UTJECAJ OBRAZOVNE TEHNOLOGIJE NA RAZVOJ KRITIČKOG MIŠLJENJA

Living in an era of dynamic technical and technological development, the need to apply teaching tools in the process of teaching represents a challenge for teachers and schools nowadays. The acquisition of teaching content aided by teaching technology increases the level of knowledge and critical thinking, decreasing at the same time the mechanical reproduction of facts. The application of such technology in the learning process motivates learners to refl ect, to think sharply and to integrate intellectual skills. The principal aim of this research is to study the effects of the application of teaching technology on the development of critical thinking in pupils. The research has been undertaken in the school subject of nature and society, the teaching content of which, by synthesising knowledge on nature and society, motivates pupils to ask questions, draw logical conclusions, to make judgments and evaluate various matters of objective reality. Participants in the research were 720 pupils and 24 teachers of several education centres of Kosovo who were trained in the programme “Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking”. The data were collected from pupils and teachers by testing and through surveys conducted during the initial and fi nal research. The fi ndings show that teaching aided by the use of the overhead projector, CDs and DVDs with teaching content, and computers, has a considerable influence on critical refl ection on knowledge, which integrates logical abilities such as evaluation, development of imagination, and the generation of new ideas. The effects of its application in the experimental group were observed in the fulfillment of high level tasks in Bloom’s taxonomy, which require analysis, synthesis and evaluation of information. The experimental group achieved 71% of points. Compared to the control group that attained 56.77%, the experimental group attainment is 14.23% higher. The difference in favour of the experimental group is attributed to the effects achieved by the application of teaching tools, which stimulated active learning and the development of critical thinking, an important premise in enhancing the quality of learning and in transforming the teaching process.U vremenu dinamičnog tehničkog i tehnološkog razvoja, potreba za primjenom obrazovnih alata predstavlja izazov za učitelje i škole današnjice. Usvajanje obrazovnih sadržaja potpomognuto tehnologijom povećava razinu znanja i kritičkog mišljenja, istovremeno smanjujući mehaničku reprodukciju činjenica. Primjena obrazovnih tehnologija u procesu učenja motivira učenika za refleksiju, mišljenje i integraciju intelektualnih vještina. Osnovni cilj ovog istraživanja je proučiti utjecaje primjene obrazovne tehnologije na razvoj kritičkog mišljenja učenika. Istraživanje je provedeno na predmetu prirode i društva, čiji obrazovni sadržaji sintetizirajući znanja,o prirodi i društvu motiviraju učenike da postavljaju pitanja, zaključuju, prosuđuju i procjenjuju različite uzorke objektivne stvarnosti. U istraživanju je sudjelovalo 720 učenika i 24 učitelja različitih obrazovnih centara na Kosovu, obučenih u programu “Čitanje i pisanje za kritičko mišljenje”. Podaci su prikupljeni testiranjem i anketiranjem učitelja i učenika provedenih tijekom inicijalne i fi nalne faze istraživanja. Rezultati ukazuju na to da poučavanje potpomognuto upotrebom projektora, CD-a, DVD-a obrazovnih sadržaja ima osjetnog utjecaja na kritičku refleksiju znanja, integrirajući logične sposobnosti poput procjene, razvoja mašte i generiranja novih ideja. Utjecaj primjene obrazovnih tehnologija na eksperimentalnu skupinu promatran je u ostvarivanju zadataka na visokoj razini (Bloomova taksonomija), koji zahtijevaju analizu, sintezu i procjenu informacije. Eksperimentalna skupina ostvarila je 71% bodova, dok je kontrolna skupina ostvarila 56.77% bodova. U usporedbi je eksperimentalna skupina ostvarila 14.23% više bodova. Uspjeh eksperimentalne skupine pripisuje se utjecaju primjene obrazovnih alata, koji stimuliraju aktivno učenje i razvoj kritičkog mišljenja., važne premise poboljšanja kvalitete učenja i preobrazbe procesa poučavanja

Coaching teachers to integrate technology: The effects of technology integration on student performance and critical thinking

This article presents the results of a mixed-methods study that investigated effects of technology integration practices of teachers in a 5th grade students’ scores and critical thinking in a public school, and introduced coaching for technology integration as a strategy to train in-service teachers for technology integration. The purpose of the research was to analyse how technology integration in science course effects on student's performance and critical thinking. The participants were 132 students and four teachers in elementary public school. The study used an experimental research design by having a control and research group (68 were in the two teachers’ classrooms that were using technology without coaching intervention and 64 were in the other two teachers’ classrooms, coached by the researchers to integrate available technologies). The data were collected through pre-test and post-test, classroom observation and semi-structured interview with teachers. The results showed that coached teachers integrated technology more frequently, purposefully and diversely. Additionally, the results indicated that technology integration positively affected student performance and student critical thinking behaviours in the 5th grade science unit

Teachers `Attitudes towards Constructivist Approach to Improving learning outcomes: The Case of Kosovo

The constructivist approach aims at change, departing from the traditional teaching and improvement of learning outcomes in primary schools of Kosovo. Teachers' attitudes towards the constructivist approach play a crucial role in actively constructing knowledge through experience and reflection and are critical for improving learning outcomes. This study aimed to examine the teachers’ attitudes to using the constructivist approach to improving learning outcomes. This research used a mixed research methodology. The research sample consisted of 40 teachers and 113 students in primary schools in Kosovo. The data were collected through a survey using questionnaires (for teachers and students) and semistructured interviews. The study illustrated that most teachers’ attitudes towards using the constructivist approach and its impact on learning outcomes are significant (p <.05). Based on the findings, one can conclude that constructing knowledge on existing experiences, involving students in discussions, reflection, authentic learning, and engaging students in research assignments result in better learning outcomes. The constructivist approach enabled the transition from traditional to student-centred teaching, and the teachers’ attitudes towards implementing this type of teaching are positive. Teachers' attitudes towards the constructivist approach were significant (p<0.05) and determined how learning outcomes would be achieve