Lesson Plan

Updating Your Thinking

Grade Level: 6-12

Length: 45-60 minutes

DE Domain: VAR

Students identify when and why certain information leads them to update their beliefs about a topic.

Intellectual Humility is about having a well-calibrated sense of the accuracy of one’s beliefs. Students who practice intellectual humility are open to the possibility that the information they hold as fact may be incorrect or incomplete. This integrated classroom activity encourages students to demonstrate self-awareness of how and when their thinking on a topic shifts or changes as a result of new information.

VAR.2 – Recognize, practice, and demonstrate intellectual humility.

Lesson:

Introduce the activity to students.

Suggested language:

Sometimes we can get stuck thinking we know all there is to know about a subject. This can be especially true when it is a topic that we feel passionate about. But for all of us, even when we know a lot about a topic, we are likely missing some information or viewing incorrect information as fact. In this activity, we will notice and stay open to shifts or changes in our thinking as we gather information on topics we already know something about.

Have students do a pre-writing activity, in which they imagine they are writing to teach someone else about either a topic they have been learning about in the classroom, or about a particularly relevant topic from current events. Have them capture all that they know or think they know about this topic. (Other differentiation options below).

Assign students a selection of 1-3 sources of information (digital or print) on that topic. Sources might include news or journalistic articles, primary source materials, trade or professional articles or books, or scholarly or peer-reviewed studies, articles or books. When possible, choose sources that offer different perspectives and angles, or may challenge students’ thinking.

As students read the text(s) , have them capture what, if any, information made them consider something new they hadn’t thought of, influenced or updated their thinking, or left them with questions to explore further. Students can jot these down as notes, mark up the texts, or record their thinking on this note-taking sheet (other differentiation options below).

 

Suggested Discussion Questions:

Suggested prompts:

  • What were some gaps in your understanding of the topic?
  • Was there something specific about these sources that made you feel confident in the new information you read?
  • What do you think is important to consider when consuming or sharing information on important topics?
  • When or why might it feel hard to update your thinking about a topic that you care about?
  • How might this lesson affect how you receive information in the future?

 

Differentiation:

Instead of having students write out what they know about a topic, this can be facilitated as a whole group discussion or as an oral partner-share.

Have students work independently or with groups to write what they know about a topic on chart paper. After reviewing new information sources, have students refer back to their charts and cross out or make new notes under their previous thinking to have a visual record of how they updated their thinking.

Instead of providing sources for students, have students research their own sources. Have a discussion about what makes a source reliable.

Optional extensions:

Compare different types of information sources to compare and contrast their reliability or how influential they are to a student’s thinking. Have students unpack why some sources may feel more influential than others.

Teach explicitly about Intellectual Humility as a concept and discuss different ways it might show up in conversation, debate, or research.

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