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PEDAGOGICAL SCIENCES
THE USE OF CRITICAL THINKING IN EFL (ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE) CLASSROOMS Bahtiyorova F.H. (Republic of Uzbekistan) Email: Bahtiyorova434@scientifictext.ru
Bahtiyorova Feruza Hurshidbek qizi - Student, 1ENGLISH FACULTY, UZBEKISTAN STATE WORLD LANGUAGES UNIVERSITY, TASHKENT, REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN
Abstract: critical thinking helps to develop individual's ability to think and make correct decisions independently. Enhancing critical thinking in EFL (English as a foreign language) classrooms is considered as an important factor, because of its high position in learning and teaching a foreign language. Not only a wide range of knowledge, but also thinking process can impact on learner's ability to learn a language quickly and effectively. Critical thinking, also, makes the course more enjoyable and meaningful for learners. As a result, it helps students to be much more motivated and inspired from the lesson.
Keywords: critical thinking, EFL classrooms, English language, critical thinking skills, thinking process.
ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИЕ КРИТИЧЕСКОГО МЫШЛЕНИЯ В КЛАССЕ EFL (АНГЛИЙСКИЙ КАК ИНОСТРАННЫЙ ЯЗЫК) Бахтиёрова Ф.Х. (Республика Узбекистан)
Бахтиёрова Феруза Хуршидбек кизи - студент, 1 английский факультет, Узбекский государственный университет мировых языков, г. Ташкент, Республика Узбекистан
Аннотация: критическое мышление помогает развить способность человека мыслить и самостоятельно принимать правильное решение. Усиление критического мышления в EFL (английский как иностранный язык) считается важным фактором из-за его высокого положения в обучении иностранному языку. Не только широкий круг знаний, но и процесс мышления может влиять на способность учащегося изучать язык быстро и эффективно. Критическое мышление делает курс более интересным и значительным для учащихся. В результате это помогает студентам быть более мотивированными и вдохновлёнными на уроке.
Ключевые слова: критическое мышления, класс EFL (английский как иностранный язык), навыки критического мышление, процесс мышления.
Critical thinking is an essential process which helps people to think clearly and to make sensible and quick decisions. It can be obtained and developed throughout life. According to Elder critical thinking is self-guided, self-disciplined thinking which attempt to reason at the highest level of quality in a fair-minded way. People, who think critically, consistently attempt to live rationally, reasonably, empathically. (Elder, L. 2007. A brief conceptualization of critical thinking. Retrieved August 21). It is mentioned that people with critical thinking can solve complex problems and tasks easily, because they think objectively about all things. Moreover, in order to be improved critical thinking requires careful and intentional development of specific skills and abilities in processing information, considering opinions and solving problems.
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From the aforementioned definition of critical thinking, it is seen that this skill can help learners to achieve their goals and higher levels in their education and handle leadership effectively. In discussions, debates or round table discussions it is the first thing you need, and the most important thing that leads you to the victory.
Critical thinking is considered as quality thinking, and it helps students improve their communication with other people, and it makes acquiring new knowledge, dealing with beliefs, attitudes, and ideas much easier. However, we know that in every day communication, we do not need critical or creative thinking to make a decision, but a number of situational clichés and functional information need much thinking to make a conclusion. David Chrystal [1] said: "However, when a foreign language is taught or learned, even the survival language level may require more thinking of how to communicate in a foreign language. This is because languages are culturally determined. And as cultures differ, so do languages. Traditions and mentality reflect in the language, its vocabulary, grammar structures, modality, etc. When learning the target language, students need to accept these cultural differences not as a deviation from the natural way associated, as they may think, with their mother tongue but as a fully natural, though different, way of verbal expression within a different cultural domain". There are different cultures as languages differ from each other. You cannot think in the target language as the same with your mother tongue. In this case, critical thinking can help learners to switch between languages quickly; people with critical thinking are accustomed to the confusing back and forth between languages.
Moreover, using critical thinking in the lessons makes learning process more enjoyable, interesting, and effective. It is, also, an outstanding method of memorizing themes, topics quickly. For example, while a learner is being taught a theme, and a learner is used to asking questions like How?, Why?, What? during learning it, it will make the language more meaningful for him. In fact, the students with critical thinking are capable of doing complicated tasks while others may not be capable of it. It is seen that by this they are motivated and inspired to go on learning, they are never bored with reading. It is implied in the study by Mahyuddin [2] et al (2004) that "Language learners with critical thinking ability are capable of thinking critically and creatively in order to achieve the goals of the curriculum; capable of making decisions and solving problems; capable of using their thinking skills, and of understanding language or its contents; capable of treating thinking skills as lifelong learning; and finally intellectually, physically, emotionally and spiritually well-balanced". Critical thinking requires learners to read more, get more knowledge, study hard and search more information in order to be a good learner. It leads them to achieve their goals and be higher than others, because people with critical thinking know how to think effectively, and their brain can be capable of executive functions like focused thought and problem-solving skills.
It is easy to give the examples of advantages of critical thinking in learning, but it is much harder to use it in the classrooms than we think. Here some suggestions are presented to enhance critical thinking among language learners:
1. Force students search more, use Internet, read some researches, reports in order to gain more information about the topic; learners should not be focused only on the textbooks, books or other sources they use in the classes.
2. Include activities in the tasks which encourage the learner to think about the major objectives of the course, including developing critical thinking.
3. Provide learners with the feedback which helps learners to understand that thinking is an important part of their learning process. The feedback should not tell about how well they have carried out the tasks in the classes, but about how better they can improve their abilities in the future. The feedback should help them to work harder and harder on themselves.
4. The theory should be cooperated with practical education. Learners should know how to use the theory, which they have learnt in the lesson, in the practice, as well. In that
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case, they can catch the meaning of the course and they can make their learning process more enjoyable.
5. Use ongoing assessment rather than one-shot exams at the end of the semester. One-shot exams need limited time, while in on-going assessments teachers are able to assess a large range of knowledge, skills of students, including critical and creative thinking skills.
6. Use more creative activities and tasks in the classrooms in order to enhance students' motivation and inspiration. Creativeness makes the lesson more joyful. As a result, they can get not only much information about the topic, but also pleasure, satisfaction and delight from the lesson [3].
Here there are only a few methods to enhance critical thinking which can help learners think critically. Every teacher can use a variety of methods in the lesson from their own view and fantasy.
Critical thinking needs improving among language learners due to its significance in developing effective language learning. Encouraging critical thinking among students is one of the most important tasks of language teachers. On the whole, critical thinking should be considered as an essential process in language learning in every EFL classroom.
References in English / Список литературы на английском языке
1. Chrystal David. The Stories of English // Publisher: "Ves Mir", 2004.
2. Mahyuddin R., Lope Pihie Z.A., Elias H. & Konting M.M., 2004. // The incorporation of thinking skills in the school curriculum. Kajian Malaysia. Jld. 22 (2). 23-33.
3. Vdovina Elena // "Developing critical thinking in the English language classroom: a lesson plan". Volume 1. № 1. English Language Teachers' Association (Elta Serbia). December, 2013. P. 54-68.
References / Список литературы
1. Кристал Дэвид. История английского языка // Издательство: «Весь мир», 2004.
2. Махюддин Р., Лоп Пихие 3.A., Элиас H., Континг M.M., 2004. Включение навыков мышления в школьную учебную программу. Кажиан. Малайзия. 22 (2). 23-33.
3. Вдовина Елена. "Developing Critical Thinking in the English Language classroom: A Lesson Plan" ("Развитие критического мышления в классе английского языка: план уроков"). Том 1. № 1. Английский язык (Элта Сербия). Декабрь, 2013. Стр. 54-68.
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