Critical thinking for promoting diversity

Critical thinking for promoting diversity

Project “Critical thinking for promoting diversity”(2008 – 2009), projects financially supported by Soros Foundation Latvia (SFL)) , which consists of 3 stages:

Project “The study on using the critical thinking (CT) approach in the education system – impact and effectiveness in Latvia”: the study, recommendations and a DVD. (The first Project from the cycle „Critical thinking for promoting diversity” 2008). The overall aim of the Project is to find out the impact and effectiveness of the critical thinking approach and to gather the information on how the target group understands and evaluates the introduction and implementation of the critical thinking approach in Latvia over the last ten years. The study showed that the parties involved in the education process: teachers, school administration, students, parents, whose educational institutions use the CT development approach, present the skill to work with large amounts of information, to select, analyze and structure the information, to compare opinions and arguments, to listen to different viewpoints. Diversity is another benefit of the CT approach mentioned by teachers, students and experts: the possibility to improve the interaction skills, the ability to participate in the discussion and to express one’s opinion. This not only and develops the person’s self-confidence but also cultivates the tolerance towards the diversity, different attitudes, viewpoints and strengthens the understanding about the values of a democratic society and the possibilities for effective cooperation on the individual and group level in the process of developing a responsible society. It studied the introduction and implementation of CT approach in the education system – the acquisition of developing the CT approach in higher education and further education; the experience of using of this approach on the education policy level and the school level; the teachers’ experience, the students’ and experts’ opinions about the benefits the critical thinking approach. The use of developing the CT approach in the teaching/learning process was studied by examining and analyzing also the text books used in primary schools in the subjects of humanitarian, nature and social sciences as well as the Standards of basic school education.
The third Project of the cycle - “Working out and publishing a book “The Art of Thinking” (2009 -2010)