scholarly journals LESSONS FROM CRITICAL THINKING: HOW TO PROMOTE THINKING SKILLS IN EFL WRITING CLASSES

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mojgan Rashtchi ◽  
Babak Khoshnevisan
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Classroom Practice ◽  
Classroom Practices ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Writing Classes ◽  
Efl Writing ◽  
Writing Courses ◽  
English Writing ◽  
Modern Education

<p>Critical thinking as an issue with on-going importance has an immense influence on modern education. However, it is not a natural disposition but is a potential that needs cultivation. Training individuals to become critical thinkers is not an easy task, but by adopting appropriate strategies and classroom practices, it is attainable. The present article aimed to show how English writing classes in EFL settings could facilitate the practice of critical thinking skills. This paper suggests that critical thinking can be implemented as a classroom practice in writing courses by using several tasks that integrate writing and thinking skills. The article starts with an introduction to the definitions of critical thinking. Then, it underlines the classroom procedures, which can be implemented by teachers. Following this, some sample tasks and writing topics are proposed to help teachers employ critical thinking practices in their classes.</p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0663/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

scholarly journals Self-Assessment of Critical Thinking Skills in EFL Writing Courses at the University Level: Reconsideration of the Critical Thinking Construct

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arab World English Journal ◽  
Youssef Nadri ◽  
Adil Azhar
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Formative Evaluation ◽  
Evaluation Process ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Assessment Practices ◽  
Metacognitive Skills ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Efl Writing

The Critical Thinking (CT) component has by now secured a key place within EFL curriculum aims and objectives. The integration of a CT dimension into the teaching of the writing skill in particular has received considerable attention in research. However, research has also pointed to the failure of assessment practices to evaluate CT development. It is within this context that the present work advocates a standard based approach to the assessment of CT in EFL writing that aligns assessment criteria to the critical abilities articulated in the learning outcomes (i.e., standards). This fosters a conception of CT measures that associates components of CT with higher order writing skills. Accordingly, the first objective of the study is to empirically test the relationship between CT dispositions and metacognitive strategy use in an attempt to establish a model of writing (self-)assessment that combines these two dimensions. As assessment is viewed as a formative evaluation process subservient of learning, the study also targets the students’ self-assessment strategies during the writing process. To this purpose, a questionnaire has been designed, and administered to 100 students at the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences in Rabat to tap their perceptions and use of CT skills. The data analysis revealed that critical thinking development and assessment are metacognitive in nature; it follows that metacognitive skills such as planning, self-evaluating and reflecting are to be used as an essential vehicle in the development of Critical Thinking skills. This points to the paramount role of CT-informed formative (self-)assessment practices in benefiting ELT writing learners.

Deepening of Critical Thinking Skills through the Use of Civic Engagement

2017 ◽  
pp. 252-272
Author(s):  
Marcia F. Hunter
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Civic Engagement ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
School Systems ◽  
Modern Education ◽  
Effective Strategies ◽  
Societal Needs

Critical thinking is an underlying goal of modern education. It is also a needed skill for effectively navigating life in modern society. It is frequently however, not taught in school systems. Students are therefore left at a disadvantage. Civil engagement is the process by which people work together for the betterment of society. A pertinent skill of civic engagement is critical thinking. This chapter proposes a model for bringing civic engagement and critical thinking together to meet both educational and societal needs. This model provides effective strategies for teaching civic engagement outside of the classroom.

Assessing general education learning outcomes at Qatar University

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaikha Bint Jabor Al-Thani ◽  
Ali Abdelmoneim ◽  
Adel Cherif ◽  
Dalal Moukarzel ◽  
Khaled Daoud
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
General Education ◽  
Education Program ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Content Type ◽  
English Writing ◽  
Internal Assessment ◽  
Education Outcomes

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the effectiveness of a new general education program at Qatar University (QU) in achieving English writing and critical thinking outcomes. Design/methodology/approach – Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP) test was used as direct assessment tool to identify the extent to which QU students are making progress with respect to general education outcomes, and how well QU students perform compared to US students on general education outcomes that are measured by the CAAP test. Findings – Findings show evidence that students make progress in English and critical thinking during their QU educational careers. However, QU students lag well behind their US counterparts in writing skills, but they performed relatively better in critical thinking and essay writing. Research limitations/implications – The sample of students tested was limited to students who met certain criteria. Therefore, the sample was neither representative nor random and does not reflect the performance of the entire student body. English is a second language for most QU students, and cultural differences as well as students’ high school preparation and quality of faculty at QU add to the complexity of the study. Practical implications – Research finding may have implication on the general education program curriculum plan, assessment process, assessment plan and tools. It may also trigger comprehensive review of courses addressing writing and critical thinking skills. Moreover, the findings will have impact on institutional total approach and support to retain and enhance some of the cornerstone skills that general education program promise to achieve. The pilot study, results and findings can have implications on similar GCC general educations programs that focus on English writing and critical thinking skills. Originality/value – This original pilot study indicates a need for improvement of internal assessment processes and reconsideration of general education program courses contributing to skills examined. It also provides evidence on students’ performance on two important generic skills, both are important for QU and its stakeholders. The study’s findings are of broad interest to assess the efficacy of internal assessment at international institutions using an internationally available standardized test.

scholarly journals A Study on Critical Thinking Assessment System of College English Writing

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tian Dong ◽  
Lu Yue
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Assessment System ◽  
Writing Proficiency ◽  
College English ◽  
English Writing ◽  
Independent Variables ◽  
Writing Competence

<p>This research attempts to discuss the validity of introducing the evaluation of students’ critical thinking skills (CTS) into the assessment system of college English writing through an empirical study. In this paper, 30 College English Test Band 4 (CET-4) writing samples were collected and analyzed. Students’ CTS and the final scores of collected writing samples were respectively regarded as two independent variables to make a correlation analysis through Pearson Correlation of SPSS17.0 software. In addition, Excel was also used as an instrument to analyze the research results. The findings suggest that the two variables are significantly and positively correlated with each other, that is, students’ CTS greatly influence their English writing proficiency. Thus, it is quite necessary to cultivate students’ CTS to improve their English writing competence.<strong> </strong></p>

scholarly journals Teachers’ Professional Skills as a Factor in the Development of Students’ Critical Thinking

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 88-103
Author(s):  
J.N. Koreshnikova ◽  
I.D. Froumin
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Multivariate Regression ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Regression Method ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Access To Information ◽  
Modern Education ◽  
Classroom Lesson ◽  
Development Of Students

The modern generation of students actively use technology and have access to information at any time. However, having access to information and being able to competently work with information are two different tasks. The use of information in any form is impossible without the use of critical thinking skills, therefore the level and quality of critical thinking is of paramount importance. Considering that in the modern education system, the traditional type of teaching is quite common — the classroom-lesson form of teaching, where the teacher is the leading figure, providing students with ready-made knowledge at lectures. At the same time, students take a passive position in relation to the assimilation of knowledge. Is it becoming important to understand how to develop students’ higher-order skills, including critical thinking, in this type of learning? In a study conducted on a sample of students from one of the leading national research universities in Russia (4,897 students), using the multivariate regression method, it was proved that teaching within the framework of the traditional type of education can be positively associated with the level of development of critical thinking if teachers have developed subject-logical and organizational competence.

scholarly journals Developing College EFL Writers’ Critical Thinking Skills Through Online Resources: A Case Study

SAGE Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 215824401882038 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaodong Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Online Resources ◽  
Writing Classroom ◽  
Efl Writing ◽  
Student Writers

This study reports on how the supplementation of online resources, informed by systemic functional linguistics (SFL), impacted English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) student writers’ development of critical thinking skills. Through qualitative analyses of student-teacher interactions, interviews with students, and students’ written documents, the case study shows that through 1 semester of intensive exposure to SFL-based online resources in a college Chinese EFL writing classroom, EFL writers were able to develop critical thinking skills in regard to the construction of effective academic writing, although it was a process of encountering and overcoming challenges. Through teacher mediation and their own efforts, they could adjust to the online resources-based classroom, exemplified by their utilization of SFL-related categories offered through online resources to analyze and evaluate the interrelationship between language features and the content manifested in valued texts, and regulate the content of their own academic writing.

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