NURTURING HOPE

Reflections on Thinking Habits for a Challenging World: Nurturing Transformative Thinking for Flourishing Futures

Craig Findlay, High School Social Studies Teacher, Lethbridge School Division, Alberta

December 10, 2025

I have eagerly embraced the TC² approach to critical thinking for the majority of my 33-year teaching career. I was both impressed and inspired with the recent reflective work of the organization resulting in the research paper Thinking Habits for a Challenging World: Nurturing Transformative Thinking for Flourishing Futures. The paper acknowledges some organizational blind spots and sets out a reflexive and responsive vision for the future. It justifies a revitalized vision for the organization to “see quality thinking not simply as an individual cognitive act, but as a communal, relational, and transformative practice that empowers people to respond to the world with clarity, care, and courage” (p.1).

I deeply appreciate one of the paper’s overarching themes focused on the need to nurture agency, efficacy, and hope in our young people. It forwards seven core thinking habits that “reflect the dispositions young people are indicating they need to continue developing in order to thrive” (p. 9). Furthermore, the paper stresses the need to draw upon “diverse knowledge systems and cultural values, recognizing the importance of holistic, relational, and inclusive approaches that meet learners where they are” (p.9).

The paper outlines a refinement of TC²’s core thinking habits. I am most thankful with the inclusion of the following dispositions:

Accepting of discomfort in learning: the willingness to sit with uncertainty, tension, and complexity as part of meaningful growth, transformation, and the pursuit of truth

Holistically minded: an integrative approach to thinking that connects intellectual, emotional, spiritual, and physical dimensions of well-being—for self, others, and the planet

Visionary: the ability to imagine alternative futures with creativity and grounded hope, cultivating the inner resources to dream, design, and act toward a better world

Thinking relationally and systemically: a way of understanding the world that sees interconnections, relationships, and systems as central to ethical decision-making and meaningful change

Courageous: the strength to take principled action, even in the face of fear, resistance, or uncertainty, guided by care, integrity, and conviction

These new thinking habits undoubtedly underscore the challenge and uncertainty involved in thinking critically, but they also expound the resultant benefits of connection and hope we so desperately need in our world right now. We live in a time characterized by rapid change, ambiguity, mistrust, and confusion, which has thrust us towards increased polarization, intolerance, and disconnection from each other and from nature. We need to close the gap between the short-sighted political and economic interests of humanity and the long-term well-being of our natural world. The health and sustainability of shared ecosystems must be a priority; our relationships to the land and to each other must be healed. If we hope to restore these connections and nurture a renewed respect for each other and the natural world, then we must reimagine the role and purpose of our education systems.

I had the privilege to be part of the Finland–Alberta partnership in which Alberta schools partnered with Finnish schools to collaboratively engage with the inquiry question: What makes a great school for all? During our first visit to Finland, we met with education ministry representatives and they explained the curriculum revision process underway in their country. The first presentation slides they shared introduced the foundational question at the heart of their visionary work: What will I have when I have lost everything I have learned? It was a simple yet profound question forcing deep contemplation on the purpose of our shared work and on the overall project of sustaining a universally accessible education system centered on creating a cohesive, informed, engaged, and productive citizenry.

I share this story because the Thinking Habits for a Challenging World paper shared a similarly profound question: What am I hoping students leave my classroom, school, or district feeling and being—not just knowing and doing? When I read this overarching inquiry question it immediately brought me back to my time in Finland and our shared mission of reimagining our education systems in pursuit of a great school for all. It again became clear: we must be engaged in meaningful conversations about how to best support our young people as they navigate a rapidly changing and increasingly complex world. The Critical Thinking Consortium’s forward-thinking paper can and should inform our shared goal of nurturing confident, resilient, and hopeful students, who have the disposition to think critically and creatively.

Visit TC²’s webpage Transformative Thinking Habits to download the research paper and check back for updates on future work.

 

Reference:

The Critical Thinking Consortium. (2025). Thinking habits for a challenging world: Nurturing transformative thinking for flourishing futures.