Build success beyond the classroom: Critical thinking and assessment

Christina Cavage
A group of children stood at a table with their teacher watching her write something down on paper
Reading time: 4 minutes

There are some common myths related to critical thinking and assessment. Many people believe that it¡¯s impossible to assess critical thinking, especially in classes where language is limited. However, it can be done! Here, the key to success is crafting tasks and rubrics that allow you to separate language skills and cognitive skills. After all, a low language level doesn¡¯t necessarily reflect your student¡¯s ability to think critically.

So, how can we measure how a student knows rather than just what they know?

How to measure critical thinking

Well, we first have to consider two types of assessment¡ªformal and informal. Formal assessments tend to happen at the end of a task, lesson or skill-building activity and usually focus on the work the student has produced. Then, we have informal assessments. Those are the assessments that involve on-the-spot interactions. These types of assessments play a crucial role in measuring critical thinking.

Tips for teaching and assessing critical thinking
Play
Privacy and cookies

By watching, you agree ÃÛÌÒapp can share your viewership data for marketing and analytics for one year, revocable by deleting your cookies.

Formal assessment

There is a common misconception that assessment should only focus on the final work that your students produce. The final ¡®product¡¯ is undeniably important and often an ideal measure of linguistic abilities. But the process of producing the final work is where you can see your students¡¯ critical thinking skills in action.

When designing rubrics to measure both language and critical thinking, make sure that you only focus on one at a time¡ªeither language or critical thinking. Keeping these different skills in mind will help you to differentiate language skills and critical thinking skills, and evaluate them separately, when it comes to formal assessment.

When measuring language skills, use Bloom¡¯s early or foundational cognitive domains as a model:

If we measure these items, we are really measuring language skills. For example, with a reading activity, we might ask the following questions:

  • Who is the story about?
  • Where does the story take place?
  • What is the main idea of the story?

Can they understand the overall organization and the key vocabulary? These types of questions assess a student¡¯s linguistic ability.

Then, when it comes to critical thinking, the more advanced levels of Bloom¡¯s cognitive domains provide a useful guide:

These types of questions assess a student¡¯s metacognition or critical thinking:

  • Which character is most important to the story?
  • Why?
  • Do you agree or disagree with the character¡¯s actions?
  • Why or why not?

The clear separation of language and critical thinking in assessment will help you to get a measure of each student¡¯s progress in both skills.

Informal assessment

What about those informal assessments? It can be harder to delineate critical thinking and language skills clearly in an on-the-spot assessment.

For example, if you¡¯ve assigned group work, consider keeping a checklist of how students interact with one another. Some checklist items can be:

  • Who made an inference?
  • Who supplied reasoning for another student¡¯s idea?
  • Who made a comparison?
  • Who drew a conclusion?

You can also ask your students to keep a checklist and post these questions on an electronic bulletin board. Like self-assessment, these peer-to-peer assessments can get students reflecting and noticing.

Rubrics can also be useful in informal assessment. Let¡¯s say you¡¯ve asked students to prepare or write an essay. To measure critical thinking, you can look at each student¡¯s ideation process when they¡¯ve been working on their essays:

  • Is a student looking at all possible topics?
  • What are the factors that make a student select the option they did?
  • Are they demonstrating an awareness of other ideas?

The answers to these questions will tell you whether or not your students are thinking critically.

Just like with any other skills, the assessment of critical thinking needs to happen both formally and informally. We need to consider both the process and the final product. And in doing so, we need to carefully design rubrics that differentiate language skills and metacognition.

Read our post 'Success beyond class: Critical thinking skills and academic English' and 'Fostering critical thinking in the classroom'.

Learn about our English courses

More blogs from ÃÛÌÒapp

  • A teacher stood in front of his class with students looking at him,

    Designing new learning experiences for your English language learners

    By Ehsan Gorji
    Reading time: 6 minutes

    Ehsan Gorji is an Iranian teacher and educator with 18 years of experience in English language education. He collaborates on various ELT projects with different language schools around the globe. Ehsan currently owns and manages THink? Languages and also works as a TED-Ed Student Talks Leader.

    Learning has always been an interesting topic to explore in the language education industry. Every week, a lot of webinars are delivered on how learning another language could be more successful, lots of articles are written on how to maximize learning, and many discussions take place between teaching colleagues about how they could surprise their language learners with more amazing tasks and games. In our lesson plans, too, we put learners into focus and try to write learning objectives that will benefit them in the real world.

  • Woman working in front of a laptop writing something down and smiling

    Learning a language while working full-time

    By
    Reading time: 4 minutes

    Mastering a new language can be a game-changer for your career. Whether it's for expanding your professional network, exploring new job opportunities, or simply enhancing your cognitive skills, learning a language is an invaluable investment. But how can you juggle language learning with a demanding full-time job? Here are some practical tips designed for busy professionals.

    1. Set clear goals

    Before you start, it's crucial to set clear, achievable goals. Whether you aim to hold basic conversations, read professional documents, or become fluent, having a specific target will keep you motivated and focused.

    2. Integrate learning into your daily routine

    Finding time to study can be challenging, but integrating language learning into your daily routine can make it more manageable:

    • Commute time: Use your commute to listen to language podcasts or audiobooks.
    • Lunch breaks: Dedicate 15-20 minutes of your lunch break to review vocabulary or grammar.
    • Evening wind-down: Spend 10 minutes before bed practicing speaking or writing.

    3. Use online resources

    Modern technology provides a plethora of tools to help you learn a new language without disrupting your schedule:

    • Language learning apps: Apps like Mondly by ÃÛÌÒapp allow you to practice during your commute or lunch break.
    • Podcasts and audiobooks: Listen to language lessons during your commute or workout.
    • Online courses:? Many websites offer structured courses that you can complete at your own pace.

    4. Stay motivated

    Staying motivated is crucial to your success. Celebrate your progress, no matter how small, and remind yourself of the benefits of being multilingual:

    • Track your progress: Keep a journal of your language learning milestones and achievements.
    • Find a study buddy: Partner with a colleague or friend who is also learning the language to keep each other accountable.
    • Reward yourself: Treat yourself when you reach your language learning goals.

    5. Explore company resources

    Some companies offer resources or discounted access for learning. It's always worthwhile to check if your employer provides:

    • Language classes: On-site or online language classes.
    • Learning platforms: Subscriptions to language learning platforms.
    • Education reimbursement: Financial assistance for language courses as part of professional development.

    6. Use your work environment

    If your workplace has international colleagues, take advantage of this opportunity to practice. Try to speak with them in their first language or ask for help with pronunciation and vocabulary. Not only will this provide real-world practice, but it will also strengthen your professional relationships.

    7. Be consistent and patient

    Consistency is key when learning a new language:

    • Daily practice: Even 10-15 minutes a day can lead to significant progress over time.
    • Patience: Language learning is a gradual process. Celebrate small milestones and remain patient with your progress.

    Balancing a full-time job with language learning is no small feat, but it's entirely possible with the right strategies. By setting clear goals, integrating learning into your routine, leveraging technology, practicing consistently, engaging with native speakers, making learning fun and staying motivated, you can achieve fluency without sacrificing your professional responsibilities. Ready to start your language learning journey? Take the first step today and open a world of new opportunities.

  • A woman sat outside in a forest relaxing with her eyes closed

    10 tips for student wellbeing at back to school time

    By Donatella Fitzgerald MBE
    Reading time: 5 minutes

    Donatella Fitzgerald is a teacher, teacher trainer, and trained to teach the MISP Mindfulness in Schools Project (from pre-school to teens) and has completed Module 1 on the Teacher Training Pathway with the Mindfulness Network in collaboration with Bangor University. Her specialist interest areas are Extensive Reading Projects, CLIL, Citizenship, Mindfulness, Plurilingualism and Artificial Intelligence in Education. ?In her current role as ELL Consultant at ÃÛÌÒapp in Italy she works with teachers and students every day to find solutions to help them achieve their teaching and learning goals. In 2024, she was awarded an MBE (Member of the British Empire) in the King¡¯s Birthday Honours List for Services to English Education and Youth Engagement.

    The first weeks back at school after a break can be both exciting and overwhelming. It¡¯s a time of new beginnings, fresh challenges, and opportunities for growth. Prioritizing wellbeing during this period is crucial for a smooth transition and long-term success. Students may be feeling anxious and unsettled due to starting a new school year, or even a new school. In today's fast-paced academic environment, maintaining mental, emotional, and physical health is more crucial than ever. Here are some tips to help your students stay balanced and thrive throughout the school year.