Studentų kritinio mąstymo gebėjimų ugdymo aspektai anglų kalbos mokymo(si) proceso metu

LTStraipsnyje aptariami kai kurie užsienio kalbų studentų kritinio mąstymo ugdymo galimybių aspektai anglų kalbos mokymo(si) proceso metu. Straipsnis grindžiamas ugdymo projekto, atlikto remiantis būsimųjų užsienio kalbų mokytojų dorinių nuostatų diagnostinio tyrimo rezultatų analize, duomenimis. Ugdymo projekto tikslas – atskleisti ir eksperimentiškai patikrinti būsimųjų užsienio kalbų mokytojų dorinės nuostatos ugdymo edukacines prielaidas universitete. Tyrimo rezultatų analizė leido nustatyti, jog viena iš prielaidų yra - būsimųjų užsienio kalbų mokytojų gebėjimų priimti moralinius sprendimus plėtojimas, glaudžiai siejamas su studentų kritinio mąstymo gebėjimų ugdymu.

ENThe article overviews some aspects of the development of students’ critical thinking skills in the English language teaching/ learning process. The article is based on the presentation of the results of educational project which was carried out after the analysis of the results of diagnostic research into future foreign language teachers’ moral attitudes had been made. While preparing the educational project attention has been paid to the respondents’ views on foreign language teaching/ learning process at universities as well as their views on teachers’ competencies. The aim of the project is to reveal and to experimentally verify educational prerequisites of the development of future foreign language teachers’ moral attitudes. The analysis of the research data revealed that one of the prerequisites is the development of future foreign language teachers’ ability to make moral judgments, which is closely related with the development of their critical thinking skills. The article presents one stage of the educational project that aimed at accustoming students to search for and make optimal judgments exploiting the possibilities of English language teaching content as well as teaching methods thus providing favourable conditions for meaningful interaction within academic groups, development of students’ linguistic competence and their critical thinking skills as the necessary precondition of moral judgment making.The use was made of learner-oriented content-based foreign language teaching/ learning approach, according to which language is viewed as the means of meaningful content uptake taking into consideration students’ individual learning styles, previous experience and knowledge, stimulating learners’ meta-cognitive, cognitive and emotional expression as well as providing the possibility for the improvement of their foreign language (speaking, reading, writing, listening) and critical thinking skills. The conclusion is made that in order to accustom students to moral judgment making it is necessary to develop their critical thinking abilities as the significant precondition of making judgments, thus providing favourable conditions for the analysis and evaluation of dilemmas and presentation of consistent arguments with the focus on moral values as the criteria of evaluation.