Critical Thinking and Btecs
Evaluating Proposed Changes to the Level 2 BTEC ICT Curriculum: Improving the development of critical thinking skills in students
Abstract
Our society is changing at a faster pace than ever before, principally as a result of the increasing use of information technology in our daily lives (Nemcik, 2011). Many governments (OECD, 2004; European Commission, 2009) have recognised the part that critical thinking skills play in making individuals reflexive and adaptable to this constant change.
Vocational qualifications have an important part to play in developing 14 – 19 year olds’ critical thinking skills and the BTEC is a popular choice in schools and further education colleges, with over 780 providers in the UK (Alps, 2012). However, widespread change is filtering through all BTEC courses, partly as a consequence of the findings of the Wolf Report (2011). It is the level 2 BTEC First in ICT that is the focus of this paper: to assess whether the changes introduced as a direct result of the findings of the Wolf Report provide better or worse opportunities for developing students’ critical thinking skills.
Contents Abstract 1 Introduction 3 What is “Critical Thinking”? 3 Why is Critical Thinking Important? 5 What are BTECs and Why are they Changing? 8 Does the Current BTEC First ICT Curriculum Facilitate Critical Thinking? 8 Personal Learning and Thinking Skills 11 Allocation for Critical Thinking in the new BTEC Level 2 ICT Curriculum 12 External assessment 13 Synoptic Learning 13 Reduction in Summative Assessment Attempts 14 Move away from Personal Thinking and Learning Skills 16 Training for Teachers 17 Discussion 18 Potential Further Research 19 Conclusions 19 References 20 Appendix : BTEC Level 2 ICT Personal, Thinking and Learning Skills (PLTS) 25
Introduction
In “Brave New World Revisited” (1958; Chapter XI paragraph 8), Aldous Huxley commented:
“…children are nowhere taught, in any systematic way, to
Abstract
Our society is changing at a faster pace than ever before, principally as a result of the increasing use of information technology in our daily lives (Nemcik, 2011). Many governments (OECD, 2004; European Commission, 2009) have recognised the part that critical thinking skills play in making individuals reflexive and adaptable to this constant change.
Vocational qualifications have an important part to play in developing 14 – 19 year olds’ critical thinking skills and the BTEC is a popular choice in schools and further education colleges, with over 780 providers in the UK (Alps, 2012). However, widespread change is filtering through all BTEC courses, partly as a consequence of the findings of the Wolf Report (2011). It is the level 2 BTEC First in ICT that is the focus of this paper: to assess whether the changes introduced as a direct result of the findings of the Wolf Report provide better or worse opportunities for developing students’ critical thinking skills.
Contents Abstract 1 Introduction 3 What is “Critical Thinking”? 3 Why is Critical Thinking Important? 5 What are BTECs and Why are they Changing? 8 Does the Current BTEC First ICT Curriculum Facilitate Critical Thinking? 8 Personal Learning and Thinking Skills 11 Allocation for Critical Thinking in the new BTEC Level 2 ICT Curriculum 12 External assessment 13 Synoptic Learning 13 Reduction in Summative Assessment Attempts 14 Move away from Personal Thinking and Learning Skills 16 Training for Teachers 17 Discussion 18 Potential Further Research 19 Conclusions 19 References 20 Appendix : BTEC Level 2 ICT Personal, Thinking and Learning Skills (PLTS) 25
Introduction
In “Brave New World Revisited” (1958; Chapter XI paragraph 8), Aldous Huxley commented:
“…children are nowhere taught, in any systematic way, to
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