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Linking LOTE and the Thinking Processes

Resources:

Reasoning, processing and inquiry; Creativity; Reflection, evaluation and metacognition

Students

• analyse and evaluate information they encounter
• develop opinions based on informed judgments
• transform information into coherent knowledge structures
• use their imagination to generate possibilities
• evaluate the validity of their own and others' ideas

Linking thinking tools to LOTE

There are strong connections between the LOTE and the Thinking Processes domains. Teachers already focus on thinking skills when designing language programs. To use the LOTE successfully, students apply the skills that are made explicit in the Thinking Processes domain.

• Learners process information received and place it in a framework of knowledge.
• They use reasoning skills to arrive at a deeper understanding of the information received.
• Students undertake a process of inquiry when they work on research tasks or come to grips with a new topic.
• They apply a whole range of creative and problem-solving skills in order to complete tasks.
• They evaluate the worth and usefulness of information received.
• They reflect on actions and experiences in order to learn for the future.
• They think about and discuss their own thinking processes (metacognition) as a way of taking control of the way they learn.

Teachers can enhance their language programs by including opportunities for explicit focus on the thinking process. There are many useful strategies such as brainstorming and mind mapping that work well in LOTE. Students also benefit from active reflection on their thinking as part of the self-assessment process.