Critical thinking in identity and citizenship education at Omani elementary schools: A new pedagogical framework

The aims of this conceptual paper are to explore the incorporation of critical thinking skills in teaching Identity and Citizenship (IC) in Omani schools and to gauge the levels of readiness among teachers to use innovative teaching pedagogies for fostering critical thinking. It also aims to highlight the utility of the current conventional IC teaching methods vis-à-vis the perceived effect of using student-centered learning approaches, especially the Philosophy for Children (P4C) pedagogy, and their efficiency in fostering critical thinking. A reflective analysis of the literature was utilized to examine and highlight the effects of the pedagogy in use. It was concluded that IC’s teaching style remains very much conventional, as this subject is treated like any other school subject in an exam-oriented system, whereby information is directly disseminated to students with the objective of preparing them to take a written examination in which they might pass or fail. How students understand, perceive, or even apply the taught morals and values has become a secondary concern in the current trend of education. Therefore, a new pedagogy for a better realization of the objectives of the educational philosophy and the educational goals stated in Oman Vision 2040 is sought for this subject. A new learning framework could be proposed that will be based on eliminating the causes of alienation that students usually face while dealing with morals and values disseminated in morality lessons, and also to help teachers use innovative teaching methods to make the subject more relevant in catering to the 21st-century required skills, especially critical thinking.