On Critical Thinking Skill Cultivation in EFL Teaching

Critical thinking has been recognized internationally as an essential skill for high-quality talents.This article analyzes what the experimental researches on cultivating critical thinking skills in EFL teaching have achieved and identifies the three weaknesses to be addressed in the future.Firstly,there are divergences among scholars on the concept and subskills of critical thinking.Secondly,the teaching modes and methods explored by the experimental researches are more personalized than systematic,which reduces their application and guidance value.Thirdly,the reliability and validity of the experiments need to be improved,and the cultivation practices tend to improve the critical thinking skills of some students,without considering the differences among students,especially the students with relatively poor language proficiency.

Fostering Critical Thinking Skills in the EFL College-Level Classroom Through Online Collaborative Document Tools

This paper explores the potential of applying online collaborative documents to foster critical thinking skills in EFL college-level classrooms.Considering the limitations of traditional teacher-centered approaches and the need for innovative methods,the study examines the integration of online collaborative tools,using Tencent Docs as an example.The discussion highlights the importance of critical thinking in the academic and professional spheres and introduces the concept of online collaborative documents for enhancing this cognitive skill.Through a detailed exploration,the paper presents a model of employing collaborative documents within a college English class,demonstrating how students collaboratively learning an article.Then,the paper discusses the pros and cons of employing this technology in classroom.The conclusion emphasizes the transformative potential of integrating technology into pedagogy and its role in creating a dynamic learning environment.The paper underscores the importance of striking a balance between technology and traditional methods,foreseeing avenues for further research and development.

Effectiveness of Computer Assisted Problem based Learning in Chemistry for Enhancing Thinking Skills among Secondary School Students

Experiencing problems that challenges science and the thought, habits of mind and actions associated with trying to solve them is one of the best ways of learning Chemistry. This impels opportunities for authentic, inquiry based learning. PBL （problem based learning） is a student centered pedagogy in which students learn about a subject through the experience of problem solving. The goals of PBL are to help the students develop flexible knowledge, effective problem solving skills, self-directed learning, effective collaborative skills and intrinsic motivation. CAPBL （computer assisted problem based learning） has been created to expand the boundaries of the creativity and the creativity of students beyond the four walls of the classroom. In the present study the investigator tested the effectiveness of the CAPBL material in Chemistry for enhancing thinking skills among secondary school students. The sample consisted of 100 secondary school students. The study revealed that the CAPBL material in Chemistry is effective in enhancing thinking skills such as critical thinking, creativity and problem solving.

Cultivation of Critical Thinking Skills in College English Classrooms

This paper is a qualitative study of the cultivation of critical thinking skill in college English classrooms in China. Critical thinking has long been recognized as an important part of the curricular framework in education western countries. However, the instruction of critical thinking has not gained prominence in Chinese universities. The author does research on how to foster students＇ critical thinking skills in the college English classrooms, and proposes some methods and techniques to facilitate the skills： change teachers＇ concept of language teaching, create a flexible atmosphere in the classrooms, teach students how to raise questions, and teach them to express logically.

IMPLEMENTING A THINKING SKILLS INTERVENTION IN ENGLISH CLASSES IN CHINA

This paper is concerned with the impact of implementing a thinking skills intervention on pedagogy and the classroom environment, general problems in implementing thinking skills in China and their suggested solutions. It is conducted by a small scale investigation into a thinking skills class in Year 7 English in England. Discussion is based on existing research in this field and the writer's professional experience. Data is compiled from a teacher interview, a student questionnaire and a video recording of the sample lesson.

A Little Hypertension May Sharpen Seniors’ Thinking Skills

高血压,令老年人头疼,并望而生畏。想不到,高血压居然对老年人也有好处!以色列的专家经过测试认定:Mild hypertension(高血压)may ac-tually protect the cognitive(认知的)ability of people after age 70。

Cultivation of Reading,Writing,and Critical Thinking in the Teaching of Selected Readings in American Literature

Selected Readings in American Literature is a required course for the third year of English major,and it is also a compulsory course for the Bachelor Degree of English Language and Literature at School of Foreign Languages,Leshan Normal University.The course uses the combination of English literary reading and course paper writing to develop students’English reading and writing skills,while focusing on the cultivating critical thinking skills of English majors.

Integral Thinking and its application to Integral Education

After the exploration of different kind of thinking skills oriented to dis-cerning complex issues and phenomena,this article argues about the need to use a new modality of thinking,defined as integral thinking.Based on the holonic theory and on the proprieties of the holons and their part-whole relationships,the paper proposes and characterizes integral think-ing,a kind of thinking that is holistic but also has span and profundity,going beyond conventional Aristotelian epistemic-inspired ways.Integral thinking joins in a single model the assets of premodern,modern and postmodern thinking systems;and helps in going beyond the nowadays syncretism of many perspectives.Integral thinking is the kind of thinking appropriated to the contemporary need to think integrally in science,cul-ture,professions,and arts or about the evolution of personal conscious-ness.It’s useful also to be applied in the diverse professional fields,espe-cially when comprehensive approaches are needed.Integral thinking can be used in holistic education and pedagogies.The use of integral thinking in the educational actuality can help to characterize the integral education practice and agenda.

Discuss the Framework of Edward de Bono＇ s Parallel Thinking Dispositions and Critically Evaluate Its Pedagogical Implications for Teachers in Foreign/Second Language Classroom

The educational orientation in 21 stcentury has shifted from traditional approach that solely driving academic achievement, to a comprehensive orientation that emphasises innovation and diversity. Following this trend, teaching students the skills of thinking such as creative thinking, critical thinking, etc. has been widely recognised as a hot topic in the recent classrooms.Some researches show that Edward de Bono's six thinking hats are affording both teachers and students well-structured framework for thinking skills' training. Therefore, in the EFL/ESL classroom, teachers' teaching targets are likely to promote students' learning outcomes through teaching thinking skills depending on Six Thinking Hats approach and a majority practices show that the results are satisfied.

The Application of Flipped Classroom Teaching Model in English Writing Course in Educational Informatization 2.0 Background

The absence or inadequacy of critical thinking is one of the prevalent problems in English teaching and learning in China, which gives rise to various problems in learners’ writing: digression from the topic, unoriginal or uncreative ideas, loose logic, logical fallacies, and lack of real content. Under such circumstances, the present paper proposes the “teaching-learning-assessing-testing Four in One” flipped classroom mode in Educational Informatization 2.0 Background to develop learners’ critical thinking ability relying on technical support provided by the researcher’s school and the mode is then applied in English writing course. The application of the mode has achieved some effects. It is applauded by learners and may thus have some implications for the development of learners’ critical thinking ability in writing courses.

Cognition-Based Interactive Phases and Strategies in Teaching Academic Reading

Academic English reading requires deeper cognitive involvement in addition to language proficiency and plays a vital role in moulding a critical mindset. However, cognitive progress is seldom targeted in classroom teaching. This study proposed a teaching method of three reading phases in terms of cognitive mechanism and communicative teaching approach.Ninety university freshmen of non-English major participated in the study, who were taking the course of Academic English Reading in the 2nd semester. The data were collected from self-report Research Skills Assessment twice and semi-structured interview, and analyzed with paired sample t test and Pearson correlation. The results showed that 1） “critical thinking”, “organizing ideas”, and “finding information” were believed to improve significantly at the end of the course; 2） reading skill was associated with writing skill and the sense of “big picture” in self perception; 3） the cognition-based interactive reading instruction was acknowledged to be conducive to academic reading. It complements Academic English reading pedagogy by juxtaposing the need for both individual cognition and group interaction in classroom teaching.

How to Manage the ＂New Age＂ Employee

This paper explains why as a manager employing recent Chinese University graduates cannot manage them using traditional management styles. Management is very similar to a negotiation. The manager must change their ＂negotiation style＂ to manage their Chinese graduates into a valuable addition to their enterprise.

A preliminary investigation into critical thinking of urban Xi'an high school students

This paper reports the development of critical thinking of urban high school students in the Chinese city of Xi’an.It presents the assessment of the students’two components of critical thinking:dispositions towards critical thinking and critical thinking skills,using the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory and the California Critical Thinking Skills Test.Results show that the students’dispositions toward critical thinking are at an average level while their critical thinking skills are very low.This research also shows that there is no significant difference between students from science classes and arts classes in their critical thinking dispositions while science students have a higher level of critical thinking skills.Students from advanced classes have a higher level of the two components of critical thinking than their counterparts from general classes.There are no differences between male students and female students in both components.