ACTIVATIONAL TEACHING METHODS AS A TOOL FOR DEVELOPMENT OF CRITICAL THINKING

In education, the development of critical thinking is a long-term process that needs to begin in early school age. This period is important for the development of critical thinking, because a child starts school and is significantly affected by the teacher's way of work. A pupil is required to be able to think critically when starting secondary education. The main prerequisite of pupils' development of critical thinking is teacher's creative personality using a creative approach in education. This paper deals with the analysis of activational methods and the application of Philosophy for Children program as a tool for development of critical thinking in educational process of pupils at secondary education level. Within the Philosophy for Children programme, we have implemented activational methods in the education process. The research design was quantitative, and the data was acquired based on the experimental method. The research results confirm the benefits of the Philosophy for Children program in educational process with emphasis on its potential to develop pupils' critical thinking owing to its principles and characteristics.