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Margaret examines what is meant by critical thinking and why it is particularly relevant to global learning.
One of the aims of the Global Learning Programme (GLP, 2014) is 'to stimulate critical thinking about global issues at both whole-school and pupil level'. The word 'critical' is used widely in relation to education but what does it mean? Critical thinking is generally advocated as a good thing, but why? What is the difference between critical thinking and critical pedagogy?
How can you develop the geography curriculum and classroom practice to promote criticality? And why is critical thinking particularly relevant to global learning? This article sets out to address these questions and to provide some guidelines for planning units of work and classroom practice.
Who has advocated critical thinking and why?
Critical thinking has been advocated internationally by three projects that argued that, in order to meet the needs of the 21st century, students needed to develop a range of skills including critical thinking. All three projects associated critical thinking with using and evaluating information from a wide range of sources, including ICT, and with problem solving. Partnership for 21st Century Skills (www.p21.org), based in the USA, argued that students needed 21st century skills in order 'to succeed as effective citizens, workers and leaders' in 'the new global economy' (Partnership for 21st Century Skills). Assessment and Teaching of 21 st Century Skills an international project sponsored by Microsoft, and based in Australia, argued that students needed them 'for living and working in an information-age society and to prepare students to be successful in the work force and as global citizens, (ATC21S). The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which has 30 country members, argued that 'today's labour force has to be equipped with the set of skills and competencies which are suited to the knowledge economies' (OECD, 2009, p. 5). OECD thought that these skills should be incorporated into national educational standards and enforced by governments. All three projects, in advocating 21 st century skills, emphasised the needs of the economy, the needs of employers, the future needs of students as workers and citizens, and the role of education in developing them.
Critical thinking is advocated by universities for a different reason; they consider...