LEARNING IN THE 21ST CENTURY: THE DEVELOPMENT OF CRITICAL THINKING OF THE ALPHA GENERATION (Atena Editora)

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to analyze and reflect on the learning process of Generation Alpha, also known as the digital natives. With the Digital Age and the intuitive use of new educational technologies by Generation Alpha, the social and interactive dimension has acquired particular relevance, making critical thinking a key skill for promoting learning in this new time. This article presents part of an intervention project applied to twelve students in the first year of elementary school at a private school in the interior of the state of São Paulo. The methodology was a descriptive case study with a qualitative approach and bibliographic design, using the tale of the fable “A Formiga e a Cigarra”(‘’ The Ant and the Cicada’’). As a result, the importance of understanding the way in which the Alpha generation understands, interprets and appropriates information to build their own knowledge is highlighted. It was evident the relevance of learning achieved through critical thinking that promotes the child's autonomy in the processes of search, selection, evaluation and use of information, in a conscious and reflective way, in their most different environments of formation and performance. It is concluded that the discussion of this theme is fundamental to rethink the evolution of the cognitive processes of the new generation regarding the production of knowledge when integrating the teaching and learning process with the new educational technologies.