CMB » Critical Thinking & Elementary School

Critical Thinking & Elementary School

“Critical Thinking vs. current educational policies of the primary schools of Moldova” project, supported by Open Society Institute, New York

Main objectives of the project:

- Conduct research and analyze the degree to which current Public Elementary School Standards, Learning Objectives and Curriculum include developing critical thinking skills of the Moldovan public elementary school students;

- Build awareness amongst key elementary education system players vs. stakeholder on the changes that need to be made in order to integrate critical thinking as one of the components of the Public Elementary School System.

Project implementation dates: January – August 2010

Main findings of the project:

Main conclusions/findings

What needs to be done

There were 9 assessed textbooks for grade 4 of the elementary school. The main problem or challenge is related to the fact that textbook and curriculum authors have a very different and limited training in developing textbooks,

- the choice of texts and reading materials is highly stereotyped;

- there is one single source for reading provided for the same issue/problem;

- the tasks and questions are above 90% knowledge/memory based;

- there is little focus on other types of thinking as well i.e. creative thinking, economic thinking, environment thinking, etc.

Training and capacity building for national authors of textbooks should be provided;

Training and capacity building for curriculum authors should be provided;

Old textbooks have to be revised and adapted in a way that each school discipline focuses on developing a certain key competence, thus, from elementary school level, students have to be “equipped’ with core competences for Life Long Learning: [1]

- Learning to learn competences;

- Communication in the mother tongue competences;

- Communication in foreign languages competences;

- Action-strategic competences;

- Self evaluation and self knowledge competences;

- Social and civic competences;

- Mathematical competences and basic competences in science and technology;

- Digital competence (ICT);

- Cultural and intercultural awareness and expression competence;

- Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship competence.

The Key Competences for Lifelong Learning – A European Framework is an annex of a Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 on key competences for lifelong learning that was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 30 December 2006/L394. (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriSer v/site/en/oj/2006/l_394/l_ 39420061230en00100018.pdf)

Available Project Reports:

CMB_CT_Small_Grants_Project_Report_MD

Annex1_Textbook_Evaluation_Survey

Annex2 Report on Textbook Assessment