To ensure smooth communication and collaboration, here are some troubleshooting tips to address common issues:
Check Internet Connection: Verify that you have a stable and reliable internet connection. Use a wired connection when possible, as it tends to be more stable than Wi-Fi. If using Wi-Fi, make sure you have a strong signal.
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Test Audio and Video: Before the meeting, check your microphone and camera to ensure they are working correctly. If you are a speaker, you can click on "Start Practice Session" button test to ensure audio and video devices are functioning.
Close Other Applications: Running multiple applications in the background can consume system resources and lead to performance issues. Close unnecessary apps to free up resources for the Dryfta meeting platform.
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Allow Necessary Permissions: Make sure the Dryfta meeting platform has the required permissions to access your microphone, camera, and other necessary features.
Disable VPN or Firewall: Sometimes, VPNs or firewalls can interfere with the connection to the meeting platform. Temporarily disable them and see if the issue persists.
Switch Devices: If possible, try joining the meeting from a different device to see if the problem is specific to one device.
Reduce Bandwidth Usage: In cases of slow or unstable internet connections, ask participants to disable video or share video selectively to reduce bandwidth consumption.
Update Drivers and Software: Ensure your operating system, audio drivers, and video drivers are up to date. Outdated drivers can cause compatibility issues with the Dryfta meeting platform.
Contact Support: If none of the above steps resolve the issue, reach out to the platform's support team. They can provide personalized assistance and troubleshoot specific problems.
By following these troubleshooting tips, you can tackle many common problems encountered on Dryfta meeting platform and have a more productive and seamless meeting experience.
20230718T083020230718T1130Europe/Amsterdam[SYMP38] Language and Critical Thinking Integrated Teaching: Content, Consumption and Production of EFL Course MaterialsHybrid Session (onsite/online)AILA 2023 - 20th Anniversary Congress Lyon Editioncellule.congres@ens-lyon.fr
The Relationship between Critical Thinking and Intercultural Competence and Its Implications for LaCTIT
Oral Presentation[SYMP38] Language and Critical Thinking Integrated Teaching: Content, Consumption and Production of EFL Course Materials08:30 AM - 11:30 AM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/18 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/18 09:30:00 UTC
Educators worldwide are increasingly aware of the importance of fostering students' critical thinking from primary schools to universities. Lots of research has been conducted on the elements and testing of critical thinking as well as teaching approaches for its development. Meanwhile, as intercultural communication is becoming a defining feature of the globalizing age, intercultural competence has been widely recognized as a key qualification that students must be equipped with when entering the job market and becoming a citizen of the global community. The study of intercultural competence in terms of its configuration, development and measurement has accordingly mushroomed. What is ignored, however, by academics and practitioners of critical thinking and intercultural competence respectively is the intricate relationship between the two concepts. Based on a comprehensive analysis of existing theoretical paradigms and training models in the two realms, I propose a tri-dimensional framework that explains the relationship between critical thinking and intercultural competence. First, Critical Thinking of Intercultural Competence: critical thinking constitutes an essential element of intercultural competence. Second, Critical Thinking by Intercultural Competence: critical thinking can be effectively sharpened by the development of intercultural competence. Third, Critical Thinking for Intercultural Competence: critical thinking ought to be employed for upgrading intercultural competence. Hence an in-depth understanding of the three dimensions of the relationship between critical thinking and intercultural competence is crucial for education at all levels, which, I argue, should integrate not only intercultural education but also critical thinking education because these two competences depend on each other and reinforce each other. Without intercultural competence, critical thinking degenerates into shrewd ethnocentrism; without critical thinking, intercultural competence deteriorates into diplomatic rapport. Based on this understanding of the overlapping relationship between critical thinking and intercultural competence, I argue for the possibility of cultivating critical thinking and intercultural competence at the same time in foreign language teaching. On the one hand, applying critical thinking skills in culture teaching develops higher-order interculutral competence. On the other hand, teaching critical thinking in an interculutral context contributes to the development of higher-order thinking skills. The idea of developing intercultural critical thinking through foreign language teaching would shed light on EFL materials development.
Bibliography :
Brown, H. Principles of language learning and teaching (6th edition). New York: Pearson Education. 2014. Calloway-Thomas, C. Beyond the crooked timber of humanity: Empathy in the global world. 2015. Carroll, R. Becoming a critical thinker: A guide for the new millennium (2nd edition). 2004. Deardorff, D. K. (ed.). The Sage handbook of intercultural competence. Sage Publications, Inc. 2009. King, P. M. & Baxter Magolda, M. B. A developmental model of intercultural maturity. Journal of College Student Development, 2005, 46: 571. Kim, Y. Y. Intercultural personhood: Globalization and a way of being. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 2008, 32(4): 359-368. Spronken-Smith, R. Experiencing the process of knowledge creation: The nature and use of inquiry-based learning in higher education. 2016. UNESCO. Universal declaration on cultural diversity. 2001.
How Is Critical Thinking Addressed?: A Comparative Case Study of Second Language Writing Materials
Oral Presentation[SYMP38] Language and Critical Thinking Integrated Teaching: Content, Consumption and Production of EFL Course Materials08:30 AM - 11:30 AM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/18 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/18 09:30:00 UTC
Critical thinking is defined in different ways and in many facets but basically described as the ability to employ a certain level of knowledge with a flexible use of higher-order cognitive skills (e.g., analyzing, interpreting, categorizing, and evaluating). Using critical thinking skills thus involves making active, reasonable, and self-regulatory judgments (Fisher & Scriven, 1997). It is categorized as integral to the 21st century skills (Binkley et al., 2012), a key element of complex argumentation, deep analysis, and other professional behaviors (Kuhn, 1999; Walton, 1989). Over the decades, teaching and learning writing (second language writing included, of course) has been considered as an important part of curriculum that provides a manifold of opportunities for language learners to develop their critical thinking (Abrami et al., 2008; Giroux 1978; Paul 1990; Petrosky 1982; Siegel 1988). It is argued that the starting point is to represent critical thinking in textbooks explicitly or implicitly. This presentation reports on a case study of two writing textbooks written for English as a second/foreign language learners with a focus on how critical thinking development is addressed in the textbooks. The comparative analysis is centered around the design of activities and/or exercises. The chosen textbooks are Writing Critically: English Argumentative Writing (WC henceforth) and Models for Writers: Short Essays for Composition (MW henceforth), respectively produced in China and the United States of America. Both have been used widely in their own sociocultural, economic and political contexts. Data was collected about the goal-setting in relation to critical thinking development, selection of thematic contents, structure and presentation of activities, instructions for the activities, culture and value embedded in activities. Based on the data analysis and results discussion, implications for second language writing materials design and development are generated. Fisher, A., & Scriven, M. (1997). Critical thinking: Its definition and assessment. Edgepress. https://lib.ugent.be/catalog/rug01:000438708 Kuhn, D. (1999). A developmental model of critical thinking. Educational Researcher, 28(2), 16–46. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X028002016 Walton, D. N. (1989). Dialogue theory for critical thinking. Argumentation, 3(2), 169–184. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00128147 Abrami P C et al．(2008). Instructional interventions affecting critical thinking skills and dispositions: A stage 1 metaanalysis．Ｒeview of Educational Research，78(4): 1102-1134． Atkinson D．(1997). A critical approach to critical thinking in TESOL．TESOL Quarterly，1997，31(1):71-94． Cole M． (1996). Cultural Psychology: A Once and Future Discipline ． Cambridge，MA: Belknapp Press． Paul Ｒ W．(1990). Critical Thinking: What Every Person Needs to Survive in a Rapidly Changing World . Santa Ｒosa，CA: The Foundation for Critical Thinking． Petrosky A Ｒ． (1982). Critical thinking and writing: Introductory remarks． English Education，14(1):3 －5． Siegel H． (1988). Educating Ｒeason: Ｒationality，Critical Thinking，and Education． New York: Ｒoutledge． Sun, Y et al.(2011). Panel discussion on EFL writing teaching and learning and critical thinking development． Foreign Language Teaching and Research, (4):603 － 608． Zhang, L., & Sun, Y. (2014). A Sociocultural Approach towards EFL Writing Curriculum Transformation. Foreign Language World, (4):2-10.
Presenters Lian Zhang Professor, Beijing Foreign Studies University
Developing College EFL Writers’ Critical Thinking Skills Through Online Materials: A Case Study
Oral Presentation[SYMP38] Language and Critical Thinking Integrated Teaching: Content, Consumption and Production of EFL Course Materials08:30 AM - 11:30 AM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/18 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/18 09:30:00 UTC
This study reports on how the supplementation of online materials, informed by systemic functional linguistics (SFL), interacted with English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) student writers' development of critical thinking skills. Through qualitative analyses of student-teacher interactions, interviews with students, and students' written documents, the case study shows that through 1 semester of intensive exposure to SFL-based online resources in a college Chinese EFL writing classroom, EFL writers were able to develop critical thinking skills in regard to the construction of effective academic writing, although it was a process of encountering and overcoming challenges. Through teacher mediation and their own efforts, they could adjust to the online materials-based classroom, exemplified by their utilization of SFL-related categories offered through online resources to analyze and evaluate the interrelationship between language features and the content manifested in valued texts, and regulate the content of their own academic writing.
Developing students' critical thinking skills has been a crucial component of the language teaching curriculum, as it fosters students' abilities to analyze and evaluate information, as well as to make their own decisions related to their academic success (Nold, 2017). Take academic English writing as an example. Experienced writers have to construct texts at the dual levels of content and language as endorsed by academic English communities (Hyland, 2002). This means that English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) writers have to gain corresponding critical thinking skills, and through them, deconstruct valued English texts and construct their own content on the two levels, projecting their professional identity as culturally and linguistically endorsed academic writers (Hyland, 2002). Unfortunately, despite the importance of critical thinking skills in the process of writing construction, they are still largely ignored in the writing classroom, which primarily focuses on the teaching of grammar or structure and hampers students from composing effective essays (Lee, 2008). Even in international communities that try to develop English writers' critical thinking skills, actual writing teaching practices are still limited to non-linguistic strategies (e.g., using questions), which are often too abstract or inaccessible for students' writing literacy development on both the content and language levels (Mok, 2009). In EFL writing contexts, teaching critical thinking skills is, in addition, challenged by conventional classroom practices in which teachers often lack effective educational training and are constrained by the contents of the textbook, leading to a scenario where teachers dominate the classroom and provide limited space for students' development of critical thinking (DeWaelsche, 2015). Therefore, this case study attempts to explore how a language learning theory (i.e., systemic functional linguistics [SFL]) based on the adoption and use of instructional resources (i.e., online materials ) can help EFL writers critically navigate the complexities of academic writing literacy on the levels of both language and content. It aims to call EFL writing teachers' attention to the importance of teaching critical thinking skills as well as to provide them with an accessible tool for adopting and using supplementary materials in the classroom while developing their students' critical thinking skills in regard to the construction of effective writing. References DeWaelsche, S. A. (2015). Critical thinking, questioning and student engagement in Korean university English courses. Linguistics and Education, 32, 131-147. Hyland, K. (2002). Options of identity in academic writing. ELT Journal, 56, 351-358. Lee, I. (2008). Student reactions to teacher feedback in two Hong Kong secondary classrooms. Journal of Second Language Writing, 17, 144-164. Mok, J. (2009). From policies to realities: Developing students' critical thinking in Hong Kong secondary school English writing classes. RELC Journal, 40, 262-279. Nold, H. (2017). Using critical thinking teaching methods to increase student success: An action research project. International Journal of Teaching & Learning in Higher Education, 29, 17-32. Rose, D., Martin, J. R. (2012). Learning to write, reading to learn: Genre, knowledge and pedagogy in the Sydney school. London, England: Equinox.
Promoting students’ critical thinking through using academic papers as learning materials
[SYMP38] Language and Critical Thinking Integrated Teaching: Content, Consumption and Production of EFL Course Materials08:30 AM - 11:30 AM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/18 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/18 09:30:00 UTC
Following the prevailing trend of integrating critical thinking (CT) into English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) classrooms in tertiary education, learning materials play an increasingly important role in promoting students' CT. Previous research on the cultivation of students' CT in EFL educational settings has mainly focused on different instructional approaches. However, little is known about the trajectory of students' CT development through the use of course materials developed by the instructor. Against this backdrop, the present qualitative study seeks to present innovative ways of using academic papers as learning materials to promote students' CT in an academic reading and writing course for graduate students. The materials used are 12 academic papers related to applied linguistics published in SSCI journals in 2021, which were selected by the instructor and aimed to encourage students to think critically. One-semester classroom observations, artifacts, and semi-structured interviews are analyzed to understand the participants' changes in CT in this class. This study highlights how the innovative use of academic papers enable learners to improve their CT. The findings have direct implications for the use of academic papers as materials in CT teaching.
Following the prevailing trend of integrating critical thinking (CT) into English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) classrooms in tertiary education, learning materials play an increasingly important role in promoting students' CT. Previous research on the cultivation of students' CT in EFL educational settings has mainly focused on different instructional approaches. However, little is known about the trajectory of students' CT development through the use of course materials developed by the instructor. Against this backdrop, the present qualitative study seeks to present innovative ways of using academic papers as learning materials to promote students' CT in an academic reading and writing course for graduate students. The materials used are 12 academic papers related to applied linguistics published in SSCI journals in 2021, which were selected by the instructor and aimed to encourage students to think critically. One-semester classroom observations, artifacts, and semi-structured interviews are analyzed to understand the participants' changes in CT in this class. The findings indicate that the academic papers are important affordances to facilitate students' CT, and the innovative ways of the negotiation between students and the materials play an important role in this process. This study highlights how the innovative use of academic papers enable learners to improve their CT. The findings have direct implications for the use of academic papers as materials in CT teaching.
Bibliography Abrami P, Bernard R, Borokhovski E et al. (2015) Strategies for teaching students to think critically: A meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research 85(2): 275–314. Bellaera L, Weinstein-Jones Y, Ilie S et al. (2021) Critical thinking in practice: The priorities and practices of instructors teaching in higher education. Thinking Skills and Creativity 41: 1-16. Defianty, M. & Wilson, K. (2020). Fostering critical thinking through questioning in EFL: An Indonesian study. In Li, L. (Ed.) Thinking Skills and Creativity in Second Language Education: Case Studies from International Perspectives (pp. 74-94). Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. Paul R and Elder L (2020) The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking: Concepts and Tools (8th ed.). London: Rowman & Littlefield. Wilson K (2016) Critical reading, critical thinking: Delicate scaffolding in English for Academic Purposes (EAP). Thinking Skills and Creativity 22: 256–265. Zhang H, Yuan R and He XY (2020) Investigating university EFL teachers' perceptions of critical thinking and its teaching: Voices from China. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher 29(5): 483–493.
The design of materials that integrate the development of L2 speaking and critical thinking: A case study
Oral Presentation[SYMP38] Language and Critical Thinking Integrated Teaching: Content, Consumption and Production of EFL Course Materials08:30 AM - 11:30 AM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/18 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/18 09:30:00 UTC
In EFL (English as a Foreign Language) countries, conventional English language teaching (ELT) focused on language knowledge, skills and communicative competence. However, it has been recognized by many language educators and applied linguists that language has a close relationship with thinking and cognition. As the development of critical thinking is an essential goal of tertiary education, developing critical thinking simultaneously in ELT is of vital importance, especially for students who major in English studies. In the past 16 years, a series of educational reform have been carried out to reshape the curriculum for English majors in China (Hu & Sun, 2006; Jin, 2010; Sun, 2011; Zhang et al, 2013) and to explore ways for "Language and Critical Thinking Integrated Teaching" (LaCTIT) (Sun, 2019; Zhang, 2021; Zhang and Yuan, 2022). The development of a series of textbooks for teaching reading, writing, listening and speaking, aiming at integrating the teaching of English and critical thinking, was one of the projects that lasted for 6 years. The textbooks have helped in conceptualizing and spreading the LaCTIT approach. In this presentation I will first introduce the background information for the development of the Speaking Course, including Intercultural Conversations, Interpersonal Discussions, Public Speaking, and Topical Debates. I will then illustrate how to integrate the development of critical thinking skills in the teaching of L2 English speaking through the illustration of activity design. I will then argue that although teachers tend to promote thinking in the teaching of language because of the close link between language and thought, a conscious effort to integrate language teaching and the development of critical thinking is more effective in achieving the objectives.
References Hu, W. and Sun, Y. 2006. On strengthening humanistic education in the English language curriculum. Foreign Language Teaching and Research, 38/5: 243-247. Jin, L. 2010. Transforming the English curriculum for humanistic education - A report on the reform at Department of English, BFSU. Foreign Language Teaching and Research, 42/3: 176-183. Sun, Y. 2011. Toward a Critical Thinking-oriented Curriculum for English Majors. Foreign Languages in China, 8/3: 49-58. Sun, Y. 2019. Principles of language and critical thinking integrated teaching. Foreign Language Teaching and Research, 51/6: 825-837. Zhang, H. 2021. Lesson Study as a Catalyst for University Language Teacher Development. TESOL Quarterly, DOI: 10.1002/tesq.3019. Zhang, H. and Yuan, R. 2022. Rethinking the Infusion Approach to Teaching Critical Thinking in Reading in Chinese Tertiary English Classes. RELC Journal, DOI: 10.1177/00336882221087466Zhang, L., Wu, Y., Jin, L., Sun, Y. and Zhou, Y. 2013. Dialectical Praxis of English-Major Curriculum Transformation and Teacher Development: A BFSU Case Report. Foreign Languages and Their Teaching, 3, 33-36.
Lian Zhang