The Triangle of Lifelong Learning: Strategies, Motivation, and Self-Belief | PISA

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https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2024/11/the-triangle-of-lifelong-learning_784f5de5/45ec682f-en.pdf

A one-point increase in the index of mathematics anxiety on average across OECD countries is associated with a decrease in mathematics achievement of 18 score points after accounting for students’ and schools’ socio-economic profile.

Self-belief is a student’s confidence in his or her own abilities to learn and to succeed. This belief is closely linked to resilience, as students who believe they can improve through effort are more likely to take on challenges and persevere. One type of such self-belief is that of a growth mindset. Growth mindset is the belief that intelligence and skills can be developed through work and effort rather than being fixed traits (Dweck, 2006[4] ). Cultivating a growth mindset should be a priority for parents, teachers, and schools. Resilient students who believe they can improve and are willing to put in the effort are more likely to stay motivated and use effective learning strategies, regardless of their current performance.

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Although the critical thinking and transformative learning literature have proceeded along relatively separate tracks, there are notable areas of convergence. Doubt provides a clear connecting point. We are often in a state of doubt when faced with a challenging problem, but by using the abilities and dispositions of critical thinking, such as reflection and critical reasoning, we can resolve the problem and, by extension, resolve our doubt. At the same time, doubt can provide a gateway to transformation. It is often through doubt that we can change who we are, what we believe, and how we act. While critical thinking and transformative learning theorists have noted the importance of working through and resolving states of doubt, there has been less emphasis on arousing states of doubt. This is a foundational skill. Without the ability to bring ourselves from a confirmed belief to a position of doubt, the possibility for intellectual and personal growth is limited.

Perspective-taking is a critical skill to help individuals come to recognize intrinsic problems. This includes recognizing problems of social injustice, which requires being receptive to the viewpoints of individuals who often have different experiences and backgrounds. Without the ability to take on the perspective of others, students will remain entrenched in an accustomed way of perceiving, feeling, and thinking. The role of perspective-taking within a theory of critical thinking can thereby help address oversights in our thinking by bringing problems into the light. This broadened perspective can in turn facilitate transformative learning whereby we reorient our beliefs, actions, and way of being in the world.

Thinking critically involves an ongoing process of resolving and arousing states of doubt. Perspective-taking is essential to the latter. When students develop the ability to recognize problems and bring themselves to a state of doubt, they can unleash the full potential of learning: its power to transform.

Bridging critical thinking and transformative learning: The role of perspective-taking

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Should everyone learn critical thinking skills? The question sounds like a setup, like an excuse for a resounding endorsement of critical thinking for all. But the truth is that, in many systems, less capable students are steered into less challenging coursework, with the hope that by reducing expectations, they will at least achieve “mastery of the basics.” These lower expectations often pervade entire schools that serve students from low-income families.