Resources for Trainers

As part of MIND project, partners have developed the compendium of scientific literature Critical Thinking in adult education. Compendium of ideas (Compendium) - a well-organized document that gathers key insights, research findings, and examples related to Critical Thinking (CT) in adult education. Compendium provides a comprehensive overview of what CT is, how it works in practice, why it’s valuable for individuals, organizations, and society, and how it can be promoted/developed.

Compendium to download

Partners also have developed the comprehensive report Executive report on adult education programs and documents (Executive Report) exploring how CT is reflected, promoted, and developed within non-formal adult education strategies and programs in partner countries.

Key content of the report:

• How CT is addressed in non-formal adult education documents and frameworks across partner countries.

• How CT is defined, promoted, and integrated into non-formal adult learning policies and practices.

• Good practices and gaps identified in the promotion of CT at the national levels.

Executive Report serves as a valuable resource for educational policymakers, educators, and adult learning providers aiming to strengthen the role of CT in lifelong learning.

Executive Report to download

Based on analysis of the scientific literature and national programs and documents, partnership has elaborated The MIND MODEL: Model framework for the development of critical thinking in non-formal adult education (MIND Model). It is intended for non-formal adult education staff, teachers, trainers, and adult education programme developers who wish to develop and enhance the CT skills of diverse groups of adult learners. Diverse means a variety of age groups, social backgrounds, ethnic origins and other diversities that transcend geographical and cultural boundaries. This is the universality of our MIND Model. We, its creators, are confident that it can be easily applied to formal education because of its philosophical-methodological approach, based on a wealth of research into how adults learn best.

MIND Model to download

Following the universal MIND Model, partners have developed the Programme for adult educators for development of critical thinking in non-formal adult education (MIND Programme). It is aimed at leaders and developers, lecturers, trainers, and all those working with adult learners in non-formal adult education programmes in different non-formal education contexts. The programme aims to provide clear methodological guidelines for the development of critical thinking among various adult groups and to model its process by providing concrete steps for the implementation.  

The programme is built on the best knowledge informed by science, how adults learn best, and on the development of critical thinking methodologies, namely social constructivism, pragmatism, and critical pedagogy. All this wisdom has been united into the 5 stages of MIND Model.

MIND Programme under development

A set of methodological tools Toolkit: tools for development of critical thinking in non-formal adult education (MIND Toolkit) is developed within the project MIND. It supplements MIND Programme with the range of the tools. Adult educators, who​ will implement the program, can use MIND Toolkit to diversify program content or adjust them to their target group’s needs. The methodical tool set is also useful for adult education program managers, non-formal educators, lecturers and adult educators for including critical thinking approach into their own programs.

MIND Toolkit under development