Beyond Proﬁciency - American English...Pre-webinar discussion n are keen observers who reﬂect and evaluate.” n are able to distinguish the pros and cons of each situation.”

HeatherBenucciAmericanEnglishWebinarSeries6

BeyondProficiency:NurturingCriticalThinking

intheEnglishLanguageClassroom

+Ourmissiontoday

n  Betterunderstandwhatitmeansto“thinkcritically”

n  ConsiderwhyweshouldteachcriticalthinkingskillsintheEFLclassroom

n  Examinehowtobuildcriticalthinkingskills

n  Theteacher’srole

n  Practicalideasfortheclassroom

+

Shareyourideasinthechatbox.

Stopandthink

Howdoyoudefinecriticalthinking?

+Pre-webinardiscussion

n  arekeenobserverswhoreflectandevaluate.”

n  areabletodistinguishtheprosandconsofeachsituation.”

n  areabletodevelopreasonableconclusionsusinganalysis,evaluation,inference,anddeduction.”

-Arifa,SaudiArabia

-Natalia,Uruguay

-Luluk,Indonesia

“Strongcriticalthinkers….

+Definingcriticalthinking

n “…atabasiclevel,[it]isaboutfindingoutwhethersomethingistrue,partlytrue,ornottrueatall”

Criticalthinkingis….

-Hughes,2014p.2


n “…atabasiclevel,[it]isaboutfindingoutwhethersomethingistrue,partlytrue,ornottrueatall”

n “…thepursuitofrelevantandreliableknowledgeabouttheworld…[itis]reasonable,reflective,responsible,andskillfulthinking…focusedonwhattobelieveordo”

Criticalthinkingis….

-Hughes,2014p.2

-Schafersman,1991p.5

+Criticalthinking:Aprocess

QuestionorIssue

Hypothesis

Dataandevidencecollection

Analysisandevaluation

Conclusionsandreflection

-Schafersman,1991p.3

“Criticalthinkingcanbedescribedasthescientificmethodappliedbyordinary

peopletotheordinaryworld.”

+Bloom’sTaxonomy,Revised

Understand •  explainideas/concepts•  organizefactsandideas

Remember •  recalldetails•  locateinformation

Apply •  completeataskwithinformationthathasbeenunderstood

Analyze •  identifypartsandhowtheyrelate•  understandstructure

Evaluate•  judgequalityofarguments,

information,andorganization

Anderson&Krathwohl(Eds)(2000)

MountForaker,Alaska

Higher-orderThinkingSkills

(HOTS)

Lower-orderThinkingSkills(LOTS)

Create•  generatenewproducts,

thoughts,opinions,orsolutions

Skillcategories

+SixCognitiveSkillsofStrongCriticalThinkers

Drawreasonableconclusions

Faccione,2014

6.Self-regulate

5.Explain

4.Infer

3.Evaluate

2.Analyze

1.Interpret

Presentprocessesandconclusions

Evaluateourownthinking

+

Shareyourideasinthechatbox.

Stopandthink

Whatarechallengestothinkingcritically?Whatmakesithardtodo?

+BiasesandAssumptions

A.Bias

B.Assumption

1.apersonalandsometimesunreasonedjudgmentorinclination;prejudice

2.informationthatisacceptedastrueorcertain,oftenwithoutproof

DefinitionsadaptedfromGoogledictionaryandMerriamWebsteronlinedictionary

+Whatshapesourassumptionsandbiases?

(Wearehuman,notrobots.)

Let’stakeapoll!

+Whatshapesourassumptionsandbiases?

n  Ourfamilyandpeopleweknow

n  Ourcultures

n  Ourjobs

n  Wherewelive

n  Ourpastexperiences

n  Authorityfigures

n  Preferredsourcesofinformation

Ashumans,wecan’tavoidthesechallengestocriticalthinking,butwecanbe

awareofthem!


n  requiresaquestioningmindset

n  isasystematicprocesstoreachinformeddecisionsandopinionsbasedonevidence

n  canbelearnedandpracticed

n  exploresallsidesofaproblemorsituation

n  requiresawarenessofhowwethinkandformopinions

Tosummarize,criticalthinking….

+

Overcominginformationoverload!

n  Evaluatingthroughcriticalquestioning

n  Assessingcredibility

n  Comparingsources

n  TrackingoriginsofinformationDigitalLiteracies

InformationLiteracyCriticalLiteracy

(Dudeney,Hockly,andPegram,2014)

21stcenturyskills

NurturingcriticalthinkinginEFLclassesWhybother?

“…theworldweliveinisgettingmorecomplicated…andhowweprocessinformationhasbecomemoreimportantthan[remembering]specificfacts.”

-EvrimÜstünlüoğlu,2004

+NurturingcriticalthinkinginEFLclassesWhybother?

Affectiveandinterpersonalskills

Criticalthinkersareusually…

n  Curious

n  Intellectuallyhumble

n  Persistent

n  Confident

n  Tolerant

n  Open-minded

“Theimportantthingisnottostopquestioning.Curiosityhasitsownreasonforexisting.”

-Albert Einstein

+NurturingcriticalthinkinginEFLclassesWhybother?

Academicandlanguageskills

n  Authenticcommunicationinvolvesreal-lifesituationsandcooperation

n  Languageskillsareneededtoexpressopinionsandmakelogicalarguments

n  Studentsmustrecognizehowlanguagecanpersuadeormislead

n  Assessedbystandardizedexams

n  Essentialforuniversitysuccess

“Theobjectiveofeducationistopreparetheyoungtoeducatethemselvesthroughouttheirlives."RobertMaynardHutchins

+Whatdoesitallmeanforteachers?

That’sinterestinginformation,butmystudentsaren’tgreat

criticalthinkers.

Wait…criticalthinkingskillscanbe

learnedandpracticed,right?

WhatcanIdotohelpmystudentsbecome

bettercriticalthinkers?

+Theteacher’srole

n  Learningmoreaboutcriticalthinking

n  Creatinganencouragingenvironment

n  Planningcoursesandlessonstoincludecriticalthinking

+Theclassroomenvironment

DoIgivestudentsachancetothinkdeeply?

Teacherattitudeandclasscommunitybuilding

*Increaseteacherwaittime

*Avoidunfortunatehabits•  TheInterrupter•  TheSelf-Answerer•  TheFastTalker

+

DoIencouragequestions,debate,differentviews,andcuriosity?

n  Greatquestion!Ibetalotpeoplearecuriousaboutthat.

n  Goodpoint.Tellmemoreabout....

n  Interesting.Ihadn’tthoughtofitthatway.Whatdoothersthink?

n  WouldanyoneliketorespondtoNuri’scomment?

n  I’mnotsure.Howcanwefindout…?Wherecanwelookforevidence?

TeacherattitudeandclasscommunitybuildingTheclassroomenvironment

+

DoIdesignobjectivesandactivitiestoencouragecriticalthought?

n  Buildcriticalthinkingintoobjectivesn  Bloom’staxonomy(revised)

n  SixCognitiveSkillsofStrongCriticalThinkers

Planningforcriticalthinking

Self-regulateExplain

Infer

Evaluate

Analyze

Interpret

Theclassroomenvironment

+Criticalthinkingobjectives

Studentswillbeableto:

•  Useagraphicorganizertoidentifymainideasandsupportingdetails….

•  Identifyhowtheauthorusesadjectivesandadverbsto….

•  Provideevidencetosupporttheirresponseto….

•  Identifytwobiasesandassumptionstheyhaveinrelationto...

Self-regulateExplain

Infer

Evaluate

Analyze

Interpret

+


n  Buildcriticalthinkingintoobjectivesn  Bloom’staxonomy(revised)n  CognitiveSkillsofStrongCriticalThinkers

n  Usequestionstarters


Theclassroomenvironment

+

ShapingtheWayWeTeachEnglish:SuccessfulPracticesfromAroundtheWorld,

Chapter9

+Theclassroomenvironment


n  Buildcriticalthinkingintoobjectivesn  Bloom’staxonomy(revised)n  CognitiveSkillsofStrongCriticalThinkers

n  Usequestionstarters

n  Incorporatetopicsstudentscareabout


+Buildingcriticalthinkingskills

Askopen-endedquestions

Let’stakeapoll!


Askforexamples,evidence,andpredictions

Matthewlikestoiceskateinthewinter.


Askforexamples,evidence,andpredictions

Isithotorcoldinthispicture?Whatdoyousee?Howdoyouknow?

Whatwilltheboydonext?Whydoyouthinkthat?Whatdoyousee?Howdoyouknow?


KIknow….

WIwanttoknow….

LIlearned…

Askforexamples,predictions,andreflection


KIknow….

WIwanttoknow….

LIlearned….

EIfoundtheseexamples….

Askforexamples,predictions,reflection,andevidence


KIknow….

WIwanttoknow….

LIlearned….

HHowIknow….

Askforexamples,predictions,reflection,andevidence


KIknow….

WIwanttoknow….

LIlearned….

EIfoundtheseexamples….

Reviewtheinformationinyourchart.Whatassumptionsdidyoumakebeforeyoureadthearticle?

Askforexamples,predictions,reflection,evidence,andself-evaluation

+BuildingcriticalthinkingskillsFactversusopinion

AdaptedfromHughes,2014

Anchorage,Alaska’slargestcity,hasthebestfoodinthestateandeveryonewillloveitsculturalactivities.CulturalsitesincludetheAlaskaCenterforPerformingArts,theAnchorageMuseum,theAlaskaNativeHeritageCenter,andmore!

Anchorageisnearseveralnationalparksandithasthemostbeautifullocalparksandtrails.Touristscanfish,hike,bike,ski,kayak,andiceskate.

Didyouknow?•  Anchoragehasmoreespressostandspercapitathanany

otherU.S.city.ThecoffeeroastedinAnchorageisdelicious!•  AccordingtotheDepartmentofWildlife,Anchorageishome

toabout1,900moose,250blackbears,and60grizzlies.


AdaptedfromHughes,2014

Anchorage,Alaska’slargestcity,hasthebestfoodinthestateandeveryonewillloveitsculturalactivities.CulturalsitesincludetheAlaskaCenterforPerformingArts,theAnchorageMuseum,theAlaskaNativeHeritageCenter,andmore!

Anchorageisnearseveralnationalparksandithasthemostbeautifullocalparksandtrails.Touristscanfish,hike,bike,ski,kayak,andiceskate.

Didyouknow?•  Anchoragehasmoreespressostandspercapitathanany

otherU.S.city.ThecoffeeroastedinAnchorageisdelicious!•  AccordingtotheDepartmentofWildlife,Anchorageishome

toabout1,900moose,250blackbears,and60grizzlies.

Factversusopinion

+TheGreatMini-DebateEnglishTeachingForum–TryThis

n  Level:UpperIntermediate

n  Goals:n  Topresentanoralargumentusingevidencen  Tousefunctionallanguagerelatedtoagreeing,

disagreeing,andshowingcontrastingopinions

n Materials:n  Blackboardandchalk,orwhiteboardandmarkersn  Paperandpencilsorpensn  Atimingdevice

+TheGreatMini-Debate

Preparation:

n  Chooseadebatetheme

n  Createadebatetopicsetrelatedtothetheme

n  Selecttopicsthatpeoplewillhavestrongbutdifferingopinionsabout


n Activatebackgroundknowledgeaboutdebatesn  Brainstormqualitiesofastrongdebatern  Writeideasonboard

n Mentionessentialskills:agreeing,disagreeing,contrastingopinionsn  Elicitlanguagerelatedtothesefunctionsn  CaptureideasinaFunctionalLanguageChart


+because…


n  Tellstudentstheyaregoingtoprepareforadebate

n  Putstudentsintogroupsn  Selectagroupleader

n  Groupsvoteontopic

n  Askgroupmemberstolineupaccordingtotheiropinion


Team“For”

Team“Against”

Iagreecompletely

Idisagreecompletely


Team“For”

Team“Against”

*20minutestoprepareandtakenotes*

Groupleadersfacilitate:

n  10minutes-brainstormevidenceandexamples

n  5minutes–discussandidentifystrongestevidence

n  5minutes-discusspossibleargumentsfromtheotherteamandhowtorespond

FunctionalLanguageChart

Listof“gooddebater”qualities


Team“Against”

Team“For”

Debatefor1-2minuteswithpartner

Team“Against”

Team“For”

“TeamFor”membersshiftoneplaceRepeatmini-debate


Bringtheclassbacktogether

n  Evaluatestrengthofargumentsandevidence

n  Reviewanyobservedlanguageissues

n  Askstudentsifdebatesbecameeasierormoredifficultaftereachround.Why?

+TheGreatMini-DebateCriticalThinkingExtension#1

Team“Against”

Team“For”

Iagreecompletely

Idisagreecompletely

Itisthemarkofaneducatedmindtobeabletoentertainathoughtwithoutacceptingit.–Aristotle

+TheGreatMini-DebateCriticalThinkingExtension#2

n  Identifyrelevantrolesrelatedtothetopic

n  Conductfurtherresearch(optional)

n  Evaluateandsynthesizearguments

n  Reflectoninsightsgained

Studentscompletea“mingle”role-play

ExtensionideaadaptedfromShaila&Trudell,2010

Let’stakeapoll!

+Objectivesreview

n  Betterunderstandwhatitmeansto“thinkcritically”

n  ConsiderwhyweshouldteachcriticalthinkingskillsintheEFLclassroom

n  Examinehowtobuildcriticalthinkingskills

n  Theteacher’srole

n  Practicalideasfortheclassroom

+

Teachsothatstudentsthinktheirideasmatter.

Schafersman(1991),p.8summarizingideasfromDr.DennisHutton

TheGoal=NurtureLifelongLearners

Theywillexperiencearesponsibilityfortheirowneducationandthinkaboutwhattheylearnandread.

Studentswillbeinvolvedwiththeirownlearning,willfeeldeeplyaboutit,andlearntovalueandtrusttheirownthoughtsandideas.

Askthemtomakeconnectionsandrecognizepatterns.

+Sources

Anderson,L.W.&Krathwohl,D.R.(Eds.)(2000)Ataxonomyforlearning,teachingandassessing:ArevisionofBloom’staxonomyofeducationalobjectives.NewYork:Longman

Benucci,H.(2017)Trythis:Thegreatmini-debate.EnglishTeachingForum,55(1),45-48.Retrievedfrom:https://

americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/etf_55_1_p45-48.pdfDudeney,G.,Hockly,N.,&Pegram,M.(2014).Digitalliteracies:Researchandresourcesinlanguageteaching.Routledge:

NewYork,NY[Kindleedition]Faccione,P.(2014).Criticalthinking:whatitisandwhyitcounts.(InsightAssessment)Retrievedfrom:https://

www.insightassessment.com/About-Us/Measured-Reasons/pdf-file/Critical-Thinking-What-It-Is-and-Why-It-Counts-PDF

Hughes,J.(2014).Criticalthinkinginthelanguageclassroom.ELIPublishing:ItalyRetrievedfromhttp://

www.elipublishing.org/Critical_ThinkingENG.pdfSchafersman,S.(1991).Anintroductiontocriticalthinking.Retrievedfrom:http://facultycenter.ischool.syr.edu/wp-

content/uploads/2012/02/Critical-Thinking.pdfShaila,M.Y.&Trudell,B.(2010).Frompassivelearnerstocriticalthinkers:PreparingEFLlearnersforuniversitysuccess.

EnglishTeachingForum,48(3),2-9U.S.DepartmentofState.(2006).ShapingthewayweteachEnglish:Successfulpracticesfromaroundtheworld.Retrieved

from:https://americanenglish.state.gov/resources/shaping-way-we-teach-english-successful-practices-around-world#child-301

Üstünlüoğlu,E.(2004).Languageteachingthroughcriticalthinkingandself-awareness.EnglishTeachingForum,42(3)

Retrievedfrom:https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/04-42-3-b.pdf

Thankyou!

Ilookforwardtolearningwithyouon

theNing.

HeatherBenucciAmericanEnglishWebinarSeries6

Documents

Beyond Proﬁciency - American English...Pre-webinar discussion n are keen observers who reﬂect and evaluate.” n are able to distinguish the pros and cons of each situation.”