Opportunities to Stimulate Critical Thinking in Primary Education

At present, there is a growing focus on the all-rounded emotional and physical development of young learners, ensuring that their intellectual, moral, socio-emotional, and physical development are well aligned and supportive of each other. Considering the sophistication of the cognitive structures and the multitude of issues that the modern world presents, the nurturing of thinking skills, more particularly critical thinking, assumes pivotal importance at this level of education. The ERR model (Evocation, Realisation of Meaning, Reflection) has been increasingly accepted as a productive pedagogical strategy, albeit it is still not fully exploited. In the 2023–2024 academic year, there was a formative and ameliorative psycho-pedagogical micro experiment aimed at determining the existence of direct functional and causal relationships between a set of methodologies centered around ERR and the critical thinking skills of primary school pupils. This sample was targeted with a sample of 10 primary school students from a certain 3rd class of Vasile Alecsandri Secondary School in Vaslui. Primary data were gathered with the assistance of research methods, which included some experimental approaches, along with systematic observation and statistical-mathematical calculation. The data were collected through observation grids during both pre-experimental and post-experimental evaluations. The findings highlighted the impact of ERR-based methodologies—such as the “I Know/I Want to Know/I Learned” strategy, Bunches, Dials, and Lapbooking—across several subjects, including Romanian Language and Literature, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Civic Education. The activities implemented during the intervention period significantly contributed to fostering cognitive behaviours that support critical thinking in young learners. The students demonstrated notable improvements in their ability to formulate responses to questions, make informed decisions when addressing problems, substantiate their points of view with well-reasoned arguments, and engage constructively with the perspectives of their peers.