Good day, Minister,
Subject: Support for explicit instruction in critical thinking principles at all levels of the K-12
curriculum
The British Columbia School Trustees Association is a champion of good governance practices
among school boards, providing exceptional professional development and working with
partners to ensure the success of every student across British Columbia. As the sole
nonpartisan organization representing democratically and locally elected boards of education,
BCSTA has been a steadfast champion for good governance in public education for 120 years.
We were grateful that you were able to join us at BCSTA AGM 2025 in April of this year. During
the business portion of our event, members passed a motion requesting the Ministry of
Education and Child Care to support explicit instruction in critical thinking principles at all levels
of the K-12 curriculum and provide adequate resources and training for educators.
Education is essential to our democracy, and in today’s world, students need critical thinking
more than ever. Recent surveys show that nearly 40% of young adults and over half of teens
rely on social media (especially TikTok) as their primary news source, making them vulnerable
to social manipulation, targeted propaganda, and information silos. Artificial Intelligence tools
(like ChatGPT) have quickly become popular but are known for producing falsehoods and
misinformation. It is now common for people to practice “decision-based evidence making”
instead of “evidence-based decision making.”
Critical thinking encompasses the skills and knowledge necessary to analyze evidence and
assess the validity of an argument, as well as the mindset and motivation to apply these skills
when needed. To ensure every student can make meaningful contributions to our democracy,
they must prepare for a world where critical thinking is a key tool in their educational toolbelt.
While we recognize that critical thinking is part of the core competencies, explicitly guiding
students to develop these new tools requires sufficient resources and support for educators,
including new or updated curriculum materials and professional development opportunities.
Teachers would benefit from training opportunities, peer networks, and online communities of
practice that could provide them with content ideas and support.
Including components of critical thinking in the curriculum is needed in B.C. schools.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Tracy Loffler
President
British Columbia School Trustees Association