Abstract

Embracing a belief that achievement is best realized through the development of critical, reflective, and creative thinking, an argument is made that any education curriculum or pedagogical practice which does not put into practice a similar ideology is viewed as educationally deficient and incomplete. The development and cultivation of critical thinking skills, exploration of reasoning processes, and the expansion of applications of aesthetic inquiry in diverse educational programs can better provide holistic learning experiences. The demands on educational institutions have limited the approaches to inquiry-based education. The same demands are challenging teacher educators to implement creative and innovative ways to promote an inquiry-based education. By embracing and promoting critical, reflective, and creative thinking, educators can promote inquiry-based instruction in an inclusive and integrated manner. This brief paper discusses the methodologies of a regional university teacher-preparatory program that requires pre-service education students to develop and articulate a teaching philosophy which embraces critical, reflective, and creative thinking as a means through which creative and academic achievement can be improved and is focused primarily in an Interdisciplinary Field of Research.