A Practical Research: Teaching Strategies to enhance Critical Thinking amongst Adolescent Girls Living in an Informal Settlement in Kenya

Abstract

In response to the lack of empirical evidence regarding methods of teaching critical thinking to adolescents, this article addresses the question of how to teach critical thinking to adolescent girls in informal settlements in Kenya. First, an evidence-based approach through a literature review of 17 articles identified teaching strategies. The aim was to discuss these strategies through a practice-based approach of 8 semi-structured interviews with life skills programmes in Kenya. The research was guided by the framework from Duron et al., (2006) and data were analysed through a typological analysis. Results show that most strategies used in western countries can also be used in another cultural context like Kenya, such as case study, group discussion, debate, peer learning, and that not all strategies that could work are currently implemented. New strategies are suggested by the participants, such as role-playing, storytelling, showcase videos or fun creative activities, which underline the importance of a sense of community. This supports the idea of a cultural embeddedness of critical thinking, which implies creating bottom-up teaching strategies, considering the specificities of a certain context.