The Big Ideas concept in education focuses on key principles and connections between different topics to help students understand deeper contexts and develop critical thinking.
It emerges as a key component of an approach aimed at deeper understanding and interconnection of knowledge: the big ideas represent general principles or patterns that help students link information across subjects and apply it in various contexts. They are defined as:
Within education, Big Ideas are used to create a structured curriculum that supports the development of critical thinking and the practical application of knowledge.
Modern education faces challenges such as curriculum overload with facts, fragmented knowledge, and insufficient connections between subjects. Big Ideas provide a solution to these problems by facilitating the integration of knowledge, which helps students see relationships between different topics and apply them in new situations. They support deeper understanding by shifting focus from rote memorization of facts to grasping essential ideas and connections. Studying Big Ideas also enhances critical thinking by encouraging analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of information. Another benefit is improved curriculum coherence, making educational programs more structured and meaningful.
In the Czech educational system, Big Ideas are applied mainly within reform-oriented teaching approaches and modernized curricula. One example is the Heuréka program, which promotes conceptual understanding of physical laws through discovery and experimentation instead of mere formula memorization. Another example is the Hejný Method, which develops mathematical skills using real-life situations and problem-solving tasks. This approach not only strengthens numerical literacy but also fosters logical reasoning and connections across different areas of mathematics.
In the field of social sciences, the concept of Big Ideas is implemented in the Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking program, which focuses on developing an analytical approach to working with texts and forming personal opinions based on argumentation and evidence. In science education, this concept is applied through inquiry-based learning, which allows students to develop scientific thinking through their own research and experiments, thus enhancing their ability to link theoretical knowledge with practical application.
Another strong implementation is project-based learning, applied at various levels of education. It connects several subjects into a single comprehensive learning activity. This approach helps students understand the complexity of the world and teaches them how to apply their knowledge in broader contexts.
The concept of Big Ideas is becoming an integral part of modern education. Its implementation not only improves the connection between different subjects but also supports deeper understanding, critical thinking, and the application of knowledge in practice. Educators and educational institutions that incorporate this concept into their curricula create more effective and meaningful learning environments.
Global Education Time (GET) brings new opportunities for sharing best educational practices and innovations: the project connects educators, researchers, and educational institutions worldwide to promote the integration of global topics into education through the application of the Big Ideas concept.
GET project aims to build a global educational community that shares modern teaching approaches, adapts educational methods to the latest scientific and research findings, and fosters students’ critical thinking in the context of global issues. It connects teachers with experts from various fields and provides them with a platform for exchanging innovative methodologies and teaching materials.
Key outcomes include the creation of an open digital space for sharing educational resources, the organization of expert webinars and conferences, and the implementation of pilot educational programs focused on interdisciplinary connections between subjects. Another important aspect of the project is teacher support through mentoring programs, in which experts from different disciplines help educators integrate Big Ideas into their teaching.
Through this international collaboration, Czech schools and teachers can benefit from global knowledge and implement the latest educational trends into their practice. At the same time, the project provides a space for sharing successful Czech educational initiatives at the international level, fostering mutual enrichment of educational systems across countries.
We thank the Czech team for translating the article into English. To read the original piece of news, please visit the Czech Republic website. To learn more about Big Ideas in our educational resources, discover the dedicated section of the GET website.
