Enhancing Critical Thinking Skills and Dispositions Through Community Dialogue in an Academic Writing Programme

Abstract

The ability to think and write critically is a core outcome in higher education. Many universities provide writing programs for undergraduates to develop sound argumentation skills and build the foundation to engage in academic conversations. Still many students struggle with academic writing. This paper argues that teaching using instructional frameworks is not sufficient; learning will be more effective when situated within a community of practice. Drawing from the learning experiences of students who participated in a community-based activity in a freshmen academic writing class in Singapore, I share my insights on how reframing learning from a structure-driven approach to a community-based experience had enhanced learning dispositions and outcomes. Results show that when learners viewed academic writing as a socially situated practice, and not a task to be completed to fulfil academic requirements, the dispositions needed for critical thinking were honed to drive them towards writing with more criticality.

Keywords

• academic writing
• argumentation
• critical thinking skills
• critical thinking dispositions
• community of learners in practice