Charles Browne (Meiji Gakuin University, Japan)
Abstract
There is a wide range of opinions about what critical thinking actually is, but for us the focus is first and foremost on trying to help students to develop their own informed opinions on current issues and topics and then to be able to express those opinions clearly. In this session, we will explore what kinds of content is needed to help this to happen as well as discuss and then demonstrate a range of classroom activities based on the In Focus textbook series, which are carefully aligned to Bloom’s Taxonomy to help students along this journey. I will place emphasis on engaging exercises that encourage questioning, problem-solving, and decision-making. Attendees will leave with a range of strategies to help effectively integrate critical thinking skills into their teaching practice in ways that enhance student learning, which is the main aim of the In Focus series.
Sponsored Featured Workshop; In Person; 50 minutes
Creativity / Critical Thinking / 4Cs
Primarily of interest to teachers of university students
About the Presenter
Dr. Charles Browne is a professor of TESOL and applied linguistics at Meiji Gakuin University as well as director of the English Department's MA and PhD programs and creator of their EFL teacher-training program. He is a U.S. State Department English Language Specialist, helping governments around the world with tailor-made teacher-training programs that promote excellence in teaching. Dr. Browne is a specialist in second language vocabulary acquisition and extensive reading, especially as they apply to online learning environments. In addition to his work in creating many important new corpus-based word lists and a wide range of free online tools to teach, learn, and create texts based on these lists, he has also developed countless free online extensive reading, extensive listening, and vocabulary learning sites, tools, and apps. He has worked hard to share this knowledge through presentations, seminars, and hands-on workshops around the world.
