critical thinking esl speaking

Explore More

Stay in our orbit.

Stay connected with industry news, resources for English teachers and job seekers, ELT events, and more.

Explore Topics

• Global Elt News
• Job Resources
• Industry Insights
• Teaching English Online
• Classroom Games / Activities
• Teaching English Abroad
• Professional Development

Popular Articles

• 5 Popular ESL Teaching Methods Every Teacher Should Know
• 10 Fun Ways to Use Realia in Your ESL Classroom
• How to Teach ESL Vocabulary: Top Methods for Introducing New Words
• Advice From an Expert: TEFL Interview Questions & How to Answer Them
• What Is TESOL? What Is TEFL? Which Certificate Is Better – TEFL or TESOL?

Teaching Critical Thinking Skills in the ESL Classroom

• Linda D'Argenio
• December 22, 2022

Critical thinking has become a central concept in today’s educational landscape, regardless of the subject taught. Critical thinking is not a new idea. It has been present since the time of Greek philosophers like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Socrates’ famous quote, “Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel,” underscores the nature of learning (students are not blank slates to be filled with content by their teachers) and the significance of inquisitiveness in a true learning process, both in the ESL classroom and in the wider world of education. Teaching critical thinking skills in the ESL classroom will benefit your students throughout their language-learning journey.

In more recent times, philosopher John Dewey made critical thinking one of the cornerstones of his educational philosophy. Nowadays, educators often quote critical thinking as the most important tool to sort out the barrage of information students are exposed to in our media-dominated world , to analyze situations and elaborate solutions. Teaching critical thinking skills is an integral part of teaching 21st-century skills .

Table of Contents

What is critical thinking?

There are many definitions of critical thinking. They are not mutually exclusive but rather complementary. Some of the main ones are outlined below.

Dewey’s definition

In John Dewey’s educational theory, critical thinking examines the beliefs and preexisting knowledge that individuals use to assess situations and make decisions. If such beliefs and knowledge are faulty or unsupported, they will lead to faulty assessments and decision-making. In essence, Dewey advocated for a scientific mindset in approaching problem-solving .

Goal-directed thinking

Critical thinking is goal-directed. We question the underlying premises of our reflection process to ensure we arrive at the proper conclusions and decisions.

Critical thinking as a metacognitive process

According to Matthew Lipman, in Thinking in Education, “Reflective thinking is thinking that is aware of its own assumptions and implications as well as being conscious of the reasons and evidence that support this or that conclusion. (…) Reflective thinking is prepared to recognize the factors that make for bias, prejudice, and self-deception . It involves thinking about its procedures at the same time as it involves thinking about its subject matter” (Lipman, 2003).

Awareness of context

This is an important aspect of critical thinking. As stated by Diane Halpern in Thought and Knowledge: An Introduction to Critical Thinking , “[The critical] thinker is using skills that are thoughtful and effective for the particular context and type of thinking task” (Halpern, 1996)

What are the elements of critical thinking?

Several elements go into the process of critical thinking.

• Identifying the problem. If critical thinking is viewed mainly as a goal-oriented activity, the first element is to identify the issue or problem one wants to solve. However, the critical thinking process can be triggered simply by observation of a phenomenon that attracts our attention and warrants an explanation.
• Researching and gathering of information that is relevant to the object of inquiry. One should gather diverse information and examine contrasting points of view to achieve comprehensive knowledge on the given topic.
• Evaluation of biases. What biases can we identify in the information that has been gathered in the research phase? But also, what biases do we, as learners, bring to the information-gathering process?
• Inference. What conclusions can be derived by an examination of the information? Can we use our preexisting knowledge to help us draw conclusions?
• Assessment of contrasting arguments on an issue. One looks at a wide range of opinions and evaluates their merits.
• Decision-making. Decisions should be based on the above.

Why is critical thinking important in ESL teaching?

The teaching of critical thinking skills plays a pivotal role in language instruction. Consider the following:

Language is the primary vehicle for the expression of thought, and how we organize our thoughts is closely connected with the structure of our native language. Thus, critical thinking begins with reflecting on language. To help students understand how to effectively structure and express their thinking processes in English, ESL teachers need to incorporate critical thinking in English Language Teaching (ELT) in an inclusive and interesting way .

For ESL students to reach their personal, academic, or career goals, they need to become proficient in English and be able to think critically about issues that are important to them. Acquiring literacy in English goes hand in hand with developing the thinking skills necessary for students to progress in their personal and professional lives. Thus, teachers need to prioritize the teaching of critical thinking skills.

How do ESL students develop critical thinking skills?

Establishing an effective environment

The first step in assisting the development of critical thinking in language learning is to provide an environment in which students feel supported and willing to take risks. To express one’s thoughts in another language can be a considerable source of anxiety. Students often feel exposed and judged if they are not yet able to communicate effectively in English. Thus, the teacher should strive to minimize the “affective filter.” This concept, first introduced by Stephen Krashen, posits that students’ learning outcomes are strongly influenced by their state of mind. Students who feel nervous or anxious will be less open to learning. They will also be less willing to take the risks involved in actively participating in class activities for fear that this may expose their weaknesses.

One way to create such an environment and facilitate students’ expression is to scaffold language so students can concentrate more on the message/content and less on grammar/accuracy.

Applying context

As mentioned above, an important aspect of critical thinking is context. The information doesn’t exist in a vacuum but is always received and interpreted in a specific situational and cultural environment. Because English learners (ELs) come from diverse cultural and language backgrounds and don’t necessarily share the same background as their classmates and teacher, it is crucial for the teacher to provide a context for the information transmitted. Contextualization helps students to understand the message properly.

Asking questions

One of the best ways to stimulate critical thinking is to ask questions. According to Benjamin Bloom’s taxonomy ( Taxonomy of Educational Objectives , 1956), thinking skills are divided into lower-order and higher-order skills. Lower-order skills include knowledge, comprehension, and application; higher-order skills include analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. To stimulate critical thinking in ELT, teachers need to ask questions that address both levels of thinking processes. For additional information, read this article by the TESL Association of Ontario on developing critical thinking skills in the ESL classroom .

Watch the following clip from a BridgeUniverse Expert Series webinar to learn how to set measurable objectives based on Bloom’s Taxonomy ( watch the full webinar – and others! – here ):

How can we implement critical thinking skills in the ESL classroom?

Several activities can be used in the ESL classroom to foster critical thinking skills. Teaching critical thinking examples include:

Activities that scaffold language and facilitate students’ expression

These can be as basic as posting lists of important English function words like conjunctions, personal and demonstrative pronouns, question words, etc., in the classroom. Students can refer to these tables when they need help to express their thoughts in a less simplistic way or make explicit the logical relation between sentences (because… therefore; if… then; although… however, etc.). There are a variety of methods to introduce new vocabulary based on student age, proficiency level, and classroom experience.

Activities that encourage students to make connections between their preexisting knowledge of an issue and the new information presented

One such exercise consists of asking students to make predictions about what will happen in a story, a video, or any other context. Predictions activate the students’ preexisting knowledge and encourage them to link it with the new data, make inferences, and build hypotheses.

Critical thinking is only one of the 21st-century skills English students need to succeed. Explore all of Bridge’s 21st-Century Teaching Skills Micro-credential courses to modernize your classroom!

Change of perspective and contextualization activities.

Asking students to put themselves in someone else’s shoes is a challenging but fruitful practice that encourages them to understand and empathize with other perspectives. It creates a different cultural and emotional context or vantage point from which to consider an issue. It helps assess the merit of contrasting arguments and reach a more balanced conclusion.

One way of accomplishing this is to use a written text and ask students to rewrite it from another person’s perspective. This automatically leads students to adopt a different point of view and reflect on the context of the communication. Another is to use roleplay . This is possibly an even more effective activity. In role-play, actors tend to identify more intimately with their characters than in a written piece. There are other elements that go into acting, like body language, voice inflection, etc., and they all need to reflect the perspective of the other.

Collaborative activities

Activities that require students to collaborate also allow them to share and contrast their opinions with their peers and cooperate in problem-solving (which, after all, is one of the goals of critical thinking). Think/write-pair-share is one such activity. Students are asked to work out a problem by themselves and then share their conclusions with their peers. A collaborative approach to learning engages a variety of language skill sets, including conversational skills, problem-solving, and conflict resolution, as well as critical thinking.

In today’s educational and societal context, critical thinking has become an important tool for sorting out information, making decisions, and solving problems. Critical thinking in language learning and the ESL classroom helps students to structure and express their thoughts effectively. It is an essential skill to ensure students’ personal and professional success.

Take an in-depth look at incorporating critical thinking skills into the ESL classroom with the Bridge Micro-credential course in Promoting Critical Thinking Skills.

Linda D'Argenio

Linda D'Argenio is a native of Naples, Italy. She is a world language teacher (English, Italian, and Mandarin Chinese,) translator, and writer. She has studied and worked in Italy, Germany, China, and the U.S. In 2003, Linda earned her doctoral degree in Classical Chinese Literature from Columbia University. She has taught students at both the school and college levels. Linda lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Sharpen your critical thinking (CAE Speaking Part 3)

• Exam Tasks (FCE/CAE/CPE...)

Grammar - conjunctions

This is a standalone lesson but it can also be used as part of the set titled:

• Forming logical arguments

LESSON OVERVIEW

With this lesson plan, students evaluate the validity of arguments using the information from a video about logical fallacies. They also practise conjunctions and do a Cambridge CAE Speaking Part 3 activity. 

VOCABULARY & VIDEO

At the beginning of the lesson, students discuss what critical thinking is. They will use the ideas from the discussion to do the CAE Speaking Part 3 activity in the last part of the lesson. Then, students replace seven words in context with their synonyms. The words are related to critical thinking and arguments (e.g. faulty – flawed, refute – counter ). Students also share their thoughts about two of the statements which they agree with or relate to personally. Next, students read six arguments and decide what makes them faulty and how they would refute them. After that, they watch the first part of the video and explain what a logical fallacy is. After watching the second part, students discuss the logical fallacies from the video . They also look at the arguments from the beginning of the lesson and decide which logical fallacies they exemplify. Students watch the second part of the video again to check their answers.

CONJUNCTIONS & CAE SPEAKING PART 3

In the activity, students read nine sentences and choose the correct conjunctions (e.g. whereas, since, and yet ). Then,  they need to rewrite arguments using the words in brackets and make any necessary changes to the statements. After that, students need to evaluate the validity of the arguments they transformed and decide whether they display any logical fallacies. Finally, students do a Cambridge CAE Speaking Part 3 task. They need to talk about the importance of critical thinking in some professions, and then decide which of them least requires the skill of critical thinking. While doing the task, students need to use at least three conjunctions practised in the lesson. The worksheet also contains two more CAE Speaking Part 3 tasks which the teacher might decide to do at the end of the lesson or at the beginning of the next one. 

Subscribe to unlock these and many other Standalone lesson with the Premium plan

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Such a great lesson!

Wow!! What an inspiring & thought-provoking lesson!! Thank you!!

Thank you, Irina!

ESL Brains, thank you for all your lessons! They’re just the best!

We’re really happy to hear that! Thanks 🙂

Great lesson, my student loves it! However, the last 2 slides with CAE Speaking activities are hidden during the presentation. Could you unhide them and make them appear, please? Peter

Thanks for the comment! We purposefully set these slides to skip because these are extra tasks. There are two ways out of this: make your own copy of the e-lesson plan and unclick the skip option OR exit the presentation mode on slide 36, go to slide 37 and start the Present mode again. In such a case, when you press space or click the mouse button, you will get to the other skipped slide before the thank you page appears.

This is phenomenal!

Thanks, Liam!

👏👏👏👏 Great lesson!

👏👏👏👏 A really fun and beneficial lesson.

Thanks! I’m really happy you find it useful 🙂

This lesson is just immaculate!

Thank you, Vadim 🙂

An excellent lesson about critical thinking!!! Well paced and developed and so interesting for our students these days!!! Thank you!

Thank you! I’m glad you like the lesson 🙂

Ewa, your lessons are flawless. I simply loved this one.

That was superb!!

Awesome, thanks!

Browse other materials recommended for you

It’s a one-way street! Parasocial relationships

With this engaging lesson, students read an article, discuss parasocial relationships and talk about fandom. They also share their experiences, learn vocabulary to talk about the topic and give their opinions on fans and fandoms.

This is why we have accents (pronunciation activities)

Engage in the exploration of accents and pronunciation! Students talk about how they feel speaking a foreign language, explore vocabulary to discuss accents and practise pronunciation skills.

Lone wolf or social butterfly? Understanding personalities

With this lesson, students talk about personality types, revise adjectives to describe themselves and watch a video about how birth order affects a person. They also brainstorm why people change their personalities and discuss whether they agree with different opinions.

Financial crimes

In this lesson, students practise vocabulary related to financial crimes and watch a video about money laundering. They also discuss real cases of financial fraud, read a film synopsis and talk about their personal opinions.

Brave new influencers

With this Flipped lesson, advanced students get a great chance to revise and practise grammatical aspects, learn collocations connected to social media activity and have engaging conversations about AI influencers.

Let’s talk money

With this speaking lesson, students talk about financial literacy, listen to excerpts from a podcast on the topic and discuss their experiences and perspectives. They also analyse money-related situations and come up with solutions.

When familial meets professional

In this lesson, students reflect deeply on work-family dynamics, explore nuances of nepotism, and enrich vocabulary through engaging discussions. Students also listen to excerpts from a podcast to spark critical thinking.

Save coral reefs!

With this lesson, students will dive into the different uses of ‘as’ in phrases and statements. They will also explore the realm of coral reefs and watch an inspiring informational video.

What if we redefined ambition?

Embark on a thought-provoking exploration of ambition! This lesson encourages students to critically examine traditional notions of success and consider alternative perspectives on personal fulfilment and well-being.

Is there a minimum subscription period if I choose a monthly subscription?

No, there’s no minimum required number of subscription months. You can cancel any time you want. Basically, you can sign up and then cancel your subscription the next day, which will mean you have access for 1 month and won’t be charged again.

What currencies can I pay in for my subscription?

Our default currency is USD (American dollar), but you can also pay in EUR (euro), GBP (British pound sterling) or PLN (Polish zloty). You can change the currency you want to pay in at the Pricing page before selecting a subscription plan.

How can I edit an e-lesson plan?

You can get your own editable copy of an e-lesson plan and make changes to it. To do so, either (1) make a copy of it on your Google Drive (preferable method) or (2) download it in a Powerpoint format (but formatting might be a bit off so we can’t guarantee that it will work well).

Username or Email Address

Remember Me

VisibleThinking

Visiblethinking: unlock english language learning with simple routines.

Are you an ESL teacher looking for a way to help your students improve their language and critical thinking skills? Visible thinking is a pedagogical tool developed by the Project Zero research group, which has helped students hone their thinking skills.

Through various Thinking Routines, students learn to ask questions, generate, compare, and contrast ideas, and become aware of multiple thinking processes.

This article will explore the power of Visible Thinking to help ESL students become more engaged with language and develop their critical thinking.

We will also discuss the benefits and strategies of using Thinking Routines to improve language skills, foster authentic communication, and develop critical thinking skills.

By the end of this article, you will have a clear roadmap to implementing Visible Thinking in your classroom.  Whoo hoo!

So, what exactly is visible thinking?

Visible thinking routines are a collection of strategies consisting of questions designed to scaffold students’ thinking. Although these routines were not specifically designed for the English language classroom, they can be easily adapted for various age groups and levels.

Introducing ESL Students to the Benefits of Critical Thinking!

ESL students have much to gain from critical thinking routines. For example, they can improve their language skills by asking themselves questions to help them solve different tasks.  Moreover, they can also learn to use language authentically and develop critical thinking skills.

In the classroom, I use Visible Thinking questions and activities to help my students learn. For instance, before embarking on a reading passage, I typically kick off the lesson by asking students:

• “What do you think you already know about the topic?”
• “What questions or puzzles do you have?”

Later, after we’ve had time to process the passage, I ask them to reflect on the material and identify new ideas they didn’t previously have.

I also encourage them to connect what they read with their own life experiences. By doing this, we can promote deeper engagement with the content and help students gain a better understanding of the material.

CSI Thinking Routine

I also use the CSI (Color Symbol Image) thinking routine to scaffold listening activities. Before listening, I ask my students questions such as: “What could this passage be about?” or “Which words do you already know about this topic?”. Then, after listening to the passage, I use the CSI routine to encourage learners to find the gist of it (using a color, symbol, or image). This is a great way to critically engage students when tackling a text!

Visible Thinking Questions for ESL & EFL Students

Get a comprehensive set of questions to scaffold language skills (listening, reading, speaking, and writing) and help your ESL and EFL students learn a second or foreign language more quickly. Click on the image and download this resource for FREE!

Contents What is Visible thinking? Questions to scaffold reading, listening, writing, and speaking. Plus Language activities for all language skills!

Visible thinking is a powerful tool that can be used to help ESL students become more engaged with language and develop their critical thinking. Creating activities and discussions around Thinking Routines allows ESL students to hone their language skills, learn to use language authentically, and become more adept at critical thinking.

With careful thought and by staying true to the principles of Visible Thinking, ESL teachers can make a difference in their students’ language learning outcomes.

Looking for Freebies, Teaching Tips, How-Tos, or Lesson plans?

elttguide.com

• Premium Content
• Publications
• Lesson Plans

40 Activities For Developing Critical Thinking in EFL Classes

In this article, I’m going to tackle critical thinking; what it is, what it involves, and some practical activities to develop it in EFL classes.

Critical thinking is one of the main purposes of education. Teachers should prepare their students to think critically from the first day of school. Critical thinking helps students to lead successful, fulfilling lives and become engaged citizens.

What Is Meant By Critical Thinking?

In today’s world, critical thinking is:

• The ability to think about one’s thinking to recognize and improve it.
• The process of applying, analyzing, constructing and evaluating information.
• Making reasoned judgments using certain criteria to judge the quality of something.

What Critical Thinking Involves?

• Asking questions,
• Defining a problem,
• Examining evidence,
• Analyzing assumptions and biases,
• Avoiding emotional reasoning,
• Avoiding oversimplification,
• Considering all interpretations,
• Using higher level thinking skills; analyzing, evaluating and
• Reaching creative solutions for problems.

Why Teach Critical Thinking?

Teachers should focus mainly to develop their students’ critical thinking to help them:  

• Be active receptors of the massive information that they receive nowadays.
• Solve the complex problems that they face every day.
• Make sound decisions about personal and civic affairs.

The Main Teaching Strategies To Develop Critical Thinking

• Using ongoing classroom assessment.
• Putting students in group learning situations to get continuous support and feedback from other students.
• Presenting case studies to the class without a conclusion and using discussion and debate methods.
• Using critical questions.
• Using dialogues written or oral and encouraging students to analyze them.
• Using comparisons to show the pros and cons of two things.

Example #1 of a Critical Thinking Activity

Using debates

Letter x Email

Broom x Vacuum cleaner

Telephone (landline) x Cell phone

Oven x Microwave

Sponge and soap x Dishwasher

Candle x Bulb

Book x Kindle

1. Ask the class who, in their own opinion, wins and why?

2. Ask students to pretend to be the item that they choose, try to list its advantages, and debate them with the other student.

3. Ask students to act out what they prepared in front of the class.

4.  Ask the class to listen and take notes.

Example #2 of a Critical Thinking Activity

Using short stories

Ask students to read the following short story and answer the questions below:

Just before Christmas my father took me skiing at Mount Baker. He’d had to fight for the privilege of my company, because my mother was still angry with him for sneaking me into a nightclub during his last visit, to see Thelonious Monk.

• Write an introduction to this short story.
• Write the second paragraph.
• Do you think they stayed up all night in the nightclub? What did they do?
• What do you think about the father?
• Do you think the family enjoyed Christmas?
• If you were the mother, would you be angry?
• What did you learn from the story?
• Can you guess the best/worst case scenario of how the story will end?
• Why did the father take the kid to the nightclub?
• Do you think the mother wanted to go to the nightclub?
• Do you like such a father?
• Do you think the dad lives with the family?
• What are the feelings of the kid?
• Do you think the kid has siblings?
• Did the kid solve the problem with his mother?
• What would you do if you were in his/her shoes?
• How old is he or she?
• Where do they live? Country or town?
• Do you think the kid is good at school?
• Why did the father sneak the kid into the nightclub?
• Do you think the mother was right when she got angry?
• What do you think of the dad?
• Should the kid apologize to the mother and how?
• Does the father accompany his kid often or rarely?
• What do you think happened before Christmas?
• Why did the father not take the mother along? …. etc.

When asking students such critical thinking questions, the teacher should:

• Keep the discussion focused.
• Keep the discussion reasonable.
• Stimulate the discussion with more probing questions.
• Summarize periodically what has and what has not been dealt with or resolved.
• Engage as many students as possible in the discussion.

More Examples of Activities For Developing Critical Thinking in EFL Classes

3. Write a title on the board, divide the students into groups, and they sit together and make a story (each group will have a different story and then share it with the whole class).

4. Use a short story, ask students about their opinions of the characters, then discuss with the whole class whether they agree or disagree asking why?

5. Draw objects and ask them about them (compare and contrast).

6. Write an essay on a certain topic or respond to an email.

7. Suggest a suitable title for a story.

8. Transfer information to others

9. Brainstorm ideas using a mind map.

10. Summarize a text and give opinions.

11. Ask what-if questions (what if you were Oliver twist/Cinderella).

12. Ask students to complete a sentence.

13. Ask about the moral of a story.

14. Give students a problem related to their environment and ask them to do research about it and give some creative solutions for it.

15. Ask open-ended questions; questions that have many possible answers (e.g. should we spend more money developing earth or exploring space?). Divide the class into groups, each thinks of answers and then shares them.

16. Give a situation and encourage students (in groups) to analyze, evaluate, and make judgments.

17. Ask students to make an end to a story.

18. Ask students to criticize a certain situation.

19. List the advantages and disadvantages of a topic.

20. Introduce some situations using (what would you do in the following situation? what if we do not have …., what would happen if …?

21. Ask students: which is different: milk, water, soda, or juice? Why? Which one is better (in pairs and students pick different sides)

22. Imagine you are the president, the mayor, a leader, a doctor etc… What decisions would you take first?

Reading Activities

Let’s brainstorm some ideas of how to promote critical thinking after reading a story, e.g. “Cinderella”.

23. Analyze characters: Do you like “Character”? Why?

24. Use what-if questions: What if Cinderella was ugly?

25. Introduce or remove a character then ask for the impact on the storyline.

26. Ask for another ending for the story.

27. Ask for their thoughts about what’s after the ending.

28. Change the setting and ask for the results.

29. Ask students to watch the movie after reading the story and then compare the characters and the storyline!

Speaking activities

30. Ask students to look at a certain picture and describe their feelings about it.

31. Ask students to compare things.

32. Introduce a problem and ask students to give as many solutions as possible for it.

33. Ask students to gather information from conflicting resources.

34. Ask controversial questions.

35. Encourage Role Plays.

36. Ask students about their priority: education/health/entertainment and why?

Listening activities

37. Prediction.

38. Making inferences.

39. Drawing conclusions.

40. Differentiating between facts and opinions.

Writing Activities

41. Writing blurbs to pictures or ads … etc.

42. Writing Commentaries.

43. Responding to emails, letters or SMS.

For setting students up for success in critical thinking activities teachers need to:

• Brainstorm enough information before asking students to carry out a certain task.
• Encourage them to participate.
• Provide them with help and guidance (when needed).
• Assure them that there are no “wrong answers”.
• Accept all answers and points of view.
• Appreciate their efforts.
• Praise their trials.
• Teach them critical thinking skills!

Here are some critical thinking skills that students need to learn:

• Thinking outside the box.
• Asking questions and then questioning answers.
• Analyzing the reading or the listening text.
• Logically addressing an issue.
• Supporting their stance with evidence.
• Respectfully refuting others’ opinions.
• Evaluating the truth of a claim or argument.

Adapted from U.S. Department of State English Language Programs – Samar Aal

Thanks for Reading

For more in-depth content on english language teaching, (now open) subscribe to access my elt premium content, looking to get tefl certified your search is over, start with ita now.

The ELT training that you will receive at ITA is invaluable that you will be well prepared as an EFL/ESL teacher.

I’m sure you will be amazed by their:

• Countless TEFL courses,
• Course structure,
• Alumni community,   
• High number of practicum hours,
• Customer service,
• Lifetime TEFL job assistance,
• Reviews and credentials.

Start now with ITA  to make a difference in your TEFL journey teaching online or abroad.

If you like it, share it on:

• Pingback: Recognize The Latest 5 Trends In Teaching Reading - elttguide.com

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Subscribe to My Newsletter

Affiliate disclosure.

This website might have affiliate links, and if you buy something by clicking on them, the website owner could earn some money. To learn more, read the full disclosure.

Study TEFL/TESOL Online

Get 15% Discount

Visit My Video Channel

Articles Categories

• Back To School
• Brain-based ELT
• Classroom Management
• CLT Communicative Language Teaching
• Correcting Mistakes
• Develop Students' Speaking Skills
• Developing Critical Thinking
• Developing Life Skills
• ELT Snippets
• ELTT Questions & Answers
• For IELTS Exam
• Guest Posts
• Job Interview Preparation
• Lanaguage Teaching Approaches
• Learning How to Learn
• Lesson Planning
• Low Achiever Students
• Online Courses
• Printables Library
• Professional Development
• Talk on Supervision
• Teach Conversations
• Teach Grammar
• Teach Language Functions
• Teach Listening Activities
• Teach Pronunciation
• Teach Reading
• Teach Vocabulary
• Teach Writing
• Teacher Wellness
• Teaching Aids
• TEFL Essential Skills
• TEFL to Young Learners
• Testing and Assessment
• The ELT Insider
• Uncategorized
• Using Technology in EFL Classes

• Professional development
• Knowing the subject

Critical thinking

Our latest tip looks at ‘Critical thinking’. Watch Alister using the map of the world with his young learner class to encourage greater critical thinking in language learning.

If this video is not available for viewing in your location, please click here

Hi, I’m from Ukraine. I…

Hi, I’m from Ukraine. I should say that our methodology of learning English “a bit” differs from yours. Very often it’s just a piece of chock and a blackboard. Our government does not concern about the way of learning English. They just tell what to do but they don’t give any financial support. Sorry for these words but it’s my pain. Your ideas are great. This way we can discover new unique ideas. Unusual ways of thinking and excepting information. Children can come up with incredible ideas through analysing the information. And what is more the don’t realise that they learn English. It’s cool! Thanks a lot!

• Log in or register to post comments

Very Useful

Online esl teacher tips.

Thank you, Alister! You tips are really amazing! I am greatly impressed and inspired.

Research and insight

Browse fascinating case studies, research papers, publications and books by researchers and ELT experts from around the world.

See our publications, research and insight

Language Point

teacher training

• May 20, 2022

4 ways to increase critical thinking in the English language classroom

Much of what we do in the language classroom is focused on fluency and accuracy. Most teachers aim for students to use vocabulary and grammar accurately, and be able to read and listen with enough understanding to answer comprehension questions. However, language learning is different from other academic subjects, many of which are based around retention of knowledge.

Learning a second language involves a lot more than simply remembering the right words to use. The more that students activate their critical thinking brains, and employ Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS), the more they will develop flexibility, confidence and the ability to self-evaluate in the work that they do, making them better language users in any situation where they have to use the language they learn.

Critical thinking includes a range of HOTS which can be useful to language learning, enabling students to develop learning strategies which can help them to work independently and develop in their own ways beyond the classroom and the set curriculum that you teach . Fostering a critical / analytical environment takes students further than simply supplying correct answers to pass tests, or repeating memorised chunks of language which may not apply to their real lives. Here are some simple ways of facilitating critical thinking in your classroom:

Ask for more than just information

The vast majority of questions asked by teachers in the language classroom are designed for students to answer based on something they have just been told, or that they need to remember from previous classes. In most cases, the teacher already knows the answer to the questions, which have been designed for teaching rather than actual sharing of information. Questions where the answer is already known are called ‘display’ questions, and are a useful teaching tool. However, the level of thinking required to answer them is not highly cognitive. Often, students either know the answer or they don’t - there is little room for calculation, deduction or other higher types of reasoning.

Rather than simply asking students for the answers to the questions they are studying, or for the information in the texts they read, push them to tell you more about aspects of the text which are not explicitly mentioned in the writing. This type of ‘referential’ question leads to much more authentic, spontaneous and personal information sharing, and requires more reflective and critical thought. Examples of higher-order referential questions (here, for a reading or listening exercise) might be:

Why does the writer use the word ‘_______’ in this sentence?

Why do you think the writer starts the article in this way?

Do you agree with the writer when she says ‘________’? Why?

Do you think the writer feels positive / negative / happy / sad / worried… by the topic? Why?

What does the word/sentence ‘__________’ make you think of?

Some of these questions are quite high-level in terms of the language needed to respond, but questions about simple tone or feeling, or emotional response questions, can be used with lower-level learners to help them reflect on their reaction (and the author’s feeling) about the writing. This takes the student out of the traditional understanding / comprehending / answering factual questions from the text that may restrict their thinking as they read.

Get students deducing meaning from context

Another area of language where critical thinking can be used is in vocabulary study. Traditionally, teachers focus very strongly on accuracy of meaning when teaching new words, then find ways of helping students to remember the words effectively. However, the majority of new words that a student meets, both in and out of the classroom, will not be the focus of specific teaching stages with a teacher going through pronunciation, meaning and use .

More critical/analytical approaches to vocabulary can help students to develop independent strategies for dealing with new words without constant support. The skill of deducing meaning based on language clues is an invaluable skill for anyone using a second language, and a skills which can be developed in the classroom. All that is needed are some ways of spotting the clues in a new word, sentence or paragraph, which can reveal different aspects of meaning:

At word level, a lot of meaning can be deduced from prefixes, suffixes and stems. By getting students to identify the stem meaning of a word, then applying prefixes and suffixes, they will be surprised at how they can decode new meanings more easily, as in:

Undeniable = prefix: un- + stem: -deny- + suffix: -able

If a student knows the word ‘deny’, they can build the meaning of

un- (not) + -deny- (refuse) + -able (be able to)

This kind of inductive work leads to activities with word families, where one stem word can be explored for all its related forms: deny, denial, deniable, undeniable, etc., building several words form a single, known root.

In sentence examples, clues to meaning (contextual clues) can be designed and added in to help students deduce new meanings, as in:

Janine was happy, but Bob was miserable

The key clue here comes from the contrast marker ‘but’ - if students know the meaning of happy, and they know that ‘but’ is followed by a contrasting idea, then they can deduce that ‘miserable’ means ‘unhappy’, even if they have never seen the word before.

Presenting vocabulary in a sentence context like this takes students beyond the level of single word meanings, and gets them using other information around a new word to think critically and engage with meaning in different ways. By teaching your students the skill of deducing meaning, you can save a lot of time teaching new words one by one, and get them working with different examples on their own, or working with a partner.

Use project-based activities

Another way of developing higher-order skills is by focusing students on the processes that they follow when they learn. A great way of doing this is to get them working on projects rather than individual language tasks. Projects are different toothed types of activity because they involve collaboration and allocation of work between different members of a group to get the job done. The process of planning, delegating and taking responsibility for different aspects of a project can involve some high-level critical thinking and reflection (if it is planned into the project by the teacher).

Projects usually result in more complex outcomes than single activities, so require more different skills than just language use. The discussion, role-setting, preparation and creative processes all require different types of interaction and communication, all of which are more authentic than general language-focused pair-work.

Working together to create a poster presentation, a board game or a labelled model involves different language and social skills, leadership, compromise and strategy-setting, which can be performed in English if the students’ level is high enough, or in the students’ first language (in a specific planning stage) if it isn’t. By following the procedure below, you can incorporate HOTS, language and other skills to produce an effective project outcome:

inform students of the goal of the project - what product are they working towards?

Students break the project into parts and assign roles to each group member (in first language with lower-level groups)

Students produce a plan for creation of the project, step by step to get everything done in good order and within the time limit (again, in first language if necessary)

Students each work on their role for the project, keeping in communication with each other at each step

Group members check each others’ work for accuracy of language, quality and how well it fits the project brief from 1)

In larger classes, further critical thinking can be developed by having each group present their work to another group for feedback - what do the other group(s) think of their work? Each group writes action points to improve their product and goes back to make any changes they think are necessary.

Each group presents their project to the class, either in a show-and-tell style, or by moving from project to project to view each others’ work.

Develop students’ reflective skills

Self-reflection is one of the highest of the HOTS. Without stopping to evaluate any task that we have done, it is much more difficult to develop better ways of doing a good job in future. This applies to language learning as much as it does to any other kind of activity.

A simple way of bringing self-reflection into he classroom is to include a short stage at the end of each activity that you do, or at the end of each class, which focuses on how students performed. Some simple questions that can prompt self-reflection after a period of class activity are:

How do you feel after completing this activity?

Did you find it easy or difficult? Why?

What did you find most useful in that activity?

How did you complete the activity? What did you do first, then what did you do?

If you did it again, what would you do differently?

You don’t need to ask all of these questions after every activity, but questions like these can prompt a little bit of thought about how students are working, not just whether they succeeded in a task or not. This can raise awareness about learning strategies, thought processes and how different students approach different types of activity . They can also inform you about how your students work, and therefore how they might benefit from different types of support from your teaching.

As we have seen, critical, analytical and higher-order work can be incorporated into the language classroom without too much disturbance of your planned work. A few small additions here and there, and some rethinking of tasks and activities, can raise the level of thinking that goes on, and help students to help themselves when they come to perform in English in situations outside the classroom. Start by including some small critical or reflective questions in your classes, and see how your students respond. You (and they) might be surprised at the results!

Tom Garside is Director of Language Point Teacher Education. Language Point delivers the internationally recognised RQF level 5 Trinity CertTESOL in a totally online mode of study , and the RQF level 6 Trinity College Certificate for Practising Teachers , a contextually-informed teacher development qualification with specific courses which focus on online language education or online methodology.

If you are interested to know more about these qualifications, or you want take your teaching to a new level with our teacher education courses, contact us or see our course dates and fees for details.

Recent Posts

Simple and continuous tenses - what’s the difference?

Why you don’t need to be a ‘language expert’ to start teaching TESOL

Some and any… Revisiting Quantifiers and Countability

• Board of Regents
• Business Portal

New York State Education Department

• Commissioner
• USNY Affiliates
• Organization Chart
• Building Tours
• Program Offices
• Rules & Regulations
• Office of Counsel
• Office of State Review
• Freedom of Information (FOIL)
• Governmental Relations
• Adult Education
• Bilingual Education
• Career & Technical Education
• Cultural Education
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Early Learning
• Educator Quality
• Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
• Graduation Measures
• Higher Education
• High School Equivalency
• Indigenous Education
• My Brother's Keeper

Office of the Professions

• P-12 Education
• Special Education
• Vocational Rehabilitation
• Next Generation Learning Standards: ELA and Math
• Office of Standards and Instruction
• Diploma Requirements
• Teaching in Remote/Hybrid Learning Environments (TRLE)
• Office of State Assessment
• Computer-Based Testing
• Exam Schedules
• Grades 3-8 Tests
• Regents Exams
• New York State Alternate Assessment (NYSAA)
• English as a Second Language Tests
• Test Security
• Teaching Assistants
• Pupil Personnel Services Staff
• School Administrators
• Professionals
• Career Schools
• Fingerprinting
• Accountability
• Audit Services
• Budget Coordination
• Chief Financial Office
• Child Nutrition
• Facilities Planning
• Ed Management Services
• Pupil Transportation Services
• Religious and Independent School Support
• SEDREF Query
• Public Data
• Data Privacy and Security
• Information & Reporting

World Languages

• Wakelet - Authentic Resource Collections

2023-24 Book Studies on The Keys to Strategies for Language Instruction: Engagement, Relevance, Critical Thinking, Collaboration

• 2024-25 Facilitator Book Study on Words and Actions: Teaching Languages Through the Lens of Social Justice
• Modified Oral Proficiency (MOPI) Training
• Sign Language Proficiency Interview (SLPI) Training Workshop
• Linguistic Diversity in the Heritage Classroom: Educational Practices That Celebrate Home Languages
• Explore Thematic Unit Plans to Inspire Your Instruction
• Leveraging Social Justice Approaches to Affirm and Support World Language Students
• Checkpoint A Benchmark Proficiency Assessment Guidance and Item Writing Workshops (Summer 2024)
• Standards in Action: Presentational Communication Strategies
• Principles and Guidelines for Adopting or Creating Locally Developed Benchmark Assessments for Checkpoint A (Modern Languages)
• Standards in Action: Interpersonal Communication Strategies
• Principles and Guidelines for Adopting or Creating Locally Developed Benchmark Assessments for Checkpoint A (Classical Languages)
• Assessments
• Graduation Requirements
• Demystifying End-of-Year Data Submission for the NYS Seal of Biliteracy
• NYSSB End of Year Data Challenge
• 2024-25 NYSSB Book Study - Promoting Multilingualism in Schools: A Framework for Implementing the Seal of Biliteracy
• Starting a NYS Seal of Biliteracy Program at Your Charter School
• Starting a NYSSB Program at Your District School
• Starting a NYSSB Program at Your Non-Public School
• Starting a NYS Seal of Biliteracy Program for Mandarin Chinese Teachers
• NYSSB Annual Reports
• NYSSB One-Page Briefs for Students and Families in Multiple Languages
• NYSSB School Notification Form
• NYSSB Student Voices Program 2022
• NYSSB Wakelet
• NYSSB for Colleges and Universities
• NYSSB in Languages with Multiple Varieties
• NYSSB Culminating Project Notification Form
• NYSSB End-of-Year Data Form
• Module 1 - Getting Started
• Module 2 - Planning to Implement the Seal
• Module 3 - Designing the Culminating Project
• Module 4 - Monitoring Student Progress
• Module 5 - Preparing for Panel Presentations
• Module 6 - Planning to Celebrate the NYSSB
• Module 7 - Wrapping Up Your Program
• Module 8 - Completing the End-of-Year Data Form
• Other Resources
• Languages Other Than English Publications
• World Language Associations

thumbnail.jpg

The Office of Bilingual Education and World Languages (OBEWL) of the New York State Education Department (NYSED) is proud to sponsor a series of book studies in 2024-25 using The Keys to Strategies for Language Instruction:  Engagement, Relevance, Critical Thinking, Collaboration by Leslie Grahn and Dave McAlpine. Four virtual book studies will be facilitated by teams of individuals who were trained by Leslie Grahn and Bill Heller during the 2023-24 school year.  NYS world language educators from district, charter, religious, and independent schools, as well as administrators who supervise world language departments, are encouraged to participate. 

Through this virtual book study, participants will do a deep dive into the why and how of instructional strategies for the world language classroom in alignment with the revised New York State World Languages Standards adopted in 2021. Gain thought processes for selecting and implementing instructional strategies that have communicative purpose and lead to growth in language proficiency. Time will be provided for small group processing and application of new ideas to classroom contexts. During the last session, participants will meet with and ask questions of Leslie Grahn and Bill Heller.

The dates for each book study are listed below.  Book study groups will meet once a month from September to May after school via Zoom (please note meeting times below).  Participants may earn up to 27 hours of CTLE credit (1.5 hours for each of 9 meetings and 13.5 hours for reading the book and preparing for meetings).  Participants must attend at least eight (8) of the nine (9) meetings in order to receive credit, a certificate of attendance, and a digital badge for their participation. The book, Enacting the Work of Language Instruction:  High Leverage Teaching Practices, Vol. 1, will be mailed to participants, free of charge, over the summer.  There is no cost to participate in this book study.

The book studies are organized by language; however, educators of any language may participate in any of the book studies.  Educators must select one (1) of the following book studies in which to participate.

Please contact Candace Black via phone (585.356.0951) or email ( [email protected] ) with any questions regarding this book study.

To register for this book study, click here .

Get the Latest Updates!

Subscribe to receive news and updates from the New York State Education Department.

Popular Topics

• Charter Schools
• High School Equivalency Test
• Next Generation Learning Standards
• Professional Licenses & Certification
• Reports & Data
• School Climate
• School Report Cards
• Teacher Certification
• Vocational Services
• Find a school report card
• Find assessment results
• Find high school graduation rates
• Find information about grants
• Get information about learning standards
• Get information about my teacher certification
• Obtain vocational services
• Serve legal papers
• Verify a licensed professional
• File an appeal to the Commissioner

Quick Links

• About the New York State Education Department
• About the University of the State of New York (USNY)
• Business Portal for School Administrators
• Employment Opportunities
• FOIL (Freedom of Information Law)
• Incorporation for Education Corporations
• NYS Archives
• NYS Library
• NYSED Online Services
• Public Broadcasting

Media Center

• Newsletters
• Video Gallery
• X (Formerly Twitter)

New York State Education Building

89 Washington Avenue

Albany, NY 12234

CONTACT US  

NYSED General Information: (518) 474-3852

ACCES-VR: 1-800-222-JOBS (5627)

High School Equivalency: (518) 474-5906

New York State Archives: (518) 474-6926

New York State Library: (518) 474-5355

New York State Museum: (518) 474-5877

Office of Higher Education: (518) 486-3633

Office of the Professions: (518) 474-3817

P-12 Education: (518) 474-3862

EMAIL CONTACTS  

Adult Education & Vocational Services 

New York State Archives 

New York State Library 

New York State Museum 

Office of Higher Education 

Office of Education Policy (P-20)

© 2015 - 2024 New York State Education Department

Diversity & Access | Accessibility | Internet Privacy Policy | Disclaimer  |  Terms of Use