Our practical themes
Critical thinking
Making sense of information, weighing reasons and deciding what to believe or do.
One of UnionOfSkills.com’s ten practical themes, not an official EU list. How we organise skills.
Why it matters
These skills address different parts of a judgement: checking whether sources are trustworthy and relevant, examining what evidence supports a conclusion, interpreting how media present an issue and weighing options before a choice. Together, they help make the reasons for a view or decision clearer.
Skills in this theme
Critical thinking
Information evaluation
Judge whether information and its sources are relevant, reliable and credible.
Critical thinking
Reasoning with evidence
Use evidence to support, challenge or revise a conclusion.
Critical thinking
Reasoned decision-making
Compare options and make a choice using evidence, priorities, likely consequences and practical limits.
Critical thinking
Media literacy
Understand how media messages are made, presented and shared, and how this can shape their meaning.
Also connected with this theme
These skills have their main home in another theme, with a further connection here.
Problem-solving
Problem framing
Understand and define a problem before trying to solve it.
Problem-solving
Systems thinking
Understand how parts of a situation depend on one another and how changes can have wider effects.
Digital literacy
Critical & responsible use of AI
Use AI with human judgement: check its outputs and limitations, and decide when its use is appropriate.
Inclusion & diversity
Recognising bias
Notice how assumptions, stereotypes or bias may shape information, judgement and behaviour.
Learning to learn
Reflective learning
Review experience or evidence to understand learning and improve future approaches.
Connected themes
Youth relevance
Coursework, shared posts and choices about study or commitments give young people opportunities to question information and weigh reasons. They can practise explaining what supports a view, where uncertainty remains and why they favour a particular option.