Teaching Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is gaining more and more interest as an educational goal. It is seen by policy makers and educationalists as a crucial condition of learning (part of meta-cognition) and lifelong learning, which is an important competence of democratic and responsible citizens. According to mainstream policies in Europe, the USA and elsewhere, critical thinking is a core objective of (citizenship) education on all levels of education: primary, secondary, vocational, and higher education.

In this summer school we explore:

• the empirical research on teaching critical thinking (educational psychology, learning psychology, cognitive psychology);
• theories and (educational) philosophies about teaching critical thinking; Policies concerning teaching critical thinking (incl. the history of these policies);  
• the relationship between critical thinking and citizenship education;
• several experiments and good practices.

We will also discuss the relationship between the research, the theories, the policies and the practices: how the distinct dimensions influence each other.

Part of the programme will be practice-directed. You will learn:

• how to design learning activities;
• how to teach critical thinking (didactics);
• how to investigate teaching;
• critical thinking (research methods).

This summer school is connected to the international conference on “Reason to dissent” and will take place in Groningen, a vibrant student city in the North of the Netherlands. Chosen as one of the happiest cities in Europe, Groningen offers a great combination of historical architecture, bustling nightlife and interesting cultural events.