The article substantiates the essence of the concept of “critical thinking”. Skills related to critical thinking are outlined: analysis, explanation, clarification, evaluation, conclusion, interpretation, judgment, objectivity, problem solving, reasoning. The stages of the educationalprocess at which the foundations of critical thinking of senior preschoolers are identified: “actualization → assimilation → reflection”. The main signs of critical thinking and their manifestations in senior preschoolers are determined (relative independence of thoughts; resistance to the suggestion of thoughts, patterns of behavior, demands of others; criticalattitude towards oneself, identification of one’s own mistakes and adequate attitude towards them; striving to find better options for solving problems). The essence of technologies for the development of the basics of critical thinking, which are expedient to use in working with children of senior preschool age, is revealed. It has been established that the “Basket of Ideas” technology helps to collect information about what children know, what they have heard and bring it to the topic, and it can also be used when solving a problem-based situation; “Bloom’s Daisy” and “Bloom’s Cube” technologies help to stimulate critical thinking with the help ofquestions, because children, answering them, interpret information, analyze ideas, evaluate situations, choose rational methods of action, i.e., consider the problem comprehensively; the “Six Hats” technology allows children to be taught to consider the same problem-based situation from six independent points of view.
Vita Hryhorivna Butenko (Tue,) studied this question.