Life Skills
Critical Thinking
Critical thinking isn’t just for debates or research papers—it’s a powerful tool for solving problems in everyday life. In this short explainer, you’ll see how one robotics team uses critical thinking to focus on high-quality information, ask the right questions, and anticipate challenges before they happen. Watch to learn how this mindset can help you make better decisions and lead your team to success.
What's About
When you watch a movie or read the news, you have a choice—you can take it at face value or stop to think critically about what you’re seeing. That same mindset can help you solve complex problems, whether you're working alone or with a team.
This video follows Team Indigo in a robotics competition. They’re talented, but what really sets them apart is how they approach each challenge. They don’t just react—they ask tough questions, sort through the noise, and focus on what matters. That’s the essence of critical thinking.
We see how the team begins by identifying the problem and separating useful information from distractions like assumptions, emotional bias, or bad data. They ask questions like “Are we sure this is accurate?” or “What are we missing?”—and use those answers to uncover better solutions.
Once they find a potential fix, they think ahead: Will this create new problems later? Will it save time or cause delays? By being active thinkers, they refine their ideas and make smart decisions that move the whole team forward.
Whether you’re in a meeting, on a project, or just making plans, this video reminds you that asking better questions leads to better answers—and that’s what critical thinking is all about.
This video follows Team Indigo in a robotics competition. They’re talented, but what really sets them apart is how they approach each challenge. They don’t just react—they ask tough questions, sort through the noise, and focus on what matters. That’s the essence of critical thinking.
We see how the team begins by identifying the problem and separating useful information from distractions like assumptions, emotional bias, or bad data. They ask questions like “Are we sure this is accurate?” or “What are we missing?”—and use those answers to uncover better solutions.
Once they find a potential fix, they think ahead: Will this create new problems later? Will it save time or cause delays? By being active thinkers, they refine their ideas and make smart decisions that move the whole team forward.
Whether you’re in a meeting, on a project, or just making plans, this video reminds you that asking better questions leads to better answers—and that’s what critical thinking is all about.
What it Matters
Critical thinking helps teams and individuals cut through confusion and focus on what’s truly important. This video shows how asking questions, evaluating information, and planning ahead can lead to smarter decisions and better outcomes. By seeing critical thinking in action, learners are encouraged to take a more active role in how they process and solve problems.
By the end of this video, you’ll be able to:
- Recognize the difference between passive and active thinking.
- Explain why critical thinking leads to better problem solving.
- Use questions to evaluate the quality of information and identify reliable data.
- Understand how critical thinking helps teams spot and solve issues early.
- Apply a critical thinking process to improve personal or group decisions.
By the end of this video, you’ll be able to:
- Recognize the difference between passive and active thinking.
- Explain why critical thinking leads to better problem solving.
- Use questions to evaluate the quality of information and identify reliable data.
- Understand how critical thinking helps teams spot and solve issues early.
- Apply a critical thinking process to improve personal or group decisions.
Standards Aligned
- ISTE Standard: Global Collaborator 7c