scholarly journals FOSTERING CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS THROUGH ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susana Widyastuti
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Argumentative Writing ◽  
Writing Classes ◽  
Essay Writing ◽  
English As Foreign Language ◽  
Writing Course

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)

scholarly journals A Pedagogical Framework for Teaching Chinese College English Learners’ Argumentative Writing via Infusion of Critical Thinking

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Chunxia Lu ◽  
Rosukhon Swatevacharkul
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
English Learners ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Argumentative Writing ◽  
Writing Classes ◽  
Essay Writing ◽  
Writing Ability ◽  
College English ◽  
Pedagogical Framework

To compose an argumentative writing essay for a Chinese college student is a challenging activity as argumentative writing requires the high-order skills such as analysis, evaluation, reasoning. These skills are also termed as critical thinking skills. Thus this paper proposed to teach Chinese college English learners to compose an argumentative essay through the approach of infusing critical thinking skills into argumentative essay writing classes. It also put forward a pedagogical framework to facilitate Chinese college argumentative writing teachers to develop students’ argumentative writing ability.

scholarly journals DEVELOPMENT OF STUDENTS’ CRITICAL THINKING IN THE STUDY OF MICRO- AND MACROECONOMICS

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadiia Pylypenko ◽  
Viacheslav Pylypenko
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Main Tool ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Essay Writing ◽  
Scientific Methods ◽  
Existing Problems ◽  
Alternative Solutions ◽  
Further Development

The article discusses the need to develop students' critical thinking skills. Based on the analysis of scientific literature, technologies for the development of critical thinking in the study of micro- and macroeconomics are described. It was revealed that the most adequate methods of developing critical thinking skills are discussions, debates, Socratic questions, which teach students to think independently, to critically look at alternative options for solving existing problems, and to choose well-grounded argumentation. An important technology for the development of critical thinking in the study of economic disciplines, which allows you to analyze cause-and-effect relationships, is the use of the Kaworu Ishikawa diagram, the essence of which is the chain of problem solving: problem-causes-facts-conclusions. Attention is focused on the application of the problematic approach, which is the main tool for the development of critical thinking, since it contains a contradiction, which allows students to form their own attitude to the issues under consideration. In the study of micro- and macroeconomics, it has been proven that an effective method of developing critical thinking is the division of students into groups and teamwork in preparation for the debate. The influence of the creation of an educational and research environment that guides the student towards critical perception of information is investigated, and the important role of essay writing is analyzed. The essay is suitable both for teaching critical thinking and for testing already acquired skills. Most of the topics of micro and macroeconomics involve research using statistical and empirical data and various scientific methods that contribute to the development of critical thinking. Writing critical reviews is an equally important tool for the further development and practical use of critical thinking skills. Thanks to the use of the technology of critical thinking in the study of micro- and macroeconomics, the ability to work with a significant array of sometimes contradictory information is developed, to highlight the essence of the problem, compare different points of view, put forward hypotheses, and find alternative solutions to economic problems.

Methods Of Teaching English Literature For Students Of Graduation In Andhra Pradesh

Think India ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 455-457
Author(s):  
Y.L MARREDDY
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
English Literature ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Teaching Literature ◽  
Universal Language ◽  
Level Of Understanding

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.

scholarly journals Scientific Conferences as Way to Develop Students’ Foreign Language Communicative Competence

2018 ◽  
Vol 50 ◽  
pp. 01155
Author(s):  
Yuliya Savinova ◽  
Tatiana Akhmetzyanova ◽  
Svetlana Pozdnyakova ◽  
Ekaterina Dvorak ◽  
Zhanna Zarutskaya
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Research Skills ◽  
High Level ◽  
Development Of Students

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.

scholarly journals Literature and critical literacy pedagogy in the EFL classroom: Towards a model of teaching critical thinking skills

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 677-696 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jelena Bobkina ◽  
Svetlana Stefanova
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Critical Literacy ◽  
Literary Work ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Rudyard Kipling ◽  
Practical Application ◽  
Foreign Language Acquisition ◽  
Critical Literacy Pedagogy

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.

scholarly journals Metacognitive Awareness and Critical Thinking Abilities of Pre-service EFL Teachers

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 116
Author(s):  
Dilek Cakici
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Metacognitive Awareness ◽  
Learning Context ◽  
Efl Teachers

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.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document