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4SYSTEM OF WORK FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF JUNIOR SCHOOLCHILDREN CRITICAL THINKING IN THE INFORMATION ENVIRONMENT
The article is devoted to the problem of critical thinking development in junior schoolchildren in the information environment. The article defines the content of junior schoolchildren critical thinking concept, the structural components of junior schoolchildren critical thinking, such as cognitive, personal and activity-oriented. The components of the information environment and the influence of the information environment on the development of junior schoolchildren critical thinking are presented. The authors describe the system of junior schoolchildren critical thinking development in the information environment.
Keywords
thinking, critical thinking, information environment, junior schoolchildren
AUTHORS Bella V. Sergeeva
Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor, Pedagogy and Methodology of Primary Education Chair, Kuban State University, 149, Stavropolskaya str., Krasnodar, 350040, Russia. E-mail: 5906372@mail.ru
Evgeniya P. Shvets
Lecturer, Pedagogy and Methodology of Primary Education Chair, Kuban State University, 149, Stavropolskaya str., Krasnodar, 350040, Russia. E-mail: evgenia.shvets.93@mail.ru
Tamara K. Gabeliya
Lecturer, Pedagogy and Methodology of Primary Education Chair, Kuban State University, 149, Stavropolskaya str., Krasnodar, 350040, Russia. E-mail: tamara.gabeliya.94@mail.ru
Introduction
The relevance of the study is due to the situation when a person has excessive access to the multi-polar information. There is an objective need for its adequate assessment, decision-making in a situation of uncertainty. We must provide the proper preparation of students for independent life and work in the information society as citizens, professionals, critically thinking persons. In both theoretical and methodological terms, the pedagogical problem of critical thinking development is poorly studied. An analysis of this problem researches showed that the problem of critical thinking was studied first by foreign psychologists J. Steele, K. Meredith, Ch. Temple (2004), D. Halpern (2000), and Ch. Temple (2005). However, modern authors pointed out the need for theoretical solution of critical thinking development problem for personality formation (Zagashev I.O., Zair-Beck S.I. (2003). During the Soviet period of the education system development, the problem of critical thinking developing was not adequately considered in practical terms. Although we can consider the theory of problem-based learning as a pedagogical basis for its solution in present conditions. Some aspects of critical thinking development
are considered by Russian and foreign scientists G. Lindsay, K. Hull, R. Thompson (1981), R. Paul (2000). The theoretical substantiation of critical thinking development problem in the process of teaching schoolchildren is not really the subject of a scientific interest for scientists and educators in our country. In our opinion, this is due to the axiomatic approach to assimilating knowledge obtained by schoolchildren, the authoritarian style of pedagogical activity in the conditions of a class-lesson system, and the lack of demand for a critical thinking style in an authoritarian system of government, including the education system management. The change in socio-economic landmarks in the development of society, the dynamism of progressive changes led to the situation of uncertainty, the need for assessment and decision-making. This greatly increased the role of the individual as a subject of social evolution, his ability to assess the existing situation adequately based on its critical analysis, and to construct a project for successful solution of a given problem. The successful solution for the problem of personality adaptation to the constantly changing environment of independent life and work depends, in our opinion, among other things, on the development of critical thinking at the school stage already. That, in its turn, determines theoretical and scientific methodological justification and working out of scientific recommendations for the solution of critical thinking development problem in the educational process in general and in the study of specific subjects.
To date, there has been accumulated a certain scientific experience necessary for the study of this problem. Special attention should be paid to researches in the sphere of critical thinking development by Butenko A.V., Khodos E.A. (2002), Bustrom R. (2003), Derkach A.A. (2000), Vasyuta I. (2005), Zair-Bek S.I., Mushtavinskaya I.V. (2004).
Information environment plays an important role in the development of critical thinking in junior schoolchildren. The use of the information environment for the development of critical thinking increases the motivation, opportunities for learners in the search and processing of information. At the same time, pedagogical science has not sufficiently studied these opportunities. Educational practice shows that many students do not know how to use the resources of the information environment for critical analysis and practical use of the necessary information. The foregoing allows us to suppose that the development of critical thinking in junior schoolchildren by means of the information environment is an important pedagogical problem that requires further scientific contemplation and theoretical justification.
Despite the absolute importance of these studies, the issue of younger schoolchildren critical thinking development is not properly presented in pedagogical science. The theory and practice of primary education revealed significant contradictions between:
- objective need of society in an individual, capable of reflecting, thinking critically, and inadequate readiness of the education system to prepare graduates capable of alternative thinking;
- increased need of junior schoolchildren in critical thinking and the traditional organization of educational process in primary school that remains, in the majority of cases, aimed at the transfer of sustainable information, without using the resources of the information environment;
- educational practice need in the scientific and methodological support for critical thinking development in the information environment and its inadequate elaboration in pedagogical science.
The revealed contradictions determine the urgency of the research and determine its problem, which is to develop a system of development of critical thinking of junior schoolchildren in the information environment.
The purpose of the research
To develop, theoretically substantiate and experimentally test the system of critical thinking development in the information environment.
Material and methods
The basis of the research is philosophical, psychological, pedagogical research of professional self-improvement, modern psychological and pedagogical theories of personality, psychological and pedagogical theory of learning activity, conceptual ideas of the theory of pedagogical process integrity, theory of activity-oriented approach, concept of personality-oriented education.
In order to achieve reliability in the consideration of the problem posed, the following methods were used: the study and theoretical analysis of philosophical and psychological-pedagogical literature on the topic of research; the study of pedagogical experience; theoretical generalization, data synthesis.
Results and their discussion
We consider the definition formulated in the dissertational studies by Konev V.S. (2007) to be the most complete. Under critical thinking he understands a specific form of the appraisal activity of the cognition subject, directed in the most general sense to reveal the degree of conformity (or nonconformity) of a product accepted as a standard, which contributes to the meaningful self-determination of the cognition subject in relation to the most diverse manifestations the surrounding world and its productive transformation.
Smetannikova N.N. (2009) considers critical thinking as a property of personality that characterizes the subject, and divides its structure into three components:
- cognitive component - knowledge about critical thinking;
- emotional component - attitude to critical thinking;
- activity-behavioral component - manifestation of critical thinking (detection of errors) in learning activity and behavior.
Let us consider these components in detail.
The cognitive component is the correctness of ideas about critical thinking. It can be different.
The term "relation" is used in two senses, inseparably connected with each other. On the one hand, relation is characterized as an objective relationship between a person and an object, one person and another. On the other hand, relation is always an emotional experience, a subjective position of the individual, a certain response to objects, phenomena, things. The unity of the external and internal, the subjective and the objective shows itself in these two senses.
The manifestation of an activity-behavioral component is an internal process, and it can be seen only through the interpretation of observations, actions and analysis of reflection results. In addition, we can judge about the effective-behavioral component by the frequency of critical thinking manifestation demonstrated by each student for the solution of all the proposed tasks.
After the analysis of these studies, we have identified the structure of critical thinking.
TABLE 1. - STRUCTURE OF CRITICAL THINKING
Component
Characteristics Characteristic content
Cognitive component
knowledge the ability of a junior student to find independently the subject of critical analysis and control, to make decisions, asking additional questions
the ability to consider information comprehensively: the task, the text, the way of activity. It manifests itself in the ability of students to not only detect errors, contradictions, inaccuracies and correct them, but also to
reveal the causes of their occurrence, to find ways to
eliminate the identified shortcomings.
Personal Component
tolerance for the situation of tolerance for a different opinion, open-mindedness in
uncertainty assessing people and events.
skepticism distrustful attitude to anything, doubt about truth and correctness.
independence the quality of the individual, expressed in the ability to set a specific goal, persistently seek for its achievement with his/her own efforts, to be responsible for his/her actions, to act consciously and proactively; the ability to see the question that needs to be solved, and settle it independently.
pragmatism the ability to build their own system of actions and views on life in terms of obtaining practically useful results.
integrativity the ability to integrate previously uniform parts and elements.
Activity component
the ability to solve the ability to eliminate external obstacles to the
problems, to offer constructive solutions achievement of goals.
ability to forecast knowing the principles of forecasting and planning.
the ability to search for logical errors knowing the basic laws of logic.
ability to have dialogue aptitude for dialogue.
A person needs certain knowledge and skills, as well as personal qualities and readiness for critical behavior, to be able to think critically. All this we disclose in the components of critical thinking development structure.
The cognitive component includes the level of students' knowledge about criticality, their relation to this characteristic, independence, depth and comprehensiveness, the frequency of criticality manifestation and the presence of their personal position.
The personal component reveals the qualities of a person who is capable of critical thinking.
Today we can speak about the limits of the classical pedagogical paradigm, according to which personality was determined largely by the structure and nature of his/her objective activity, and the formation of the personality was carried out according to predetermined characteristics.
The student's personality resources are considered as the totality of his potential opportunities for self-realization in activity.
A schoolchild, mediating the versatile and numerous influences of the educational social institutions by his/her activity, is a true subject, because, being open to pedagogical influences, he/she perceives them selectively through internal attitudes, beliefs, values that can be successfully formed within the personality developing complex.
We have identified the following qualities:
1. Tolerance to the situation of uncertainty - patience to a different opinion, open-mindedness in assessing people and events.
2. Skepticism - distrustful attitude to anything, doubt in truth and correctness.
3. Independence - the quality of the person, expressed in the ability to set a specific goal, persistently seek for its achievement independently, to be responsible for his/her activities, to act consciously and proactively; the ability to see the question that needs to be solved, and settle it independently.
4. Pragmatism - the ability to build their own system of actions and views on life in terms of obtaining practically useful results.
5. Integrativity - the ability to integrate previously uniform parts and elements.
The activity component consists of the abilities that contribute to the development
of critical thinking. The ability to solve problems, to offer constructive solutions includes the ability to eliminate external obstacles to the achievement of goals. The ability to forecast lies in knowing the principles of forecasting and planning. The ability to search for logical errors presumes knowing the basic laws of logic. Another necessary skill for the development of critical thinking is the ability to have a dialogue, debate. It is in the discussion that true ideas are born. Dialogue can be internal and external, with a teacher or other students. During internal dialogue, several ways of solving the problem are analyzed, while the external one takes into account other person's opinion, which is analyzed and comprehended.
The following functions of critical thinking were chosen based on psychological and pedagogical literature analysis:
1. Regulatory function - the ability to act deliberately and in accordance with objective conditions. It makes the transition from a preliminary solution of the task or problem to a final solution.
2. Appraisal function is the evaluation of one's own and other's judgments and actions.
3. Initiation function is manifested when a cognitive contradiction is revealed and corrected. You have to find necessary data in the contradictory information about the problem being solved, and solve it with their help.
4. Stimulating function - critical thinking stimulates the need for new knowledge, skills, as well as advancing new hypotheses, interest in independent research, ways of solving problems.
5. Correcting function - rational selection of the necessary material, information finding. The student also corrects his work with the help of the teacher: his/her responsible attitude towards the results should become an incentive for the forthcoming activity.
6. Forecasting function - orientation to the future, to prospects. A student, who is able to forecast the course of solving problems and predict the development of the situation, has a high level of critical thinking.
7. Modeling function - creating a model of actions and results. Model of ideal gas or a mathematical pendulum.
Based on the above mentioned, we can conclude that critical thinking is a combination of certain qualities and abilities characteristic to a person on the one hand,
and the process of appraisal activity on the other. Critical thinking occurs in close connection with logical and creative thinking and is impossible without reflection. Critical thinking is independent thinking, when it is necessary not only to develop personal point of view, but also to defend it with the help of logical arguments and proofs, as well as to formulate alternative ways of solving this problem.
Our research determined that the information environment became an important factor in the development of critical thinking in junior schoolchildren, if it created the conditions for the realization of teaching, developing, educational and creative functions of the information environment.
TABLE 2. - INFLUENCE OF INFORMATION ENVIRONMENT ON DEVELOPMENT OF CRITICAL THINKING IN JUNIOR SCHOOLCHILDREN
Information environment functions Influence on development of critical thinking in junior schoolchildren
teaching - in teaching the skills to use electronic resources and information technologies for searching, processing and evaluating information; - mastering of age-appropriate methods and means of working with information; - ability to participate in information activity independently; - development of internal motivation; - transition from motives of achievement to motives of self-realization; - concentration of attention; ability to highlight the essential in the Internet.
developing - development of mental operations (analysis, comparison, generalization, etc.), development of speech, memory, motivational, emotional, volitional spheres; - increasing adaptability, ability to transfer knowledge, skills; -awareness of their information activities goals; - ability to process information received from the Internet independently.
creative - it is directed to the development of creative thinking, self-awareness as a creative person; forms the ability to design and construct new knowledge and experience of cognitive activity - ability to organize cognitive activities in environment conditions; - ability to work in the environment: (accumulation, storage, processing of information.
The presence of information educational environment is characterized by the active use in the educational process of such educational means as electronic library, electronic textbooks, and Internet classes. We found multimedia tools, Internet technologies, Microsoft Office package, simulator programs, on-line tests to be the most productive information technologies for developing critical thinking among students:.
The components of the information environment are shown in Figure 1.
FIGURE 1. - COMPONENTS OF THE INFORMATION ENVIRONMENT
As a result, the creation of information environment contributed to activation of the junior schoolchild subjective position providing knowledge of the surrounding world through the unity of school subjects. Introducing ICT technologies into the educational process contributes to the development of the ability to work in a team, to make quick and informed decisions, to formulate conclusions based on their own observations, and increases the motivation and interest of students in performing interactive tasks.
The practical basis for the effective development of junior schoolchildren critical thinking in the information environment was the correct reproduction of scientific discussion, scientific dialogue in educational work, ensuring the orientation of the junior student to critical perception of information, reflection, advancing reflexive hypotheses, adoption of various ideas and opinions, combining conclusions, ideas and concepts by various means.
A system for developing critical thinking of primary school students in the information environment was worked out at the forming stage of experimental work on the basis of systemic and activity-oriented approaches. It is an ordered unity of the context (content of the subject material oriented to the development of critical thinking), organizational and methodological support (forms, methods, means of organization the students' activity for developing their critical thinking); diagnostic-effective activity and the achieved results (advanced, basic, insufficient levels of critical thinking development).
The system of junior schoolchildren critical thinking development in the information environment is presented in Figure 2.
Analysis of the experimental results showed significant changes in critical thinking development after conducting the lessons in the experimental group. If the actual level of critical thinking is determined at the control stage of the experiment, it can be concluded that the level of critical thinking development in the experimental group has increased, but it has not practically changed in the control group. The number of junior students with advanced level increased by 35% (8 junior schoolchildren) in the experimental group, and in the control group the number of junior schoolchildren increased by 4% (1 junior schoolchild). The number of junior schoolchildren with the basic level decreased in the experimental group by 17% (4 people) and it increased by 5% in the control group (1 junior schoolchild). However, the number of junior schoolchildren with insufficient level decreased by 18% in the experimental group (4 people), and only by 9% in the control group (2 children).
This proves that the worked out system of junior schoolchildren critical thinking development in the information environment may be considered effective, thereby confirming our hypothesis.
Structural-content component
Components of critical thinking
Personality component
Cognitive component
Activity component
The activity-practical component
Information environment
Information and educational resources Means of ICT Organization of educational process
Basic Auxiliary Hardware Software accounting of students'age features; ensuring an increase in the level of motivation to learn; Establish the requirements for presenting the information
Diagnostic component
Diagnostics of critical thinking development levels
Advanced level, basic level, insufficient level
Result component
Result: an individually possible level of critical thinking development.
FIGURE 2. - SYSTEM OF JUNIOR SCHOOLCHILDREN CRITICAL THINKING DEVELOPMENT IN THE INFORMATION ENVIRONMENT
A well-developed culture of thinking contributes to the emergence of a new, independently thinking generation. The dynamic development of society calls for constant self-improving, increasing the responsibility of each individual for his/her own future. This is exactly what the system of critical thinking development promotes.
An important basis for personal development is formed in the primary school classes. That is why we consider it necessary to begin the development of critical thinking from the junior school age. An analysis of educational activities practice in primary school indicates an insufficient level of critical thinking development. Primary school students are not always able to cope with such mental operations as the ability to extract knowledge independently, to move from the concrete to the abstract, the ability to draw inference, comparison, hypothetical judgments, etc.
Under critical thinking of junior schoolchildren, we mean an independent, creative attitude to the educational material and information that students receive from other sources. We added to the attributes: independence of thinking, relative independence of judgments; resistance to the suggestion of thoughts, patterns of behavior; critical attitude to themselves, identifying errors and an adequate attitude towards them; searching orientation of thinking, the desire to find the best options for solving learning tasks; ability to participate in dialogue interaction.
Critical thinking of a junior student is a factor of his/her functioning and development, so the problem of students' critical thinking development in the information environment becomes particularly important.
The stages of the research, the content of the ascertaining, forming and control stages of the pedagogical experiment were determined based on the constructed didactic model. The system for the development of critical thinking in the information environment has been worked out. Applying a set of methods and techniques at the lessons in primary school, we were convinced that students understood the subject much better when the level of knowledge was raised through various techniques ("ideas basket", "insert", "syncvein", "table-synthesis" "I know - I want to learn - I have learned", etc.). This method of work is not designed for memorizing information, but for a thoughtful, creative process of learning the world, for posing the problem and finding ways to solve it. It is important to use problem tasks at the lessons. The contradictions they contain cause discussion, encourage reflection, search and certain conclusions.
An important pedagogical condition for students' critical thinking development is the creation of interest and friendly cooperation atmosphere in the classroom, active involvement in pair and group work, and the use of information environment resources.
So, we considered critical thinking as a pedagogical category, clarified the essence of critical thinking development specifics in junior school age, studied modern approaches to the development of critical thinking in junior schoolchild in the information environment, diagnosed the levels of critical thinking development in primary school students, worked out and implemented the system of critical thinking development in junior schoolchildren in the information environment, aimed at the formation of critical thinking in junior schoolchildren, analyzed the results of experimental work on junior students critical thinking development in the information environment.
Conclusion
Analysis of the experiment results showed that significant changes in the formation of critical thinking development occurred after the lessons in the experimental group. If the actual level of critical thinking is determined at the control stage of the experiment, it can be concluded that the level of critical thinking development in the experimental group has increased, but it has not practically changed in the control group. The number
of junior students with advanced level increased by 35% (8 junior schoolchildren) in the experimental group, and in the control group the number of junior schoolchildren increased by 4% (1 junior schoolchild). The number of junior schoolchildren with the basic level decreased in the experimental group by 17% (4 people) and it increased by 5% in the control group (1 junior schoolchild). However, the number of junior schoolchildren with insufficient level decreased by 18% in the experimental group (4 people), and only by 9% in the control group (2 children).
Thus, the goal of the research has been achieved, and the tasks have been fulfilled. The hypothesis is proved that the development of junior schoolchildren critical thinking in the information environment would be successfully implemented if: the system for primary school students critical thinking development is worked out and theoretically grounded on the basis of the systemic and activity-oriented approaches, representing orderly unity of the context (content of the subject material oriented to the development of critical thinking), organizational and methodological support (forms, methods, and means of organizing the work of the students to develop their critical thinking); diagnostic-correctional work and achieved results (advanced, basic, insufficient levels of critical thinking development); an information environment is created in which junior schoolchildren are constantly oriented to the critical perception of information, they have the opportunity to deliberate, to advance reflective hypotheses, to accept various ideas and opinions, to combine conclusions, ideas and concepts in various ways.
Recommendations
The materials of the article may be interesting for bachelors, masters, postgraduates studying in the field of pedagogical education, primary education, as well as for primary education teachers, and a wide range of specialists in the field of education.
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