1. Teaching Vietnamese Learners toThink a Practical Workshop16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 1

2. What is critical thinking? Why do we need to teach CT? Teaching language and thinking. What is involved in CT? Practical examples. The role of the teacher.16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 2 3. What colour are my trousers? What does your father do? Where is the pen? Who is your best friend? When is your birthday?16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 3 4. Simply asking the question, Whatcolours my jacket?, for example,activates language, but it doesntrequire any thinking on the part ofthe respondent. As teachers, weneed to encourage thinking.16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 4 5. 16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 5 6. Its a higher order thinking skill. Its applying reasoned and disciplined thinking toa subject. It includes thinking about thinking. It is going beyond just remembering andunderstanding information. Its not accepting information we receive as fact,but questioning what we hear, evaluating itagainst what we know and then using it to draw aconclusion. Asking why? and how do you know? foreverything.16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 6 7. Do we need to teach CT?16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 7 8. 16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 8 9. Some ideas from a recent #eltchat: it is an essential part of our role as we try to prepareour students for the English-speaking world. students will have to process so much information andas educators we have a responsibility to equip them forthat. the classroom is the place for people to challenge thestatus quo, ask difficult questions and value diverseopinions, so is, therefore, the perfect place for CT. in pure language terms, critical thinking activitiesstretch skills especially in speaking and that should bereason enough to do them.16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 9 10. students need to face the challenge of achanging and unpredictable world. to develop problem-solving and decisionmaking skills. the school system here in VN involves rotelearning and actively discourages independentthought. to overcome students desire for there to beone right answer.16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 10 11. so that students can gradually take more andmore responsibility for their own learning. so that students acquire the mental tools tohelp them think better.If students think better, it reducesthe workload for the teacher!16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 11 12. Learners are cognitively engaged in the task. Activities have a purpose so language ismeaningful. We go beyond language teaching. It is applicable to any age group and any levelof English ability.16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 12 13. Working out whether or not we believe whatwe see or hear. Finding out whether something is true. Arguing ones case. Identifying when we need more information. Selecting information for a specific purpose.__________________________There is always a connection between criticalthinking and creative thinking. Both are higherorder thinking skills.16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 13 14. There are 13 thinking skillswhich make up criticalthinking and which can beincorporated into ourlessons.16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 14 15. Makingcomparisons Categorising Sequencing Focusing attention Memorising Exploring space Exploring time Exploring numbers Creatingassociations Cause and effect Making decisions Solving problems Creative thinking16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 15 16. 16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 16 17. 16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 17 18. This is an example from Herbert Puchta and MarionWilliams book Teaching Young Learners to Think.It focuses on the exploring space skill. To developthis skill, students need: a reference system to understand and control thespace they live in. a sense of position, distance, direction, proximityand dimensions. the ability to imagine a change in position. This isnecessary for hypothetical thinking - the ability toimagine another viewpoint.16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 18 19. 16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 19 20. 16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 20 21. Draw a Venn diagramand ask the question:What is the same andwhat is different betweenthis pair of objects?Examples: car and bicycletree and flowerchair and tablebanana andpineapple16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 21 22. 16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 22 23. The focus here is obviously onthe skill of making comparisons,the basic building block ofdecision making. This kind ofactivity can be introduced atbeginner level.16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 23 24. Give three texts - three partyinvitations, for example, - each onewith a missing piece of information(time, place, date, etc.). Studentshave to work out what is missingrather than the more usual task ofanswering questions on what isthere.16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 24 25. Close your eyes. Listen to the music. Imagine the music as a colour. What colour is it? When the music ends, open your eyes. Discuss your colours in your group.Why did you choose that colour?16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 25 26. As you listen, draw a picture. Then completethe sentences. I draw __________________________________ I use these colours: _______________________ I feel ___________________________________16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 26 27. After listening, the students have to explaintheir picture or choice of words to a partneror small group.------------------------------------Here, we are encouraging creative thinking,which, as we have already heard, is anintegral part of critical thinking.16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 27 28. Give students a scenario which requiresthem to offer advice.For example:Your friend has won some money and is thinkingabout buying a fast sports car. He or she has asked youfor advice. Make a list of the reasons for this idea (pros)and the reasons against it (cons).16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 28 29. Here we are asking students to: predict the positive and negativeresults of actions see two sides weigh up the advantages anddisadvantages choose a line of action.16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 29 30. 16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 30 31. Give students a statement and ask them if there is acause and effect relationship in it. For example,Jane doesnt play any musical instruments. Therefore, sheisnt a musician.------------------------------------This kind of task is suitable for intermediate levelstudents. They have to question whether or not thereis enough information to establish a cause and effectrelationship. If not, what other information isneeded? The attention to detail required here is agreat exercise for students.16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 31 32. The tree octopus16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 32 33. Teach students to evaluate the veracity ofinformation by using spoof websites. Get students to look for clues in:the urlthe fontthe colourthe tongue in cheek language16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 33 34. Here we are teaching digital literacy,specifically information literacy. Nicky Hocklys Presentation on DigitalLiteracies16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 34 35. use biased newspapers with opinions different to your ownand ask students to recognise the bias. with readings, ask students to evaluate the material, whothe author is, what the message is, etc. give two accounts of the same story and ask what is thedifference and why. set up a class discussion where students first plan thearguments for and against. Getting students speaking forthe side they dont agree with can be fun, challenging anduseful. Making logical arguments based on false premises isfun, too! use adverts - discuss hidden agendas, aims, target audience,etc. - students will never look at ads in the same way again! analyse current affairs and ask why? present students with a mix of viewpoints (polarised andmoderate) and ask them to discuss.16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 35 36. challenge plagiarism, challenge the validity ofresources - get students to ask questions. do activities that have no right answer. do activities that ask students to think outside the boxto solve real life problems in their community orpersonal lives. use roleplay so that students dont lose face byexpressing their own ideas. For example, in the hotseat in the role of ..... a celebrity, a politician, etc. video or image analysis is good for CT - ask students,who?, what?, where?, why?, etc. and encouragedifferent viewpoints. have students choose love it or hate it before writingsomething on the board. They then have to explainwhy they love or hate the thing that the teacher wrote.16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 36 37. put a line of tape on the floor. Give the students a topicand two viewpoints. They jump on the side theyrefor. For one minute, one side of the line says why andthen the other side of the line offers rebuttals. discuss multiple choice reading questions and whyanswers fit or dont fit. Students mistakes can also befed into multiple choice quizzes so that they can bediscussed. get students to write argument ideas twice with twocontradictory conclusions. do odd one out activities - these can work at all levels. Telling students what to think is often a good way toencourage CT!!16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 37 38. Create an environment where: students are free to think and express opinions withoutcriticism creativity is encouraged all ideas are valued time is taken and a careful, systematic approach is adoptedTeachers should: listen to students and take all suggestions seriously encourage students to listen to each other choose materials and topics that students are likely to have apersonal interest in and/or strong views about or, betterstill, get them to choose the subjects.16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 38 39. Why and how to encourage students criticalthinking skills Towards developing critical thinking skills inyoung learners Teaching young learners to think www.herbertpuchta.com16/5/13Andrea Wade, Eastern InternationalUniversity 39