Vol. 492 No. 7
44 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Education and Science his views on the criticism that schools are not teaching students to think for themselves and ask questions; the proposals, if any, he has in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15001/98]
It is an important objective of schools at all levels to develop in students a questioning attitude and the ability to think creatively and critically. The accepted view among experts is that thinking can be taught but the challenge is not so much to teach students to think as to teach them to think effectively.
There is evidence in this country from my Department's studies of pupils' achievements in English and mathematics, and from other international studies in which Irish students participated, that greater attention needs to be given to the development of higher-level thinking skills in our students.
The development of problem-solving skills in mathematics and of inferential and evaluative comprehension skills in reading is not receiving increased emphasis in our schools. Our approach seeks to make more effective thinking a self-conscious aim within the new curricula being made available at both first and second levels. Teaching approaches that cultivate group work, collaborative work among students and active learning are being encouraged.
