Articles

This section contains articles written by project team members and our colleagues. All articles illustrate some of the elements of the Thinking Approach.

Teaching Thinking - Summary of the Discussion on YLTSIG in March 2010

Here you can see the summary of the discussion on teaching thinking on YLTSIG mailing list of the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL) fielded by Dr Alexander Sokol at the beginning of March 2010.

A Thinking Path for a Language Teacher

The importance of reflection for language teachers has been recognized for some time. Teachers are encouraged to reflect on various aspects of learning. However, many teachers often find it hard to understand what reflection means in day-to-day practice. In this article, I propose possible guidelines for organising reflection of a language teacher. I start by offering three evaluation parameters and then illustrate them by ten key questions to be asked during the reflection. Possible answers to questions and their implications are discussed.

The development of inventive thinking skills in the upper secondary language classroom

The given paper presents the results of an empirical study into the efficacy of the Thinking Approach (TA) to language teaching and learning which is aimed at the development of students’ inventive thinking skills in the context of foreign language education, namely learning of English. The study was conducted among upper secondary students of two schools in Latvia and aimed to answer whether students working with the Thinking Approach demonstrate an increase in their inventive thinking skills. An inventive thinking test was employed as the research instrument. The results of the study suggest that students working with the TA demonstrate a significant increase in their inventive thinking skills in comparison with the control group (t=3.32 , p=0.001). At the same time a number of limiting factors that appeared in the process of the study due to its naturalistic setting call for further research that could increase the reliability of the findings.

Yes-No Games in a Foreign Language Classroom

A man pushes a wheelbarrow past a hotel, and sighs with relief. Why?
Beulah died in the Appalachians, while Craig died at sea. Everyone was much happier with Craig's death. How can you explain this?
A woman enters a room, locks it and starts taking off her clothes. At this moment the light goes off and someone whistles. Explain the situation.
All these are examples of the so-called yes-no games. Traditionally, they are understood as situations when a group has to find an answer to something by asking questions to which the leader answers ‘yes’ or ‘no’. This kind of activity is quite popular in a foreign language classroom. 

Changes of Perspectives. National and International Dimensions

Social changes bring about modifications in the infrastructure and superstructure of a society. On its way towards European integration, Romania needs to assert its basic assets. The most appropriate tool to serve this purpose is a methodology that can help those willing to settle in the country to assimilate the language easily and well. The Thinking Approach is among the newest conquests in the field of FLT. and has the advantage of associating language learning with development of thinking skills, thus being a valuable tool in a rapidly changing society. Based on instruments borrowed from the field of technology, it also acts as a bridge between the two cultures.

Creative tasks to texts - algorithmic approach

Introduction. It is essential to help learners produce qualitative ideas for creative tasks. Aim of the study. The paper proposes a model for formalising the process of feedback on the so-called creative tasks to texts. Materials and methods. The model was developed as a result of analysis of learners’ works and then implemented and tested in the software Results. The author proposes a set of 11 steps that could be organised in a large number of sequences for modelling performance of a creative task. Steps and sequences are illustrated by examples of practical tasks. The steps proved to be successful when tested with learners and materials developers working with the Thinking Approach to language teaching and learning. Conclusions. It is suggested that the proposed steps could also be used for assessment of other creative tasks, including formative and self-assessment.

A View on the Point of View

The given paper introduces one of the trainings offered under the Text Technology - a module of the Thinking Approach to language teaching - which allows for a simultaneous development of language and thinking skills. Traditionally, when dealing with a point of view activity in the language teaching classroom, teachers just encourage students to be original without teaching them how it can be done. The given paper demonstrates how OTSM-TRIZ methodology (1) can become the basis for a technological approach to the development of creativity on the example of one of the trainings, i.e. telling a story from another point of view. In the context of the proposed approach, the thinking focus of the activities becomes the central part of the syllabus rather than just a marginal addition. As a result, students simultaneously acquire the main OTSM-TRIZ and linguistic models, thus, increasing the ideality of their learning process.

Portfolio as a Learning and Assessment Tool in the Language Classroom.

There are many good reasons why I recommend working with portfolios in the language classroom. Some of them are because portfolio work allows for: · Assessment of evidence of effort, progress and product. · Providing learners with feedback and assistance at their individual levels. · Activating learners. · Helping learners become meta-cognitive. · Helping learners realize that learning is a process, and that it is permitted to make mistakes. Mistakes tell the teachers how to help learners improve. · A great variety of assignments which makes the work more interesting for the learners as well as for the teacher.

The Odd One Out - An Old New Game

There seems to be little hope that we may find any new angle in an activity which has long been practiced by various language teaching professionals. And still we are sure that the way it is practiced in the thinking approach classroom will make your lessons more exciting for both you and your students.<...>

A Puzzland

Adult learners. Everything seems clear with them. They can learn and acquire models of thinking, apply them to new problems, they can even plan their own learning. Young adults seem to cope as well. But what about our younger learners? Much younger ones? Can we teach any thinking skills to them as well? The idea of teaching the models of thinking to those who make their first unsteady steps in the field of language learning may look absurd. So, let us see if it is.<...>