Encouraging Critical Thinking Through a Dialogic Teaching Approach in the Beginner-level English Classroom

In Australia, the development of creative and critical thinking is considered a priority in the national school curriculum. However, accessing opportunities to develop these skills can be challenging for young adult, refugee-background students with limited or interrupted prior formal education. Low literacy, English language proficiency and age can preclude some of these learners from entering and completing high school in Australia. Instead, they are eligible to access initial English language tuition through a government-supported adult migrant English program (AMEP). In this teaching context, students develop functional English language skills, using curriculum materials that focus on foundational skills and vocational competence. While developing critical thinking skills is still important for successful participation in future Australian tertiary and work settings, it can be a challenge for teachers in beginner-level AMEP classes to employ teaching strategies that foster such skills. Activities which rely on extended interactions in English can be difficult to implement, as students' vocabulary and oral skills are limited. However, while working with a class of beginner-level young adults in an AMEP, I began to explore how my teaching practice could more effectively promote a dialogic approach, in order to engage students' critical thinking skills. In this paper, I analyse entries kept in my reflective teaching journal from a 6-month period, in which I recorded changes to my teaching practice to foreground a more dialogic teaching approach with my class. I note the subsequent changes in student engagement, confidence and oral language, and discuss how a more dialogic approach to teaching has the potential to enhance development of critical thinking skills in beginner-level English language classes