EXPERIENCING THE INTEGRATION OF CRITICAL THINKING IN TEACHING LITERARY WORKS

Abstract

This article illustrates the lecturer’s experience of integrating activities in teaching a literary work, particularly a story, to build critical thinking ability for students when learning British literature based on Bloom’s taxonomy. At first, six levels of Bloom’s taxonomy were introduced, explained to 65 junior students majoring in English. Then, the sample questions in six levels of the Vietnamese folk tale “Tam Cam” were given to students as an illustration of applying to make questions in six levels relating to the story. To develop critical thinking skill, students themselves experienced different classroom activities relating to questions in 6 levels and discussedissues through reading and analyzing one British work in their undergraduate program. It is the story “The lion, the witch and the wardrobe” by Clive Staples Lewis. The students reacted positively to questions to develop critical thinking when learning this work and most of them want more classroom practice in order to  strengthen their ability to think critically. This piece of writing also expresses the lecturer’s reflection in developing critical thinking for students in teaching British literature, especially stories, using questions based on Bloom’s taxonomy.