The Good Practices Collection is part of the 21st Century Schools program, funded by the Government of the United Kingdom and implemented by the British Council. It contains examples of good teaching practices developed by advisors from the Bureau for Development of Education and trainers from the 21st Century Schools program. This collection will provide ongoing support to teachers and will improve their process of planning and implementation of classes with elements of critical thinking, problem-solving (CTPS) and coding, as part of regular teaching practices.
This collection was made at the request of teachers who have already attended the training and confirmed that they need developed approaches, activities, and examples of the subjects they teach. The collection contains examples for the realization of the curriculum from sixth to ninth grade for the following subjects: mathematics, physics, chemistry, natural sciences, biology, history, geography, information technology, Macedonian language, Albanian language, and English language.
In the curriculum plan, in addition to the basic elements that are part of the examples, it is stated which of the four basic characteristics of CTPS should be developed through the appropriate activity:
- Solving non-routine problems and issues.
- Taking into account different perspectives on the problems.
- Evaluation of evidence for and against different positions.
- Understanding the deeper structure of problems.
To be able to develop the listed characteristics, the examples indicate the teaching strategies that will be used, such as the following:
- Asking questions to encourage thinking at a higher level and checking that students understand.
- Modeling critical thinking and problem-solving.
- Providing systematic feedback and repair.
The prepared materials are in correlation with the curriculum goals that refer to the achievement of higher levels of learning according to Bloom's taxonomy. The materials include recommendations for additional resources that will provide support to teachers in delivering lessons that will include elements of CRP and/or coding using an appropriate approach using pedagogical, psychological, didactic, and teaching methods.
We hope that this collection will be useful and applicable for teachers and that it will enable them to develop additional ideas in preparing the lessons.