This type of thinking, though, isn’t very complex. Recall and memorization only require surface level thinking. If you are teaching ESL to children, teaching critical thinking is particularly important because it will serve them in their futures no matter what language they are speaking. Teaching critical thinking, though, isn’t always easy. The following are some ways to integrate critical thinking exercises into your ESL lessons while still meeting the language goals you set for your students.
Getting your students to think about how they came to the answer that they did will challenge them to think critically, and it gets them using more language and using it in practical ways. For example, in an activity for using the , you might ask your students what they will be doing in five years. One student might answer that he is going to be a movie star. You can ask questions like the following to get your student to think more critically: By asking these questions, you challenge your student to think about his thinking. At the same time, you provide an opportunity for him to use English to express his ideas.
But giving these types of answers often doesn’t require anything more than memorization and recall. When you can (and it might not be during a grammar lesson) and challenge your students to think on a deeper level. For example, if you were doing a vocabulary unit on , you might ask a recall question about what a waiter says when taking someone’s order. ( ) An open ended question that will challenge your students to think more deeply might look like the following. If you were a server in a restaurant and worked the night shift, how would your life be different? How would you balance school and work? Encourage this type of thinking and expression and your students will benefit in more ways than one.
When you ask a question, giving your students a few minutes to think before they have to answer can mean the difference between a short easy answer and one that comes from serious thought. Doing this is easy. . You can also teach your students phrases like, “ ” when they would like time to process their ideas. When they use these phrases, it tells you that they are actively trying to answer your question and gives them the space they need to put their ideas and words together before speaking. In addition, using this technique with native speakers will help those not familiar with ESL students know that your students are not unable to answer their questions but that they need a bit of time before they do.
A quick answer does the job and shows you can use language appropriately. However, a quick answer doesn’t necessarily encourage critical thinking. Using phrases to get your students to say (and think) more will help them use deeper thinking. You can say thinks like the following: Asking these questions challenges your students to say more.
You can support your ESL students as they are learning new skills by giving them tools to help them. Giving examples, breaking tasks into smaller more manageable steps, giving hints or clues, and providing reminders can all help your students by giving them temporary supports in a new and challenging task. As your students become more adept at that task, remove these supports and encourage their successes, big and small. In the meantime, be patient and give them the assistance they need to reach success.
Critical thinking means being able to make an argument for your beliefs or opinions. You can encourage your students to express logical and reasonable supports for their opinions during and for writing assignments. Doing so will help them think analytically which is part of thinking critically. Have students give reasons or examples that support their ideas, and they will learn to support their arguments naturally.
You can ask your students to take a guess at what comes next in reading assignments (fiction, essays, informational articles) as well as video segments you play in class ( , , recorded dialogues). When they make these predictions, they not only have to think critically, they will be using the language skills they are learning. The next time your students are reading a passage or listening to a segment, hit pause and ask them what they think will come next.
A simple way to do this is to take a and challenge your students to list some reasons in support of the statement as well as some reasons against it. Take the thinking a step further and teach your students how to make a refutation, either spoken or in writing, a skill that is often useful in the academic world.
After all, so much of language learning is rote memorization. But critical thinking can and does fit in the language classroom. Getting your students think more gets them saying more, and saying more is using language creatively and communicatively. Try one or more of these techniques with your students and see how well they can express their thoughts with the language they are learning.
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Creative Resources for ESL/EFL Teachers
In today’s digital age, online games have become a popular and effective tool for teaching various skills, including English as a second language. Interactive ESL online games, such as digital escape rooms , scavenger hunts , critical thinking games , and media literacy games , are not only fun and engaging but also provide students with unique opportunities to improve their language skills .
In this article, we will explore the benefits of using interactive games for language learning, and discuss how these games can help students achieve their language goals.
Interactive games provide a dynamic and interactive environment that makes language learning more enjoyable and memorable. This can lead to increased engagement and motivation for students to continue learning.
Many games simulate real-life situations . This allows students to practice their language skills in relevant and practical ways.
Games that teach critical skills , such as spotting fake news and hoaxes , and media literacy, help students improve their critical thinking and media literacy skills. These skills are essential for success in today’s digital world and will help students in their personal and academic lives.
Interactive games offer customization options, allowing students to tailor the game to their language level and learning goals. With the ability to play these games on a variety of devices, students can access language learning opportunities from anywhere and at any time.
Interactive ESL online games provide students with immediate feedback , allowing them to see their progress and identify areas that need improvement. This helps students stay motivated and track their progress.
Bad news game.
The Bad News Game is all about spotting fake news and hoaxes . You’ll be presented with news articles and videos and have to figure out what’s real and what’s not. It’s a fun way to improve your critical thinking skills and learn to be a media-literate person. Get ready to be challenged and have a blast doing it!
This game is similar to the Bad News Game. It will challenge you to think critically and evaluate information sources, helping you become a savvier news consumer. So, get ready to flex your brain muscles and have some fun!
Interland is a free, online multiplayer adventure game created by Google that teaches digital safety, security and citizenship skills to children. Players explore four fantastical lands, completing challenges and quests while learning how to protect their online privacy, spot fake news, and be good digital citizens.
The digital escape rooms at Madison Library are a fun and exciting challenge. These online puzzles will test your problem-solving skills and critical thinking as you try to escape a virtual room within a limited time frame. Immerse yourself in a world of digital elements and clues, to make the most of your escape room experience. With a variety of themes to choose from, there’s always a new challenge waiting for you and your friends.
Escape Team is an online interactive game that challenges players to solve puzzles and complete tasks within a limited time frame in order to escape virtual rooms. Players must work together to find clues, decode messages, and complete challenges in order to escape each room before time runs out.
Reality Check teaches you to find truth online by locating the source of a story, comparing it to other sources, and using fact-checking tools and reverse image searches. Each mission presents a story from your social network feed, true, false, or in-between. Find out by clicking on magnifying glasses on the page, then decide how reliable it is and how to respond.
Spent is an online game where you play as a low-income worker trying to survive a month with limited money. You must balance daily expenses and make tough decisions that affect your finances. It’s a thought-provoking game that gives players a glimpse into the challenges faced by those living in poverty .
Trivia Crack is a fun online game to test your knowledge of different subjects . Play against others by answering trivia questions and spinning a wheel for categories like history, science, art, sports, and more.
Elevate is a fun online brain-training app with daily challenges to improve your memory, attention, and processing speed . Personalized to your progress, it’s perfect for students, busy professionals, or anyone looking for a mental workout.
This game teaches players about the effects of cyberbullying and how to stop it. Players will have fun while they learn to identify and handle cyberbullying in different digital scenarios. The game is designed to encourage positive online behavior and help players become responsible digital citizens.
Interactive ESL online games are a valuable tool for language learning. With their ability to engage and motivate students, provide real-life practice, improve critical thinking skills, and offer measurable progress, these games can help students achieve their language goals and unlock their full potential. Try incorporating interactive ESL online games into your language learning routine today and experience the benefits for yourself.
47 Interactive and Online ELT Resources for Teachers
Best English Games to Play in Your ESL Classroom
Engaging Online Teaching: ESL Activities and Games
Online ESL Video Lesson Plans
Digital and Online Teaching Resources for Teachers Who Teach English from Home
I don’t know about your corner of the world, but here in Central Europe summer has arrived with full force. It’s scorching hot. I finally understand the 3-hour siesta they have in some countries. Who would want to move, or think in this heat? So I cut my students some…
Vocabulary activity: compound nouns. Download the free PDF here.
Is your teaching style or personality similar to one of the famous teachers? Let’s find out! Which famous teacher are you? Share your results with your friends! Maria Montessori Maria Montessori was an Italian educator and originator of the educational system that bears her name. The Montessori system is based…
The Will to Teach
In the ever-evolving landscape of education, teaching students the skill of critical thinking has become a priority. This powerful tool empowers students to evaluate information, make reasoned judgments, and approach problems from a fresh perspective. In this article, we’ll explore the significance of critical thinking and provide effective strategies to nurture this skill in your students.
Strategies to cultivate critical thinking, real-world example, concluding thoughts.
Critical thinking is a key skill that goes far beyond the four walls of a classroom. It equips students to better understand and interact with the world around them. Here are some reasons why fostering critical thinking is important:
Creating an environment that encourages critical thinking can be accomplished in various ways. Here are some effective strategies:
As a school leader, I’ve seen the transformative power of critical thinking. During a school competition, I observed a team of students tasked with proposing a solution to reduce our school’s environmental impact. Instead of jumping to obvious solutions, they critically evaluated multiple options, considering the feasibility, cost, and potential impact of each. They ultimately proposed a comprehensive plan that involved water conservation, waste reduction, and energy efficiency measures. This demonstrated their ability to critically analyze a problem and develop an effective solution.
Critical thinking is an essential skill for students in the 21st century. It equips them to understand and navigate the world in a thoughtful and informed manner. As a teacher, incorporating strategies to foster critical thinking in your classroom can make a lasting impact on your students’ educational journey and life beyond school.
1. What is critical thinking? Critical thinking is the ability to analyze information objectively and make a reasoned judgment.
2. Why is critical thinking important for students? Critical thinking helps students make informed decisions, develop analytical skills, and promotes independence.
3. What are some strategies to cultivate critical thinking in students? Strategies can include Socratic questioning, debates and discussions, teaching metacognition, and problem-solving activities.
4. How can I assess my students’ critical thinking skills? You can assess critical thinking skills through essays, presentations, discussions, and problem-solving tasks that require thoughtful analysis.
5. Can critical thinking be taught? Yes, critical thinking can be taught and nurtured through specific teaching strategies and a supportive learning environment.
7 simple strategies for strong student-teacher relationships.
Getting to know your students on a personal level is the first step towards building strong relationships. Show genuine interest in their lives outside the classroom.
When students see the relevance of their classroom lessons to their everyday lives, they are more likely to be motivated, engaged, and retain information.
Active learning benefits students by improving retention of information, enhancing critical thinking skills, and encouraging a deeper understanding of the subject matter.
These methods encourage students to work together, share ideas, and actively participate in their education.
These interactive techniques allow students to immerse themselves in practical, real-world scenarios, thereby deepening their understanding and retention of key concepts.
Project-Based Learning is a student-centered pedagogy that involves a dynamic approach to teaching, where students explore real-world problems or challenges.
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English Stars 9/6/21
In today’s information-rich world, students need to develop a capability to think critically.
To become critical thinkers, students need to learn how ‘to recognise or develop an argument, use evidence in support of that argument, draw reasoned conclusions, and use information to solve problems.’ 1
English lessons are an ideal environment to foster critical thinking as they provide numerous opportunities for students to engage with a variety of texts, explore different points of view, create content and respond to information.
While the possibilities are endless, here are two ways you can intentionally incorporate critical thinking opportunities in your English lessons.
Choose a selection of texts that share a similar topic or theme but are written from different perspectives.
Ask students questions that prompt them to make connections between the texts. For example:
Reading or listening to the stories of others – whether from the past, the present or from different social and cultural backgrounds – provides students with an opportunity to compare opinions and perspectives found across texts, and to examine their own response to different authors and themes.
In doing so, students come to understand how social and cultural factors influence a text and how language varies depending on the context.
Now that information is more accessible than ever, students need to be able to assess and question the relevance, accuracy and reliability of any content they find online. You can explicitly teach students how to do this by delivering a lesson that gets them to unpack the credibility of a selection of websites.
Ask students to research a topic and answer questions about the various websites they come across during their research. For example:
By explicitly teaching students to critically analyse information, they will be able to better evaluate content they encounter in future.
The activity ideas in this article are taken from English Stars, and are just some of the ways that critical thinking opportunities are embedded throughout the resource. The specific modules drawn from are:
Make Connections in Texts (6.2.7) uses three texts that share the theme ‘bullying’. Students explore the three text extracts – My Girragundji (Meme McDonald & Boori Pryor), Bleakboy and Hunter Stand Out in the Rain (Steven Herrick) and The Ugly Duckling (Hans Christian Andersen) – before engaging in a class discussion comparing these texts.
Finding Facts (5.2.11) helps students develop their skills for finding and filtering information on the internet. In this module, students learn how printed texts and websites are organised, how to find facts online and how to identify credible sources on the internet.
Try out these modules in your classroom by signing up for a free trial of English Stars.
Trial access includes two whole units of the program in each year level, so you can explore other modules while you’re there.
Direct students straight to english stars activities using urls.
English Stars
Navigation within any Firefly Online resource is intuitive, but rather than relying on your students to log in and navigate to a specific year level, then unit or module, you can send them straight to the source. Simply copy the…
English Stars gives you the flexibility to deliver learning in a variety of pedagogically-sound ways. One of these ways is a ‘flipped classroom’ model, which English Stars teaching resources have made much easier to implement.
Ohio state navigation bar.
What is writing to learn.
We all can think of times when we were stuck while we were writing a major project. A perspective we hadn't considered occurred to us, or an idea that we thought was clear cut didn't quite sound as convincing when we tried to put it into words. If we stuck with it, we often found that we could write our way out of the problem, and our thinking became clearer. Sometimes, even, our struggles with writing ended up radically changing the way we think. The challenge our writing posed helped us clarify difficult concepts, to see apparently stale ideas in new ways. This kind of writing is powerful, if sometimes a bit messy as we work to shape our thinking.
"Writing to Learn" is what Writing Across the Curriculum folks call writing's capacity to not just communicate thoughts and ideas, but to actually help structure our thinking. By giving students opportunities to work out their thinking in writing, they have a chance to struggle through difficult ideas and practice crucial habits of thought. Often, writing to learn activities are short, low stakes assignments or activities in class. The most basic activity might be asking your students to write for five minutes on a discussion question that you'll be starting class with. These kinds of activities can be a boon to those of us who have been frustrated by awkward silences when we ask a discussion question and when struggle to get a conversation going. If we ask students to write first, we know they have something to say; they've had a chance to develop their ideas without speaking off the cuff. Furthermore, we don't have to spend the time grading their responses, since their writing immediately applies to the work you are doing in class.
Since their writing is tied to the central topical and methodological issues you want your students to learn, time spent writing is not wasted. It's not something "extra" that you have to struggle to shoehorn into an already busy schedule.
Writing to learn activities can be used in three ways:
Several years ago, WAC consultants put together a collection of writing to learn activities that we use in workshops and share with colleagues. The activities included in the booklet can be adapted to any number of different purposes and contexts.
(.pdf file)
(.pdf file)
Bean, John C. Engaging Ideas: The Professor's Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom . San Francisco: JosseyBass Publishers, 2001.
Emig, Janet. "Writing as a Mode of Learning." Landmark Essays on Writing Across the Curriculum . Eds. Charles Bazerman and David Russell. Anaheim: Hermagoras Press, 1994.
Flash, Pamela. "Teaching with Writing." University of Minnesota Writing Center . < http:// writing.umn.edu/tww/assignments/inclass.htm >.
Murray, Donald. Write to Learn . New York: Holt, Reinhart, and Winston, 1984.
The WAC Clearinghouse. < http://wac.colostate.edu/ >.
Young, Art. Teaching Writing Across the Curriculum . 3rd Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1999. WAC Clearinghouse Landmark Publications in Writing Studies: http://wac.colostate.edu/books/young_teaching/  ;
Used consistently, these strategies can help middle and high school teachers guide students to improve much-needed skills.
Critical thinking skills are important in every discipline, at and beyond school. From managing money to choosing which candidates to vote for in elections to making difficult career choices, students need to be prepared to take in, synthesize, and act on new information in a world that is constantly changing.
While critical thinking might seem like an abstract idea that is tough to directly instruct, there are many engaging ways to help students strengthen these skills through active learning.
Create space for students to both reflect on their ideas and discuss the power of doing so. Show students how they can push back on their own thinking to analyze and question their assumptions. Students might ask themselves, “Why is this the best answer? What information supports my answer? What might someone with a counterargument say?”
Through this reflection, students and teachers (who can model reflecting on their own thinking) gain deeper understandings of their ideas and do a better job articulating their beliefs. In a world that is go-go-go, it is important to help students understand that it is OK to take a breath and think about their ideas before putting them out into the world. And taking time for reflection helps us more thoughtfully consider others’ ideas, too.
Reasoning skills are another key component of critical thinking, involving the abilities to think logically, evaluate evidence, identify assumptions, and analyze arguments. Students who learn how to use reasoning skills will be better equipped to make informed decisions, form and defend opinions, and solve problems.
One way to teach reasoning is to use problem-solving activities that require students to apply their skills to practical contexts. For example, give students a real problem to solve, and ask them to use reasoning skills to develop a solution. They can then present their solution and defend their reasoning to the class and engage in discussion about whether and how their thinking changed when listening to peers’ perspectives.
A great example I have seen involved students identifying an underutilized part of their school and creating a presentation about one way to redesign it. This project allowed students to feel a sense of connection to the problem and come up with creative solutions that could help others at school. For more examples, you might visit PBS’s Design Squad , a resource that brings to life real-world problem-solving.
Moving beyond the repetition of facts, critical thinking requires students to take positions and explain their beliefs through research, evidence, and explanations of credibility.
When we pose open-ended questions, we create space for classroom discourse inclusive of diverse, perhaps opposing, ideas—grounds for rich exchanges that support deep thinking and analysis.
For example, “How would you approach the problem?” and “Where might you look to find resources to address this issue?” are two open-ended questions that position students to think less about the “right” answer and more about the variety of solutions that might already exist.
Journaling, whether digitally or physically in a notebook, is another great way to have students answer these open-ended prompts—giving them time to think and organize their thoughts before contributing to a conversation, which can ensure that more voices are heard.
Once students process in their journal, small group or whole class conversations help bring their ideas to life. Discovering similarities between answers helps reveal to students that they are not alone, which can encourage future participation in constructive civil discourse.
Education has moved far past the idea of “Be careful of what is on Wikipedia, because it might not be true.” With AI innovations making their way into classrooms, teachers know that informed readers must question everything.
Understanding what is and is not a reliable source and knowing how to vet information are important skills for students to build and utilize when making informed decisions. You might start by introducing the idea of bias: Articles, ads, memes, videos, and every other form of media can push an agenda that students may not see on the surface. Discuss credibility, subjectivity, and objectivity, and look at examples and nonexamples of trusted information to prepare students to be well-informed members of a democracy.
One of my favorite lessons is about the Pacific Northwest tree octopus . This project asks students to explore what appears to be a very real website that provides information on this supposedly endangered animal. It is a wonderful, albeit over-the-top, example of how something might look official even when untrue, revealing that we need critical thinking to break down “facts” and determine the validity of the information we consume.
A fun extension is to have students come up with their own website or newsletter about something going on in school that is untrue. Perhaps a change in dress code that requires everyone to wear their clothes inside out or a change to the lunch menu that will require students to eat brussels sprouts every day.
Giving students the ability to create their own falsified information can help them better identify it in other contexts. Understanding that information can be “too good to be true” can help them identify future falsehoods.
Consider how to keep the classroom from becoming an echo chamber. If students come from the same community, they may have similar perspectives. And those who have differing perspectives may not feel comfortable sharing them in the face of an opposing majority.
To support varying viewpoints, bring diverse voices into the classroom as much as possible, especially when discussing current events. Use primary sources: videos from YouTube, essays and articles written by people who experienced current events firsthand, documentaries that dive deeply into topics that require some nuance, and any other resources that provide a varied look at topics.
I like to use the Smithsonian “OurStory” page , which shares a wide variety of stories from people in the United States. The page on Japanese American internment camps is very powerful because of its first-person perspectives.
To make the above strategies and thinking routines a consistent part of your classroom, spread them out—and build upon them—over the course of the school year. You might challenge students with information and/or examples that require them to use their critical thinking skills; work these skills explicitly into lessons, projects, rubrics, and self-assessments; or have students practice identifying misinformation or unsupported arguments.
Critical thinking is not learned in isolation. It needs to be explored in English language arts, social studies, science, physical education, math. Every discipline requires students to take a careful look at something and find the best solution. Often, these skills are taken for granted, viewed as a by-product of a good education, but true critical thinking doesn’t just happen. It requires consistency and commitment.
In a moment when information and misinformation abound, and students must parse reams of information, it is imperative that we support and model critical thinking in the classroom to support the development of well-informed citizens.
Creativity and critical thinking prepare students for innovative economies and improve wellbeing. However, educators often lack guidance on how to equip students with creativity and critical thinking within subject teaching. Education systems have likewise rarely established ways to systematically assess students’ acquisition of creativity and critical thinking.
The project explores new approaches to equip people with the skills required for innovation and to support radical innovation and continuous improvement in education systems.
Creativity and critical thinking are key skills for the complex and globalized economies and societies of the 21st century. There is a growing consensus that education systems and institutions should cultivate these skills with their students. However, too little is known about what this means for everyday teaching and assessment practices.
This project at the OECD Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI) aims to support education institutions to innovate in their teaching and nurture students’ creative and critical thinking.
The project builds an international community of practice around teaching, learning and assessing creativity and critical thinking. It seeks to identify the key contextual factors and effective approaches to foster these skills in education settings, develop and implement example instructional practices and assess the effects of innovative pedagogies on students and educators
.The project works across primary, secondary and higher education. It includes a strong focus on initial teacher education and continuing professional learning.
Networks of institutions and educators experience professional learning and change their teaching to more explicitly develop students’ creativity and critical thinking along with disciplinary content and skills.
This redesign of teaching relies on a shared definition of creativity and critical thinking made visible through a common international rubric. Beyond this common goal, institutions and educators preserve full pedagogical freedom.
The OECD developed a monitoring system to assess the impact of re-designed teaching using both quantitative and qualitative data. Questionnaires were designed to measure the progression of related skills, beliefs and attitudes.
Questionnaires are also administered to control groups for comparison and to better evaluate the outcomes of the pedagogical changes. Qualitative data collection based on interviews, focus groups and observations, complements the quantitative data to provide comprehensive evidence of the effects of the different pedagogies tested.
Countries (primary and secondary education).
Conceptual rubrics, assessment rubrics.
Class friendly assessment rubric creativity (available in spanish/español )
Class friendly assessment rubric critical-thinking (available in spanish/español )
Lesson plans, interdiciplinary.
Teaching, learning and assessing creative and critical thinking skills: a draft professional learning frameworkfor teachers and leaders.
This professional learning framework offers professional learning activities to help teachers, institutional leaders and policy-makers consider what planning, teaching, assessment and school practices can support students to develop creativity and critical thinking as part of subject learning. It provides a flexible framework, with separate modules on creativity and critical thinking, which can be adapted and implemented to address the needs of local contexts, participants, disciplines, and education levels according to the time and resources available.
The app brings together the pedagogical resources developed in the primary and secondary phase of the project with the aim of supporting changes in teaching and learning.
Please register as a teacher to ensure you have access to all resources (whatever your status).
Primary and secondary education, fostering students' creativity and critical thinking: what it means in schools.
What are the key elements of creativity and critical thinking? What pedagogical strategies and approaches can teachers adopt to foster them? How can school leaders support teachers' professional learning? To what extent did teachers participating in the project change their teaching methods? How can we know whether it works and for whom? These are some of the questions addressed in this book, which reports on the outputs and lessons of this international project.
In an age of innovation and digitalization, creativity has become one of the most valued skills in the labor market. This brief shows how policymakers and teachers can empower students to innovate and improve their education by developing students creativity.
by Stéphan Vincent-Lancrin
Critical thinking has become key to the skill set that people should develop not only to have better prospects in the labor market, but also a better personal and civic life. This brief shows how policymakers and teachers can help students develop their critical thinking skills. First, this brief defines critical thinking skills. Then, the brief shows how the concept can be translated into teacher-friendly rubrics to support them to design or redesign better lessons but also to assess their students.
Do girls and boys report different feelings during teaching and learning for creativity and critical thinking? This document highlights differences between the emotions reported by male and female secondary students in a project about fostering creativity and critical thinking run by the Centre for Educational Research and Innovation at the OECD.
The paper suggests a theoretical underpinning for defining and assessing creativity along with a number of practical suggestions as to how creativity can be developed and tracked in schools.
by Bill Lucas, Guy Claxton and Ellen Spencer
This paper presents the research protocol of the project of school-based assessment of creative and critical thinking skills of the OECD Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI).
Fostering higher-order thinking skills online in higher education: a scoping review.
This scoping review examines the effectiveness of online and blended learning in fostering higher-order thinking skills in higher education, focussing on creativity and critical thinking. The paper finds that whilst there is a growing body of research in this area, its scope and generalisability remain limited. Current evidence suggests that, for most students and contexts, in-person learning yields better or equivalent outcomes for higher-order thinking skills than fully online learning. However, blended and flipped learning show promise. In some cases, they may be more effective than in-person learning to develop higher-order skills.
by Cassie Hague
This paper reviews existing policies and practices relating to the assessment of students’ creativity and critical thinking skills in higher education across OECD countries. Creativity and critical thinking are largely emphasised in policy orientations and qualification standards governing higher education in many countries. In contrast, these skills are sparsely integrated into the dimensions of centralised assessments administered at the level of systems.
by Mathias Bouckaert
This paper focuses on ways in which students’ creativity and critical thinking can be fostered in higher education by contextualising such efforts within the broader framework of academics’ professional learning.
by Alenoush Saroyan
There is a discernible and growing gap between the qualifications that a university degree certifies and the actual generic, 21st-century skills with which students graduate from higher education. By generic skills, it is meant literacy and critical thinking skills encompassing problem solving, analytic reasoning and communications competency. As automation takes over non- and lower-cognitive tasks in today’s workplace, these generic skills are especially valued but a tertiary degree is a poor indicator of skills level.
Creativity in education summit 2023 (paris, 23-24 november 2023).
The 2023 Creativity in Education Summit will be the stage for the launch of the OECD’s Professional Learning framework for fostering and assessing creativity and critical thinking, an initiative that seeks to enhance the teaching of creative and critical thinking skills in schools internationally. The professional learning framework arises from the OECD’s “Fostering and Assessing Creativity and Critical Thinking” project.
You can watch the recordings of the sessions following this link .
All the presentations shared during the Summit are available here below:
Read the brochure about the conference and its highlights.
The theme of this year’s event will be “Creative Thinking in Schools: from global policy to local action, from individual subjects to interdisciplinary learning”.
Download the agenda and the brochure .
Download the agenda .
The conference took place at the innovation foundation nesta and it brought together policy makers, experts and practitioners to discuss the importance of creativity and critical thinking in OECD economies and societies – and how students can acquire these skills in school.
Rewatch the videos and the interviews at this link .
Check the agenda , the bios of the speakers and the presentations .
CREATIVITY AND CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS IN SCHOOL: MOVING A SHARED AGENDA FORWARD. Watch the videos .
The Creative Classroom: Rethinking Teacher Education for Innovation
Evaluating ideas: navigating an uncertain world with critical thinking
Playing with ideas: Cultivating student creativity, innovation and learning in schools
Embedding creativity in education: Ireland’s whole-of-government approach
CREATIVITY IN EDUCATION SUMMIT 2023. Watch the videos.
Teaching, learning and assessing 21st century skills in education: Thailand’s experience
Empowering students to innovate:India's journey towards a competency-based curriculum
Why and how schools should nurture students' creativity
Engaging boys and girls in learning: Creative approaches to closing gender gaps
No adaptations of the original Art are permitted.
Download the high resolution version of the Comics in English , French , Danish , Dutch , German , Hebrew ,
Hindi , Hungarian , Italian , Japanese , Mandarin ,
Portuguese , Russian , Spanish , Thai , Welsh .
For any information about the project, you can contact via email Stéphan Vincent-Lancrin (Project lead) and Cassie Hague (Analyst).
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Critical thinking is a key skill needed for everyday life. It should be applied to all aspects of a learner's studies, no matter their age or ability. It's a way of adding perspective, questioning intent and understanding ways of improving. Take a minute to watch this short video. It will help you to understand what we mean by Critical ...
Draw conclusions, make decisions, prioritize them; Take action and create steps to make your decisions applicable to the initial question. It might not always be possible to follow all steps in the language classroom, depending on the activity. That should not mean we should not teach critical thinking, even (and especially) to young students.
Table of Contents. 19 Short Stories and Questions - Suggestions for Teaching Them. 1. "The Most Dangerous Game". 2. "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge". 3. "The Masque of the Red Death". 4.
Critical thinking is the process of using higher-order thinking skills in which students observe, conceptualize, apply, evaluate, and synthesize information that they learn in order to solve problems and make decisions effectively. Critical thinking is crucial for middle school students to be equipped to respond to academic, social, and emotional challenges successfully. As an educator, …
Check out these critical thinking activities, adapted from Critical Thinking in the Classroom , a book with over 100 practical tools and strategies for teaching critical thinking in K-12 classrooms. Four Corners. In this activity, students move to a corner of the classroom based on their responses to a question with four answer choices.
In this week's Teacher's Corner, a read-aloud task is used as the framework for a more demanding task that targets critical thinking skills as well. The task asks learners to process and then summarize the content of a story while reading aloud in a group. Level. Intermediate and above. Language Focus.
Critical thinking activities engage students' logic, rationality and judgment in problem-solving inquiries. English classes benefit from critical thinking activities because the activities activate students' prior knowledge, encourage creative thinking and stress the importance of evidence-based problem ...
Then try these critical thinking activities and games. Finally, try to incorporate some of these 100+ Critical Thinking Questions for Students into your lessons. They'll help your students develop the skills they need to navigate a world full of conflicting facts and provocative opinions. ... She holds a B.S. degree in Secondary English ...
TED-Ed lessons on the subject Critical Thinking. TED-Ed celebrates the ideas of teachers and students around the world. ... English Esperanto Estonian Faroese Filipino ... Thinking & Learning How to quit your job — without ruining your career - Gala Jackson. Lesson duration 06:13 111,638 Views. 05:21 ...
Other Critical Thinking Activities. Jigsaw—Developing Community and Disseminating Knowledge: Learners take on the role of "experts" or "specialists" of a particular topic. Then a panel of experts is assembled to get the larger picture. K-W-L Charts—Assessing What We Know/What We Still Want to Learn: Charts to document "What I Know ...
ESL Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Activity - Speaking: Ranking, Guided Discussion, Guessing, Communicative Practice - Group Work - Upper-intermediate (B2) - 30 minutes. In this communicative critical thinking and problem-solving activity, students guess what criteria was used to put a list of ten jobs in order.
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.
6. Start a Debate. In this activity, the teacher can act as a facilitator and spark an interesting conversation in the class on any given topic. Give a small introductory speech on an open-ended topic. The topic can be related to current affairs, technological development or a new discovery in the field of science.
Series 3, episode 7: What is critical thinking and how can we integrate it into English language teaching? This week, Chris and We'am discuss critical thinking - what does it mean, why is it important and what role does it have to play in English language teaching? Chris and We'am start by talking about critical thinking as a mindset rather than as a skill separate to other learning. First ...
10 Minute Critical Thinking Activities for English. Get your classes off to a lively start and build language arts and thinking skills with these 180 openers. Activities are grouped in 10 categories: five-minute writing ideas, grammar, famous quotations, figures of speech, games, the senses, vocabulary, alphabet, spelling, and poems.
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 ...
You can encourage your students to express logical and reasonable supports for their opinions during discussions and for writing assignments. Doing so will help them think analytically which is part of thinking critically. Have students give reasons or examples that support their ideas, and they will learn to support their arguments naturally. 7.
2. Real-Life Practice. Many games simulate real-life situations. This allows students to practice their language skills in relevant and practical ways. 3. Improved Critical Thinking Skills. Games that teach critical skills, such as spotting fake news and hoaxes, and media literacy, help students improve their critical thinking and media ...
Critical thinking is a key skill that goes far beyond the four walls of a classroom. It equips students to better understand and interact with the world around them. Here are some reasons why fostering critical thinking is important: Making Informed Decisions: Critical thinking enables students to evaluate the pros and cons of a situation ...
In schools, critical thinking is mostly treated as a general skill that can be taught in a generic way. The academic load sure makes adding the teaching of critical thinking a challenge, let alone teaching the specific skills for each subject and area of knowledge. However, there is evidence that it's very difficult for students to transfer ...
To become critical thinkers, students need to learn how 'to recognise or develop an argument, use evidence in support of that argument, draw reasoned conclusions, and use information to solve problems.' 1. English lessons are an ideal environment to foster critical thinking as they provide numerous opportunities for students to engage with ...
Writing to learn activities can be used in three ways: As a way of helping students practice crucial habits of thought you'd like them to master. Think about the particular kinds of critical thinking you want your students to perform. Design a low stakes activity in class that allows them to work through that way of thinking.
Teach Reasoning Skills. Reasoning skills are another key component of critical thinking, involving the abilities to think logically, evaluate evidence, identify assumptions, and analyze arguments. Students who learn how to use reasoning skills will be better equipped to make informed decisions, form and defend opinions, and solve problems.
Sherman Hutcherson, who has taught the class for many years, describes it as "a class that forces students to think about their own thinking." IB students across the world take the two ...
Creativity and critical thinking prepare students for innovative economies and improve wellbeing. However, educators often lack guidance on how to equip students with creativity and critical thinking within subject teaching. Education systems have likewise rarely established ways to systematically assess students' acquisition of creativity and critical thinking.