Critical Thinking Program Review – The aim of this Critical Thinking Program Review (CTPR) is to document the outcomes of RWCT country initiatives in order to evaluate the impact that RWCT programs might have had on particular target groups (primarily educators, students and the institutional set-up of RWCT programs at country level). As part of this review, ESP is interested in gaining a better understanding of the sustainability of RWCT programs in close to thirty countries and the diversity of RWCT-related developments in content and institutional set-up that have taken place over the past five to eight years.

Critical Thinking Development Report – This report will briefly examine the history and central doctrines of the broader critical thinking movement. It will then provide an examination of how these concepts have been actualized in broad ranging methodologies, establishing a base of “traditional best practice.” Further analysis of the current debates within the literature, specifically teacher preparation and training methods, technological innovations and the validity of current assessment methods will follow. A final section will provide an overview to current critical thinking initiatives in the international field, and an annotated analysis of five programs which currently use critical thinking methodologies innovatively in a variety of capacities.

Critical Thinking Network Overview - In 1997, international experts from the Critical Thinking Project (CT) (known at the time as the Reading and Writing in Critical Thinking program [RWCT]), began delivering a direct service program of staff development teacher training programs to master teachers. These local teacher-trainers in turn trained thousands of teachers in their own countries. Eventually, CT training was established in almost 40 countries with the aim of establishing “classroom practices that promote[d] active inquiry, student-initiated and community-based learning, problem solving, critical thinking and cooperation[1].”

Later, in 2000, in an effort to build local capacity, CT began delivering its training programs by means of locally based NGOs (spin-offs). These training programs continued to enjoy acceptance and growth in local teaching communities

Noting the smooth transition of CT training programs to the NGOs, CT began introducing new strategies that called for “major revisions and expansions[2]” to the program; their goal was to expand and transform CT from a “simple training delivery project” to one that had “an active policy component” able to “deliver transformative results across education systems[3].” Many of the NGOs then set to work, taking steps to bring about this change with the hopes of taking their organizations to this next level.

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[1] How Students Learn: A Statement of First Principles

[2] Critical Thinking Program: Strategy 2009-2010

[3] ESP Strategy – 2010-2011