In a recent publication by the Brookings Institute, ‘Competencies for the 21st century’, the importance of these competencies has been stressed. As it explains, ‘The world is rapidly changing and faces increasingly complex global challenges…that require creative collaboration across borders’. In addition, for various reasons, ‘jobs are changing’ such that ‘to be successful in learning, work, and life, today’s citizen needs a wide range of competencies’. In this way, the skills developed through critical thinking are seen as central to such success.
Using fairy stories to develop critical thinking
A recent study in The Australian Journal of Language and Literacy on using fairy stories in primary schools has highlighted that such stories can be