Thinking Habit 05

Evaluate
Credibility

Assess how trustworthy a source or claim is by examining its evidence, expertise, purpose, and corroboration.

Driving question

How much confidence should I place in this claim, and why?

Teacher prompts

  • Is this a preference, a factual claim, or a mixture of both?
  • Who is making the claim, and for what purpose?
  • What evidence supports it, and what are the limits of that evidence?
  • Can an independent source corroborate it?
  • Does the reasoning rely on popularity, authority, or another shortcut?
  • How confident should you be after checking?

What students do

  • Distinguish personal preference from claims that can be checked.
  • Examine the source’s relevant expertise, purpose, and possible interests.
  • Trace a claim to its evidence and assess that evidence’s quality.
  • Corroborate with independent sources rather than repeated versions of one claim.
  • Notice reasoning errors or bias that may affect the claim or their assessment.
  • Calibrate confidence to the strength and limits of the available support.

See the habit in the work

A student repeats a product claim from a popular post. Checking the source and its evidence changes the confidence the student places in that claim.

Illustrative classroom example · Media literacy · Checking a product claim

Draft

This study app doubles test scores. The video has thousands of likes.

The information available

In this fictional example, the video links to the app seller’s page. The page presents three customer testimonials but no study supporting the claim that scores double.

The number of likes shows attention to the video. It does not establish whether the claim is accurate.

Draft

This study app doubles test scores. The video has thousands of likes.

Teacher feedback

Who benefits if you believe this? Can you trace “doubles test scores” to a study? Do the testimonials establish that result?

The teacher asks the student to examine purpose, trace the evidence, and seek independent corroboration. A commercial purpose is a reason to inspect the evidence, not proof that a claim is false.

Draft

This study app doubles test scores. The video has thousands of likes.

Revised

The seller claims the app doubles test scores, but the page provides testimonials rather than a study supporting that result. Likes do not verify it. I have low confidence in the claim until I can find stronger, independent evidence.

What changed: The student separated popularity from evidence, considered the seller’s purpose, and limited confidence to what the available support warrants. The student has not established that the claim is false.

Try it in class

Trace one checkable claim

  1. Choose one factual claim in an advertisement, article, or post. Separate it from opinions or preferences expressed alongside it.
  2. Ask students to identify the source and purpose, follow the claim to its supporting evidence, and look for independent corroboration.
  3. Have students explain their confidence in the claim, citing what they checked and naming any important limits.

Make the credibility judgment visible

Have students record the exact claim, its source and purpose, the evidence found, any independent corroboration, and a justified confidence level.

Look for judgments tied to specific evidence. A polished website, familiar name, or large audience does not settle credibility. Agreement with a student’s existing beliefs does not verify a claim either.