Special episode: Cultivating critical thinkers in your classroom, starring Mitchell Brookins, Ph.D.

Science of Reading: The Podcast

Amplify Education

Education, Science, How To, Social Sciences, Early Literacy, Amplify, Science Of Reading

4.5 • 642 Ratings

🗓️ 4 February 2026

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

We're excited to share a special episode from our friends at our sister podcast, Beyond My Years. Host Ana Torres is joined by nationally recognized educational consultant and thought leader, Mitchell Brookins, Ph.D., to discuss what critical thinking is and how to help students develop it. He also explains why critical thinking is crucial for long-term academic success. Mitchell also gives gives educators four clear steps that they can implement to effectively nurture critical thinking skill...

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey listeners, it's not too late to submit nominations for the fifth annual Science of Reading Star Awards.
0:07.0	Are you or someone you know building background knowledge, implementing interventions, or focusing on comprehension?
0:14.0	We want to celebrate you and the impact you're making every day.
0:19.0	Learn more and nominate a literacy leader from your life today
0:23.7	at amplify.com slash SOR Star Awards. Step one, if I'm an ELA teacher, step one is you have to
0:34.9	internalize the text that you're teaching. You actually have to know
0:38.5	what is the concept, what are the ideas, what are the critical understanding that we're supposed to be
0:43.9	intensively thinking about. Hey listeners, it's Susan. Here to share an episode from our sister
0:52.9	podcast beyond my years that I think you'll love.
0:57.1	Dr. Mitchell Brookens, literacy expert, and one of our all-time favorite guests,
1:02.3	joined host Anna Torres to share strategies for developing students' critical thinking skills.
1:08.5	There are tips on asking probing questions, rereading, and more.
1:13.1	And some of Mitchell's points about rereading are a perfect preview for our episode next week
1:18.7	with Dr. Tim Shanahan. For more insights and tips from thought leaders like Mitchell,
1:24.4	check out all of host Anna Torres's conversations on Beyond My Years.
1:29.3	Season two is available to binge right now.
1:32.7	We'll have a link in the show notes.
1:34.9	And now, here's Dr. Mitchell Brookens on Beyond My Years.
1:41.8	When we talk about knowledge building, when we talk about knowledge acquisition, it's actually
1:48.2	predicated on critical thinking.
1:52.7	This is Adet Torres and welcome to Beyond My Years from Amplify.
1:57.3	We know teachers never stop learning and we are here to help educators extend their reach.
	...

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