded, for me, it’s no longer joy.

After work, on weekends and in between tasks, I share the memes, I reply to the threads, I open the reel “just for a second”, and thirty minutes later, I’ve consumed dozens of mini moments, and lived someone’s else’s life for the whole duration. In this time, I’ve been at the receiving end of a comedian’s punchline, a musician’s chorus, an artist’s BTS, and a stranger’s GRWM. I’ve collected a collection of these moments carefully woven together by an algorithm that knows me a little too well to keep me there and coming back for more.

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Reset

In an attempt to manage the scrolling, I did what felt like a logical solution: I reset my algorithm.

I carefully curated it, putting in all my hope. I told it exactly what I wanted it to serve me.

I selected topics that aligned with me from photography, philosophy, health, etc. I was trying to be intentional.

And for about a week, it worked.

The content felt refreshing. I saved posts (other than recipes). I shared posts, and when I did, it felt more considered. I even closed the app more quickly and explored topics deeper elsewhere.

It felt like real progress, but inevitably, (you might say), the “mindless scroll” crept back in.

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The Real Reset

I knew the shift wouldn’t happen without me being more active. If the habit had become so automatic, then the change had to be a deliberate act.

I explored some easy fixes like the ‘Do Not Disturb’ and ‘Focus Mode’ on my phone. Setting these smaller boundaries was not onerous.

Without the constant ‘ping’ of notifications, I noticed I wasn’t reaching for my phone as often in the first place.

I brought music back into my routines while working, cooking and cleaning. This helped me to stay in tune with my focus.

I started revisiting hobbies I hadn’t touched in a while. The ones that used to have me immersed. Reading without multitasking and researching things that sparked genuine curiosity became a part of my day, and most importantly, allowed me to soak it all in without distractions.

I feel like I’m consuming information with intention. More slowly but without making a snap judgement or action.

I’m allowing ideas to develop and carving out space in my mind for real thinking to thrive and grow again.

And with that, a familiar feeling has returned. Depth.

I still have a way to go to return to my pre-scrolling full self. However, I like to think I have made a step in the direction I want to go and make further improvements!

My January is not usually this slow or deliberate. This year feels different. I did not feel the familiar urge to map out three month goals and hit the ground running before the Christmas stash of goodies had even run out. Instead, 2026 arrived quietly, with the early weeks of January settling into a gentler rhythm. After the urgency and momentum that defined the end of my 2025, this pause feels slightly uneasy. A calm has taken priority at the start of the year, standing in clear contrast to the energy I usually associate with a fresh calendar and new ambitions.

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I must admit, alongside the uneasy feelings I am processing, I am enjoying it. The slower rhythm has given me space to focus on what I know matters most, and more importantly, it has given me back time to think about how I actually want to spend my January. Rather than rushing to define the months ahead, I feel more present in this one, allowing ideas and priorities to take shape naturally. In doing so, I find myself feeling genuinely energised, not from speed or urgency, but from clarity, as the days slowly begin to grow longer and brighter again.

A contrast to the ‘normal’

In a landscape that has grown accustomed to keeping on moving and growing. I tend to expect the new year to declare itself immediately, to set direction, and offer clear signposts about what lies ahead. Instead, 2026 has opened mindfully, allowing me to take stock before committing to major next steps.

I am starting to see that there is true value in this kind of beginning. A quieter start allows space for critical reflection that can be lost in busier moments. It creates room to assess what carried over from the previous year, what no longer fits, and what truly deserves attention moving forward.

Periods of slowdown rarely last forever and can be purposeful as transitional phases, moments where underlying shifts are forming before becoming visible. What appears static on the surface can be active beneath it, laying groundwork that will shape the months to come. The absence of immediate momentum does not signal laziness or a lack of direction; it may simply mean that direction is still forming and moulding.

Pace

As the year continues to unfold, I am interested in looking back at this more mindful beginning. Perhaps it may come to be seen as a necessary reset. I suppose I will have to wait and see. The pace will change, as it always does throughout the year. For now, my slow start into 2026 invites patience, perspective, and a willingness to let the year grow slowly in momentum without force.

With that in mind, I wish you a (slightly belated) Happy New Year!

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I have learned a lot more about myself this year, and I have been thinking hard about what I want to carry into 2026. Here are my key learning points:

Questioning systems is healthy

Every system reflects the context, incentives, and assumptions of the time in which it was created. Progress often begins by asking what systems include and exclude, and whether they still serve their intended purpose. Questioning is not a disruption; it is a vital act of maintenance that keeps systems relevant and up-to-date.

Curiosity is ever evolving

Curiosity requires deliberate protection from urgency, distraction, and premature judgment. Like any discipline, it grows through habit building and making time to explore without immediate payoff. Things like asking better questions and tolerating uncertainty take time to learn (I should know – I am still and will always be learning). When curiosity is treated as optional, it fades. When it is practised intentionally, it becomes a reliable tool for learning and creativity.

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Compassion is not quietness

I talked a little about the overlap between compassion and critical thinking in my last article, and since then, I have pondered it further. Compassion requires attentiveness, constant emotional regulation, and the willingness to sit with discomfort. It does not avoid hard truths; rather, it speaks to them with care and certainty. Practised seriously, compassion is demanding because it seeks accountability, boundaries without dehumanisation, and a higher level of understanding. It is a strength that deepens insight.

Not everything needs optimisation

The impulse to optimise can quietly strip meaning from experiences that need time and openness instead. The link and battle between managing relationships, performance and creativity often unfold in nonlinear ways, which I feel is the beauty behind them. Allowing space for slowness, ambiguity, and trust is not inefficiency; it is putting value in processes that cannot be rushed. Some things grow best when left partially unstructured. This has been a tough one for me. I used to think thriving meant 100% optimisation, but I have learned to be smarter about what actually needs optimising!

It’s okay to outgrow models

Models can act as a scaffold for a particular stage of understanding and feed into our beliefs. These can be true for a certain time, and outgrowing them is not a failure but evidence of learning. Holding on too tightly to what once worked can become a form of stagnation. Growth can require the humility to release familiar ways of working and patterns with the courage to operate without instant replacements, trusting that new models and methods of working will emerge organically through experience.

What are your critical reflections from 2025, and what will you take into 2026? I’d love to know your thoughts.

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The focal point of my talk was of course critical thinking. Wearing my educational developer hat, I talked about how to instil this skill not just as an educational outcome but also how it impacts the growth journey for individuals when they re-calibrate into society post the confines of their educational institution.

An audience member asked me what role compassion plays and it got me thinking about some conversations I have been having over the recent years with regards to how we seem to have lost the art of being compassionate as a society.

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Conversations with Children

I thought back to some conversations I have had with children aged five and seven and how they interact with people, objects and their own thoughts. I’ve tried to approach these conversations from curiosity and let them lead. It has led to creative sparks and a strong bond I have built with them and also left room for them to grow. I thought back to some earlier work I did on how the UK secondary school system doesn’t leave much room for this curiosity to thrive into late teens and the impact this then has on our young adults. This has been at the back of my mind and I am working on how change comes with this.

I think putting young people through a system results in their ability to have or show compassion being scrubbed away. Of course, children have relationships and connections beyond the education system but their time is very much spent in a system which trains them to present themselves in a certain way. This, (I have seen) can lead to the a one-track way of thinking, behaving and actioning.

I believe (and hope) that with more active discussions around critical thinking starting from a younger age, that even beyond the school system, young people can keep hold of their ability to show compassion and have empathy.

Although I am not a parent myself, I see the pressure parents are under to shape how their children present themselves in a society that seems to be so polarised. The challenging nature of navigating this is rooted in wanting children to carry these traits into their adulthood but it does take patience, understanding and sometimes difficult conversations. I see how it can also create short term conflicts. We live in a world where we are not always able to have healthy debates as we perhaps were used to.

Honesty

I wonder whether it begins with an honest conversation with ourselves as adults to help us check in with our own ability to be and stay compassionate before we start supporting our young people to do so.

I also think compassion should be more overt and mirrored in practice both in the home, school, college, university and the workplace.

My final thought and underlying message is to be a better critical thinker, holding compassion and space for active listening being key to this.

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Over the last few years, I have been looking at job descriptions to see what they are looking for in the skills section. I opened up my curiosity to various sectors from art, HR, legal, education, retail etc.

As you’ve probably seen or heard me reference before, The World Economic Forum (2025) references analytical thinking as a skill they believe that employers regard as the most important and look for in their future employees.

But, how is this translated in the job market?

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The ‘critical thinking’ terminology is banded around with ease but often misunderstood. Are we as a society really wanting the true essence of critical thinking or a more palatable version of it?

A couple of years back I had a conversation on this very idea of what critical thinking truly looks like in the workplace. As time went on, it was clear that at its heart, true critical thinking was the unwelcome guest and a guise to tempt and lure but to essentially stay in the lane that was carved out for you.

Of course even now, a few years on, I see the same around me for friends and family in their respective roles.

It’s led me to re-visit ‘what does true critical thinking look like at work’

Here are my ideas:

• The space to ‘be’ - and ask questions, clarify meaning and

• Being an active listener - this one is the most fundamental for me. I believe it allows us to be conscious of what others are saying and how they are feeling. It gives us the chance to respond in the best possible way.

• Not taking everything at face value - looking beyond the surface and understanding the bigger picture of how the team or business works. This allows for an appreciation of how our own contributions fit and hold meaning.

• Confront your own bias - as you have heard me talk or write about before, we all have bias. It may come up in ways that you didn’t imagine and take you by surprise. Step one is having the self-awareness that the biases exist and step 2 is actively working on confronting them. It’s not an easy process and it doesn’t happen overnight but the inner work and progress is important. What matters is that you are putting in the consistent work.

• Appreciate the view of others - it’s so easy believe that we are right and that we have the best idea in any given situation. What’s better is being able to look at matters from multiple angles and taking the time before coming to a decision. Not all decisions have to be made yesterday. Taking some time to take stock, sit with uncertainty for a while is perfectly healthy.

• Be reflexive - keep on learning and growing. As we have witnessed over the last 5 years, jobs change, society evolves at speed. How can we ensure we are adapting and evolving? Reflexivity is the answer to becoming more in tune with growth. It provides us with direction and clarity (albeit with any change along the way).

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What do you think? Do any of these resonate with you? I’d love to know your thoughts!

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This summer, I have sat and pondered this question. I have thought about it in an experience and discipline-focused context, but also outside of this. The trouble is that it’s difficult to separate experience in a particular field from character because it shapes part of how you think and behave over time.

What may change and evolve is how we think about that experience. If I were to reflect on my journey in law, I would say that the very act of being analytical and strictly process-driven with fairness at the core comes from my case reading, analysing arguments, and reaching conclusions based on factual evidence. However, with my art background in wedding photography and abstract work, I would say it is much more fluid. The technicalities are definitely embedded in how I work, but my approach is much less process-driven.

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I asked myself: is the merging of the two fields; law and photography, what allows me to appreciate a variety of critical thinking traits? More and more, I believe this is true for me personally. How I approach a photography project is still driven by curiosity, and what I see through my lens is largely different from what you might see. I believe this is also how we may approach everyday situations.

I mapped out my own traits. What do yours look like?

This was a fun, reflective task to do but also it made me think more widely about how my experience has shaped who I am and how I think today. It’s also made me think about what it will look like 5 years from now!

In a society overflowing with ideas, tips, and advice we never asked for, we can sometimes feel overwhelmed. Summer is often a time to rest, reset, and reconnect through pause. However, it’s also a period when we might feel the need to catch up on all the reading and tasks we didn’t manage earlier in the year because we were stretched too thin!

I want to discuss intentional critical thinking. It’s a practice where you dedicate specific time to focus on that project you’ve been working on and developing ideas. Perhaps it’s a coffee with a friend or colleague, planned in advance so you can manage (or preserve in my case) your social battery. Of course, there's something to be said about spontaneous conversations that spark thoughts, ideas, and contain a unique energy, and there is space for those too. But, I am talking about what we can do on either side of conversations, meetings and projects when the thinking is starting to feel like it is in overdrive!

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Ask yourself ‘why'

This may seem simple, but going into a conversation knowing what you want out of it prevents unnecessary social drain. Ten minutes of planning can lead to a more considered conversation and leave you feeling much more energised, without having to think so much afterwards. I often prepare a one-page note the day before to ensure my conversations cover what I need to discuss, learn more about, or fill in any gaps. It saves the messy notes where with no signposts and me having to decipher what I have written. The end result - less overwhelm in thinking.

Don’t take on everything you hear or respond

Sometimes, there is a sense of politeness that can overshadow your own thought process. This might show up as replying to a suggested idea and politely explaining why you won’t be pursuing it, with a justification included. However, this isn't always necessary. A simple ‘thanks for sending this across, I will take a look’ is enough. Additionally, responding can demand more thinking time, which pulls you away from the work you are doing.

Take some time out

Thinking consumes energy. Even if that energy feels productive and leaves you with a sense of fulfilment, it's still important to take a break. Having time to breathe and intentionally pause creates space for ideas to settle and offers an opportunity to revisit later with a fresh perspective.

I recently witnessed an online conversation that grabbed my interest and made me reflect on what we are actually requesting AI tools to assist us with. On a deeper level, what if what we're asking for is merely to seek validation for our own viewpoints and nothing more?

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In recent years, I have used AI to help plan my day when I am pressed for time or to organise a holiday itinerary. It has been fantastic for that! I have also utilised it to assist me in calculating the nutritional content of foods and achieving my daily dietary goals. This has saved me time and automated tasks that previously consumed too much of my time.

However, I am increasingly noticing people using prompts such as ‘act as my therapist and advise me on X situation and give me your opinion’ or ‘act as a coach and give me your opinion on my relationship breakdown.’ While some of the generic advice it may provide could be useful in the short term, I believe the confirmation bias is concerning. AI cannot challenge you in the same nuanced way that a genuine human therapist can. AI won’t ask follow-up questions to explore deeper feelings that reveal why you might feel a particular way, and it will definitely be on your side (even if you may need to consider an alternative side). Yet, to be a truly critical thinker, especially in challenging times where we may feel vulnerable, it’s risky to merely seek validation and confirmation of our own views; we must be prepared to question them or seek human support in doing so.

Of course, this is a work in progress; we are human and will face challenges that may take us weeks, months or years to work through. But in the society we inhabit now, AI is becoming somewhat of a shortcut in some spaces, and I worry that the easy access we have to it will mean that society is forgetting about its shortcomings and using it carefully by making informed choices. For the examples I have given, a starting point could be a list of pointers to think about how to navigate relationship breakdown. This would give direction and variety without a limiting, narrow-held belief with bias at the centre. We can’t delete bias altogether; it’s always there, but we can continue to be aware of it. Also, just being aware of bias doesn’t automatically make us better thinkers, but what we do to reflect on and action and navigate after we become aware is crucial.

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In my opinion, AI is certainly a tool we can use to enhance our productivity, discover hacks, plan effectively (and much more); however, for matters concerning relationships, personal growth, and deep self-reflection, it’s best to rely on human connection. We must be held accountable. Sometimes, we cannot do this alone and require someone else to highlight these matters for us, whether that be a friend, colleague, coach, therapist, or a trusted individual in our lives.

I’d love to hear your experiences and thoughts on this.

In this episode, I share my reflective thoughts on the future of critical thinking.

This episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, my ⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠ , and your preferred listening platform, which you can find through this page on Podlink.

Share this episode on your socials via the hashtag #TalkingCriticalEd and spread the word with colleagues, friends, and anyone interested in critical thinking.

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Series 5 will be out soon! Look out for dates on my socials.

Happy listening!

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I was at a friend's wedding recently, and in a room full of people, it suddenly occurred to me that we are all having an inner conversation. We constantly have conversations with ourselves before we engage in discussions with others. This inner voice can often be left unspoken, and sometimes it is the mechanism behind our rationale for what we say out loud. Perhaps it’s the cave that hides our doubts and where our ideas echo before we decide which ones to voice. With all of these thoughts whirling around in my mind alongside music and colour, I concluded that critical thinking is also a process we use to refine our inner voice.

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What do I truly mean by inner voice?

The inner voice can be described perhaps as the commentator inside our minds, shaping our feelings and how we see people and situations. Admittedly, sometimes it is helpful, guiding us through challenging problems with clarity. During other times, it can be biased, reactive or perhaps defensive towards assumptions. Critical thinking lends us that helping hand to take the first step in becoming aware of the inner voice so we can process it, respond to it, adapt and evolve.

It does take work! It involves asking reflective questions such as:

• What do I actually know?

• Where does the evidence for what I know come from?

• Am I stuck with my own positioning on a matter?

These questions require honesty. Being honest with ourselves can seem a struggle, especially when we have deep-rooted beliefs on a matter. It helps if we can (even if momentarily) start seeing other perspectives besides our own.

I like to think that critical thinking moves the uncertainty of the inner voice into a place of curiosity where we can open our minds to much more than just our own beliefs.

Filtering towards clarity

Have you ever sat in a meeting or perhaps been a part of a social gathering, where an individual has not filtered their thoughts before communicating them? It can lead the conversation in a different direction.

This is where I like to think that the inner voice has taken over, and without the necessary filtering, what they are saying may sound random, unusual, messy or chaotic. Of course, not every single interaction needs a filter, but I do think that it is worth having an internal conversation in more professional settings before communicating information. This doesn’t mean we have to strip the emotion out of it, but actually, it allows us to be more purposeful.

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Habits to refine the inner voice

I think it’s worth always finding out more through asking questions and listening before responding. This provides us with a better, more informed context. It takes some getting used to at first, but I think when you aren’t feeling the external pressure to just simply contribute, you can give your inner voice a chance to become much more thoughtful and reflective.

Try it and let me know how you get on!

In this episode, I share my insights on how critical thinking may present itself in non-traditional learning environments.

This episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, my ⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠ , and your preferred listening platform, which you can find through this page on Podlink.

Share this episode on your socials via the hashtag #TalkingCriticalEd and spread the word with colleagues, friends, and anyone interested in critical thinking.

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I'd love to connect with you. Follow me on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BlueSky Social and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Episode 6 is out on 13th May 2025.

Happy Listening!Welcome to Series 4 of Talking CriticalEd! This is the fourth episode of the podcast series.

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In this episode, I share my insights on the connection between failure and critical thinking, using my reflections to present my perspective.

This episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, my ⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠ , and your preferred listening platform. It is also available on Podlink.

Share this episode on your socials via the hashtag #TalkingCriticalEd and spread the word with colleagues, friends, and anyone interested in critical thinking.

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I'd love to connect with you. Follow me on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BlueSky Social and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Episode 5 is out on 29th April 2025.

Happy Listening!Welcome to Series 4 of Talking CriticalEd! This is the fourth episode of the podcast series.

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Self-help books may suggest that you quiet your mind or overcome the ‘what if’ question. Of course, if you find yourself spiralling (which we can all be guilty of at times), reflecting on why and getting to the root of those thoughts can serve as a helpful starting point. However, I believe that aside from spiralling thoughts, ‘what if’ can actually be beneficial for critical thinking.

Problem solving

We have all been there where we are pushed up against a deadline and need to work out a solution. What do we do? Often, we speak to our colleagues informally or perhaps more formally via a team brainstorming exercise.

These exercises include the ‘what if’ questions.

• What if we try to look at the problem differently…

• What if we change the angle…

• What if we explore…

The list can go on and be tailored to a specific context.

What I am trying to say is that how we frame questions helps critical thinking develop. Asking' what if’ questions provides specificity and also allows us to reach the outcome we are seeking, or at the very least, helps us on our way!

Children do it, why not adults?

If you have little people in your life, you are likely familiar with their curiosity and their tendency to ask questions. They often pose ‘what if’ questions, which encourage us to embrace a mindset of openness and creativity. Engaging with their queries allows us to think about different possibilities and explore various approaches to problem-solving. For instance, when a child asks, ‘What if we could walk to the moon?’ it sparks their imagination and invites us to think more widely. By nurturing this inquisitive spirit, we can enhance our own decision-making processes and also learn how we can embody it in adulthood.

Put it into action

The crucial part is follow-through. Once we have either individually or in a group environment worked through a problem using our ‘what if’ questions, what will we do next? What steps can we take? Going through the ‘what if’ journey is a process, but taking action on the results is key. We may need to do more brainstorming or spend time adapting, but the process helps us work through our initial problem.

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In this episode, I share my views on the link between ideation and critical thinking. I use my reflections as a taster for more information on this topic.

You can find this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, my ⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠ and your preferred listening platform. Find it on Podlink.

Share this episode on your socials via the hashtag #TalkingCriticalEd and spread the word with colleagues, friends, and anyone with an interest in critical thinking.

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Follow me on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BlueSky Social and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, I'd love to connect with you.

Episode 4 is out on 15th April 2025.

Happy Listening!

In recent times, we seem to have strayed far from a time when reading a book from cover to cover or watching a full-length documentary was considered the norm. The slow, immersive approach to consuming information has now become a rarity.

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All in the name of time-saving

Now there are various apps available to support learning on the go, offered in smaller, easily digestible chunks of the key messages. For example, Blinkist or Headway, etc for book summaries. I have downloaded and explored these myself. I love the idea behind them and can see why it’s an attractive concept in today’s fast-moving society, but I am always left feeling dissatisfied, like I wanted the full context and a fuller understanding. After all, an author hasn’t written a book for you to read the highlights only!

It’s not just the traditional forms of media; we can't escape Instagram or TikTok reels. However, I must admit that I have avoided TikTok because I could easily spend hours endlessly scrolling through recipes!

The instant gratification we receive from consuming information has become so normalised that watching a long-form version now feels frustrating, as it doesn’t move fast enough.

However, I worry that if we continue in this society where we are constantly getting fed and allowing ourselves to consumes smaller bits of information, are we eroding our ability to think critically?

When I read a book from start to finish over several weeks or even months, I have time in between to reflect. A thought I have while reading chapter one may evolve or change by the time I reach chapter five. This is the beauty of engaging with longer-form material. It's not necessary to read it all in one sitting; a "less is more" approach, where prioritising quality over quantity, works very well in this context!

Personal reflection

When I come across an interesting reel on Instagram, I often share it with a friend or my husband. Last weekend, I found a snippet from a podcast interview that addressed a socio-relational issue, and it sparked a conversation between my husband and me. However, we both agreed that we needed to listen to the full podcast episode. We realised that the short clip provided only a limited insight; without critically analysing the broader context of the discussion, we risked fitting a perspective into our own beliefs without thoroughly considering it. What was intriguing is that we each focused on different aspects of the conversation that resonated with us. We wondered if our views would change after gaining a deeper understanding of the full discussion.

Re-frame

We can change our approach to content. Instead of taking reels at face value, we should explore the longer-form versions before forming any strong opinions. To keep our critical thinking alive, we need to be able to have fuller conversations that don’t end at ‘I’m not sure, it was a 30-second clip.’

This may be controversial, but I don’t believe we can completely avoid assumptions. We can minimise them, yes, but not fully avoid them. If we define assumptions as ‘truth without evidence', then we hold perspectives that we have constructed in our minds. These can be either short-term or long-term.

I think our focus should be on minimising assumptions. However, this isn’t a quick fix; we must work at it consistently. We may never be entirely assumption-free as we are continually processing both new and old information. We do however, have a choice to confront our assumptions.

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Recognising our assumptions

Sometimes it takes someone else to highlight when we have made an assumption. ‘You’ve just assumed that…’ or ‘Why are you assuming that…’ If we can begin to notice when we are adhering to an assumption instead of context-specific facts or knowledge, this will aid us in gaining greater clarity and understanding.

Some assumptions may run deep and might be rooted in our childhood. We must remember that, in reality, our perceptions are shaped by our own beliefs, which are constantly vying for our attention and striving to be at the forefront.

Stop the spiral

If we allow our assumptions to dominate, we can quickly find ourselves spiralling downwards. We can minimise this by reflecting on the origins of our assumptions. Employing a framework can assist with this:

• What am I thinking?

• Why do I think that?

• What’s the evidence?

• Did I make assumptions?

Clarity from questions

If we leap from 0-100 based on what we believe we know about a given situation, we may have missed the mark entirely. Asking questions to clarify information and approaching it with curiosity can help us dismantle the assumptions we may be holding onto.

Being critical about our approach to assumptions will enhance our understanding of people, experiences, and situations significantly more clearly.

In this episode, I share my views on how interdisciplinary collaborations can support critical thinking development. I use my reflections and refer to sources to support my views.

You can find this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, my ⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠ and your preferred listening platform. Find it on Podlink.

Share this episode on your socials via the hashtag #TalkingCriticalEd and spread the word with colleagues, friends, and anyone with an interest in critical thinking.

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Episode 3 is out on 1st April 2025.

Happy Listening!

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