Critical thinking without character is incomplete.

I help school communities foster intellectual character, equipping leaders, teachers, and students to practice humility, courage, autonomy, perseverance, and integrity in the age of artificial intelligence.

Working with

Independent schools · Public districts · Faith-based schools · Chartered networks · Educational conferences

Why it matters

Creating a Culture Around Intellectual Virtues.

More than ever, our society will need citizens and leaders to be exceptional critical thinkers. This will require fostering intellectual virtues—integrity, humility, courage, autonomy, and perseverance. Below are opportunities to cultivate intellectual virtues into the teaching and learning experience at all levels.

For school leaders

Turn a mission statement about critical thinking into a shared culture that leaders, faculty, and families can name, model, and hold themselves to.

Transform culture

For educators

Leave with concrete moves, question stems, and routines that make intellectual virtue visible in the room, so learning goes deeper than the right answer.

Elevate learning

For students

Give young people a language for their own thinking, so they can disagree well, sit with hard questions, and learn independently in the age of AI.

Become better thinkers

As Seen At

Free classroom poster

Five questions for thinking well, in six styles.

The work

See how a session lands in the room.

Recent keynotes and workshops. Each one starts with a real question and works toward a shift students and staff can feel.

Keynote

Learning with Character

The flagship talk on why intellectual character is urgent now.

Student workshop

Disagreeing Well

An activity-heavy session on humility and courage in dialogue.

Faculty PD

Fostering Intellectual Virtue

Professional development that turns theory into classroom routines.

“

Christian gave our Peer Mentors in the College of Health and Human Services an engaging presentation on the use of AI in their everyday lives. He had students reflect on how they first approach assignments and when they turn to tools like ChatGPT. It was a valuable exercise for our mentors, and it helped our staff better understand how our students approach problem-solving.

Academic Counselor

ACE First Year Experience Program · University of New Hampshire

“

The workshop was very engaging and at the same time very informative. The lecture showed me a different perspective on how we approach thinking and learning. Concepts of intellectual virtues and vices were explained clearly, which made the topic easier to understand and relevant to everyday situations. In today’s world of artificial intelligence, I feel the workshop has increased importance: with AI making information, and convincing misinformation, extremely easy to access, the ability to think critically and evaluate sources honestly is more essential than ever.

Student

Oxford Royale Summer Program

About Christian

I am a keynote speaker, former high school educator, researcher, and PhD candidate at the University of New Hampshire. My work helps students shape their intellectual identity by encouraging the integration of intellectual character into academic, professional, and personal learning experiences.

Let us talk

Bring intellectual character to your school.

Tell me about your community and what you want students and staff to walk away seeing. I will send back a proposal built around your goals.

Christian Carmody