CULTIVATING CRITICAL THINKING IN PRACTICAL CLASSES DURING PATHOMORPHOLOGY AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS

Abstract

The aim of this study is to explore and suggest methods for cultivating critical thinking in medical students during practical classes at a higher education institution.
 Results and discussion. Critical thinking is recognised as skilled thinking that makes good judgements because it is criterion-based, self-improving and context-sensitive. The process of developing critical thinking has the ultimate goal of teaching how to solve situational problems, persevere in solving problems, have flexible communication skills in teamwork, learn to listen to the interlocutor, be able to consider problems from different perspectives and consider multiple connections between phenomena, build logical conclusions, reflect on their feelings and thoughts, set goals and achieve goals. Thus, cultivating critical thinking in practical classes over the course of Pathomorphology is an integral part of the educational process.
 Considering the role that Pathomorphology plays as a bridge between theoretical and clinical disciplines, the faculty of departments teaching this subject confronts the challenge of fostering critical thinking in medical students. This article is dedicated to exploring various methods for developing critical thinking in medical students within higher education institutions. The following methods are considered: development of critical thinking through reading and writing, cluster, Fishbone method, question cube, Daisy of Questions, syncreate, Lotus Flower and Tree of Predictions (Decisions). It is extremely important to introduce training to foster critical thinking (solving real problems and making decisions by students in various situations); to create reasonable grounds for choosing the most appropriate methods, techniques, forms and means of teaching. The considered methods of forming critical thinking in medical students have effectively proved themselves in practical classes in pathomorphology at the higher education institution "Bukovinian State Medical University". In the future, there is a need to study other methods of critical thinking, such as "six hats of thinking", essay, etc.
 Conclusion. Cultivating critical thinking in medical students stands as one of the paramount responsibilities for the teaching staff in any higher education medical institution. Critical thinking is the skill of analyzing and making well-considered decisions independently. It represents a distinct form of thinking marked by activity, purposefulness, independence, discipline, and reflection