Fostering CT skills should be one of the prime objectives of language teaching (Erdem, 2020). However, teachers face contextual challenges such as lack of time and resources, institutional support, and the presence of a compliance culture that overshadows the implementation of CT (Veliz, 2021). Despite these challenges, CT can be achieved by incorporating activities (in both lower and high-order thinking skills) that go beyond knowledge and comprehension, enabling students to apply their knowledge creatively. Thus, it is paramount to tackle these challenges as critical thinking development requires collaborative work, sufficient exposure, constant assessment, etc.
Teachers are aware of the relevance of exercising CT within TEFL; however, they argue that their knowledge is insufficiently developed during their training (Rui Yuan & Paul Stapleton, 2020). Hence, they do not always know how to apply it, because they lack the necessary tools. CT is a long process that requires preparation, therefore, teachers can start by providing opportunities for learners to reflect on the nature and effectiveness of the tasks, combining critical and creative thinking to stimulate more thoughtful and authentic output.
Editor:
Gloria Romero
Construct pivotal questions that address key facts and concepts of the lesson (i.e., exit tickets or mindmap-building).
Adapt basic comprehension questions to make students think more critically (i.e., “What do you use to brush your teeth?” → “Why is it important to brush your teeth every day?”).
Authentic and thought-provoking materials that spark interest among students (i.e., picture analysis tasks in which students are asked to infer meaning by openly expressing their thoughts).
Maximize the value of questioning. For instance, ask students why they agree or disagree about certain statements. (i.e., “I love winning. That’s the point of sports”; “I like exercising to keep fit, not because I enjoy it” → Agree/disagree, why.)
Implement collaborative dynamics (i.e., jigsaw reading, collaborative story writing, problem-solving discussions, and peer feedback by the end of tasks).
Make use of digital-based platforms such as Google Docs or Jamboard to engage critically with technology.
Foster a sense of community by making use of rapport-building activities (i.e, learners write or draw things that represent them and present the product to the class).
Teachers should prepare themselves to exercise CT -by adopting an analytical position, an unbiased stance, and an open-minded attitude.
What practical recommendations can we make from this?
Include short review and consolidation tasks at the beginning, middle and end of the lesson.
Providing comfortable learning conditions may help minimise students' impulsive and disruptive behaviour (Ref 7).
CT can be fostered from beginner to more advanced proficiency levels as effective language learning entails a balance of higher and lower thinking skills such as basic comprehension, critical thinking, and creative thinking (Hughes and Dummett, 2020). To encourage different forms of CT, research suggests an ELT approach that involves significant experiences that are connected to students’ cultural backgrounds (Erdem, 2020; Pineda, 2004). In order to achieve this, teachers could promote collaborative activities in which students are able to think critically and negotiate meaning (Masduqi, 2011), for example, in group discussions that involve thought-provoking topics (Erdem, 2020). Here, ICT (especially web-based platforms such as Google Docs) plays a fundamental role as it provides space for students to engage creatively and collaboratively in and outside the class (Yaccob & Yunus, 2019). Finally, a comprehensive implementation of CT should consider constant assessment, as it is not a product in itself (i.e., graded assessment), but a process (i.e., formative assessment) (Nasibulloh and Abdulkhay, 2023).
Including games helps learners to have more security, reduces the fear of making mistakes and helps them develop their potential (Ref 7).
By encouraging learners to think critically from an early age, we empower them to become active, self-confident, curious, and engaged participants in both language learning and the broader society (Hughes & Dummett, 2020). Active learners are “capable of reasoning, evaluating, reflecting, making decisions, and analyzing” (Narváez, 2023, p. 2).
Critical thinking (CT) plays a vital role in the deeper processing and production of language (Hughes & Dummett, 2020) and involves a set of cognitive and linguistic skills that result from the combination of life experience and education. E xamples of these skills are: thinking autonomously, articulating coherent ideas, judging with evidence, anticipating problems, making arguments, problem-solving, and synthesizing information (Paul & Elder, 2006).
How can research findings support EFL teaching and learning in the classroom?
What do we know from research?
Critical Thinking and ELT
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