1. Critical Thinking, Language and Literacies (CTLL) María del Pilar Fernández Pedraza Chía, Colombia April 1st, 2017
SUCCESSFUL STRATEGIES TO FOSTER SELF-DIRECTED LANGUAGE LEARNING IN COLOMBIA -DIAGNOSING THE CURRENT STATUS IN EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS-

2. Task 1: Literacies in the academic life (Pawan & Honeyford, 2009)
Literacy and Access
Receiving knowledge
Literacy and Engagement
Managing knowledge and finding connections.
Literacy as transformation
Creating knowledge. Moving from the periphery to the center.

3. Why do we write?
“People judge us based upon our writing—not just in classrooms, but in other places in which we produce it. We invest in our writing, because when we write, we invite others into our worldview” (Vallis, 2010, p. 22).

4. What is writing?
“Writing well means sharing your thought process with your readers, telling them why you believe the evidence means what you say it does” (Rosenwasser & Stephen, 2009, p.110).

5. Text analysis “Analytic” reading
While reading analyze the resources asking yourself the following questions:
How does the author introduce the text?
Does she/he spell out what she/he is going to talk about?
What do you think that this author is saying?
Is the author assuming that you have a particular background knowledge?
Can you pick out the central thesis or idea of the chapter, book or article?
Can you understand the different parts of the text and how they all fit together?
What sort of evidence does the author use to support the argument?
Does the conclusion follow from what the author has said or are there some new ideas here?
Taken from: Creme, P., & Lea, M. R. (2008). Writing at university: A guide for students (3rd ed.). Maidenhead, UK: Open University Press.

6. Analytical Research
Empirical Research
It uses logic and reasoning to analyze information and discuss a specific point of view.
Building knowledge by analyzing data that you collect through observation.

7. What is an analytical paper?
State your claim
Prove it using evidence
Dynamic connection

8. Understanding an assignment?
How do you approach writing an assignment for a class?
Tips before writing
Write down in your own words what you think the assignment is asking you to do.
What do you already know about the subject matter of the assignment?
What do you need to know to help you complete this assignment successfully?
How do you think this assignment differs from or is similar to other assignments that you are working on at the moment?
How are you going to choose your reading material?
Taken from: Creme, P., & Lea, M. R. (2008). Writing at university: A guide for students (3rd ed.). Maidenhead, UK: Open University Press.

9. Reading process before writing
Take some time to look for resources.
Do not only check the title of a book, but also skim through the book, index, sections or chapters.
Discriminate material for your assignment.
Keep in mind that there is not a specific formula for reading, but you could follow some tips.

10. Task 2: Evaluating resources
Read the first and last paragraphs in the following text. Reading these sentences gives you a good idea about the meaning of the text.
Now, try by reading the headings in the same text. Can you get a good understanding of the content of the article?

11. Reading critically Evaluate the arguments
Evaluate the evidence provided
Evaluate if the information is one-sided or if alternatives are considered
Decide if the conclusion is justified

12. Reading and note-taking
Task 3: How do you take notes? Do you have any specific strategy?
When taking notes, keep in mind the following tips:
Reading time
Indexes and key points
Text structure
Brief notes – abbreviation system
Information regarding autor, date, title, page numbers, etc.
Notes, quotes, and your own thoughts

13. Reading and note-taking
“Fitting together” reading Find appropriate resources for your assignment. Here you find some questions you should answer while you read and take notes. • How does this material relate to what I already know about the subject? • What related arguments or theories does this reading make me think of? • How could I use what I am reading in my assignment? • How could I use this in conjunction with the ideas that I already have on this subject? • What do I need to add to use this reading constructively in my assignment? • What do I need to leave out to use this material constructively in my assignment?
Based on: Dixon, T. (2004). How to get a first: The essential guide to academic success. Abingdon, UK: Routledge. .

14. Task 4: Writing pitfalls
Make a list of difficulties you encounter when writing a paper or dealing with some writing tasks.
Use the link below to share your thoughts.

15. Writing critically
Taken from: Gillett, A., Hammond, A., & Martala, M. (2009). Successful academic writing. Harlow, UK: Pearson Education.

16. Outline Introduction Thesis statement Body counter-argument Argument 1
Conclusion
How evidence supports the main claim
Restating the main claimç
Inductive approach
Deductive approach

17. Introduction Answers the question or the implied question
Explains the reasons for the choice
Draws up the lines the main body will be conducted on
Is “self-aware” of other perspectives or issues that may lead to different interpretations.

18. Thesis statement
It is a claim or argument the essay will build on. Weak thesis statement A claim that is well-known by everyone. There is not need to be proven. Strong thesis statement A claim that evidences the process of analyzing the subject to arrive at an argument.

19. Task 5: Cautious language
Taken from: Gillett, A., Hammond, A., & Martala, M. (2009). Successful academic writing. Harlow, UK: Pearson Education.

20. Process to formulate a thesis statement
Rosenwasser & Stephen (2009)

21. Thesis statement Makes a disputable claim.
Tells how the topic under discussion is interpreted.
Mentions any objection to the claim
Shows the road the text will follow.

22. Task 6: Find the elements of a thesis statement
Although television can be educational, parents should limit the amount of television their children watch because it inhibits social interaction, shortens children's attention spans, and is not always intellectually stimulating.

23. Example (Bonilla & Tejada-Sánchez, 2016, p. 186).
Our intention as scholars is to discuss the implications, advantages, and disadvantages of hegemonising language policies, as in Colombian programmes for bilingualism and English education. Most particularly, this paper will address the issue that language policy has constantly been altered due to political transitions disregarding education’s ultimate goal, namely, to produce critical and resourceful citizens who might contribute to a global society.
(Bonilla & Tejada-Sánchez, 2016, p. 186).

24. Example (Bonilla & Tejada-Sánchez, 2016, p. 186).
Our intention as scholars is to discuss the implications, advantages, and disadvantages of hegemonising language policies, as in Colombian programmes for bilingualism and English education. Most particularly, this paper will address the issue that language policy has constantly been altered due to political transitions disregarding education’s ultimate goal, namely, to produce critical and resourceful citizens who might contribute to a global society.
(Bonilla & Tejada-Sánchez, 2016, p. 186).

25. What about these examples?
“Colombian education faces several challenges but one of the biggest is curriculum. In order to examine this problem, it is necessary to consider the characteristics of a successful curriculum design and its incidence in quality education”.
“The following paper is a reflection about current challenges of education in general and also specifically on English language teaching in Colombia, taking into account some Colombian authors lectures and publications”.
“[W]hile CA has been important, it needs re-evaluation in the light of the more fluid communicative practices of English used as a global lingua franca. In its place, intercultural awareness (ICA) is proposed as a more relevant concept for these dynamic contexts of English use”.
(Baker, 2012, p. 62)

26. What do body paragraphs do? (Taylor, 2009)
Extend your answer by discussing the necessary arguments to make your point.
Clarify the arguments and their relevance to the main claim.
Verify a generalization by providing evidence.
Illustrate a point with concrete examples.
Enhance the value of what you are claiming.
Evaluate the strength of any counter-arguments.

27. Common difficulties when writing body paragraphs
Changing your mind about the claim or answer.
Getting stuck.
Writing too much.
Connecting all what you have read
Writing too little.
Extending your answer - comprehensiveness (sufficient reading)
Elaborating your point – discussing particular implications

28. How to write a conclusion? (Taylor, 2009)
Ways to conclude
Recapitulating
Arguments raised throughout the text
Suggesting
Your text is part of an ongoing discussion in the field
Reflecting upon implications
The significance of what was discussed is evaluated

29. Paper 1 FINAL: Instructions
Many countries are wrestling with issues in and debates about education reform.
What are the greatest challenges in general and/or additional-language education for Colombia today, and …
how would you recommend meeting them?
Write:
a brief ( word main text, not including References) paper on these questions.
Format your paper in accordance with 6th-edition APA guidelines;
use the provided APA 6th Edition Paper Template (MS Word .dotx file).
Make reference to at least 10 pertinent and appropriately scholarly sources
(i.e. books/book chapters [other than textbooks] from academic publishers, articles from peer-reviewed journals), at least 7 of which were published within the last 20 years.

30. References
Creme, P., & Lea, M. R. (2008). Writing at university: A guide for students (3rd ed.). Maidenhead, UK: Open University Press.
Dixon, T. (2004). How to get a first: The essential guide to academic success. Abingdon, UK: Routledge.
Gillett, A., Hammond, A., & Martala, M. (2009). Successful academic writing. Harlow, UK: Pearson Education.
Mertler, C. (2006). Action Research: Teachers as Researchers in the Classroom. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Neeley, S. D. (2005). Academic literacy (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Pearson Longman.
Pawan, F., & Honeyford, M. A. (2009). Academic literacy. In R. F. Flippo & D. C. Caverly (Eds.), Handbook of college reading and study strategy research (2nd ed., pp. 26–46). New York, NY. Retrieved from
Rosenwasser, D., & Stephen, J. (2009). Writing analytically (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Thomson Wadsworth.
Vallis, G. L. (2010). Reason to write: Applying critical thinking to academic writing. Charlotte, NC: Kona.
Taylor, G. (2009). A student’s writing guide: How to plan and write successful essays. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.