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Webquests (2)

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Magdy Aly
Magdy Aly

This document discusses using WebQuests to develop critical reading skills for English as a foreign language (EFL) students in Egypt. It outlines that WebQuests are inquiry-based activities where students use online resources to answer a central question. The document also explains that WebQuests promote critical thinking, knowledge application, social skills, and scaffolded learning. The author provides an example of a democracy-themed WebQuest and how its steps guided students through gathering information, forming opinions, and presenting their views. Overall, the document argues that WebQuests incorporate collaboration and can effectively assess students' vocabulary, content knowledge, interest level, and task demands when developing critical thinking in EFL classrooms.

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WEBQUESTS AND DEVELOPING EFL CRITICAL READING SKILLS BY MAGDY M. ALY PROFESSOR OF CURRICULUM AND EFL INSTRUCTION JULY , 2011
SOME HOT ISSUES Learning English in Egypt is often times -  associated with learning grammatical .rules Critical thinking is often recognized as -  one of the desirable goals for education, it is considered a skill not promoted enough . in English classrooms 03/15/12 Dr.Magdy M. Aly 2
In traditional classrooms, learning English to- - pass the examinations is often considered the primary goal, where only language skills are emphasized while critical thinking, problem solving, or creative thinking skills are treated as .minimal Technology is also identified as a tool that has- - potential to support the competitiveness of Egypt and its people in the knowledge-based economy 03/15/12 Dr.Magdy M. Aly 3
The Internet is a suitable environment for - language learners. Students from cross-cultural classes in different parts of the world can collaboratively create a project by exchanging emails or engaging in online chats. Thus they will not only learn to use the language, they will learn to develop critical thinking skills as they try to express their own cultural and personal experiences through language and other . symbolic means 03/15/12 Dr.Magdy M. Aly 4
Web-based group projects can also enhance higher-order - thinking skills in a similar fashion. These projects enable students to learn critical thinking when they critique, negotiate, challenge or agree with ideas of others )Arnold & Ducate, 2006(. Contrary to the traditional ESL classrooms, with the use of technology, students can develop skills in both researching and thinking critically when finding information from resources on the Internet. They also have opportunities to use the target language through reading web pages, writing presentations, listening to peers‘ opinions, and .discussing ideas on interesting issues 03/15/12 Dr.Magdy M. Aly 5
?) What is ) WEBQUESTS – WebQuest  an inquiry-oriented activity in which  most or all of the information used by learners is drawn from the Web )Dodge, 1998( -- could therefore provide the teacher with a pre-  defined activity equipped with existing databases for the teachers to explore and adapt to suit their .students and the class objectives 03/15/12 Dr.Magdy M. Aly 6
WebQuest is a term coined by Bernie Dodge and described as ”an inquiry- oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources ”on the Internet 03/15/12 Dr.Magdy M. Aly 7
a scaffolded learning structure that uses” links to essential resources on the World Wide Web and an authentic task to motivate students‘ investigation of a central, open-ended question, development of individual expertise, and participation in a final group process that attempts to transform newly acquired information into a more sophisticated “understanding 03/15/12 Dr.Magdy M. Aly 8
In order to complete the main task of a- WebQuest, students use information from various sources to form their own opinions and share them with their group members to create a final project, usually in the form of an oral presentation and/or written materials such as brochures, .newsletters, or websites 03/15/12 Dr.Magdy M. Aly 9
:WebQuests - are designed to further several learning - concepts. Their four underlying constructs are: )1( critical thinking; )2( knowledge application; )3( social skills; and )4( scaffolded learning )March, 2007(. In sum, WebQuests are inquiry- oriented, group work-centered, higher order thinking-focused, and selected Internet source- .)heavy )Dodge, 1998 03/15/12 Dr.Magdy M. Aly 10
The procedures to complete the task .included a number of steps First, the teacher introduced the students to the topic of theWebQuest and informed them of the task )Democracy and human rights ( they needed to complete using the Introduction and the Task .pages on the WebQuest Second, the teacher guided the students through the pre- activity discussion to activate their prior knowledge, as .mentioned earlier Then, the students were directed to gather information for the role each was taking by reading the articles provided .on the WebQuest 03/15/12 Dr.Magdy M. Aly 11
During this step, the students read the articles with their peers who took the same role. )This sub-activity could be seen as a scaffolding for reading the articles and ).understanding the role Next, students worked with their group members to pool their research findings and develop PowerPoint presentation slides that explained their position on the .issue with supporting evidence Finally, the students presented their opinions on the issue to the class using PowerPoint slides. The students were also asked to write a journal entry on the issue as .homework 03/15/12 Dr.Magdy M. Aly 12
These steps, therefore, scaffolded the .students to answer the main issue A good WebQuest focuses on an issue  with multiple facets, such as social, political, and/or environmental, and requires more than information gathering; students must process the information in order to form their opinions )March, .)1998 03/15/12 Dr.Magdy M. Aly 13
March )1998( asserts that the main question on the WebQuest requires students to transform information collected from online resources into something new. This process invites students to consider an issue, compare and synthesize information to form a hypothesis, and suggest a solution. Additionally, scaffolding techniques, in the form of specific sub-tasks on the WebQuest, prompt students to engage in higher levels of .thinking 03/15/12 Dr.Magdy M. Aly 14
WebQuests and collaborative learning Collaborative learning refers to an instructional  method in which students work in small groups for the purpose of achieving an academic goal. The active exchange of ideas within small groups not only helps students learn but also stimulates critical thinking )Totten, Sills, Digby, &Russ, 1991(. It allows students to learn from .)others‘ skills and experiences )Gokhale, 1995 03/15/12 Dr.Magdy M. Aly 15
WEBQUESTS RUBRICS Rubrics can be used to assess appropriate :WebQuests for students The rubric took into accountfive aspects, namely vocabulary and grammar, content knowledge, level of interest, assistance, and task demand, to examine whether a WebQuest would be beneficial for EFL .students 03/15/12 Dr.Magdy M. Aly 16
WEBQUESTS STRATEGIES five types of web-based :teaching strategies namely nominal-1 ,group ,debate-2 ,brainstorming-3 invited guest, and-4 03/15/12 .WebQuest-5 Dr.Magdy M. Aly 17
? WHAT IS CRITICAL THINKING Ennis )1989( defines critical thinking as- “reasonable reflective thinking focused on “deciding what to believe or do McPeck )1990( believes that critical thinking is- subject-specific with respect to particular .knowledge in certain fields For Paul )1990(, critical thinking is not only- viewed as analytical and evaluative, it is also considered “the art of thinking about your “thinking 03/15/12 Dr.Magdy M. Aly 18
Critical thinking can be seen as an exercise - in higher order thinking skills, associated with the ability to think logically based on evaluated information according to certain .criteria 03/15/12 Dr.Magdy M. Aly 19
In summary, the body of research discussed in this chapter suggests that WebQuest has potential to generate critical thinking among students in various subjects and .classroom contexts 03/15/12 Dr.Magdy M. Aly 20

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Webquests (2)

  • 1. WEBQUESTS AND DEVELOPING EFL CRITICAL READING SKILLS BY MAGDY M. ALY PROFESSOR OF CURRICULUM AND EFL INSTRUCTION JULY , 2011
  • 2. SOME HOT ISSUES Learning English in Egypt is often times -  associated with learning grammatical .rules Critical thinking is often recognized as -  one of the desirable goals for education, it is considered a skill not promoted enough . in English classrooms 03/15/12 Dr.Magdy M. Aly 2
  • 3. In traditional classrooms, learning English to- - pass the examinations is often considered the primary goal, where only language skills are emphasized while critical thinking, problem solving, or creative thinking skills are treated as .minimal Technology is also identified as a tool that has- - potential to support the competitiveness of Egypt and its people in the knowledge-based economy 03/15/12 Dr.Magdy M. Aly 3
  • 4. The Internet is a suitable environment for - language learners. Students from cross-cultural classes in different parts of the world can collaboratively create a project by exchanging emails or engaging in online chats. Thus they will not only learn to use the language, they will learn to develop critical thinking skills as they try to express their own cultural and personal experiences through language and other . symbolic means 03/15/12 Dr.Magdy M. Aly 4
  • 5. Web-based group projects can also enhance higher-order - thinking skills in a similar fashion. These projects enable students to learn critical thinking when they critique, negotiate, challenge or agree with ideas of others )Arnold & Ducate, 2006(. Contrary to the traditional ESL classrooms, with the use of technology, students can develop skills in both researching and thinking critically when finding information from resources on the Internet. They also have opportunities to use the target language through reading web pages, writing presentations, listening to peers‘ opinions, and .discussing ideas on interesting issues 03/15/12 Dr.Magdy M. Aly 5
  • 6. ?) What is ) WEBQUESTS – WebQuest  an inquiry-oriented activity in which  most or all of the information used by learners is drawn from the Web )Dodge, 1998( -- could therefore provide the teacher with a pre-  defined activity equipped with existing databases for the teachers to explore and adapt to suit their .students and the class objectives 03/15/12 Dr.Magdy M. Aly 6
  • 7. WebQuest is a term coined by Bernie Dodge and described as ”an inquiry- oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources ”on the Internet 03/15/12 Dr.Magdy M. Aly 7
  • 8. a scaffolded learning structure that uses” links to essential resources on the World Wide Web and an authentic task to motivate students‘ investigation of a central, open-ended question, development of individual expertise, and participation in a final group process that attempts to transform newly acquired information into a more sophisticated “understanding 03/15/12 Dr.Magdy M. Aly 8
  • 9. In order to complete the main task of a- WebQuest, students use information from various sources to form their own opinions and share them with their group members to create a final project, usually in the form of an oral presentation and/or written materials such as brochures, .newsletters, or websites 03/15/12 Dr.Magdy M. Aly 9
  • 10. :WebQuests - are designed to further several learning - concepts. Their four underlying constructs are: )1( critical thinking; )2( knowledge application; )3( social skills; and )4( scaffolded learning )March, 2007(. In sum, WebQuests are inquiry- oriented, group work-centered, higher order thinking-focused, and selected Internet source- .)heavy )Dodge, 1998 03/15/12 Dr.Magdy M. Aly 10
  • 11. The procedures to complete the task .included a number of steps First, the teacher introduced the students to the topic of theWebQuest and informed them of the task )Democracy and human rights ( they needed to complete using the Introduction and the Task .pages on the WebQuest Second, the teacher guided the students through the pre- activity discussion to activate their prior knowledge, as .mentioned earlier Then, the students were directed to gather information for the role each was taking by reading the articles provided .on the WebQuest 03/15/12 Dr.Magdy M. Aly 11
  • 12. During this step, the students read the articles with their peers who took the same role. )This sub-activity could be seen as a scaffolding for reading the articles and ).understanding the role Next, students worked with their group members to pool their research findings and develop PowerPoint presentation slides that explained their position on the .issue with supporting evidence Finally, the students presented their opinions on the issue to the class using PowerPoint slides. The students were also asked to write a journal entry on the issue as .homework 03/15/12 Dr.Magdy M. Aly 12
  • 13. These steps, therefore, scaffolded the .students to answer the main issue A good WebQuest focuses on an issue  with multiple facets, such as social, political, and/or environmental, and requires more than information gathering; students must process the information in order to form their opinions )March, .)1998 03/15/12 Dr.Magdy M. Aly 13
  • 14. March )1998( asserts that the main question on the WebQuest requires students to transform information collected from online resources into something new. This process invites students to consider an issue, compare and synthesize information to form a hypothesis, and suggest a solution. Additionally, scaffolding techniques, in the form of specific sub-tasks on the WebQuest, prompt students to engage in higher levels of .thinking 03/15/12 Dr.Magdy M. Aly 14
  • 15. WebQuests and collaborative learning Collaborative learning refers to an instructional  method in which students work in small groups for the purpose of achieving an academic goal. The active exchange of ideas within small groups not only helps students learn but also stimulates critical thinking )Totten, Sills, Digby, &Russ, 1991(. It allows students to learn from .)others‘ skills and experiences )Gokhale, 1995 03/15/12 Dr.Magdy M. Aly 15
  • 16. WEBQUESTS RUBRICS Rubrics can be used to assess appropriate :WebQuests for students The rubric took into accountfive aspects, namely vocabulary and grammar, content knowledge, level of interest, assistance, and task demand, to examine whether a WebQuest would be beneficial for EFL .students 03/15/12 Dr.Magdy M. Aly 16
  • 17. WEBQUESTS STRATEGIES five types of web-based :teaching strategies namely nominal-1 ,group ,debate-2 ,brainstorming-3 invited guest, and-4 03/15/12 .WebQuest-5 Dr.Magdy M. Aly 17
  • 18. ? WHAT IS CRITICAL THINKING Ennis )1989( defines critical thinking as- “reasonable reflective thinking focused on “deciding what to believe or do McPeck )1990( believes that critical thinking is- subject-specific with respect to particular .knowledge in certain fields For Paul )1990(, critical thinking is not only- viewed as analytical and evaluative, it is also considered “the art of thinking about your “thinking 03/15/12 Dr.Magdy M. Aly 18
  • 19. Critical thinking can be seen as an exercise - in higher order thinking skills, associated with the ability to think logically based on evaluated information according to certain .criteria 03/15/12 Dr.Magdy M. Aly 19
  • 20. In summary, the body of research discussed in this chapter suggests that WebQuest has potential to generate critical thinking among students in various subjects and .classroom contexts 03/15/12 Dr.Magdy M. Aly 20