Teaching Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is useful to yield ‘flowers’ from our thoughts. Learning to think critically helps generate confidence within a person to evaluate, analyze and interpret any kind of information/event/circumstance more efficiently. Nowadays educational institutions are emphasizing the need of teaching critical thinking skills to their students. In modern times, critical thinkers can contribute significantly for the betterment of our society.

The Essential Quality of Critical Thinking

When one starts thinking from one’s higher mind or spiritual mind, it is termed as critical thinking. Our lower mind or the brain is basically limited and ego-centric in nature. It is driven by our own emotions, needs and personal likes and dislikes. It is also easily exposed to outward influences. As a result, it is only capable of carrying out the activities of our daily life in a superficial manner. However, critical thinking has a vital role when we take crucial decisions that need unbiased judgment. In short, normal thinking is conformist and even sometimes irrational; while critical thinking is rational and creative.

The Need for Critical Thinking

Nobody is born with the ability to think critically. As we grow, our life experiences teach us to think more analytically. But only relying on life experiences is not enough. There is great need today to educate children and youth to think deeply and critically about relevant issues, so that they grow into mature thinking adults with adequate problem-solving skills. Due to lack of guidance, the thinking process in today’s youth is somewhat inconsistent and does not follow any methodical order. They tend to focus on acquiring more and more new and isolated facts on any subject matter without understanding the basic concept of the subject. As a result, they fail to summarize what they have studied and assess the significance of the subject matter. If they are trained in critical thinking they would apply logical inquiry to each and every observation and would be capable of drawing a relevant conclusion.

Motivasi Belajar Siswa

Ada beberapa hal yang diinginkan siswa ketika seorang guru akan memasuki ruang kelas dan guru diharapkan nantinya untuk dapat memenuhi hal tersebut untuk menjaga agar siswa tetap termotivasi dalam belajar. Menurut Ronald. W. Luee (1990) hal yang diinginkan siswa tersebut adalah:

(1) Siswa ingin kebutuhan pribadinya dalam belajar terpenuhi Mereka ingin bakat dan kemampuan mereka dihargai oleh guru dalam kelas

(2) Siswa menginginkan guru yang benar‑benar menghargai mereka sebagai "manusia", yang peduli mereka bukan hanya guru yang selalu ingin mengevaluasi mereka

(3) Siswa ingin ditantang dengan pelajaran bukan menjatuhkan mereka

(4) Siswa ingin guru menjaga dan selalu mendukung mereka serta mengikuti perkembangan mereka secara individu

(5) Siswa menyukai guru yang bisa menyesuaikan diri dengan usia mereka, humoris dan bisa mengerti humor mereka

(6) Siswa menyukai cara menerangkan yang jelas dan lengkap serta memberikan contoh‑contoh yang konkrit.

Lana Becker dan Kent N. Schneider (2004 : 13) menyarankan beberapa peraturan agar tetap fokus dan termotivasi dalam belajar :

(1) Menjelaskan kepada siswa untuk mempelajari materi yang akan diajarkan

(2) Menyediakan media visual untuk mendukung materi pelajaran

(3) Menerangkan materi pelajaran secara logis dan dapat diterapkan

(4) Memberikan kegiatan didalam kelas segera setelah materi tersebut diajarkan

(5) Membantu siswa untuk menghubungkan pelajaran yang lalu dengan pelajaran yang sedang diajarkan

(6) menghargai siswa ketika proses belajar sedang berlangsung. Apabila siswa merasa dihargai maka mereka akan memberikan usaha terbaiknya

(7) Memberikan standar belajar yang tinggi.

UNDERLYING PRINCIPLES OF SYLLABUS DESIGN IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING

INTRODUCTION

A language teaching syllabus involves the integration of subject matter (what to talk about) and linguistic matter (how to talk about it); that is, the actual matter that makes up teaching. Choices of syllabi can range from the more or less purely linguistic, where the content of instruction is the grammatical and lexical forms of the language, to the purely semantic or informational, where the content of instruction is some skill or information and only incidentally the form of the language. To design a syllabus is to decide what gets taught and in what order. For this reason, the theory of language explicitly or implicitly underlying the language teaching method will play a major role in determining what syllabus is adopted. Theory of learning also plays an important part in determining the kind of syllabus used. For example, a syllabus based on the theory of learning espoused by cognitive code teaching would emphasize language forms and whatever explicit descriptive knowledge about those forms was presently available. A syllabus based on an acquisition theory of learning, however, would emphasize unanalyzed, though possibly carefully selected experiences of the new language in an appropriate variety of discourse types.

The choice of a syllabus is a major decision in language teaching, and it should be made as consciously and with as much information as possible. There has been much confusion over the years as to what different types of content are possible in language teaching syllabi and as to whether the differences are in syllabus or method. Several distinct types of language teaching syllabi exist, and these different types may be implemented in various teaching situations.

ANIMAL COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE TEACHING TO ANIMAL

INTRODUCTION

Animal communicate through a wide variety of means. In general, they have the same reason in communicate with one another. At basic, they communicate to get food, to find mate, to warn, to threaten, etc (Steinberg, Nagata, and Aline, 2001:160). Many animal use sound signal, but many also use other modalities substances involving smell as signal, as in the case of ants. Visual signal may be used by dogs and body movement may be used by bees. Animal are obviously able to communicate at some level with one another, even sometimes with human being as well.

If animal have their own system of communication, is it possible to teach them some sort of human language? Several studies which have been conducted show that although animals do naturally can talk like human being, this does not mean that they are incapable of talking human language. Scientists have made attempts to teach language to chimpanzees. Such scientist attempts were conducted by psychologist in the 1920s through 1940s. The result of other examination will be discussed in here.