Σχεδιασμός και εφαρμογή εκπαιδευτικού λογισμικού για την καλλιέργεια της κριτικής ιστορικής σκέψης

Abstract

This article presents a wider concern as regards the development of critical thinking in greek educational system. Additionally, it presents a good practice in teaching history through historical method and the critical analysis of the sources with the use of multimedia environments in order to motivate children, stimulate their historical imagination and to contribute to a better understanding of historical context.

So, the educational material “Greece in the 20^th century” was designed and developed with the methodology of distance education. Distance education has developed specialist knowledge in this field because of the distance between trainee and educator. The material was applied to 6^th grade students and was evaluated by the students and teachers for its functionality, usability and better understanding of history content. The implementation of the teaching material followed the «Station rotation model», a model of blended learning, which combines face to face learning with internet supported learning.

A qualitative methodology was employed combining elements of action research. Feedback from teachers and students was used to better the material. Data collection involved semi-structured interviews, open-ended questionnaires and participatory observation. The sample of research were nine primary school teachers and eleven 6^th grade students. The analysis results showed that the teaching material has the characteristics that contribute to a better understanding of history content and to the development of critical thinking skills through exploratory methods such as critical analysis of sources and stochastic dialogue. Additionally, the contribution of the educational material to a vivid and intriguing presentation of the historical sources in order to stimulate historical empathy and authentication of teaching history is considered valuable.