Reshaping Education
Key issue
Looking at the current education system, we identified a couple of problems that require a response. In order to maintain critically-minded citizens, there is a need for thoughtful individuals who are equipped with a set of tools to guide them through a democratic and developed society. In a changing society with an enormous amount of information circulating it is not easy to sort out the facts and perceive them critically. Furthermore, critical thinking is a key instrument for voting in elections, understanding political processes and functioning in a democratic society.
The European Commission defines critical thinking as consisting of the following key elements: the ability to analyse information, problem-solving capability including the identification of a problem, collecting information about it and working on solutions, self-regulatory thinking as well as being curious and asking questions. In our opinion these elements must be included consequently in schools and universities, so the students can apply them not only in the academic context but also in their daily lives. We would like to point out that solely having a critical attitude towards established political institutions and proven scientific facts, as many of the current demonstrations against COVID-19 policies are based on, is not what we mean with critical thinking. We value science and research, and we want to open up for critical discussions regarding societal issues in a rational and science-based format.
Furthermore, with the globalization of the world, there is a need for multilateralism and developing good relationships with other states. Knowing this and looking at the international sphere, knowledge about the EU is essential for a citizen living in Europe. We must educate the European citizens on what rights and duties they have, the power they have to influence the European decision making and what programs and opportunities might be available for them in Europe.
We believe that education is supposed to be inclusive at its core. Each student must be seen, heard and included in the educational process. Many European countries today have educational systems which cause segregation and polarization. Most of the children never get the chance to interact with people from different socioeconomic backgrounds or ethnicities. This is an enormous issue. Furthermore, we do not believe that education is solely for young people. As of today, most people do not continue educating themselves after they have received some form of educational degree. This is also a large problem. It should not be rare or stigmatized for adults to enter educational programs – it should be encouraged.
In summary, the main issues which we have identified regarding the current educational system are exclusion, lack of teaching critical thinking, not enough knowledge about the EU, lack of different cultural perspectives during lectures and the need for more life-long learning programs.
Response
To enhance critical thinking, we would like to reshape education methods. This reform should target all generations, as the goal is to reshape the system not only for youngsters but for individuals of all ages. With this, we would like to enable lifelong learning and make sure that everyone is in a constant self-development and is equipped with a “tool-kit” allowing them to navigate to a democratic world.
Taking a look at youth education, schools and teachers would need to implement the 4C’s (Critical Thinking, Creativity, Collaboration, Communication) in classrooms. This would allow more stimulative learning for the students, as instead of just memorizing, they would engage in active problem solving and discussion. This can be achieved by, for instance, discussion groups; classes are divided into smaller groups which allow the teacher to monitor how the student interacts in a discussion and pay more attention to certain traits of his/her personality. This way, the teacher can personalize the teaching method based on the individual student needs. Another interactive learning method is problem-based learning; a problem/question is presented to the students and they have to research by themselves, finding their arguments, their ideas on the matter and present them to the class who would discuss it. The goal is for the students to make their own opinions on the issues that they would face through life, to have the ability to research and critically analyse a certain situation, to be prepared and well equipped for the future.
Life-long learning is also developed in our program. Besides students, teachers also need to learn and self-improve in order to keep up with the world’s developments and latest teaching methods. Therefore, we are interested in organising workshops on different political and
professional topics. The goal is to help individuals to perceive the media news correctly, see-through fake news, understand how to get information regarding political issues, and listen to presentations on complex political topics. For the workshops to be more effective, they would need to occur timely close to political events, as the attention would already be focussed on them and that would encourage people to join. These interactive workshops would be provided not only to teachers in schools but also to employees in diverse organisations and institutions who are interested in increasing their aggregated knowledge and awareness. In our opinion, this has the potential to improve employees’ work and life conditions and at the same time, it is a way to gain experiences for the companies as well. If possible, a company should provide incentives, so there is another reason for the employees to join these seminars and workshops.
Result
As a result of participating in these modernized learning methods in the forms of innovative classes, lectures, seminars and workshops we aspire to provide all European citizens with a tool kit for critical thinking and openness. With these learning methods, we strive to increase knowledge, awareness and participation among everyone situated within the European borders. We believe that when equipped with an open mindset and the ability to think critically, European citizens would ensure the maintenance and prosperity of democracy and human rights.
Additionally, we would like to stress that these outcomes would not solely apply to young students. We aim to ensure that our proposed changes would appear in educational programs for people of all ages, including teachers and employees in diverse organisations. As a result of not only in-class-education but also workshops for the corporate environment, we aim for achieving lifelong learning as well as a stronger feeling of a European identity.
In times of international crisis, misinformation and conspiracy theories, it is more important than ever to obtain the ability to think critically and the knowledge of how to make a difference in the world. In the long run, the result of implementing our proposal would lead to a more democratic, open and deliberate society where people would welcome and embrace cultural differences. People would desire to have rational, fact-based, open dialogues with individuals from different backgrounds and opinions, instead of turning against each other.