reading critically with chinese learners · reading critically with chinese learners november 9th,...

Joe MacDonald Trainer National Geographic Learning

ReadingCriticallywithChineseLearners

November9th,2018

Whatare‘criticalthinking’skills?Howcanweapplytheseskillstoreading?IsthispossibleinChina?How?

Goals-Questions

AmajorproblemthatteachersandstudentsfaceinaninternationalizeduniversityisthattheConfucianidealsonwhichChinesesocietyisfounded,leadstoConfucianiststudentsandadynamicbetweenthemandtheteachingstaff,whichisdiametricallyopposedtotheteacher/studentdynamicprevalentinwesterncountries.

AviewonChinesestudentsinWesternEducation

-ArandomMastersstudentinChina

思Think

QuickActivity

Canyouputthesenumbersinorder?Canyouremembertheoriginalorder?

Willthenextnumberbehigherorlower?

Whatdotheseactivitiestellusaboutthinking?

•  Thinkingismuchmorethanjustonething.•  Thinkingrequirestheunderstandingofdifferentconcepts.

•  Cognitiveskillsarenotknowledgebased,butmechanisms.

• Weusearangeofthinkingskillstolearn,rememberandsolveproblems.

•  Criticalthinkingisarangeofhigherordercognitiveskills.

思ThinkingUnderstandingPredictingAnalyzingEvaluating

SynthesizingReflectingMakingInferencesFormingJudgmentsDrawingAnalogies

学

学而不思则罔

思而不学则殆

Chinese wisdom… 中国智慧

学而不思则罔

思而不学则殆

Confucius:Philosopheroftwenty-firstcenturyskillsLEONARDTANEducationalPhilosophyandTheory,Vol.48,No.12,2016

CriticalThinking,LearningandConfucius:APositiveAssessmentHYE-KYUNGKIMJournalofPhilosophyofEducation,Vol.37,No.1,2003

Core Competencies for English education in China 英语学科核心素养

LanguageCompetence语言能力

• Knowledge知识• Understanding理解• CommunicateEffectively有效沟通

CulturalAwareness文化意识

• Learnaboutcultures学习文化

• Confidence自信• Communicate沟通

ThinkingCapacity思维品质

• Analyzing分析• Reasoning论证• Evaluating评价

LearningAbility学习能力

• Proactive主动• Enjoylearning怀着喜悦学习

Listentothestoryandanswerthequestion

Whydidthefatherfeelthisway?Whatquestionscouldhehaveasked?

Whatdoesthisactivitytellusaboutquestions?

• TheQuestionsweaskmatter.•  Ifwewantstudentstousehigherorderthinkingskills(HOTS)weneedtoaskhigherorderquestions.

• Sometimesquestionsneedtobeaskedinaseriesofquestionstogetsomewhere.

•  Ifwestopaskingquestions,studentswillthinkless.

WhatdoesthisstorytellusaboutQuestions?

CriticalThinkingandReading

Howcanweapplythesepointstoreading?

Weneedtoconsiderthetaskswearesettingandthequestionsweareaskingbeforeandafterareadingtext.

ThinkingisaSKILLandneedstobepracticed.WeneedtogivestudentstimeBEFOREandAFTERreadingtoactivelythink.Let’spracticethinkingofquestionswecouldaskourstudentsfordifferenttasks.

Look at these pictures and talk with a partner

Who do you think has healthier habits? What time do they get up?

What time do they go to school? What do they eat for lunch?

What do they do after school?

Tony Mary

Predicting

Answer the questions with a partner:

1. Who do you see? 2. How old do you think he is? 3. Who created him? 4. How do you know him?

WhatcanweaskstudentsAFTERtheyhavepickedthecorrecttitle?

Howdoyouknowthatisthecorrecttitle?Whatwordsdidyouusetomakethatdecision?Doyouthinkthisletterwillwork?Doesitmakeyouwanttosavetheelephants?Why?Couldyoumakeitbetter?

WhatcanweaskstudentsAFTERtheyidentifylinkinglanguage?

Areanyofthesewordsnewtoyou?AretheresimilarwordsinChinese?Whatarethey?Aretheyusedthesameway?Areyouinterestedintheplace?ArethereanysimilarplacesinChina?Doyouthinkthismysterywillbesolved?

Howdoyouknowthatisthecorrecttitle?Whatwordsdidyouusetomakethatdecision?Doyouwanttoreadmoreofthisstory?Howdoyouthinkthestorywillend?Whatwouldyoudoifyoulivedhere?

Howdoyouthinkthestorywillend?

RememberingQuestionsWhoisinthestory?What’stheproblemwithinthestory?

UnderstandingQuestionsWhydopeoplefeel‘uneasy’?WhyisHelen‘worried’?

ApplyingQuestionsHaveyoubeenworriedbefore?Haveyoueverfeltuneasy?

What makes a student successful?

Discussthingsthatyoureadandgetyourlearnersopinions.Thisinformationcanhelpyouwithothertextslateron.

DiscussionandOpinion

Howtobuildconfidenceinlearners

joe.macdonald.teacher@gmail.com