Teach your students critical thinking skills
Looking for how to teach critical thinking or how to encourage students to think independently? Symbai helps you teach critical thinking in the classroom through engaging, AI-guided debate lessons—no extra prep needed. Ideal for any subject, grade level, or ability.
Stop AI Plagiarism —Start Authentic Thinking.
Symbai uses AI to turn your existing materials into structured, engaging debates that teach critical thinking skills, engage every student, and save you time.
The Real Problem
Plagiarism doesn’t begin at submission—it begins with disengagement.
When students feel bored, passive, or overwhelmed, they turn to shortcuts like AI. By the time a detection tool flags it, the opportunity to teach critical thinking skills or encourage genuine learning is already lost.
The Symbai Solution
Symbai prevents AI plagiarism at the root by making teaching students to think critically more engaging, rewarding, and simple to adopt.
It supports teachers looking for how to teach critical thinking in the classroom—without needing to overhaul their curriculum.
Just like students wouldn’t use AI to “play” Minecraft, they won’t reach for shortcuts here—because critical thinking practice actually feels like play.
How Symbai Works
1
Create Your Debate Setup
Enter a debating topic and choose which side Symbai should argue. Symbai's AI instantly builds a clear, well-structured case to kickstart the debate.
2
Distribute Student Copies
Share individualized debate workspaces—each containing Symbai’s case and space for the student’s own arguments—customized with the right conditions for their growth, such as difficulty level, access to the AI tutor, and other adaptive settings.
3
Run Interactive Debates
Students debate their own AI opponent under the learning conditions you’ve chosen. This is where teaching students to think critically happens in real time—while you get live performance and engagement data.
4
Review & Reflect
Each debate session delivers rich insights into every student’s argument structure and critical thinking growth. Symbai helps you teach critical thinking skills while tracking progress across debates.
Symbai Prevents AI Plagiarism at its Root — By Helping You Teach Critical Thinking Through Debate
Class/Group Discussions → Enhanced with Symbai
Without Symbai
- Uneven participation,
- Hard to see each student’s thinking,
- High risk of disengagement & AI shortcuts
With Symbai
- Debate trees automatically structure claims → reasons → evidence → rebuttals.
- Helps you teach debate in the classroom with no extra prep
- Students draft essays faster and think more clearly with side-by-side outlines.
- Teachers gain insight into each student’s critical thinking development
Result - Students enjoy authentic engagement, and teachers see real-time thinking - NO SHORTCUTS
Mind-Mapping & Essay Planning → Enhanced with Symbai
Without Symbai
- Fragmented notes
- Disconnected mind maps
- Hard for teachers to give feedback until grading
With Symbai
- Debate trees automatically structure claims → reasons → evidence → rebuttals
- Students build outlines as they think — boosting essay planning and clarity
- Teachers give real-time prompts and feedback, improving critical thinking development
- A faster, more structured way to teach writing and critical thinking together
Result - Essays are authentic and well-structured, and plagiarism becomes irrelevant.
Example Topics By Level
Primary / Years 5–8
“Kids should be allowed more screen time.”
Intermediate / Years 9–10
“Homework should be banned.”
Senior / Expert
“Governments should prioritise climate change over economic growth.”
Symbai is built by world-class educators with deep competitive debating and teaching experience at the highest international levels.
Our leadership team leadership team has:
- Won national championships.
- Coached national debate squads.
- Judged major Australasian and World Universities tournaments.
- Supported students from across the globe.
The team brings together practical coaching experience, pedagogical expertise, and cutting-edge AI design to build tools that genuinely improve critical thinking
Designed by World-Class Educators
More About Connor
In Connors Words
“Symbai exists to make rigorous thinking accessible to anyone who wants to challenge their mind — not just those who already love to argue.
After six years of refining ideas from classrooms, coaching, and code, I built Symbai to make advanced argumentation easy to access — and even fun. It’s where technology meets the art of reasoning, helping you think more clearly, question more deeply, and engage with ideas that push you forward.”
More About Connor
Co-taught Baradene’s History Scholarship Program — producing 13 scholarship winners and 4 outstanding scholars, all trained to argue with clarity and evidence.
- Represented the University of Auckland at national and international debate championships, inspiring Symbai’s focus on clear, reasoned argument.
- Winner and finalist in senior Auckland Schools Debating competitions.
- Coached multiple championship teams and doubled student participation in debating & mooting as Head Coach at Baradene College.
- Microsoft Innovative Educator 2022 & 2024
- Holds a BA in Political Science and History
More About Sharuka
- Winner of both the New Zealand University Prepared Debating Championship and the New Zealand Impromptu Debating Championship, representing the University of Auckland.
- Semi-finalist and top 10 speaker at the Australasian Debating Championship and semifinalist at the World Universities Debate Championship in 2021, representing the University of Auckland.
- Coached the National School Debate team for New Zealand in 2022 and for Sri Lanka in 2025.
- Chair of the judging panel of the Grand Finals of the Australasian Debate Championship in 2023 and of a Quarterfinal of the World University Debate Championship in 2024.
- Holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Mathematics and a Bachelor of Laws.
Symbai is built by world-class educators with deep competitive debating and teaching experience at the highest international levels.
Our leadership team leadership team has:
- Won national championships.
- Coached national debate squads.
- Judged major Australasian and World Universities tournaments.
- Supported students from across the globe.
The team brings together practical coaching experience, pedagogical expertise, and cutting-edge AI design to build tools that genuinely improve critical thinking
The Two Most Effective Ways to Improve Critical Thinking
Unified in Symbai
Hundreds of thousands of students across 60 countries choose to spend their free time in formal debating competitions because it improves their critical thinking skills.
Formal debating improves:
Dynamic reasoning — adapting ideas under pressure
Strategic thought — anticipating and countering objections
Cognitive discipline — structuring arguments with clarity and purpose
Increases Critical Thinking By Up To 50%
8.6% Critical Thinking Gains In Just 3 Weeks
9 in 10 former debaters go on to earn at least one advanced degree.
Argument mapping has been around for hundreds of years, used by philosophers, scientists, and modern critical-thinking educators to make critical thinking clearer by drawing it out.
And for good reason: when done well, argument mapping is one of the most effective ways to improve critical thinking and develop sharper logical reasoning.
Argument mapping helps you:
- Clarify reasoning by revealing the actual structure of your thinking
- Expose weak links that get lost in normal prose
- Build precision through visual logic rather than persuasive writing tricks
Improves Critical Thinking Courses By Over 300%
One Semester Of Argument Mapping Produces 6-7x MORE Critical Thinking Gains Than One Semester Of Normal University Study
9% Critical Thinking Gains In Just Weeks
DEBATING
Debating develops the habits that critical thinking courses try to teach:
Dynamic reasoning — adapting ideas under pressure
Strategic thought — anticipating and countering objections
Cognitive discipline — structuring arguments with clarity and purpose
ARGUMENT MAPPING
If debating is the clash of ideas, argument mapping is the architecture that makes clear thinking possible.
It’s the practice of breaking critical thinking into smaller parts — claims, evidence, objections, and assumptions — and arranging them so the logic becomes visible.
Argument mapping has been around for hundreds of years, used by philosophers, scientists, and modern critical-thinking educators to make critical thinking clearer by drawing it out.
And for good reason: when done well, argument mapping is one of the most effective ways to improve critical thinking and develop sharper logical reasoning.
Argument mapping helps you:
- Clarify reasoning by revealing the actual structure of your thinking
- Expose weak links that get lost in normal prose
- Build precision through visual logic rather than persuasive writing tricks
These benefits make it a powerful method for anyone looking to enhance critical thinking skills, improve decision-making, or analyze arguments more effectively.
But traditional argument mapping has limits:
- Pen and paper mapping is slow and quickly becomes cluttered
- Digital mapping tools speed things up but remain static
- And because the map never talks back, even skilled thinkers can hit writer’s block when faced with a silent diagram
Symbai combines the energy of debate with the clarity of argument mapping.
Debating
Dynamic and engaging, but:
Shackles critical thinking growth to public speaking confidence.
Hard to visualise logic.
Limited practice opportunities.
Argument Mapping
Precise and clear, but:
Slow and cluttered on paper.
Static on digital tools.
Easy to get writer’s block.
The best of both worlds and more:
Engaging debate on-demand without the need to speak publicly.
Quickly produce precise argument maps using an intuitive drag-and-drop canvas infused with a AI critical thinking co-pilot.
Result - Symbai provides on-demand, guided mental training so you can develop critical thinking skills that actually last
Key Benefits for Teachers
Symbai helps you teach debate and critical thinking skills — even for solo learners or small classes — with real structure, challenge, and AI support.
Differentiate with Ease
Launch debates at Easy, Medium, Hard, or Expert level — instantly tailored to each student’s ability and confidence. Perfect for teaching students to think critically at their own pace.
Save Time, Reduce Workload
Built-in teacher chatbot scaffolds arguments and mind maps automatically — prep takes minutes, not hours.
Test What You Teach
Upload your course notes or lesson content — Symbai transforms them into engaging debate resources for students that reinforce knowledge through structured argumentation.
Reach Every Student
Whether you're teaching debate in the classroom or remotely, every learner gets a worthy AI opponent to challenge and strengthen their thinking.
Distraction-Free Debates
Full-screen, locked debate mode promotes deep focus — no copy/paste, multitasking, or AI shortcuts.
Assess With Confidence
Symbai’s unique responses and performance insights make it perfect for teaching critical thinking in the classroom and aligning with assessments and syllabus goals.
Why Students Love It
Symbai makes critical thinking practice fun, rewarding, and interactive. Students enter a fully gamified debate experience — earning points, unlocking new challenges, and debating an AI opponent.
It’s the ideal debate app for students who need a safe space to speak up — including quieter learners. As they play, they’re building confidence, sharpening reasoning, and learning how to structure arguments just like a real debater.
Symbai helps teach students to think critically — not just answer questions, but challenge ideas, respond with logic, and actually enjoy doing it.
Engaging & Gamified
Points, challenge levels, and real-time feedback turn Symbai into a debate app for students that’s fun, interactive, and habit-forming.
Confidence Without the Spotlight
Students practice debate in a safe, AI-led environment — perfect for shy or reserved learners learning to think critically without performance pressure.
Think Both Sides
Symbai’s AI debates both sides of a motion — affirming and negating — helping students see every angle and strengthen reasoning.
Sharpen Real-World Skills
Perfect for lunch breaks, after-school clubs, or independent revision — structured debate practice that fits their schedule.
Always Available Practice
Perfect for lunchtime sessions, after-school clubs, or at-home revision.
Level-Up at Your Own Pace
Students start with simple motions and progress to harder ones — building from foundational logic to advanced debate mastery.
The Symbai Difference — For Your Students and For You.
Symbai works across ages, subjects, and settings — anywhere students write essays or take part in classroom discussions. It’s a flexible solution for teaching critical thinking through structured debate.
With Symbai’s AI-powered debate generator, teachers save time. Just upload your existing lesson material — Symbai instantly transforms it into debate resources for students, helping you teach debate without extra prep.
What others are saying
“I believe Symbai has the potential through its unique multi-AI approach to become ubiquitous in the field of critical thinking in the way that Grammarly is associated with writing or Quizlet is with flash cards.”
Nick Hanne
Education Partnerships Manager at the Free Speech Union NZ
“Symbai fills a major gap in education — it equips students to think logically, independently, and critically. Unlike other tools, it offers a neutral, AI-driven platform where students can genuinely practise debating and refine their thinking. It’s like having a 24/7 mentor that challenges without bias. A powerful solution for those seeking depth over group think in today’s education landscape.”
Todd Roughton
Former Principal, HSNZ