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Critical thinking will save us

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Critical-thinking and creative adaptability are essential necessities
Critical-thinking and creative adaptability are essential necessities

The State of the Provision of the Bachelor of Laws (LLB) qualification in South Africa report published by the Council on Higher Education, states that the delivery of critical thinking skills in some law faculties is undermined by:

  • Lecturers not encouraging students to participate in critical class discussions; and
  • Examinations and other assessments being weighted towards the testing of rote learning – rather than independent thinking and critical analysis of legal knowledge, among other skills.

The situation is exacerbated by the fact that other research studies show that most public schools still promote rote learning, which exposes students to environments that do not promote interactive learning and critical perspectives.

Thus, as we celebrate Youth Month this June, the central question is: How do we equip the students with mobile and adaptable critical thinking skills essential for high economic performance of the 21st century?

As schools repurpose their existence in order to redress existing educational inequalities, education authorities should ensure the use of practices that promote emancipatory approaches to teaching and learning.

This approach is essential for fast-tracking the restructuring of the education system and improving teaching practices and learning experiences.

The step will enable our schools to deliver educational services that equip students with the skills central to the needs of the local and global economies.

This implies that there is a need for students to think critically, creatively and innovatively; communicate effectively and to link educational experiences to the broader societal and global economies.

The appropriate implementation of the gist of Paulo Freire’s pedagogy of the oppressed has the potential to expand the capabilities of both teachers and students to engage in democratic educational practices and critical thinking.

This suggests that critical pedagogy can serve as a powerful catalyst in determining the new direction that the country’s education and training system should take.

Critical pedagogy can thus be utilised to help educators to develop their abilities to interact with students and the learning environment in ways that enhance learning.

There is no doubt that this emancipatory approach has the potential to enable educators to engage in “self-criticism”, and to accommodate diverse students’ views to improve education.

This view needs to be further developed. The challenge facing public school teachers is the lack of the “transformative learning” practice, which is associated with the notion of student-centredness in keeping with critical thinking and independent learning practices.

In this way the application of critical pedagogy will not only provide educators with immense educational practices, it will also create stimulating learning experiences for the students. It is crucial to adopt this approach in the education system and more so that educational opportunities offered by the fourth industrial revolution.

Interactive telecommunication technologies, in conjunction with progressive educational practices and enlightened mass media communication strategies, confirm this view.

As evidence-based research findings show, the most viable ways of advancing critical thinking as an emancipatory learning approach is through an integrated approach.

It demonstrates that an emancipatory learning setting involves students in problem-solving activities, rather than passively receiving the subject matter transmitted by teachers.

It stresses the notion of the student as the primary stakeholder in interactive educational processes, which builds on prior learning and experiences, on educational needs, and on the acquisition of problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.

All these issues point to the need to empower and capacitate students and educators to work collaboratively for effective teaching and learning.

As research shows, this is accomplished by constantly exposing students to cooperative learning contexts to ensure that they acquire and develop skills of working collaboratively in groups.

Providing educational task and learning experiences that integrate theory and practices to the broader society is crucial.

While South Africa faces the specific challenges of redressing the educational inequalities of the past, it is of cardinal importance to ensure that its educational initiatives are also geared towards embracing critical thinking.

This is critical to ensuring better educational outcomes and improved skills of its population within the context of globalisation.

In this way the application of critical educational practices and technology appears to be the most desirable way of advancing the education and training system in South Africa.

Thus there is a need to intensify efforts intended to promote critical thinking and to integrate technology into our education and training system.

And to ensure that educators and students are adequately trained to use the interactive communication technologies to achieve national imperatives.

Mokoena is a civil servant and an e-learning, communications, development and globalisation expert

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