contextualising critical thinking pedagogy in south african teacher education

Abstract

Since 1994, South Africa, a developing democracy, has endeavoured to improve the quality of its education. Crime, poverty, and unemployment among other socio–economic ills decry quality living. While politics and economics have driven education policy and curriculum transformation, these are symbolic in practice. Critical thinking pedagogy emphasises the importance of developing and enabling critical consciousness for quality living and healthy citizenry. Though complex in nature, critical thinking pedagogy is considered a student–centred inquiry–based dialogical approach. Contextualising critical thinking pedagogical practices embedded in theory needed for sustainable change and ongoing transformation is about quality education especially in South African higher education. In line with the call for quality education from local Non–Governmental Organisations and international institutions like the United Nations, this paper seeks to contextualise critical thinking pedagogy as an approach through the culture of collaboration and inquiry in South African teacher education. The paper advances an explicit inclusion of critical thinking pedagogy in teacher education at South African higher education institutions. Lipman’s Philosophy for Children framework is offered as a means for engaging a context–driven, collaborative, storytelling pedagogical approach centring fairness, respect and dignity sensitive to local and universal application that could address quality education.