USING FICTION IN CLASS TO PROMOTE CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE FIFTH CHILD BY DORIS LESSING
Critical thinking is a fundamental component of academic life in today’s world. In this article I discuss the possibility of practicing and strengthening university students’ critical thinking skills by means of a novel, The Fifth Child by Doris Lessing, in the course of an ELT class. Drawing from experience, I show how this particular novel, due to its problematic, yet universal, subject matter as well as the author’s enigmatic presentation of the said, becomes a useful resource for this purpose. It confronts the reader with perplexing questions and dilemmas without offering definite answers. I offer a lesson plan in order to help the teacher to involve and guide students throughout this fascinating novel, one which never leaves anyone indifferent.
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