A student meets with her writing tutor online.

In a world of fast-paced information and polarized viewpoints, critical thinking stands out as a non-negotiable skill for today’s students. The Gilliam Writers Group understands this; each writing tutor on our faculty has crafted their own suite of exercises that aim not only to sharpen students' critical faculties but also to broaden their creative horizons.

The exercises in today’s selection are stepping stones toward independent thought, rigorous analysis, and expressive clarity. Whether they call for dissecting source reliability or stepping into the shoes of an inanimate object, all of these exercises provide an intellectual challenge suitable for writers of any age.

So without further ado, here are fourteen suggestions for writing tutoring exercises to improve students’ critical thinking, summarized from real lessons given by Gilliam Writers Group tutors. These exercises can be adapted and expanded based on the student’s level and interests; the main goals are to challenge the student to think in new ways, consider how context informs content, and express their thoughts clearly and compellingly.

Media Literacy Exercises

Our first two exercises are focused on identifying and evaluating sources for reliability, which can help with media literacy — a crucial critical thinking skill in today’s complex and often overwhelming media landscape. Both of these exercises encourage students to not just consume information passively but to engage with it actively and critically.

Exercise 1: Source Evaluation Report:

Objective: To teach students how to distinguish between reliable and unreliable sources

Exercise: Provide the student with a list of various sources – these could include news articles, blog posts, academic papers, and social media posts. The sources should vary in credibility.
Instructions: Ask the student to evaluate each source based on criteria such as the author's credentials, publication, evidence presented, bias, and the date of publication. The student should write a report assessing the credibility of each source and justify their evaluations based on the criteria.
Goal: This exercise helps students develop the ability to critically analyze sources and understand what makes a source reliable or unreliable.

Exercise 2: Real-time News Analysis:

Objective: To enhance the ability to critically evaluate news in real time.

Exercise: Ask the student to follow a current news story over a period (e.g., one week) across different media outlets and platforms.
Instructions: The student should collect articles, videos, social media posts, etc., about the news story from various sources.
They should analyze how different sources report the same story, noting differences in facts presented, tone, and any apparent biases. The student should then write an analysis of how media bias and source reliability can affect the understanding of a news event.
Goal: This exercise encourages students to understand how different sources might present the same information differently and the importance of cross-referencing to get a well-rounded understanding of a news story.

Creative Writing Exercises

Exercise 3: Perspective Writing:

Exercise: Ask the student to write a short story from the perspective of an inanimate object (e.g., a clock, a book).
Goal: This encourages them to think creatively and consider different viewpoints, enhancing empathy and imaginative thinking.

Exercise 4: Alternate Ending:

Exercise: Have the student choose a familiar story and write an alternate ending.
Goal: This fosters creativity and encourages them to think about narrative structure and the impact of different story elements.

Exercise 5: Character Diary:

Exercise: Instruct the student to create a diary entry for a fictional character they’ve invented, detailing a day in their life.
Goal: This enhances character development skills and encourages deeper understanding of motivations and emotions.

Exercise 6: Dialogue Challenge:

Exercise: The student must write a conversation between two characters with opposing viewpoints.
Goal: This exercise improves dialogue writing and helps in understanding different perspectives and argumentation.

Academic Writing Exercises

Exercise 7: Thesis Development:

Exercise: Give the student a general topic and ask them to develop a specific thesis statement.
Goal: This hones their ability to narrow down broad topics and develop a clear, concise thesis, a crucial skill in academic writing.

Exercise 8: Critical Analysis of a Text:

Exercise: Have the student choose an article or a book chapter and write a critical analysis of it.
Goal: This improves their ability to read critically, identify key arguments, and analyze the effectiveness of these arguments.

Exercise 9: Comparative Essays:

Exercise: Assign two different pieces of writing (articles, poems, essays) and ask the student to write an essay comparing and contrasting them.
Goal: Encourages analytical thinking by evaluating similarities and differences in themes, styles, and arguments.

Exercise 10: Research Proposals:

Exercise: Have the student come up with a research question and write a brief proposal on how they would investigate it.
Goal: This develops skills in formulating research questions, hypothesizing, and planning an academic inquiry.

Combined Creative and Academic Exercises

Exercise 11: Problem-Solving Story:

Exercise: Ask the student to write a story that revolves around a specific problem and requires a logical solution.
Goal: Merges creative storytelling with logical problem-solving, enhancing both creative and critical thinking.

Exercise 12: Reflective Journaling:

Exercise: Have the student maintain a daily or weekly journal reflecting on what they have learned and their responses to it.
Goal: Encourages introspection, self-analysis, and the ability to connect personal experiences with academic learning.

Exercise 13: Debate Writing:

Exercise: Choose a debatable topic and ask the student to write two essays: one supporting and one opposing the topic.
Goal: Improves their ability to understand and articulate both sides of an argument, a key skill in both creative and academic writing.

Exercise 14: Historical Fiction:

Exercise: The student writes a short piece of historical fiction based on a real historical event or figure.
Goal: Combines research skills with creative writing, requiring them to accurately depict historical contexts while weaving a compelling narrative.

As writing tutors, our mission is to guide students toward not only better communication, but better thinking. We strive to cultivate minds capable of navigating our information-saturated world with acumen and agility. Through these 14 exercises, we hope that you, too, will find ways to encourage your own students to become not just passive absorbers of content but active participants in the discourses that shape our society.

In this collection of exercises, Gilliam Writers Group tutors have shared with you some of their blueprints for intellectual empowerment. Adapt them, expand them, and watch as your students transform both the page and their patterns of thought.