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The Critical and Creative Thinking capability is key to the development of consumer and financial literacy. Responding to the ever-changing consumer and financial landscape requires young people to be creative, innovative, enterprising and adaptable, with the motivation, confidence and skills to use critical and creative thinking purposefully. The Critical and Creative Thinking capability contributes to the development of the following dimensions of consumer and financial literacy.
Approximate proportion of the dimensions addressed by Creative and Critical Thinking
Through this capability, students develop the critical thinking skills of analysing, evaluating and synthesising information. They learn to discriminate between fact and opinion, question the reliability of evidence and draw reasoned conclusions. These are important skills for students when making sound consumer and financial decisions. Critical and Creative Thinking also equips young people to be innovative and manage opportunities at work, in the community and in their personal lives. Dispositions that enable students to effectively participate in the complex consumer and financial landscape, such as inquisitiveness, reasonableness, intellectual flexibility, open- and fair-mindedness, a readiness to try new ways of doing things and consider alternatives, and persistence are also enhanced by Critical and Creative Thinking.
Moneysmart for teachers and Tax, Super and You provide a number of interdisciplinary units and interactive activities that include aspects of the Critical and Creative Thinking capability.
Typically, by the end of Year 6, students:
Identify and clarify information and ideas
identify and clarify relevant information and prioritise ideas
Organise and process information
analyse, condense and combine relevant information from multiple sources
Apply logic and reasoning
assess whether there is adequate reasoning and evidence to justify a claim, conclusion or outcome
Typically, by the end of Year 6, students:
Pose questions
pose questions to clarify and interpret information and probe for causes and consequences
Imagine possibilities and connect ideas
combine ideas in a variety of ways and from a range of sources to create new possibilities
Consider alternatives
identify situations where current approaches do not work, challenge existing ideas and generate alternative solutions
Seek solutions and put ideas into action
assess and test options to identify the most effective solution and to put ideas into action
Transfer knowledge into new contexts
apply knowledge gained from one context to another unrelated context and identify new meaning
Draw conclusions and design a course of action
scrutinise ideas or concepts, test conclusions and modify actions when designing a course of action
Evaluate procedures and outcomes
evaluate the effectiveness of ideas, products, performances, methods and courses of action against given criteria