Developing critical thinking in the primary years

In a society that is drenched with data and bombarded with visual stimuli, the ability to think spatially and critically is vital for our existence. Despite the importance of this thinking, what is and how to develop critical and spatial thinkers are not as well understood. This paper will first discuss the difference between critical thinking, mathematical reasoning and spatial reasoning. Next, it will highlight the importance of visualisation and language in promoting critical and spatial reasoning. It will conclude by showing how authentic tasks, which were used with Year 4 students, can be used to encourage students to visualise, discuss and argue their position