New Perspectives in Science Education

Critical thinking is a comprehensive guiding category [1] and goal of higher education [2], which connects the different disciplines. Particularly with new technologies such as AI or the acquisition of knowledge through Big Data, critical thinking and critical analysis of information is crucial for students of all subjects. However, due to the Bologna Process and the commercialization of universities, critical thinking is increasingly neglected in the field of post-secondary education. [3]
In this article, we address the problem of the lacking critical thinking in Higher Education and present as a solution an interactive video, in which students deal with the activity of critical thinking. In the interactive video philosophical ideas are reconstructed in an educational setting which allows students to independently and creatively explore the characteristics of critical thinking. Students analyze the activity of critical thinking based on the three nicknames of Socrates: the mosquito [4], the midwife [5], and the shivering ray [6]. After having discovered the characteristics of critical thinking through the interactive video, educators can engage in a discussion with the participants on why critical thinking is important for Higher Education or for other topics like the application of new technologies.

Keywords: critical thinking, interactive videos, Socratic nicknames, philosophical approaches.

References:

1. European Commission (Eds.) (2008). The European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning, Luxemburg. https://ec.europa.eu/ploteus/sites/eac-eqf/files/leaflet_en.pdf
2. O. Kruse (2010a). Kritisches Denken als Leitziel der Lehre. Auswege aus der Verschulungsmisere, die hochschule, journal für wissenschaft und bildung, (pp. 77–206).
3. O. Kruse (2010b). Kritisches Denken im Zeichen Bolognas: Rhetorik und Realität. In: U. Eberhardt (Eds.), Neue Impulse in der Hochschuldidaktik: Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaften. (pp. 45-80). Wiesbaden: Springer.
4. Platon (2020): Plato's Apology. In A. Anderson (Eds.). Copenhagen: SAGA Egmont.
5. Platon (2020): Plato's Theaetetus. In W. Sigalis, A. Anderson, A. Anderson, B. Anderson & J. Anderson (Eds.). Copenhagen: SAGA Egmont.
6. Platon (2020): Plato's Meno. In W. Sigalis, A. Anderson, T. Murray & A. Panagopoulos (Eds.). Copenhagen: SAGA Egmont.