The Meaning of Debate and Critical Thinking to Foreign Language Education: A Cognitive Perspective

DOI

10.2991/icelaic-17.2017.34How to use a DOI?

Keywords

debate; critical thinking; cognitive mechanisms; language students

Abstract

This paper is intended to elaborate on the theoretical and practical importance of debate and critical thinking to the foreign language education in China's higher learning institutions. By integrating the cognitive mechanisms responsible for critical thinking and those demanded by the teaching strategies for foreign language learners, this paper maintains that debate is an ideal form to be implemented in teaching plans as well as learning schemes for foreign language students regardless of their current language knowledge and skills. In this sense, this paper aims to argue for a shift of focus from the training of language skills to the fostering of critical thinking abilities on the part of foreign language students in China.

Copyright

© 2017, the Authors. Published by Atlantis Press.

Open Access

This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Zhong Deng
PY  - 2017/12
DA  - 2017/12
TI  - The Meaning of Debate and Critical Thinking to Foreign Language Education: A Cognitive Perspective
BT  - Proceedings of 4th International Conference on Education, Language, Art and Intercultural Communication (ICELAIC 2017)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 154
EP  - 158
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/icelaic-17.2017.34
DO  - 10.2991/icelaic-17.2017.34
ID  - Deng2017/12
ER  -