批判思考教學融入英語課程：一個以九年級英語課堂為例的行動研究

Abstract

因應108新課綱將思考能力納入國中階段英語學習領域，本研究旨在探討如何將批判思考技巧教學融入國中階段正規英語課堂。研究中除了探究學生在學習過程中會遇到的困難及如何調整教案以解決問題，也調查學生對批判思考技巧教學的認知與態度。 本研究採行動研究設計，研究對象為台北市某公立國中九年級的二十三位學生。本研究將六項核心思考能力—分類、排序、比較異同、分辨客觀事實與主觀意見、判斷因果關係、綜合相關資訊與推論—融入於五課英語課本閱讀或對話教學中。教學中運用了小組討論、圖像組織及閱讀相關問題等方法。研究者透過學習單、訪談、教師日誌及問卷調查等方式來蒐集資料。 研究發現批判思考教學過程中必須給予學生清楚的說明、足夠的示例與適時的引導。小組討論、圖像組織及閱讀相關問題的運用皆為有效的教學方法，而差異化學習單亦能提供低成就學生在語言上的協助。此外，每個思考技巧有特定的教學技巧，在教分類時，應避免出現學生不熟悉的項目，且類別的定義和類別間的分界線須清楚；教比較異同時，圖表中可內含提示字或利用討論問題來引導學生整理二者間之相同與相異處；關鍵字的使用則對分辨客觀事實與主觀意見及判斷因果關係有很大幫助。研究也發現多數學生認為批判思考為一項可習得的能力，可融入教學中，但卻不一定要在英語課堂中學習。六項思考技巧中，多數學生認為分類和排序較簡單，而分辨客觀事實與主觀意見及判斷因果關係則相對較難。大致上學生贊同批判思考教學帶來的益處，特別是對閱讀理解的幫助。然而，少部分學生擔憂此教學造成額外的學習負擔。最後，本文亦提出其他英語教學現場的建議與未來研究方向。As the 2019 Twelve-year Basic Education Curriculum Guidelines add critical thinking (CT) skills into the guidelines for junior high school English curriculum, the study aimed to investigate how to incorporate CT instruction into regular junior high school English class, particularly what difficulties students encountered and what adjustments could be made during the teaching process, and students’ perceptions and attitudes toward the CT intervention. The study adopted an action research design where all the CT skills were taught in multiple cycles. The participants were twenty-three ninth-grade students from a school in Taipei City. Six target CT skills, namely (1) categorizing, (2) sequencing, (3) comparing and contrasting, (4) distinguishing facts from opinions, (5) identifying the causal relationship, and (6) synthesizing relevant information and making inferences, were integrated and taught with the readings or dialogues across five lessons in the textbook. The teaching methods employed in the CT intervention included group discussion, graphic organizers, and reading-related questions. Data were collected through worksheets, interviews, teaching logs, and perception questionnaire. The results showed that explicit explanations, sufficient examples, and adequate guidance are chief principles to be followed during CT instruction. Group discussion, graphic organizers, and reading-related questions are all effective teaching methods, and proficiency-differentiated worksheets can provide language assistance for lower achievers. Besides, each CT skill requires specific teaching tips. For instance, when teaching categorizing, teachers should make items to be categorized familiar to students and keep the definition of the categories straightforward. When teaching comparing and contrasting, teachers can include clues on the graphic organizer or prepare discussion questions to help students sort similarities and differences. Making use of clue words is helpful in distinguishing facts from opinions and identifying the causal relationship. The results also showed that most students believed that CT is an important skill that should be learned. The learning of CT skills needs to be combined with school subjects, but not necessarily English. Among the six CT skills, categorizing and sequencing were considered easier to learn, while distinguishing facts from opinions and identifying the causal relationship, more challenging. Overall students acknowledged the benefits of CT instruction, especially with regard to their reading comprehension. Yet, some students concerned about the extra load incurred by CT instruction. Lastly, important pedagogical implications and suggestions for future studies were provided.