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
Grant Matthew Rosson
Beyond Listening and Speaking: The Role of Writing in Fostering Critical Thought in Literature Students
Beyond Listening and Speaking: The Role of Writing in Fostering Critical Thought in Literature Students
Grant Matthew Rosson, Ph.D.
Vilnius University, Lithuania
Abstract
In the realm of literature education, lectures and seminars traditionally emphasize aural comprehension and oral expression. However, the silent work of writing and note-taking is where complex layers of meaning can take shape, providing a foundational strategy for fostering critical thought in students. This presentation proposes a shift in focus to these underappreciated practices, exploring how the externalization of ideas through writing is not merely a supplementary activity but a central aspect of developing critical thought and understanding.
Drawing upon both pedagogical theory and media historians such as Siskin and Warner (2010), alongside the insights offered by Ahrens (2017) on smart note-taking, we will consider the rising prominence of the written and printed word as a tool for structuring critical thought during the Enlightenment. This historical perspective illuminates how the act of externalizing thought has always been integral to the emergence and advancement of critical analysis.
Using Zagzebski’s (2019) theoretical framework on understanding, this presentation will examine how the material aspects of writing and note-taking can serve as cognitive scaffolds. These tools not only facilitate the absorption and dissection of literary works but also allow students to render tacit knowledge explicit, thereby refining their analytical skills and scholarly insights.
By incorporating examples and exercises from classroom experience, this presentation will propose the efficacy of these strategies in enhancing interpretative skills and fostering active student engagement with literary texts. Participants will gain a richer appreciation for the role of externalization in education and will be equipped with actionable methods to cultivate a robust culture of written reflection, necessary for nurturing enlightened, critical thinkers.
Keywords: externalization, pedagogy, Enlightenment, note-taking, understanding
References
Ahrens Sönke. (2017). How to take smart notes: One simple technique to boost writing, learning and thinking. CreateSpace.
Siskin, C., & Warner, W. (2010). This is enlightenment. The University of Chicago Press.
Zagzebski, L. (2019). Toward a theory of understanding. In Varieties of understanding (pp. 123–136). Oxford University Press.
Biodata
Grant Rosson has taught literary studies at Vilnius University since 2019. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a dissertation on 18th- and 19th-century American literature and geographic discourse. His research focuses on the relationship between literature and knowledge production in the early and antebellum United States.
