OECD Project on Assessing Progress in Creative and Critical Thinking Skills in Education (2017)
The outputs of the project
1. Assessment tools
The PISA team measures competences in four areas (math, science, visual art, music) and combines this with creativity and critical thinking in this field. The choice of territories for countries was optional, Hungary selected the field of mathematics because they have the most experience in this area through their creativity development program. In addition to the four competence areas and the tools for measuring creativity and critical thinking in these areas, background questionnaires were developed, both in relation to the attitudes of students in the given area and the functioning of the given school. Teacher questionnaires were also developed, as well as qualitative measuring tools (interviews, focus group leader and classroom observation tools). This was one of the added values provided by the Hungarian research team. These measuring instruments are all ready and tested during the project.
2. Pedagogical methodological program package for teachers, teacher training material
With the help of the conceptual framework (so-called rubric), teachers have been able to easily test sample tasks. A guide has been prepared in the form of a training material that makes teachers able to develop their own tools/tasks based on the rubrics. To help this work, the first version of a teacher training course was also completed. The finalization of this and the development of the final training material developed on this basis will take place during the second year.
3. Developing a formative evaluation tool
Based on the conceptual framework of the rubric, a system is developed that enable teachers to continuously monitor their activity of developing creativity and critical thinking and the student’s progress in this classroom work. Thus, using a measuring tool that incorporates tasks that are part of the conceptual framework, teachers’ measurement and evaluation in the classrooms will take place six times per year in the second year of the project.
