Critical Thinking: Why is it hard to teach and learn?
Willy A Renandya, 15 March 2025
In a world overflowing with information, opinions, and digital noise, the ability to think critically has never been more important. For language teachers, especially those teaching English as a second/foreign language, critical thinking is not just an added skill—it’s a gateway to deeper language comprehension, effective communication, and cultural understanding. Let’s explore what critical thinking means, why it’s essential, and how ESL teachers can integrate it into their classrooms.
What is Critical Thinking?
Critical thinking isn’t just about being smart or thinking quickly. It’s about thinking clearly and carefully to understand complex issues and make well-informed decisions. For language learners, this means going beyond memorizing vocabulary, grammar rules or comprehending the gist of a text. It’s about:
- Building a stronger foundation in language.
- Building a stronger knowledge base.
- Asking more thoughtful questions to clarify meaning.
- Considering multiple perspectives in conversations.
- Checking and re-checking understanding.
- Drawing conclusions based on evidence.
In short, critical thinking helps language learners understand the nuances of English, from interpreting content-heavy text to understanding cultural context.
Why Teach Critical Thinking in ESL Classrooms?
1. Education is More Than Memorizing Vocabulary and Grammar
The goal of language learning isn’t just to memorize words or conjugate verbs correctly. It’s about teaching students how to use language to think, express ideas, and engage with the world. Critical thinking helps students move from passive learners to active, creative and empathetic communicators.
For example, instead of simply teaching the phrase “I agree” or “I disagree,” encourage students to explain why they agree or disagree and provide evidence for their responses. This pushes them to think critically about their opinions and articulate their reasoning in English.
2. Empowering Students to Ask Questions
Language learners often hesitate to ask questions because they fear making mistakes. Critical thinking encourages curiosity and helps students feel confident in asking questions to clarify meaning.
In a classroom activity, you could present students with a short, ambiguous or incomplete text or dialogue. Ask them to identify parts they don’t understand and formulate questions to uncover the meaning. This not only builds language skills but also fosters a questioning mindset. In a reading comprehension lesson, rather than the teachers preparing questions for students to answer, students can be encouraged and guided in formulating comprehension questions, both literal and inferential questions.
3. Navigating the Information Overload
English learners are often exposed to a flood of information online, from social media posts to news articles. Critical thinking helps them evaluate the credibility of sources and understand the context behind the language.
For instance, you could give students two news articles on the same topic—one from a reliable source and one from a questionable site. Ask them to compare the language, tone, and evidence used in each article. This activity helps them develop media literacy while practicing reading comprehension.
4. Preparing for Real-World Communication
In real-life situations, language learners need to think on their feet, whether they’re negotiating, debating, or simply having a conversation. Critical thinking prepares them to handle these situations with confidence.
A classroom debate on a topic like “Should schools ban AI?” can be a great way to practice. Students must research, form arguments, and respond to counterarguments—all in English. This not only improves their language skills but also sharpens their critical thinking.
5. Fostering Open-Mindedness and Tolerance
Language learning is deeply tied to culture. Critical thinking helps students appreciate cultural differences and understand diverse perspectives, which is essential for effective communication.
For example, you could have students read a short story or watch a video featuring characters from different cultural backgrounds. Then, ask them to discuss how the characters’ cultural contexts influence their actions and language. This promotes both language learning and cultural awareness.
How to Teach Critical Thinking in ESL Classrooms
Here are some practical strategies that language teachers may find useful:
1. Teach Less, Think More
Instead of overwhelming students with grammar rules or vocabulary lists, create opportunities for them to use the language in meaningful ways. Group discussions, role-plays, and especially problem-solving activities can spark deeper thinking.
For example, give students a relevant and authentic problem to solve, e.g., how to raise students’ information literacy skills. Students work in groups and decide on 5 best ways to help teenagers navigate the complexity of finding and filtering information from several media sources.
2. Ask Critical Questions
Encourage students to analyze texts, dialogues, and even their own language use by asking:
- What is the main idea of this text?
- Why did the author use this specific word or phrase?
- How does this dialogue reflect the characters’ emotions?
- What questions do I still have about this topic?
For instance, after reading a short story, ask students to analyze the characters’ motivations or predict what might happen next. This helps them engage with the text on a deeper level.
3. Promote Wide Reading and Listening
Expose students to a variety of English materials—news articles, podcasts, short stories, and even social media posts. This not only improves their language skills but also helps them think critically about different types of content.
A fun activity could involve analyzing English memes or tweets. Ask students to interpret the humor, cultural references, or underlying messages. This makes learning relevant and engaging.
4. Slow Down the Thinking Process
Language learners often feel pressured to respond quickly, which can lead to mistakes or superficial answers. Teach them to pause, reflect, and analyze before speaking or writing.
For example, during a discussion, give students a few minutes to jot down their thoughts before sharing. This encourages them to think more carefully about their responses and express themselves more clearly.
Concluding remarks
Critical thinking isn’t just an academic skill—it’s a life skill. For ESL learners, it’s the bridge between basic language proficiency and true communicative competence. By integrating critical thinking into your lessons, you’re not just teaching English; you’re empowering students to use the language thoughtfully, confidently, and effectively.
Next time your students come across a perplexing text with unclear cultural references, encourage them to pause, reflect, and ask themselves: What is the true meaning here? Why is the author saying this? Does the author provide good and convincing evidence? What is the purpose behind the author’s choice of words? Does the author want us to look at things in a certain way?
Teaching critical thinking is tough and requires hard work, but definitely doable. Let’s embrace it—not just as a skill, but as a way of learning and living.