How to Author Independent Thinking

The source is an excerpt from an article titled "Your Agency Arc: How to Author Independent Thinking," where author Greg Twemlow discusses the critical need to teach students a systematic method for interacting with artificial intelligence. Twemlow introduces the Context & Critique Rule™ (C&C), a two-phase framework—comprising the C-O-P-T-A method for framing context and the V-I-S-A check for systematic critique—designed to move learners from passive acceptance of AI outputs to practised discernment. The article details a four-stage Agency Arc of cognitive development and uses a university workshop as proof that three hours of structured practice can significantly shift students' habits from dependency to collaboration, arguing that this training is urgently needed in high schools to prevent the formation of bad cognitive habits. Finally, Twemlow asserts that mastering C&C provides a crucial employability advantage in the modern labour market by demonstrating critical thinking and methodical process. Read the article.About the Author - Greg Twemlow writes and teaches at the intersection of technology, education, and human judgment. He works with educators and businesses to make AI explainable and assessable in classrooms and boardrooms — to ensure AI users show their process and own their decisions. His cognition protocol, the Context & Critique Rule™, is built on a three-step process: Evidence → Cognition → Discernment — a bridge from what’s scattered to what’s chosen. Context & Critique → Accountable AI™. © 2025 Greg Twemlow. “Context & Critique → Accountable AI” and “Context & Critique Rule” are unregistered trademarks (™).