Cultivation Of Critical Thinking In English Reading Teaching In Senior High Schools

Since the middle of20thcentury, the research on critical thinking has beenpopular in west countries, especially in USA. Scholars in China began to makeresearch on critical thinking in1980’s. And now it is one of the hottest issues ineducation research at home and abroad, one of the basic goals of education, and itplays a really important part in the intellectual development of students.Critical thinking plays a really important role in cultivating students’ creativespirit and innovational competence. In China, however, because of the impact of theexam-oriented education and other aspects, traditional English reading teachingattaches much emphasis to training students’ linguistic knowledge and languageskills, ignoring the cultivation of students’ critical thinking. Therefore, this studystarts with the requirements of quality education, trying to cultivate students’ criticalthinking in English reading teaching in senior high schools.The thesis first introduces critical thinking briefly. Based on the previousresearches, it combs the definition and characteristics of critical thinking from apsychological perspective, and summarizes the specific content of the cultivation ofcritical thinking. Then the thesis describes the present situation of English readingteaching in senior high schools; analyses the reasons for the lack of critical thinkingin English reading teaching; expounds the necessity of cultivating students’ criticalthinking in English reading teaching. Finally, on the basis of teaching practice, thisthesis explores the effective measures of cultivating students’ critical thinking inEnglish reading teaching by showing teaching examples.This thesis holds that students’ critical thinking should and can be improved byconstructing a democratic and harmonious relationship between students andteachers, cultivating students’ independent thinking, raising the awareness ofquestioning, and carrying out democratic and cooperative discussion.