The Trip Report of the Experts Elena Pometun and Lyudmila Pilipchatinoj

The trip report of the experts Elena Pometun and Lyudmila Pilipchatinoj October – November, 2009 Stavropol (Russian Federation), October, 29th, 2009 Stavropol State University Seminar – training for young teachers «THE USE OF THE CRITICAL THINKING STRATEGIES IN EDUCATION OF STUDENTS IN VARIOUS DISCIPLINES»

Group structure – 23 persons - teachers of the various faculties of the university, senior teachers, assistants of various university departments, post-graduate students.

The purpose of the seminar-training To acquaint young teachers of the higher educational institutions with the technology of development of the critical thinking, to present the basic strategies used in the work with students, to give a chance to receive experience in organisation of corresponding educational activity, to obtain skills and abilities of construction of the educational process on the basis of strategy of critical thinking.

The seminar-training description For a seminar-training special hand-out materials containing methodical recommendations about the use of the critical thinking strategies in practice have been prepared to give to the participants (more than 40 pages each). During the seminar each of participants has received such package. Training has begun with the special structural exercises, which allowed trainers to define the group structure, level of theoretical and practical awareness of the teachers regarding training of students on critical thinking, and other educational requirements of the participants. During discussion, in particular, it was found that participants were familiar with the technologies of critical thinking only theoretically, and had no experience of their use in their lectures, seminars, and practical trainings.

In the second training block during the work on the concept of «Critical thinking» it became obvious that the participants could not operate with the necessary definitions. For their acquaintance with the theoretical aspects of the technology of the critical thinking strategy development following strategies have been used «Reading with markings», «Reading and generalizing in pairs», «Ask the author», «Leave the last word to me», «Logbook», «Diary of the double records»; the participants have been working on these strategies during the training on critical thinking. During the discussion on the results of the work the group noticed that the theory supported by practice, has allowed them more deeply and in detail understand the features of the critical thinking and to be able to use technologies of the critical thinking in students’ audiences.

In the third block of the seminar-training, called «Questions in the critical thinking and Blum’s taxonomy» participants experienced considerable complexities connected with the absence at their ability to put questions of the high level, especially problematic ones. Possibility to train in groups the skills of asking questions aimed at the level of knowledge, understanding, application, analysis, synthesis and estimation has been indicated by many participants as the most valuable part of training. In the final questionnaire many teachers have noticed that before the training they did not pay attention in their practice to the ability to ask questions and did not connect it with the possibilities of estimation of results of training. During the reflection exercise the group has very positively estimated the skills they got during the training, all participants have noticed that they would recommend such training to their colleagues. Young teachers have said that a bright example of the usage of technologies of the critical thinking was the main positive result of the training which has been seen in the work of the trainers with the audience, clearness and reasonableness of the maintenance of the training, qualitatively prepared distributing material, warm, friendly, creative atmosphere of the training. Many participants have expressed wishes to increase the duration of the training to several days, explaining these by the necessity of the young teachers to increase their professional level and a high urgency of the topic.

During the reflection exercise and in the final questionnaires participants have stated their satisfaction from their work at the seminar, have highly appreciated professionalism of the trainers, have expressed readiness to try new technologies in their work with students at seminar and practical trainings, and also to acquaint their colleagues with them.

Stavropol (the Russian federation), October, 30-31st, 2009 Stavropol State University

Seminar – training for the heads of the methodical associations of the university «INTERACTIVE METHODS OF TRAINING AND CRITICAL THINKING IN PRACTICE OF THE TEACHER OF THE HIGHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION» Group structure – 25 people – university teachers, heads of the educational-methodical commissions of the various faculties, Phd candidates

The purpose of the seminar-training To continue acquaintance of the teachers of the higher educational institutions with the technology of the critical thinking development, methods of interactive training, to expand practical knowledge and the abilities of their usage received on the previous training in April of the current year. To present the new strategy to be used while working with students, to give the chance to receive necessary experience in the organization of the corresponding educational activity, skills and abilities of construction of the process of the training on the basis of the strategy of critical thinking. To generate certain trainer's skills of training the technologies of critical thinking and interactive methods of work for their use in training of young teachers, PhD and post-graduate students, students.

The seminar-training description For the seminar-training special hand-out materials for participants (more than 40 pages each), containing methodical recommendations about the use of the strategy of critical thinking and interactive technologies in work with students and teachers have been prepared. During the seminar each of participants has received such package. Training has begun with the special structural exercises: «Acquaintance», «Expectations», «Rules», «Microphone», «Not Finished Sentence», to allow trainers to define educational requirements of the participants, to collect information on their experience in using those strategies of the development of critical thinking with which they have first got acquainted in the previous training in April, 2009. During the discussion, in particular, it was found out that many tried to use in their work with students some elements of critical thinking, but the results were various: from full success and satisfaction to the stated alarms and fears. The specifics of the audience was in the fact that the group of the teachers who took part in the first training was combined with other teachers who, having learnt from the colleagues about the efficiency of the first training have addressed educational department with the request to include them in the list of participants. It has made some difficulties in work of trainers as these teachers were necessary be to upgraded to the level of the initial group. In the second block the training models have been considered. Participants in small groups have carried out comparative analysis of the passive, active and interactive model, having specified strengths and weaknesses of each of them. Then conditions of an effective utilisation of interactive training in higher school practice were considered. The third block has been devoted to cooperative education, features of the organisation of work in the small groups, rotational threes. Teachers of the university have shown great interest to the interactive training. One of the participants during the reflection exercise has noticed that during the training she has completely reconsidered the relation to the students group work. Before her attempts to organise grouped students activities were unsuccessful, and she has understood now the reason of it was in her inability to correctly organise cooperative work of students in class.

Summing up the day, the group has noticed that the most important result of the first day of training was the understanding of the fact that technologies of critical thinking and interaction in combination allow to raise considerably the informative activeness of students, diversify classes, and allow to express own opinion to everyone and form the major social competences.

The second day of the seminar-training has been devoted to working with the questions. For the work with the concept of «Blum’s Taxonomy» texts of classics of critical thinking were used. Participants have received experience of use of such strategy of critical thinking: «Keywords», «Reading with stops», «Diary of double records», «Т-table», etc. During the discussion of the results of the work the group has noticed that such representation of theoretical material promoted deep understanding of problems of education.

The second block included practical exercise «How to make system of open questions on the basis of Blum’s taxonomy». Based on the plain texts participants individually, in pairs and in groups fulfilled abilities to ask questions of different levels.

In the third block of the seminar-training questions of use of the taxonomy were considered when estimating the training. During a reflection exercise the group has very positively estimated the training. It has been noticed that the training program has been constructed and structured very competently, consistently, logically that has allowed to receive great volume of practical knowledge in two days. Participants have written in questionnaires that the maintenance seminar-training has completely justified expectations to generate practical skills of application of innovations in the work with students. The appreciation was received by training atmosphere, participants have expressed the big gratitude to trainers for their high professionalism, ability to positively adjust, inspire the audience. Hand-out materials have been highly estimated.

Participants have expressed readiness to share knowledge, abilities and skills received on a seminar-training with colleagues in their departments and faculties. They also have expressed the desire to continue training of the strategy of critical thinking and interactive technologies.

Stavropol, Russian Federation, October, 31st - November, 2nd 2009 Seminar – training «INTERACTIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND METHODS OF DEVELOPMENT OF THE CRITICAL THINKING IN PRACTICE OF THE SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST AND THE TEACHER WORKING WITH CHILDREN OF THE GROUP OF RISK» Group structure: 25 teachers, psychologists, heads of educational institutions from the Chechen Republic, Republic of the North Ossetia - Alanija

The problem description In the territory of the Chechen republic the significant amount of children of the school age has psychological traumas received during military operations. Many of them can be characterized by the elevated uneasiness, disproportionate reactions, deviant behaviour and communications infringement. Such children are considered to be in the group of the psycho-physiological risk. Special conditions and methods of education and pedagogical receptions are necessary for them. For such children it is important to be involved in an open benevolent dialogue during the training, special receptions of development of the ability to communicate tolerantly and substantially, use of the educational strategy allowing them to succeed and to co-operate with others in class, positive authentic estimation of their educational achievements. These requirements are addressed with interactive technologies of the training and development of the strategy of critical thinking for children. However teachers of the Chechen republic, as well as other territories of Caucasus, owing to political reasons have appeared for a long time deprived of the possibility to get acquainted and seize the abovementioned models of formation without which effective training and social adaptation of children of such group is impossible.

The purpose of the seminar-training To continue active training on interactive technologies and critical thinking for school psychologists and teachers, to enrich their experience by skills of practical application of the corresponding strategy in their work with children of group of risk. To acquaint them with features of classes with the use of interactive methods, to fulfill practical skills of the modeling and carrying out of such classes. To prepare participants for relaying of the received knowledge and skills to colleagues.

The seminar-training description For a seminar-training special distributing materials for participants (more than 30 pages each), containing methodical recommendations about the use of strategy of critical thinking and interactive methods of training in practice have been prepared. During a seminar each of the participants has received such package. Training has begun with very warm meeting of participants and trainers. During the structural exercises: «Acquaintance», «Rules», «Expected results» a very warm, emotionally comfortable psychological atmosphere was created, which stayed in for all three days of the seminar. The first block has been devoted to the analysis of experience of the usage in practical work of interactive methods and strategy of the critical thinking learned at the first seminar-training which took place in Kislovodsk in April of the current year. Participants named three things which have gone right in use of interaction and methods of critical thinking in their work with children. It is necessary to notice that all participants used various exercises to create favorable atmosphere in class, such as «Ice breaker», various ways of acquaintance, «Cote of Arms», «Values», «Treasures of the group». Teachers and psychologists marked interest of the children, a positive spirit in work using new methods. Participants noticed that for children these technologies were absolutely new, bright, and simple. They noticed that after such classes the relation of children to the teacher changed, children became more open, more willing to contact. Then the difficulties which have arisen at psychologists while using these new methods have been also analysed in detail. Participants named resistance of colleagues – teachers who stated discontent that classes were conducted incorrectly, that children were given too much freedom, etc. Collision of traditions with features of some exercises became difficulty as well. For example, during the exercises on a relaxation and various outdoor games boys and girls couldn’t touch each other. As a difficulty the absence of the special literature on carrying out classes using interactive technologies and strategy of critical thinking was named. Discussion in the big circle has finished the task: what was your main discovery? Participants named a lot of what they have learnt about children, methods, about relations, about parents, but the majority admitted that the discovery was that they have themselves changed while participating in the seminars, have found many friends, ideas.

The second educational block has been devoted to the creation of «Bank of ideas», to the exchange of experience, acquaintance to the new technologies: «Two, four, all together», «Map of ideas».

The third block included comparison of models of training, definition of the strengths and weaknesses of various models. The great interest of participants was caused by the parables illustrating methods of training and education of children

The second day of the seminar-training included a short reflection exercise of the previous day, structural exercises. The block «Art of asking questions» has caused a great interest of participants and has been highly appreciated from the point of view of practical application in work with pupils, especially with children of group of risk. The second block has been devoted to the structure of interactive class. Then two demonstration classes have been conducted with the subsequent discussion. For repetition of already familiar methods and training by the new «Openwork saw», included the description of methods has been spent: «Work in groups», «Work in steams», «Brain storm», «Not Finished sentence», «Microphone», «Line of values», «Role game».

Day has come to the end with a reflection exercise and formation of the groups for carrying out classes using technologies of critical thinking and interactive methods. Consultations have been organised.

The third day has been devoted to the practice of carrying out of interactive educational classes on methodical workings out of the trainers. It has been conducted and analysed 5 such classes. It is necessary to note the high level of such classes conducted by the participants. Discussion has shown that psychologists and teachers have got sufficient skills of the organisation and carrying out of such classes, that they own techniques of interactive exercises, and are ready not only to spend them with children, but also to teach their colleagues in the educational institution, in the area, in their methodological unit. The reflection exercise has been spent by a method of double drawing «I before training and I am after training». Drawings and their comments have shown how productive became the training on innovative technologies for all the participants. In the final questionnaire the participants have noticed that in the pleasant, comfortable conditions created during training, they have received a great volume of the necessary information and practical skills of usage of the various interactive exercises and strategy of critical thinking. All participants have highly appreciated training, named its very useful to their practical work. As much as possible the appreciation had been noted psychological conditions at a seminar and professionalism of trainers. The particular interest was caused by strategy of critical thinking, participants have stated desire to continue training in this direction. The representative of the Ministry of Education of the Chechen republic has hotly thanked the trainers and has expressed hope of continuation of the cooperation for the good of formation of the Chechen Republic.

Trainers: Doctor of educational sciences, professor Pometun Elena Ivanovna The trainer-instructor of the organisation «Teachers for democracy and partnership» Pilipchatina Lyudmila Nikolaevna