Theoretical Foundations of Critical Thinking in Preschool Children

Abstract

The theoretical bases of critical thinking   development in preschool children are considered in this article. In preschool age, special skills to carry out independent activities for the realization and analysis of the acquired knowledge, mastering the methods of critical thinking and cognition are laid.

 Objective of article is theoretically explanation the special aspects of development of critical thinking of senior preschool children.

Methods: comparison and classifying to define the main approaches for definition of “critical thinking”; synthesis and analysis to prove the possibility of forming critical thinking in senior preschool children.

 Results of the study. The article analyses modern approaches to critical thinking as a complex of mental operations characterised by the ability of a person to analyse, compare, synthesise, and evaluate information from any source. It is proved that by the pedagogical point of view, critical thinking is, first of all, an independent and systematic, logical and reasoned thinking. The typical signs of this type of thinking are individuality and sociality: every opinion is checked and substantiated when it is shared with others.

The concept of “critical thinking” is as a person’s ability to reasonably assess the information which is as a result of interaction with the surrounding social and natural environment; the ability to identify the positive and negative characteristics of this phenomenon and to find the means for a more optimal solution to the problem.

Conclusions. Summing it up, it should be noted  that the main characteristics of critical thinking of senior preschool children are as follows: persistence in solving problems, ability to solve problems by communicating with other children, ability to listen to the other person, ability to consider several possibilities for solving any problem, reflections on their feelings, thoughts, put their knowledge to use in different situations, curiosity and frequent putting “good” questions, active acquiring information.