The effect of using Monroe and Slater's strategy on developing critical thinking skills among fourth grade literary students in history

Abstract

The subject of history is one of the basic subjects that are taught in various educational stages, as it enables learners to see their civilized nation and its influences in their contemporary world and the ideas and opinions it presented in various fields of science and knowledge (Muhammad, and others, 2000, pg. 5). However, the reality of teaching history is marred by stereotypical methods that diminish the achievement of the desired goals and its educational benefit (Sa'ada, 1985, p. 15). As he is still a prisoner of traditional methods that emphasize theoretical and formal aspects and on memorization and indoctrination instead of an interest in developing thinking and the weakness of learners in possessing the skill of critical thinking. This is due to the failure of traditional methods to meet the needs and requirements of intellectual growth (Al-Janabi, 1992, p. Appropriate teaching is one of the main elements in the development of learners' thinking, where the weakness in learners' knowledge and mental ability is attributed to the fact that some teachers stand unable to find appropriate methods and methods in teaching (Al-Samarrai, 1994, p. The two researchers learned through their relationship with history teachers that students tend to memorize automatically and tend towards memorizing information as a goal and complaining that this material is far from their real lives by virtue of the fact that the topics that revolve around it go back to the past, whether distant or near, and that the methods of presenting these topics do not stimulate their thinking Feeling the futility of studying it, it weakens their participation in the educational process. Therefore, the problem of the study is represented in its attempt to identify the effect of using Monroe and Slater's strategy on developing critical thinking skills among fourth-grade students in the subject of history, especially that studies related to critical thinking strategies in the field of social studies in general and history in particular. A few special prompting researchers to pay attention to this topic