Flossing Your Teeth and Adopting a Puppy: In-Class Exercises for Developing Critical Thinking in a Digital Age

Abstract

This article presents two in-class exercises designed to develop specific skill sets needed to think critically and make decisions in today’s business environment. The first exercise, “Flossing your Teeth” is designed to build information literacy skills needed in the evidence-gathering phase of critical thinking. The second exercise, “Adopting a Puppy,” is designed to develop analytical skills needed to apply research and inform an evidence-based decision. These exercises engage students in memorable active learning experiences and can be implemented during a single class period within a range of management courses. This article provides a description of each exercise, a guide for debriefing students, and sample student responses to the debriefing questions.

Keywords

critical thinking decision-making information literacy business administration education active learning

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