scholarly journals Analysis of Curricular Content that Urges the Development of Critical Thinking of Pupils in Kosovo Schools

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 48-55
Author(s):  
Mensur Neziri
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Civic Education ◽  
Classroom Activities ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Interview Guide ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Primary School Pupils ◽  
Mixed Nature

Abstract The development of critical thinking is conditioned by the action of many factors. To highlight this fact, I have focused on the opportunities offered by textbooks, teachers and learning activities for the development of the critical thinking of primary school pupils in Kosovo. The study begins from the idea that recognizing these opportunities opens the way for further improvement. The study was conducted with the participation of teachers and students. The textbooks of the primary school in Kosovo were also studied. The study has descriptive and mixed nature. His descriptive character is related to the description of the possibilities for the critical thinking development in the primary school, and the mixed character of methodology is related to the mixed nature of the collected data: textual facts, teachers’ opinions, learning practice / activities. The design of this research was conducted by combining three main methods: content analysis, interview and observation, by comparing each-other’s results of content analysis (tabs), teacher’s interviews, and observation in classes. This was done by analyzing the content of 24 textbooks (Literary anthology 1-5, Albanian Language 1-5, Civic Education 3-5, History 5, Art 1-5 and Music 1-5), 336 teachers were also interviewed and 336 lessons were observed. To collect data from the textbooks, an internationally recognized instrument for critical thinking has been modified, which is then adapted for the construction of an interview guide as well as for observing classroom activities. The study’s findings are interesting and important: it is noted that: the texts contain considerable opportunities for developing critical thinking, teachers have positive attitudes and classroom activities have useful elements that contribute to the development of critical thinking. Also, there are some differences from text to text, from teacher to teacher, and from one lesson to another. The study conclusions are descriptive and show which texts, opinions, and activities develop more critical thinking and which ones need further review and improvement. We come to some useful conclusions for both curriculum compilers (authors and publishers), their implementers, and inspectors.

The Old and New Face of Civic Education: Expert, Teacher, and Student Views

2003 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 446-454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heinrich Mintrop
Keyword(s):  
Social Movements ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Civic Education ◽  
Community Organizing ◽  
Educational Achievement ◽  
International Association ◽  
Political Activity ◽  
Expert Teacher ◽  
The Social ◽  
Teachers And Students

Using the representative database of the Second International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) Civic Education Study, this article takes a look at civic education through the lens of expert scholars, teachers, and students. The data reveals that, as some of the experts reported, political interest is not pervasive among students and classrooms are not places where a culture of debate, controversy, and critical thinking flourishes for students. But things have changed if civic education was primarily an imparting of facts about national history and the workings of the political system. As for teachers, now the discourse of rights and the social movements associated with it top the list of curricular concerns. Large majorities of teachers share with national scholars a conceptualization of civic education as critical thinking and value education, repudiating knowledge transformation as ideal, and they recognize the wide gulf that exists between these ideals and reality. As for many students, political disinterest notwithstanding, forms of participation born out of social movements and community organizing are the preferred channels of political activity. And yet, it seems the experts have a point: the field is not where it should be.

CONSTRUCTION OF NEGATIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF CRITICAL THINKING FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 454-463
Author(s):  
Anita Sondore ◽  
Elfrīda Krastiņa ◽  
Pēteris Daugulis ◽  
Elga Drelinga
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Analysis ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Correct Usage ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Study Programs ◽  
Study Process ◽  
Primary School Pupils ◽  
Different Levels

In the modern study process it is important to teach pupils critical thinking and involvement in decision making. Formulation of negations and construction of counterexamples is one of the ingredients of critical thinking which are stressed in the new project of the mathematical standard for primary school „Skola 2030” in Latvia. The goal of this study is to analyze experience and skills of primary school pupils and students of teacher study programs, which are related to the ability to formulate negations and counterexamples. A qualitative and quantitative analysis of questionaire answers given by pupils and future teachers is performed in this study. Results of this study show that pupils make mistakes constructing negations and counterexamples. Teachers also have problems constructing correct assertions. These observations should stimulate universities to pay attention to teacher preparation in this sense. Teachers should teach correct usage of the negation operation at different levels of difficulty and correct construction of counterexamples.

scholarly journals Alakoulun oppilaiden kokemuksia ratkaisukeskeisen ilmastokasvatuksen toteutuksesta: havaintoja oppimisesta ja tunteista

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 4-22
Author(s):  
Ilkka Ratinen ◽  
Reetta Pahtaja
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
School Climate ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Climate Change Education ◽  
Inquiry Based Learning ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Research Material ◽  
Primary School Pupils

Ratkaisukeskeisen ilmastokasvatuksen tavoitteena on oppia tietoja ja taitoja, joiden avulla opitaan vähentämään ilmastopäästöjä ja sopeutumaan ilmastonmuutokseen parhaalla mahdollisella tavalla. Ilmastonmuutoksen hillintä ja siihen sopeutuminen vaatii onnistuessaan myös tunteiden huomioon ottamista. Ilmastokasvatuksessa toivon ylläpitäminen on mahdollista merkityksiä luovien toimintastrategioiden avulla. Oleellista on, että oppija pohtii tekojensa merkityksellisyyttä, minkä avulla voidaan välttää toiveajattelua. Alakoulussa ilmastokasvatus perustuu tutkivaan oppimiseen ja dialogiseen, oppijan arkikäsityksen huomioon ottavaan vuorovaikutukseen. Vuorovaikutuksellinen opetus sitouttaa oppijat opetukseen. Artikkelissa pohditaan ilmastokasvatuksen toteutumista alakoulun oppilaiden näkökulmasta. Tutkimuksen aineisto kerättiin avoimella kyselylomakkeella kahdeksasta alakoulun luokasta, viidestä eri koulusta. Tutkimusaineisto koostuu 152 oppilaan vastauksista. Vastaukset analysoitiin laadullisella sisällönanalyysillä ja teemoitettiin fenomenografisesti eri käsitekategorioihin. Käsitekategoriat muodostuivat neljästä teemasta: 1) Uuden oppimisesta, 2) kiinnostuksen lisääntymisestä, 3) ilmaston-muutokseen liittyvästä toivosta ja 4) ilmastonmuutokseen liittyvästä surusta.   Primary school pupils' experiences on the implementation of intentional climate change education: observations on learning and emotions Abstract The goal of intentional climate change education is to learn the knowledge and skills to reduce climate emissions and adapt to climate change in the best possible way. Mitigating and adapting to climate change also requires taking emotions into account. In climate change education hope is possible to maintain through meaningful coping strategies. It is essential that the learner reflects on the significance of his or her actions and thus avoids unnecessary wishful thinking. In primary school, climate education is based on inquiry-based learning and dialogical interaction that considers the learner's everyday thinking. Interactive learning process helps to engage learners. This article considers the implementation of climate education from the perspective of primary school pupils. The research material was collected with an open questionnaire from eight primary school classes from five different schools. The research material consists of 152 pupils’ answers. The responses were analysed by qualitative content analysis and were phenomenographically themed into different concept categories. The concept categories consisted of four themes: 1) learning from the new, 2) increasing interest, 3) hope related to climate change, and 4) grief related to climate change. Keywords: intentional climate change education, hope, primary school

INSECT TOPIC IN PRIMARY SCHOOL: CONTENT AND IDEAS FOR ACTIVITY

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-50
Author(s):  
Rita Makarskaitė-Petkevičienė
Keyword(s):  
Science Education ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Natural Science ◽  
School Science ◽  
Project Activity ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Diverse Learning ◽  
French Experience ◽  
Primary School Science

Currently more attention is paid to natural science education in Lithuania. It is being encouraged to learn in green environment, diverse learning environments are established, however, it is also necessary to enhance teacher natural science literacy, to orientate education process into deeper learning. This article discusses, how to realise insect topic in primary school. French experience is also used for this. Use of insects for teaching purposes can be very beneficial, because students can perform long term observations and experience a lot. They: 1) observe insect development and analyse different stages (egg, larva, pupa, adult; stage length; death and what were the causes of it; environmental conditions: humidity, light, temperature, food, behaviour and so on); 2) develop critical thinking: look for the answers to emerging questions, compare and collate, find similarities and differences, solve emerging problems; 3) develop positive attitudes regarding nature, overcome fear and prejudice (an insect cannot be another animal, isn’t it, therefore it is more important to understand what makes insect so interesting and significant). Insect topic, as any other, can be interesting, useful for students getting to know animate nature, if it is directed towards students’ knowledge and understanding, ability, critical thinking and value attitude education. Teacher, undertaking educational or project activity about insects has to seriously prepare, think out in advance, what part of activity is going to take place in natural environment and what in the classroom, what educational spaces are going to be created or exploited, to read a lot on that topic, to prepare students’ activity sheets. Keywords: animate nature, project activity, primary school, science education.

Historical Literacy among Primary School Pupils

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 218-223
Author(s):  
Baharuddin Jabar Et.al
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
School Administrators ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Ministry Of Education ◽  
School Students ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Historical Literacy ◽  
Knowledge Content ◽  
Primary School Pupils

The study was aimed at identifying the level of historical literacy among year six primary school students. This historical literacy was divided into three main domains: knowledge, skills and value. This study employed the quantitative approach to identify the level of historical literacy in the three domains: knowledge (content of subjects), skills (including thinking skills and specific skills in history, such as historical thinking skills) and values (noble values and specific values in the historical subjects of patriotism).The instrument used in data collection was a questionnaire in a form of test. The research samples were 345 Year Six students. The data was analysed descriptively to identify the level of students' historical literacy. Research findings indicated that the level of historical literacy among the Year Six school students was modest at 63.76% (53.15% knowledge, 51.83% skills and 86.3% values). The findings of this study could be used by several parties such as Ministry of Education Malaysia (KPM), school administrators, teachers and students.

scholarly journals Improving students’ critical thinking skills using Time Bar Media in Mathemathics learning in the third grade primary school

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wahyu Purwaningsih ◽  
Muhammad Nur Wangid
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Mathematics Learning ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Test Question ◽  
Use Of Time ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Written Test

This study aims to improve the students’ critical thinking skills using time bar media in mathematics learning for in grade IIIA of State Primary School Kotagede I. It used classroom action research as design by Kemmis and McTaggart. The subjects of this research were grade 3th State Primary School Kotagede I with a total of 30 students. The data were collected through observation, written tests, and interviews. The research instrument used was the teacher's activity observation sheet in mathematics learning, written test questions, and interview guides for teachers and students. The instrument of the test each test question there are 6 items in the description. The obtained data were analyzed using descriptive quantitative and qualitative techniques. The results showed that the use of time bar media in mathematics learning could improve students' critical thinking skills. The critical thinking skills covered: providing simple explanations,  building basic skills, concluding, providing further explanations, and arranging strategies and tactics. The increase in students' critical thinking skills was seen based on the test results in the pre-action (43%) which increased to 80% in the first cycle and increased to 90% in the second cycle.           Keywords: students', critical thinking skills, time bar media

scholarly journals Critical Thinking Development of Primary School Pupils by Means of Inventive Problems

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-40
Author(s):  
Iryna Gavrysh ◽  
Svitlana Dotsenko
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Education ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Initial Stage ◽  
Educational Programmes ◽  
Key Competencies ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Primary School Pupils ◽  
Alternative Solutions

The purpose of the research is to determine the effective tools for the critical thinking development for primary school pupils. Methodology. The retrospective analysis of the primary education systems development in Ukraine and in highly developed countries was used, the primary school is determined to be the initial stage of the pupils’ critical thinking development. The material of the study is primary school educational programmes, branches of education, and existing academic subjects, it indicates the necessity to develop and implement the particular subject, and its aim is to develop critical thinking and the abilities to express one’s own opinion, assess risks and solve problems. According to the State Standard of Primary Education the key competencies require the following skills: creativity; initiative; the abilities to justify one’s position logically, to manage emotions constructively, to assess risks, to make decisions, to solve problems, to cooperate with others. Results. The article clarifies that critical thinking is a type of thinking aimed at solving problems, namely studying the argument line (hypotheses, criteria, definitions, arguments, facts, etc.), analyzing alternative solutions; forecasting and assessing consequences. It is proved in practice that inventive problems serve as an effective way to develop critical thinking. The basis of such problems is the theory of inventive problem solving (TIPS). It is determined that an inventive problem contains a cognitive contradiction, its solving promotes the pupils’ critical thinking development. The authors’ subject ‘Eureka’ for pupils of 2-4 classes is offered. Its aim is to develop pupils’ critical thinking, creative and inventive abilities, and also primary skills to carry out natural science researches. The results of the subject approbation are given. Conclusions. Primary school pupils’ critical thinking development can be achieved through the introduction of a range of new subjects at the initial stages of education. The aim of such subjects is to teach pupils to solve inventive problems.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document