Abstract:

The contribution addresses proposals for coping with critical areas in education of philosophy at secondary grammar schools. Critical areas are understood as parts of a curriculum whose didactic transformation is difficult to process and understand for both participants of the education process. We follow the results of our previous research which identified the critical areas and determined their causes and options for efficient didactic transformation. Based on the results of the investigation, we have designed sets of didactic materials intended to help teachers and pupils to overcome the main obstacles when coping with critical areas in secondary-grammar-school education of philosophy.

The proposals are designed in the form of model teaching units fulfilling the criteria of modern didactics and efficient didactic transformation. These materials are focused on proposing particular tasks that may improve the skills related to critical thinking. From the educational perspective, critical thinking is understood as a skill that may be applied with greater or lesser efficiency. It refers in particular to thinking about the premises for a belief, asking relevant questions, and drawing conclusions (A. Fisher [2019]). Manal AlMarwani (2000) points out that skills related to critical thinking in fact represent higher mental skills according to the taxonomy of educational objectives designed by B. Bloom, D. Krathwohl, etc. such as application, analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and possibly also creativity.

Keywords:

Didactic transformation, philosophy, critical thinking, didactic materials.