ULOGA RAZREDNOG BLOGA U PODSTICANJU KRITIČKOG PROMIŠLJANJA I KREIRANJU ONLINE ZAJEDNICE UČENJA
USING A CLASS BLOG TO ENCOURAGE CRITICAL THINKING AND CREATE AN ONLINE LEARNING COMMUNITY

Author(s): Izela Habul-Šabanović
Subject(s): Education, Communication studies, ICT Information and Communications Technologies
Published by: Filozofski fakultet, Univerzitet u Zenici
Keywords: a class blog; critical thinking; an online learning community; EFL teaching and learning
Summary/Abstract: The aim of this paper is to explore the potential of a class blog as a space for learning and critical reflection in the context of EFL (English as a foreign language) teaching and learning. The paper points out the importance of integrating critical thinking skills into the English language teaching, which should not be focused only on language skills acquisition but also on stimulating students' independent and critical reflection. A class blog can be used as a useful medium to foster critical thinking and EFL learning by creating an online learning community which offers opportunities for reflection and facilitates autonomous and peer-to-peer learning. This paper presents a pilot study focused on 47 EFL third- and fourth-year students of the Pedagogical Faculty in Sarajevo, incorporating a class blogging component into the EFL classes. Students were asked to write their own posts and comments on the class blog during the 15-week semester, based on several topics that we had previously introduced in our in-class periods. At the end of semester, a questionnaire was given to all student participants in this projects in order to evaluate their perceptions and opinions about using a class blog as a platform for critical reflection and learning in an EFL context. The positive implications for the use of a class blog to promote critical thinking and EFL learning are discussed in this paper.

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