TRACT stands for Twelve Rules for Authentic Critical Thinking. It provides a toolkit for critical thinking, drawing on the ideas of some of the most influential knowers, with links to media sources and pre-existing lessons that help you explore their work.
TRACT will help students to hone their cognitive abilities, prepare great UP portfolio products, and consolidate some of the most actionable ideas from their learning.
TRACT: Twelve Rules for Authentic Critical Thinking
Here are our 12 rules for authentic critical thinking, inspired by the ideas of some of our knowledge heroes. The member-only Padlet below provides presentations for each rule, explaining what they involves, why they matter, and how key thinkers can deepen your understanding of them.
Each rule is explored through real-world lessons, video links, and structured suggestions for portfolio products. Whether you’re an IB or non-IB learner, TRACT will support you in developing a more thoughtful, rigorous, and reflective approach to understanding the world.
1 Accept that you’re biased
2 Learning begins with humility
3 ECREE
4 Don’t insist on certainty
5 Agree on terms
6 Seeing is not believing
7 Memory is fallible
8 Identify the agenda
9 Be an outsider
10 Embrace emotion
11 Avoid silo thinking
12 Be wary of Nkali
Access the sample TRACT presentations
The padlet below provides you with a sample version of the TRACT resource, which comprises the presentations for rules 4 & 9, links it to a pre-existing lesson, and discusses related key thinkers.
The resource hones authentic critical thinking, introduces thought-leaders, and suggests UP Portfolio products. It’s designed for both IB and non-IB learners. The full version is accessible to site members.
Help your learners to exit their echo chambers!
Our online and in-person workshops offer the usual support for students writing the essay and exhibition, and TOK departments designing great courses.
But our training sessions go much further than this: by focusing on authentic critical thinking, they demonstrate how to help learners confront, rather than confirm, their biases and assumptions, and exit their echo chambers. This makes them accessible and relevant for all teachers, whatever their subject or programme. Read more here.