Nurturing Critical Minds: Interdisciplinary Perspectives in Education and the Workforce
Nurturing Critical Minds: Interdisciplinary Perspectives in Education and the Workforce
We are delighted to invite you to our upcoming international conference on “Nurturing Critical Minds: Interdisciplinary Perspectives in Education and the Workforce”. The conference is interdisciplinary, it will cover a diverse range of fields and perspectives on the development of critical thinking skills in different academic fields at universities and labour market institutions. Showcasing the holistic approach, the conference aims to explore the vital role of critical thinking in diverse academic disciplines and its significance in the ever-evolving landscape of labour market institutions.
The conference aims to bridge the gap between universities and labour market institutions, fostering a culture of critical thinking that thrives in the classroom and enhances professional growth in the workplace. This conference will serve as a platform for educators, researchers, and labour market professionals from diverse fields to explore innovative strategies, and share best practices and collaborate on integrating critical thinking skills into educational curricula.
Keynote speakers
Alistair Starling
Co-Founder and Managing Director of the European Diplomats
Luís Sebastião
Associate Professor in the Department of Pedagogy and Education, Director of the Center for Research in Education and Psychology, University of Évora
Dimitris Pnevmatikos
Professor in the Department of Psychology, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Western Macedonia
Erika Vaiginienė
Associate professor in the Department of Business, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Vilnius University
Inga Jončienė
Head of Business Development at Alliance for Recruitment
Adam Mastandrea
Assistant Professor in the Department of Foreign Language Teaching and Research, Institute of Foreign Languages, Faculty of Philology, Vilnius University
Daiva Penkauskienė
Director of Modern Didactics Center, Associate Professor in the Institute of Educational Sciences and Social Work, Mykolas Romeris University
Sandra Kairė
Associate Professor, Director of the Institute of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Philosophy, Vilnius University
Kay Hemmerling
Dr Kay Hemmerling, Chairman at the Institute for Moral-Democratic Competence (IMDC e.V.)
Programme
Programme
Mark Hennessy
Teaching Critical Thinking: Believe Half of What You See and None of What You Hear
Mark HENNESSY
Teaching Critical Thinking: Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear…
Maynooth University, Ireland
Five key words: value, scepticism, curiosity, truth, danger
Abstract:
How can students within Higher Education recognise, and gain the benefits of, genuine critical thinking skills relevant to both their studies and their lives outside of learning? This talk will focus on i) helping students understand some of the key factors that help inform true critical thinking and ii) an EAP classroom methodology and content for putting these factors into practice.
In Higher Education, critical thinking is an oft-used term that is almost in danger of becoming so familiar to some students that it ceases to have any real meaning, much less any practical application. It is always there but perhaps never quite understood as to how it could be utilised. Based on critical thinking lessons from the EAP unit within the School of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures at Maynooth University, this short talk will provide a small set of key terms used to aid students’ understanding of critical thinking while also demonstrating how students can be given interactive activities within a lesson framework that lead to a better understanding of critical thinking and its benefits.
The methodology used is informed by the work of several highly prolific authors within the field of critical thinking in (English language) Higher Education and is supported by vast classroom teaching experience. The aim is to craft lessons that do not simply transmit de-contextualised theory to students but rather seeks to gradually draw them further into a discovery-type of learning experience regarding critical thinking and instil a sense of curiosity and appreciation of the topic.
The hoped-for end result is that students will become sufficiently aware of the value of critical thinking, so that they will be able employ it in their own studies and, ultimately, in their lives outside of Higher Education, in a place rather scarily known as, ‘The real world….’
Biography:
Brookfield, S. (2017) Becoming a critically reflective teacher, 2nd edn. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
Cottrell, S. (2019) The Study Skills Handbook, 5th edn. Bloomsbury: London
Cottrell, S. (2017) Critical Thinking Skills: Effective Analysis, Argument and Reflection, 3rd edn, London: Macmillan
CQUniversityOLTv (2011) Emeritus Prof Phil Race – Learning. Available at: Emeritus Prof Phil Race - Learning (youtube.com) date of access 10/06/2024
Grimes, D.R. The Irrational Ape: why flawed logic puts us all at risk, and how critical thinking can save the world (2019) London: Simon & Shuster
Race, P. (2020) The Lecturer's Toolkit FIFTH EDITION Oxon: Routledge
Biography:
Mark Hennessy is EAP Coordinator, School of Modern Languages, Literatures & Cultures, Maynooth University, Ireland. He is the EAP Coordinator for the School of Modern Languages, Literatures & Cultures at Maynooth University, Ireland, where he has taught since 2018. Before that, he worked for many years in both the private sector and Adult & Further Education, in Kilkenny-Carlow Education and Training Board and at Waterford Institute of Technology (now SETU Technical University). His research interests include EAP teaching & learning practice, assessment, critical thinking and the physical T&L environments (classrooms) within higher education institutions.
