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
Asta Statkevičienė
Value-added Experience Through Just a Step Aside
Value-added Experience Through Just a Step Aside
Asta Statkevičienė,
Lecturer of English, Institute of Foreign Languages,
Faculty of Philology, Vilnius University, Lithuania
The presentation contains the experience of the past eight years teaching English to students at the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics (MIF). Specifically, it provides an overview of the practical enrichment of the assignments included into the Course Description. This includes the application of three interdisciplinary CLIL modules integrated into the language teaching curriculum during the study years of 2017-2019 and two trans-faculty Student Conferences of 2022 and 2024. Challenges and benefits will be highlighted, focusing on interdisciplinarity and students’ empowerment for future work and life. Students’ feedback will also be presented and analysed.
Aditionally, a future virtual exchange (VE) project will be introduced. The project is planned for the implementation in the autumn semester of 2024. The VE project will be based on a debate assignment conducted between MIF students and Bologna University students from Italy, thus achieving the highly desired international dimension. By participating in the international VE project, students will have a brilliant opportunity to experience technology-based interaction, communicate with another culture, and gain an international perspective on the content discussed. Moreover, students will develop their soft skills. Exposure to different worldviews and attitudes will impact students’ motivation to learn, exchange ideas, accept diverse opinions, and build their own arguments, all of which will enhance their critical thinking.
Key words: interdisciplinary, CLIL, virtual exchange project, soft skills, critical thinking
Asta Statkevičienė is a lecturer at the Institute of Foreign Languages, within the Faculty of Philology at Vilnius University (VU). Her research interests include language teaching methodology, with a particular focus on interdisciplinary approaches, Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), and the integration of international virtual exchange projects. These projects aim to internationalize the language teaching syllabus by developing soft skills in parallel with subject-related content.
