Critical Thinking development Programme and Toolkit for adults
Critical thinking in non-formal adult education is highly relevant and still insufficient today. Therefore, one of the project’s “MIND: Critical theory in adult education practice” (2023-1-LT01-KA220-ADU-000153426) objectives is to provide opportunities to practice critical thinking and improve digital skills in adult education organizations and communities by developing training program and materials and by delivering trainings to adult educators as well as learners.
Before sharing the Programme and Toolkit with others, the outputs were tested during a joint training in Rijeka, Croatia. The structure of the Programme and the Toolkit is based on the methodological model developed previously, which in turn emerged from a systematic scientific literature analysis.
The Programme is aimed at leaders and developers, lecturers, trainers, and all those working with adult learners in non-formal adult education programmes in different non-formal education contexts. The programme provides clear methodological guidelines for the development of critical thinking among various adult groups and to model its process by providing concrete steps for the implementation.
The Toolkit is aimed at both groups - adult educators and adult learners. It’s an addition to the Program. Adult educators, who will implement the program, can use the tools of the set as methods described to diversify program content or adjust them to their target group’s needs.
The 5 modules have been designed to answer to the following questions:
M1: What is critical thinking in adult education?
M2: What are features of a critical thinker?
M3: What is the value of critical thinking for an individual?
M4: What is the value of critical thinking for a community
M5: What is the value of critical thinking for a society?
Each module provides an opportunity to explore the essence of critical thinking and the importance of its development, and to understand its implications as well as value for adult education at the individual, community, and societal levels. During the international training in Rijeka, we tested all 5 modules and gave each other valuable feedback on how to improve them and adapt them to national contexts.
The Programme and the Toolkit are developed in project language and translated into the national languages of each participated country. Those outputs are going to be digitalized and to be easy reachable for learners outside the project. In meantime they are introduced to Lithuania’s, Latvia’s, Croatia’s and Romania’s’ adult educators and learners who participate in national training. We promise to share their feedback in our next publications!
More information:
