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
Gitana Irnienė
Reflection on Language Teaching Process from Critical Thinking Perspectives
Reflection on Language Teaching Process from Critical Thinking Perspectives
Gitana Irnienė
Institute of Foreign Languages
Vilnius University
The scope of the report is the two-year educational period (from the third to the sixth semester), focusing on its goal and the steps to be taken to achieve it. The language teaching process is directly linked to the knowledge of a culture and of the way of thinking, thus, to understand and use linguistic information, it is necessary not only to memorize vocabulary, and phrases but also to know psychosocial factors:
– to know what is meant by a phrase or omission of words,
– to understand the customary way to talk about certain people, things, or events,
– to have a background on how representatives of various professions and social circles exchange information in a certain language,
– to be able to discern the meaning of information in day-to-day language and that of mass media.
Starting with the translation and contrasting as the main methods, the students gradually pass on to the text analysis. At the beginning, they are offered a simple scheme: 1 – to name characters and the event, 2 – to describe a context, and 3 – to specify the applied value. While in the course of Spanish for specific purposes taught in the 6th semester, various mass media texts and broadcasting material are used. The analysis is complemented by defining the purpose of the text: to inform or entertain, and the understanding of the context is expanded by considering the specifics of the media: its mission, vision, and the possible profile of the user. When examining the interview, special attention is paid to the formulation of the question, as well as the organisation of the text.
Keywords: perspective, contrasting, analysis scheme, stages of learning, context expansion
Gitana Irnienė is a lecturer at the Institute of Foreign Languages, Faculty of Philology, Vilnius University. She currently teaches Modern Spanish, Morphology, and Spanish for Specific Purposes, with experience ranging from elementary to intermediate levels. Her interests extend to the translation of books and films, as well as language editing in both literary and scientific texts. Having spent seven years living and studying in Spain, she gained first-hand experience in the usage of the language. In her teaching, she emphasizes both the practical and theoretical aspects of the language, ensuring students can apply their skills in various professional fields.
