Consensus App and GapMinder

These are two tools discussed in the workshop and tie in with one of the key points made in Daniel T. Willingham’s paper, namely that critical thinking depends in part on factual knowledge. Consensus App is an AI-powered website that allows you to get answers to questions that are informed by research and GapMinder is a website and YouTube channel designed to draw attention to gaps in our knowledge about key social issues.

GapMinder was created by the statistician Hans Rosling, author of the book Factfulness. Here’s a video from GapMinder’s YouTube channel on the question “Will saving poor children lead to overpopulation?” Notice how Rosling’s style is emphatic and almost confrontational. How could your students benefit from you being more confrontational in order to grab their attention and provoke new thinking?

Here’s Hans and Ola Rosling’s TED talk “How not to be ignorant about the world”

Have any comments or questions on how to use these tools with your learners or clients? Go to the Critical Thinking Flip Forum and post your thoughts!