THE ROLE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHERS IN THE PROCESS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Author(s):  
Nailia Plotnikova ◽  
Natalia Sigal
2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (29) ◽  
pp. 126
Author(s):  
Marsela Harizaj ◽  
Veneranda Hajrulla

Developing student’s critical skills is one of the major concerns of foreign language teachers. Professional teachers and novice ones try to find ways to motivate their students. Developing communicative competence requires students to develop learning strategies and focus on language function and context. In every course assignments, learners understand and realize better that communication is not an easy thing. Developing accuracy and fluency in foreign language classes enhance students critical thinking too. However, What is critical thinking? What is the perception of learners about it? What communicative activities can foreign language teachers use in the classroom to enhance student’s critical thinking? These are some research questions that this paper brings in focus, from theory to practice. The study is based on observations in EFL classes. From observations, it was found that developing critical thinking skills help learners to enhance their communication, enlarge their vocabulary, and help them to learn how to use language for different purposes in a variety of contexts. Foreign language teachers can help learners develop critical thinking skills. In this paper, some suggestions for foreign language teachers to use practical activities to foster critical thinking will be presented. Thus, in English language learning and teaching contexts, critical thinking becomes more dynamic.


Think India ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 455-457
Author(s):  
Y.L MARREDDY

Y.L MARREDDY English is recognized as a universal language. Learning English is inevitable in this present global scenario. It also acts like a link language. Especially, English literature enables learners to develop critical thinking skills, helps to discover and enlighten themselves. It is quite challenging task to teachers to teach literature for studentsin non native English countries like India. The role of the language teachers becomes predominant and the methods of teaching literature according to the students’ level of understanding also play a significant role because studying literature assists students’ tohave real time experiences, passion for language acquisition and think innovatively. In this context, it is necessary for teachers to distinct between teaching literature for special purposes or it is used as a resource language for teaching this foreign language. This paper throws light on the importance of teaching literature, several approaches and methods of teaching literature at graduate level. Literature connects the cultures across the world, throws challenges to solve and even to heal some cultures. It really provides an individual space for learners to express themselves and improve competence levels among them. It allows learners to share their participation in the experience of others, strengthens to shape, alter their attitude and meet their expectations.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 116
Author(s):  
Dilek Cakici

The primary aim of current study was to investigate the possible relationship between Metacognitive Awareness (MA) and Critical Thinking Skills (CTS) in a foreign language learning context. In addition, this research aimed to probe the effect of gender and years of pre-service English language teachers on the relation between metacognitive awareness and critical thinking abilities. 218 pre-service EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers participated in the study. Metacognitive Awareness Inventory and Critical Thinking Questionnaire were employed to gather necessary data. Obtained results confirmed that there existed a highly significant positive correlation between MA and CTS. Besides, the results indicated that there was a strong relation between the years of pre-service EFL teachers and their MA and CTS. Seniors were found to be more metacognitively aware and critical thinkers than their counterparts. Conversely, it was revealed that there was no gender effect on both MA and CTS. Finally, certain suggestions were set for tertiary institutions to develop metacognition and critical thinking skills in foreign language classroom settings.


2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susana Widyastuti

Abstract: The urgency for developing students’ critical thinking (CT) abilities has left English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers trying hard to integrate CT into their teaching practices. This study highlights the role of language as a way of thinking, judging and assessing. It seeks to investigate how the elements of CT are displayed in students’ essay so as to reveal the development of their CT skills. The data are in the form of essay written by the fourth semester Indonesian students taking essay writing course. The analysis is based on Stapleton’s   criteria of CT (2001), i.e. claims, kinds  of  reasoning,  the  extent  of   evidence,  recognition  of  opposing  arguments  and  refutation,  and  fallacies. The results show that there are many weak arguments in the essays due to the insufficiency of reasons and evidence. It is highly possible for an essay to have multiple arguments. However, the logical correlations between them are not clearly articulated in the essays and many students fail to show them. Students also lack of refutation skills as they tend to accept a claim from other sources without trying to judge and evaluate it. While most conclusions are in the form of suggestion, they can be made better by clearly showing the position of the writer in relation the arguments posed in the essay. Fallacies are mostly found in the form of generalization and over-simplification. The results are expected to give insights to teachers about how CT skills could be effectively taught and improved in writing classes. Key words: argumentative writing, critical thinking (CT), English as a Foreign Language (EFL)  MENGEMBANGKAN KEMAMPUAN BERPIKIR KRITIS MELALUI MENULIS ARGUMENTATIF Abstrak: Pentingnya mengembangkan kemampuan berpikir kritis (critical thinking atau CT) mahasiswa telah membuat para pengajar English as a Foreign Language (EFL) berusaha keras mengintegrasikan kemampuan berpikir kritis dalam pengajaran mereka. Penelitian ini menggarisbawahi peran bahasa sebagai sarana berpikir, menilai, dan mengevaluasi. Penelitian bertujuan untuk menggali bagaimana elemen-elemen berpikir kritis ditunjukkan dalam teks dan mengkaji perkembangan berpikir kritis dalam teks. Data berbentuk teks essay yang ditulis oleh mahasiswa semester 4 yang mengambil matakuliah Essay Writing. Data dianalisis berdasarkan kriteria Critical Thinking (CT) oleh Stapleton (2001), yaitu argument, reason, evidence, opposition and refutation, conclusion, dan fallacy. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa argumen sering lemah karena tidak didukung oleh  alasan dan bukti yang cukup. Suatu esai sangatlah mungkin mengandung banyak argumen. Namun demikian, hubungan logis antar argumen tersebut tidak jelas dalam esai dan bahkan banyak mahasiswa gagal menunjukkan hubungan tersebut. Mahasiswa juga lemah dalam hal refutation skill karena mereka cenderung menerima klaim dari sumber lain begitu saja tanpa mencoba mengevaluasi dan mempertanyakannya. Kebanyakan kesimpulan berbentuk saran dan bisa dibuat lebih baik dengan menyatakan dengan jelas posisi penulis dalam menanggapi argumen-argumen yang dikemukakan di awal. Fallacy kebanyakan dalam bentuk generalisasi dan penyederhanaan berlebihan. Hasil penelitian ini diharapkan dapat memberikan masukan tentang bagaimana kelas menulis dapat dirancang secara efektif supaya dapat menumbuhkan baik kemampuan berpikir kritis maupun kemampuan berbahasa. Kata kunci: tulisan argumentatif, berpikir kritis, English as Foreign Language (EFL)


2018 ◽  
Vol 50 ◽  
pp. 01155
Author(s):  
Yuliya Savinova ◽  
Tatiana Akhmetzyanova ◽  
Svetlana Pozdnyakova ◽  
Ekaterina Dvorak ◽  
Zhanna Zarutskaya

The issues of the student engagement in science-related activities and the development of students’ language communicative competence are especially relevant in a technical university, where due to the prevailing of the Sciences, the professional communicative competence has become increasingly vital. The goal of this article is to examine how interdisciplinary scientific conferences for students held in foreign languages can foster the foreign language communicative competence of students. In the article, we present the definition and the three basic models of communicative competence. A method of pedagogical observation is used that represents comprehension and analysis of goal-oriented preparation of students for practical scientific conferences. We reveal the fact that interdisciplinary scientific conferences for students held in foreign languages allow educators to foster the foreign language communicative competence of students and deepen their knowledge in professional area, as well as to equip them with research skills since students’ participation in the conferences increases their attention and focus, motivates them to practice critical thinking skills of high level.


2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 677-696 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jelena Bobkina ◽  
Svetlana Stefanova

Drawing on the numerous benefits of integrating literature in the EFL classroom, the present paper argues that the analysis of a fictional work in the process of foreign language acquisition offers a unique opportunity for students to explore, interpret, and understand the world around them. The paper presents strong evidence in favour of reader-centered critical reading as a means of encouraging observation and active evaluation not only of linguistic items, but also of a variety of meanings and viewpoints. The authors propose a model of teaching critical thinking skills focused on the reader’s response to a literary work. The practical application of the method, which adopts the critical literacy approach as a tool, is illustrated through a series of activities based on the poem “If” by Rudyard Kipling.


Neofilolog ◽  
1970 ◽  
pp. 183-194
Author(s):  
Krystyna Mihułka

The purpose of the following article is to discuss the theoretical framework of diagnostic research used in glottodidactics as well as to analyze some selected diagnostic studies conducted by Polish and German researchers in the last decade into the development of high school and university students’ and foreign language teachers’ intercultural competence. In the last part of this article attention is paid to the presentation and discussion of the most frequent problems which researchers encounter while planning and carrying out diagnostic studies.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (22) ◽  
pp. 31
Author(s):  
Jordi Solbes-Matarredona ◽  
Nidia Yaneth Torres-Merchán

Este artículo forma parte de una investigación sobre el uso de cuestiones socio-científicas a fin de promover las competencias para el pensamiento crítico en estudiantes universitarios. La primera parte presenta las apreciaciones de un grupo de estudiantes en formación docente acerca de la criticidad de la ciencia y lo que entienden por ciencia crítica. También, se presenta y se discute sobre las experiencias de algunos investigadores perseguidos debido a sus contribuciones científicas, ya que tuvieron implicaciones sociales, o cuestiones sociocientíficas.Alternatives to Reflect on Critical Aspects of Science in the ClassroomThis paper is part of a research about the use of scientific-social issues to promote critical thinking skills in university students. The first part presents the considerations of a group of teacher training students about the criticality of science and what they understand about critical science. It also presents and discusses the experiences of some researchers who were persecuted because of their scientific contributions with social implications or scientific social issues.Alternativas para refletir aspectos críticos da ciência na sala de aulaEste artigo é parte de uma investigação sobre o uso de questões sociais científicos, para promover habilidades de pensamento crítico dos estudantes da universidade. A primeira parte apresenta os motivos que levaram um grupo de estudantes de formação de professores sobre a criticidade da ciência e o que eles querem dizer com uma ciência crítica. Ele também apresenta e discute alguns investigadores perseguidos por suas contribuições científicas para implicações sociais ou questões sociais científicos. 


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