OxfordAQA held a series of Continuous Professional Development sessions across Lahore and Islamabad on 21st November 2025, bringing together teachers to explore practical strategies for embedding critical thinking into everyday classroom practice. Led by Jamie Kirkaldy, Head of Teaching and Learning Support at OxfordAQA, the training emphasised hands-on approaches that teachers can use immediately to promote deeper student questioning and analysis.
Participants examined how focused CPD acts as a bridge between traditional methods and the demands of 21st-century learners, helping teachers reflect on practice and adopt evidence-based techniques. The sessions highlighted how sustained professional development in critical thinking enables educators to design learning experiences that move students beyond surface-level recall toward evaluation and independent reasoning.
Jamie Kirkaldy said that critical thinking sits at the core of OxfordAQA qualifications and explained that CPD which targets higher-order skills is a catalyst for change in classrooms. Teachers were guided on how to model critical thinking behaviours, structure activities that challenge assumptions, and facilitate richer classroom discussions that support exam success and readiness for higher education.
Salma Adil, Director OxfordAQA, stressed that embedding critical thinking into daily teaching is essential for preparing students to thrive in a complex, globalised world. The sessions in Lahore and Islamabad aimed to strengthen local teacher capacity so schools across Pakistan can better equip learners with the reasoning skills they need for future study and careers.
OxfordAQA, a partnership between Oxford University Press and AQA, provides International GCSEs and A-levels designed for international students. The CPD initiative reinforces OxfordAQA’s commitment to supporting teachers with world-class methodologies that foster critical thinking and improve student outcomes.
