A peer-reviewed publication of The International Association for Cognitive Education and Psychology Co-Editors: Jerry Carlson, University of California at … (original) (raw)
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Teaching Critical Thinking in the Greek School: An Infusion Program and its Effectiveness
Journal of Cognitive Education and Psychology, 2001
The school curriculum and the educational legislation of Greece place the development of critical thinking among the first priorities of formal education. In practice, however, teaching is based most of the time on the mnemonic abilities of the students. As a r esult, schools are subjected to endless criticism and teachers are constantly exhorted, typically in the vaguest of terms, to use teaching practices that engage the higher cognitive abilities of their pupils. This work describes a program which aims to equip teachers with specific and practical, effective schemata for infusing thinking into day-today curriculum activities. The first part o f the work presents conceptualizations of critical thinking and of teaching for thinking, both of which have been used as tools for developing an infusion program later presented to primary school teachers in an inservice course. The second part presents t he results from the implementation of the program, which show that the program is both easy to use and effective in promoting the involvement of primary school-aged children in learning activities which engage in critical thinking.
What is Needed to Develop Critical Thinking in Schools
• Starting with the fact that school education has failed to become education for critical thinking and that one of the reasons for that could be in how education for critical thinking is conceptualised, this paper presents: (1) an analysis of the predominant approach to education for critical thinking through the implementation of special programs and methods, and (2) an attempt to establish different approaches to education for critical thinking. The overview and analysis of understanding education for developing critical thinking as the implementation of special programs reveal that it is perceived as a decontextualised activity , reduced to practicing individual intellectual skills. Foundations for a different approach, which could be characterised as the 'education for critical competencies' , are found in ideas of critical pedagogy and open curriculum theory. This approach differs from the predominant approach in terms of how the nature and purpose of critical thinking and education for critical thinking are understood. In the approach of education for critical competencies, it is not sufficient to introduce special programs and methods for the development of critical thinking to the existing educational system. This approach emphasises the need to question and reconstruct the status, role, and power of pupils and teachers in the teaching process, but also in the process of curriculum development.
A Direct and Explicit Instruction of Critical Thinking Skills by the Process of Infusion
Quantum Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2022
Educators, employers, and governing agencies view critical thinking (CT) as one of the most desired outcomes of higher education. This study employs a qualitative phenomenological design by applying an explicit five-stage procedure to infuse preselected thinking skills to a class of 22 international students in a 14-week reading programme at a local university. Six lessons, two hours each per week on critical thinking were taught to the students by three different teachers. The total of 12 hours of instruction was based on articles selected from the National Geographic series which contained structured sections on critical thinking. Adequate time was allowed for discussion when students were encouraged to deliberate on views of the authors of the articles. The guiding questions of the instructors led to positive outcomes of the lessons, and consequently students expressed their views freely. Two more articles (lessons 7 and 8) were handed out to the students as independent tasks. This was to ensure that students could work independently and that critical thinking skills had actually been infused after the six taught lessons. The data from the two lessons, 3 samples each (selected randomly) were analysed qualitatively using the Association of American Colleges and Universities rubric instrument. Findings on their performances indicated that critical thinking skills were infused through explicit and direct instruction. The result indicated that students were able to apply critical thinking skills in reading.
Fostering Critical Thinking across the Primary School’s Curriculum in the European Schools System
Education Sciences
To develop citizens’ critical thinking (CT) abilities, schools must better integrate CT into the curricula. Although educators, psychologists, and philosophers agree on the importance of critical thinking, there is no agreement on a common theoretical definition. The goal of this study is to define the framework for the promotion of critical thinking in the context of curriculum development. Specifically, to explore how the primary school curriculum addresses the concept of CT, and to identify characteristics, core skills, and approaches to CT in the syllabi. We conducted a document analysis of curriculum and syllabi in the European Schools system. The results show that although the primary school curriculum does not define the concept of CT, it does consider it a key skill to develop and foster among pupils across the school syllabi. Concerning the CT teaching approaches, our study detected a holistic approach in which the European Schools system supports CT as an explicit and impl...
2015
Our study aimed to identify which are the most appropriate methods and procedures to develop critical thinking in young schoolchildren. In the organization of teaching, we identified two contexts of analysis: static context and a dynamic context (procedural). Static context we localized to the teaching-learning for critical thinking. Here we aimed to identify the methods of developing the critical thinking framework specific to each stage of the development of critical thinking. Dynamic or procedural context is identifiable by methods that can be activated with specific tasks at all stages of teaching and learning. © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Peer-review under responsibility of The Association “Education for tomorrow” / [Asociatia “Educatie pentru maine”].
Enhancing Critical Thinking of Students in Curriculum
2021
The main aim of education is not just to give students useful information but to teach them thinking skills, to make decisions and choices, to develop their mental abilities. Educators should stir pupils' curiosity, creativity and imagination; broaden their horizons; deepen their way of thinking, enrich their outlook and scope of knowledge. Additionally, critical thinking is also needed to be in this list, since it is really influential in every stage of life. The purpose of this paper is to explore importance of critical thinking as well as some techniques to develop thinking critically in the classroom
Humanities with a Major in English. PENONOMÉ, COCLÉ 2013 APPROVAL _________________________________ _________________________________ JURY APPROVAL DATE: ____________________________ ii DEDICATION To the most important people in my life, for their love, care, and support. This project is dedicated to my mom and siblings who encouraged me to keep on this career because they knew that I was capable to achieve success. Always yours, Katherine. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENT Thanks to God, for giving me strength and courage to keep working on this Project. Thanks to my mom for her caring help and back up. Thanks teacher Josevel Beitia, for the precious time you spent reviewing my e-mails, drafts, and answering my questions. Thanks teacher Tania Lam for giving me permission to apply my experiments in her class as well as her loving attention every time I needed her.
Critical Thinking in Elementary School Children
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2015
Our study aimed to identify which are the most appropriate methods and procedures to develop critical thinking in young schoolchildren. In the organization of teaching, we identified two contexts of analysis: static context and a dynamic context (procedural). Static context we localized to the teaching-learning for critical thinking. Here we aimed to identify the methods of developing the critical thinking framework specific to each stage of the development of critical thinking. Dynamic or procedural context is identifiable by methods that can be activated with specific tasks at all stages of teaching and learning.
Acta Didactica Napocensia, 2017
In the contemporary international field of education and particularly in Science Education, there is a tendency of limiting the teacher to the role of a passive recipient of knowledge produced in research, followed by the transfer of that knowledge to the classroom. Meanwhile, the dominant tendencies on forming constructivist frameworks, where participatory procedures for discovering and constructing knowledge by the children are encouraged, are in contrast to the prevailing tendency mentioned above. This contradiction leads the teacher to failure, which we believe could be tackled with teacher training programs that promote critical thinking and reflective processes. The following text presents an attempt of a method application for educating adults (TLAE method) for teaching traditional university courses in Sciences Education. According to the findings of the research, the development of critical thinking skills in student teachers is evident. The example of the TLAE method application offers the possibility to enhance traditional teaching approaches with new innovative and experiential practices, while such a perspective could compensate for the inefficacies of teacher training.. 1. The Theoretical Framework In the last 30 years the development of Science Education, in terms of significant progress in research regarding learning and teaching natural sciences, has led to systematic revisions of science teacher training (Zeegers, 1994; Davis, 2004; Boilevin & Ravanis, 2007). Since dominant theoretical approaches in the broader context of Science Education are influenced by constructivism or/and socio-constructivism, the orientation of basic education as well as teacher training, has shifted from a traditional preoccupation of teaching subjects such as Physics, Chemistry or Biology, to cognitive processes and teaching practices that help children of all ages shape the way of perceiving phenomena and concepts of natural sciences. This new orientation was formed gradually, facing great resistance from those who insisted on the value of teacher training programs aiming to a deeper understanding of natural sciences and laboratory teaching. This created a new awareness that moved the focus from the actual subject to the obstacles created by the children's thinking and often even by the teachers' thinking. This new concept was to reposition major issues for education in natural sciences such as the transformation of scientific knowledge into 'school knowledge', the curricula, the revision of teaching practices, the role of the laboratory, the solution of problems, evaluation etc. All these efforts that are recorded internationally over the last thirty years, certainly of different intensity and form in various educational systems, have created an environment in search of recognition and autonomy associated with significant currents of humanities and social sciences, such as the branch of Psychology that deals with learning and the classic educational theoretical aspects (Ravanis, 1998, 2010; Dumas Carré, Weil-Barais, Ravanis & Shourcheh, 2003). It goes without saying that this process was not linear, consensus and systematic. Weaknesses and contradictions for all research and development issues of Science Education, difficulties of adjusting to the framework of social sciences and divergent views, created degraded areas of theoretical reflection and research. The most important among them was the issue of the
How Thinking Routines Enhance Critical Thinking of Elementary Students
IJORER : International Journal of Recent Educational Research
Learning English as a foreign language within a primary school in Indonesia tends to be teacher-centered and focuses on the single correct answer. The demands of tests and covering textbook materials for tests prevent students from becoming active thinkers. Specific strategies have been proposed to promote critical thinking skills. Previous studies focused on applying thinking routines either in early childhood or higher education. This study examines the effect of thinking routines on sixth-grade elementary school students' critical thinking ability within an English lesson. The quasi-experimental research was conducted with 64 students divided into a control group (N=32) and an experimental group (N=32) at two different schools. This research was conducted online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The data is analyzed statistically using the Mann-Whitney U Test. Critical thinking ability tests and observation sheets were used as data collection tools. The results reveal that think...