Project MIND/DEVELOPMENT of CRITICAL THINKING for SUCCESSFUL FUTURE CAREER in EU

REFERENCE Nr.94313-CP-1-2001-1-LT-COMENIUS-C2.1

DURATION - 24 months, October 2001 - October 2003.

MISSION OF THE PROJECT - to promote equal opportunities for learning and successful future career in EU.

AIMS OF THE PROJECT

• To develop skills of critical thinking and life-long learning.
• To help the youth to adjust to the ever-changing society and to successfully plan its professional carrier.
• To explore "good practice" in partner countries on the topic.
• To establish long-term partnership contacts.

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT

• To develop a set of certain methods and strategies for developing critical thinking skills as a tool for successful future career.
• To create a universal career training programme which will be able to raise the person, capable identify himself or herself as European citizen, successfully living and meeting the challenges of new reality.

different subjects, grades and different secondary school levels teachers or teacher trainers.
The project is directed to educators who strive to implement democratic teaching methods in their classrooms and understand their new role - that of counselors and advisers of  students towards their successful carrier.

BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT

For several decades there has been a growing discussions in the international education community about school reform or school restructuring. Many educators have been imploring schools to restructure in some way to educate independent, critical minded, responsible citizens, capable to be masters of their own lives and successful career.

Young generation is experiencing personal and social insecurity, uncertainty. Those problems create barrier for personal and professional career. The young people must be prepared to meet challenges of the changing world and information, not to get lost, if they have not succeed in one or another thing, be available to choose different ways and know how to do it.

In a period of political and economical transformations career education and guidance is more important than ever, in particular in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Employers make ever-higher demands on their prospective employees: greater flexibility, enhanced availability, and the ability to cope with change. The developments in society are such that at various times in life everyone has to face major career changes. All this makes it necessary to develop critical thinking skills and new approach to career starting from the school.

The mission of schooling is to prepare citizens for successful lives within their future communities as both responsible citizens and as leaders and shapers of t hose communities. In this case, the teachers need to review their teaching in order to educate responsible and critical minded pupils. The teaching and learning requires a set of characteristic behaviours. These characteristics (didactical approaches) include:

• the capacity to reflect;
  
• respect for other voices;
  
• the ability to obtain and evaluate information from multiple sources;
  
• independent opinion formation;
  
• the ability to work collaboratively;
  
• the ability to reach and support consensus;
  
• problem solving skills;
  
• the capacity to care for others;
  
• appreciation for alternative opinions and conclusions;
  
• the willingness to share;
  
• active participation and contribution to the larger community.

Classrooms are distinct communities of learners. As communities classrooms are living social and political environments. Students learn ways of interacting, methods of problem solving, means of power sharing, and the mechanisms of rule and self-governance, power sharing, and problem solving. Those skills are very important for their future career and adaptation in society. Developing critical thinking, as universal strategy, is still one of the biggest needs in society.

Teachers need good programme and instrucnt. tions how to integrate career education into the national curriculum and their subject programmes. The developed programme will stimulate teachers abilities to plan and implement career guidance programmes and their considerable interest in balanced spreading of knowledge, information and experience in career education policy and development.