Tatyana К. Smikovskaya

Development of critical thinking in high school students remains a poorly studied area in pedagogy and it is not recognized as an independent direction. During preparation for final tests, many students face difficulties in formulating thoughts, searching for information and applying the acquired knowledge. Thus, the study of the problem of fostering critical thinking among high school students in preparation for final tests in computer science and information and communication technologies is relevant and requires a systematic approach to its solution. The purpose of the study is to develop a methodology for fostering critical thinking among high school students in preparation for the final certification in computer science, using the potential of educational and cognitive, complex problem-situational, "standard" tasks with a demonstration of thinking processes. The article considers a problem-oriented approach aimed at solving problem-based tasks by students that require schoolchildren not only to reproduce knowledge, but also to apply it in non-standard contexts. The context activity-oriented approach involves the use of contextual tasks that are related to professional activities. The research approach promotes the development of skills to critically evaluate sources of information, formulate conclusions based on data and defend the decisions. The interactive approach is based on the use of modern technologies and software that allow students to actively interact with the educational material. The article provides a review and analysis of domestic and foreign literature on the topic of the article, the methodological base of the study is presented by the methodology for the development of critical thinking in high school students worked out by the authors, the results of the study are implemented by tasks in which the context of conditions and question formulations are transformed at each stage of the model. The developed units of the author's original methodology contribute to the theory and methodology of teaching computer science (general education level) and open up prospects for further scientific and methodological research in this area. The conditions for the effective implementation of critical thinking development in high school students at the stage of preparation for the computer unified state exam have been experimentally determined; the leading means are educational and cognitive, complex problem-based situational or contextual tasks in computer science, and the accompanying ones are clusters and mind maps, team and individual projects, "standard" tasks, and cases. The practical significance lies in the methodological support of the process of fostering critical thinking in high school students when studying computer science at the stage of preparation for the final exam.