About one challenge related to the learning process focused on critical thinking

Abstract

In the article we discuss the importance of teachers feedback for the development of students critical thinking. The practice of classroom observation shows that teachers find it difficult to manage students’ reasoning, often fail to respond accordingly to their answers. They do not try to find out the reasons for an inappropriate answer, mostly prefer not to notice it and ask other students to answer the same question.

In the article we will focus on one unfavorable practice established in recent years. During text analyses and understanding of problems in Georgian lessons, teachers in order to encourage students, often make statement: “Say whatever you want, all opinions are acceptable.”

At first glance, this instruction responds to the requirements of an emotionally safe, positive learning environment, which allows the student to freely express their opinions and is a necessary condition for the development of critical thinking.  However, in reality, we often get the opposite effect. Teachers tend to ignore opinions that do not agree with their own. They wait for the only answer that matches what they have in mind and then just stop the process. They don’t try the previous answers, they don’t even try to explain why the last answer is correct.

In fact, it is a one-right-answer pedagogic. In this process the student and his opinion are ignored. This in some cases causes demotivation. Even when students show a willingness to express their opinions, critical thinking cannot be developed, without validating them with arguments and counter-arguments.

Critical thinking involves the process of questioning opinions, verifying them with arguments and counter-arguments. That’s why it is important to analyze and evaluate expressed opinions in the educational process. Here the effective feedback of the teacher is of crucial importance. Short comments by the teacher, relevant questions are a tool that guides students thinking. For the development of critical thinking, it is important to make the discussion the center of the learning process and to make visible the successful moments in students reasoning.