Who Do You Believe? Critical Thinking for the Next Generation

With only a few weeks to go before the 21st European Skeptics Congress, we can announce the final panel session for the weekend. Merseyside Skeptics' Phil Armstrong will be joined by Yvonne Skipper, John Hamilton, and Caradoc Gethin to probe how we can best arm young people with the tools needed to recognise mis- and dis-information.

Exposure to critical thinking in the digital age begins at school-age, so how do we begin to equip children with the critical thinking skills required to protect them?

Dr Yvonne Skipper is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology based in the School of Education at the University of Glasgow. She has published more than thirty articles and book chapters on educational psychology. She has expertise in working with partner organisations such as local education authorities, schools and charities to co-create interventions to improve educational outcomes.

John Hamilton is a physics teacher and associate assistant head at London Academy of Excellence, a state funded sixth form in Newham, East London which this year ranked third in the county for-A Level results in The Times league tables. He believes applying and promoting critical thinking is important in education, for both students and in the professional development of teachers.

Caradoc Gethin (also known as Chad) has been in education for the entirety of this century. Although, on paper, he is a science specialist, he is passionate about all learning and has a particular interest in finding ways to prevent misinformation, disinformation and harmful content from spreading amongst those most vulnerable: children.

Phil Armstrong is a board member of the Merseyside Skeptics Society and part of the organising team for ESC Liverpool. He is a software developer and father of two boys.

This session completes the line-up for ESC 2026, which is now just a month away. Early bird pricing ends today so pick up your ticket now before the prices change.