Part theoretical backgrounds of using case studies for developing critical thinking of school learners

Grades	Contents
Type of the tasks
Guess What! Level 1	School Toys Family At home My body Food Actions Animals	Listen! Who is speaking Listen, point say Look and say the name Look and match Listen and act Look and find differences Listen and answer the questions Listen and find Say the chant Look and find five missing toys in picture 2 Sing the song Look and find differences Play the game
Guess What! Level 2	Transportation Pets Clothes Room Meals Activities In town On the farm	Listen! Who is speaking Listen, point say Look and say the name Look and match Find mistakes and say Listen and point Watch the video Listen and say the name Sing the song Look and match. Then listen and answer Ask and answer Listen and find Make sentences. Say yes or no Play the game Listen and read Listen and act
Guess What! Level 3	In the yard At school School days My day Home time Hobbies At the market At the beach	Listen and point Listen and point and repeat Listen and say the names Describe and guess who Sing a song Match the questions to the answers Ask and answer with a friend Listen and say the next month Read and listen Read again and answer the questions Read and listen Listen and repeat then act Watch the video
Guess What! Level 4	Fun sports Around town At work Wild animals Food and drink Health matters Buildings Weather	Listen and match then sing the song Think about your family. Ask and answer Listen and match. Then ask and answer with a friend. Measure your friends. Then ask and answer. Read and listen. Then match Listen and repeat. Then act. Listen and repeat Watch the video Listen point and repeat
Guess What! Level 5	Family and pets On the playground Under the ocean Gadgets The natural world Helping at home Feelings Outdoor sports	Match the questions and answers. Then ask and answer Answer the questions. Then ask a friend Read about the children. Then ask and answer Where are these festivals? Listen and match Listen again and say the missing words Plan a tour of some festivals. Listen and guess who. Then practice with a friend Make questions. Then ask a friend Listen and repeat Watch the video Read and listen
Guess What! Level 6	Camping Talent Show International food Music Now and then The environment Space Celebrations	Let’s start! What’s your favorite season? Why? Who’s speaking? Listen and say the names. Read Tom’s article in the Pineville school newsletter.Complete with the past tense of the words in the box. Read and write true or false. Read and listen

2.3. Methodical instructions how to use case study method to improve critical thinking.

CONCLUSION
Educating the next generation of professionals to address complex conservation and environmental challenges involves more than teaching disciplinary principles, concepts, and content—it also requires cultivating core competencies in critical thinking, collaboration, and communication. Critical thinking skills are key desired outcomes of college and university education and can strongly influence how students make life decisions. Courses should take an alternative approach, using active, collaborative, or inquiry-based approaches to learning could contribute to both long-term retention of knowledge and critical thinking skill. Using case studies to support active, inquiry-based approaches can be especially effective. Case study pedagogies are well suited to supporting the development of critical thinking skills because of their sustained focus on a theme with applications in a specific setting and the opportunity to emphasize distinct steps in the processes of understanding and analyzing issues that comprise essential skills. Creating exercises that foster critical thinking using a case study approach combines strengths from both inquiry-based and case study–based best practices.
While definitions vary, critical thinking is broadly recognized as “a habit of mind characterized by the comprehensive exploration of issues and evidence before accepting or formulating an opinion or conclusion”. Critical thinking involves higher-order thinking skills, as well as a suite of concrete capacities, including the ability to select, analyze, infer, interpret, evaluate, and explain information, as well as draw conclusions based on varied and conflicting evidence. Not confined to specific analytical tasks, strong critical thinking skills support the ability to think in a complex manner and to process and assess diverse inputs in a constantly changing environment. This capacity is essential to effective decision-making, problem solving, and adaptive management in conservation research and practice, particularly in addressing the tradeoffs and multiplicity of perspectives at the core of environmental concerns.
Educators in schools rarely prioritize explicit direct instruction in critical thinking skills or their assessment, fearing compromising the time available for “coverage” of content [6, 23]. Thus, many instructors rely on teaching and assessing core content, assuming the critical thinking skills will automatically develop along with deeper disciplinary knowledge. Further, educators typically lack training on critical thinking instruction .

Case studies can provide a particularly strong way to support the enhancement of CT skills that are adaptable for individual instructors.

To better understand the investment in time and effort needed for conservation students to learn process skills and for faculty to develop efficient teaching tools, different skills were selected. The study design built on evidence showing that case study exercises help reinforce concept knowledge, as well as cognitive skills, and further, that repetition and reflection support development of higher-order thinking skills.
A key aim of this study was to develop and use approaches for active teaching using case studies that instructors can readily adopt as part of their regular teaching practices.