Revista simpozionului Eficienta si calitate in educatie 2018 Revista simpozionului | Page 8

expressing ideas and justifying them with arguments, considering the legitimacy of
some arguments, formulating hypotheses, making decisions and solving problems.
These are all reasons enough that warrant the necessity to expose students to a
variety of activities aimed at teaching them how to exercise their mind, while
learning and using the English language communicatively. Below I will list a series
of such activities that can be implemented in the EFL class, mostly inspired and
adapted from John Hughes’ Critical Thinking in the Language Classroom (2014).
1. Developing a critical mindset
Rationale: This activity is a useful way to introduce students to the idea of
becoming critical thinkers. It also introduces some of the language they might use
to express their opinions in class discussions.
Procedure
1 The teacher writes a statement on the board which is likely to provoke a reaction
and an opinion either for or against the statement. For example, this statement
could be used: ‘The internet is reducing young people’s attention span and making
them less intelligent.’
2 The teacher asks students to work on their own and consider their own personal
response to this statement. The students write arguments in support or against the
statement on slips of paper.
3 The teacher collects the students’ slips of paper with arguments and has the
students work in groups of 3 or 4. The teacher gives each group of students a set
of slips of paper previously written by the students themselves, which they are
supposed to read and to analyse and then to stick on the board, on one of two
columns (in favour / against the statement)
4 Follow-up. The students select one argument in favour and one argument
against from the whole list and write one paragraph for each, including supporting
points (explanation/ examples).
2. Asking questions
Rationale: An inquisitive mind is the prerequisite for academic progress, but all too
often students do not take the time or interest to ask the right type of questions.
Isidor I. Rabi, the Nobel laureate in physics confessed that what made him become
a good scientist was his mother’s support of his inquisitive nature, manifested in
her checking his progress in school by asking him the question: “Did you ask a
good question today?” This is why it is imperative that we teach the students to ask
questions that would prompt complex and informative answers. This activity shows
them how closed questions which only require yes/no answers do not help us
obtain information and that open questions are much more effective. At the same
time, students review the structures they need to use when asking questions.
Procedure
1 The teacher writes the following question words on the board: What…? Why…?
Who…? How…? When….? Where….? and elicits examples of questions
beginning with these question words.
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