Abstract:

The present paper presents the application of critical thinking methods based on the principles of active learning, comparatively, at preschool and primary education level with secondary and high school education level.

The structure of the paper investigates the following theoretical and practical aspects: the degree of applying the critical thinking methods in the Romanian primary and secondary education system, the advantages of applying these methods, the types of methods applied, as well as the circumstances of improving the application of the critical thinking methods.

The research was performed with the questionnaire method, and the questionnaire was applied to 1476 teachers from the preschool and primary school levels, respectively to 1230 teachers from secondary and high school levels. The questionnaire was applied during February-May 2011 in Centru Region, Romania.

Keywords:

Critical thinking, (teaching) methods, primary and secondary education.