Lecture 2
Critical thinking & argumentation

Main features

Critical thinking is difficult to learn.

Reason and decide without prejudice. can that be learned?

Criticizing others is not the same as critical thinking. It starts with daring to question your own beliefs.

Many (young) adults think 'I am critical, so I am a critical thinker'. Full of conviction they plunge into discussions in real life and on Twitter. Many teachers think in the same way and are convinced that if they - with their level of education - ask students questions, then it will all work out with the critical thinking of those students. Nothing is less true.

​

Teachers need to be educated and trained as critical-thinking professionals in order to equip their students with the right skills and mindset to think critically. 

​

How do you do that effectively in a classroom? 

What critical thinking skills should we teach and train students?

What tools are available?

How can you present the same subject matter (from methods) in such a way that critical thinking is applied?

Can you encourage children in all primary school groups to ask questions?

Or is critical thinking only for seniors?

​

How do you teach students that there is not always a ready answer and that there are facts, but arguments sometimes misuse those facts? Multiple viewpoints can coexist, but some viewpoints can be dismantled as fallacies.

In kindergarten, it's about social skills all day long, learning to put yourself in someone else's shoes. Just because you want something doesn't mean someone else likes it. Being able to think outside of yourself is the beginning of critical thinking.

​

duration: 45, 60 or 75 minutes

costs: € 275 plus travel expenses