VIDEO-CONFERENCE DEBATES

A Platform for Critical Thinking within Foreign Language Acquisition

Ekaterina V. Talalakina

Department of Foreign Languages, National Research University, Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia

Keywords: Debates, Video-conference, Critical Thinking, Foreign Language Acquisition, Synchronous and

Asynchronous e-Learning.

Abstract: The need to foster critical thinking has long been one of the key issues in education. It is essentially vital

nowadays against the background of an increased volume of cross-cultural communications due to the

present-day demand for collaboration to tackle pressing global issues through joint efforts of different

nations. While the format of debates has been recognized by researchers as one of the most efficient tools of

setting off critical thinking, it is up to the new technologies in education to make it possible to bring this

platform to a cross-cultural level. Since a cross-cultural dialogue in most cases supposes the mastery of a

foreign language, e-learning in the form of cross-border video-conference debates present an invaluable

opportunity for educators to enhance the pedagogy of foreign language acquisition around the globe. The

present paper focuses on a case-study of an on-going project of implementing the tool of synchronous cross-

cultural video-conference debates.

1 INTRODUCTION

A growing demand for pedagogy enhancement in

foreign language acquisition within the framework

of formal education rests on the attempts of

educators to meet the present-day needs of the

global community, i.e. to provide it with multi-

lingual professionals capable of critical thinking.

Critical thinking has been viewed as a cornerstone of

the learning process since ancient times, but the

modern approach dates back to American

philosopher, John Dewey, who is considered ‘the

father of modern critical thinking tradition’ (Fisher,

2001). Namely, Dewey established the concept of

‘reflective thinking’, which he defined as ‘active,

persistent, and careful consideration of a belief or a

supposed form of knowledge in the light of the

grounds which support it and further conclusions to

which it tends’ (qtd. in Fisher, 2001). Such approach

is clearly based on contrasting reflective/critical

thinking to a passive acquisition of ready-made

knowledge without questioning it. Since critical

thinking supposes an active role of an individual in

processing information they encounter, researchers

outline a number of cognitive skills involved in this

process. Specifically, Facione (2011) highlights the

following constituents of critical thinking:

interpretation, analysis, evaluation, inference,

explanation, and self-regulation. These components

could be fostered in academics only within a

specifically-created environment which fosters

active argumentation and reasoning, the two

underlying concepts of the debate format. Thus, this

study addresses the following research questions:

under which conditions can debates most efficiently

bring about critical thinking and how does the

innovative format of synchronous cross-cultural

video-conferencing contribute to this process?

2 CRITICAL THINKING IN

DEBATES

Debate is usually used in education as a formally-

structured discussion of a particular issue with the

two opposing sides trying to refute the arguments of

each other. Such activity not only allows considering

multi-facet nature of the issue in its logical

development, but also involves the use of elaborate

public speaking techniques of persuading the

audience of one’s point of view. Thus, the nature of

debate is two-fold as it concerns the use of language

and logic. Due to the language component, the

debate is a popular tool in foreign language

V. Talalakina E..

VIDEO-CONFERENCE DEBATES - A Platform for Critical Thinking within Foreign Language Acquisition.

DOI: 10.5220/0003899700880093

In Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Computer Supported Education (CSEDU-2012), pages 88-93

ISBN: 978-989-8565-07-5

 2012 SCITEPRESS (Science and Technology Publications, Lda.)

acquisition pedagogy.

Table 1: Critical thinking cognitive skills in the debate

tasks.

Critical

Thinking

Skills

Sub-skills Debate Tasks

1. interpretation

categorization

to distribute claims

according to their nature:

value, policy, or fact

decoding

significance

to examine the scope of

the claim

clarifying

meaning

to negotiate the meaning

of the key terms and

concepts used in the

debate

2. analysis

examining ideas

to create mind-maps of

the issues connected to

the claim

detecting

arguments

to outline the main

arguments for both sides

analyzing

arguments

to brainstorm adequate

support for the arguments

3. evaluation

assessing the

credibility of

statements

to question the validity of

the arguments

assessing the

logical strength

of the arguments

to track logical fallacies

4. inference

querying

evidence

to request sufficient

evidence to all arguments

conjecturing

alternatives

to list alternative

approaches

drawing

conclusions

to make a conclusion

5. explanation

describing

methods and

results

to state the research

methods

proposing and

defending

arguments

to provide adequate

amount of support

presenting full

and well-

reasoned

arguments

to logically structure the

support to each argument

6. self-

regulation

self-examination

to provide self-evaluation

feedback after the debate

self-correction

to suggest the ways for

self-improvement

2.1 Cognitive Skills

The format of the debate as a methodological tool

has been given a considerable amount of attention

by researchers due to the fact that such format

presents a unique combination of challenges to its

participants, ‘engaging the students in a variety of

cognitive and linguistic ways’ (Krieger, 2005). In

particular, it triggers the development of ‘logic-

based rhetoric and critical analysis that lies in the

heart of formal debate’ (Hansen, 2007). Debate does

not only imply a skillful use of the language, but

also supposes the use of logical patterns, which

makes the debate an invaluable means of learning

analytical thinking skills and forcing self-conscious

reflection on the validity of one’s ideas (Nisbett,

2003). Such interpretation of the debate process

brings us back to the cognitive skills involved in

critical thinking, which tie the two processes –

debating and critical thinking – together. The way

the debate tasks reflect the core cognitive skills of

critical thinking is shown in Table 1. (The

classification of cognitive skills and sub skills is

provided by Facione (2011)).

Table 1 shows that each stage of debate such

starting from the initial examination of the claim up

to post-debate self-criticism involves a number of

cognitive skills which constitute critical thinking.

Thus, the format of debate proves to be an

appropriate tool for fostering critical thinking.

2.2 Efficiency Pre-requisites

When applied specifically to foreign language

acquisition context, the format of debate raises a

number of issues to be solved. Nisbett (2003)

emphasizes that ‘potential fluency limitations of the

students are always an issue, as well as differing

linguistic and cultural norms regarding discussion

styles and the application of logical rules and critical

analysis in communication.’ That statement clearly

touches upon several aspects: 1) language

proficiency, 2) awareness of communication

patterns, and 3) aptitude for reasoning, which can be

attributed to the following learning outcomes of the

debate class: 1) to increase language fluency, 2) to

master culturally-rooted communication styles, and

3) to learn the skills of argumentation. Thus, the

instructors end up with the three-fold focus for

efficiency pre-requisites: language, culture, and

logic.

The three targets of the debate class – language,

culture, and logic – can be tackled differently.

Whereas, the language and the logic components can

be tackled in a conventional manner, the culture part

calls for the use of new technologies in education. In

particular, language component can be addressed

through a series of scaffolding exercises, which

equip the students with the necessary vocabulary and

VIDEO-CONFERENCEDEBATES-APlatformforCriticalThinkingwithinForeignLanguageAcquisition

grammatical structures to frame their

communication. Likewise, the rules of logic

structure of the arguments can be introduced in a

series of preliminary theoretical passages in the

students’ native language. However, it is the culture

components that cannot be dealt with by scaffolding

only and requires a hands-on practice-based training,

ideally involving the representatives of the target

culture. Building a cross-cultural environment is key

to culture learning as it is ‘not merely learning the

target culture, but gaining insights into how the

culture of the target language interacts with one’s

own cultural experience’ (Liaw, 2006). Moreover,

exploring one’s own culture credited with vital

significance in a cross-cultural dialogue. According

to Levy (2007), ‘pedagogical approaches and

techniques that help learners to reflect objectively on

their own culture are especially important because

language teachers and learners need to be sharply

aware of their point of departure in culture learning.’

Thus, it is essential to bridge the gap between the

two cultures, which can be successfully dealt with

through electronic conferences.This section must be

in one column.

3 ELECTRONIC CONFERENCES

Creating a formal educational platform to bring

together native speakers and non-native speakers in

the process of foreign language acquisition proved to

be successful by a number of researchers. For

instance, some researchers shows increase in

learner’s motivation (Jauregia et al., 2011), while

others indicate the boost in interactive competences

(Fitze, 2006). Whatever the outcome, tools for

formal asynchronous and synchronous students’

interaction are a popular subject of today’s debate

over the use of new technologies in education.

3.1 Asynchronous e-Forums

Asynchronous e-forums, also referred to as written

electronic conferences, bring numerous benefits into

the foreign language acquisition classroom. For

example, Liaw (2006) outlines four types of

intercultural competences that the students

developed through the use of such tool: ‘(A) interest

in knowing other people’s way of life and

introducing one’s own culture to others, (B) ability

to change perspective, (C) knowledge about one’s

own and others’ culture for intercultural

communication, and (D) knowledge about

intercultural communication processes.’ (p.49)

Clearly the interaction of native and non-native

speakers in this case contributed to the first-hand

exchange of the culture-related knowledge and

experiences.

The findings of another study by Fitze (2006)

suggest that ‘second language students in written

electronic conferences display more interactive

competence, or in other words, more control of the

discussion’ than in face-to-face conferences (p.78).

Although the beneficial nature of the written

conference is evident, the latter juxtaposition of the

written and face-to-face conferences seems invalid.

The author attributes having ‘more control of the

discussion’ to an advantage of the written

conferences. Indeed, the asynchronous mode of the

discussion leaves room for more self-reflection and a

more careful choice of language means. However,

the real-life communication rarely presents such an

opportunity and requires a spontaneous

communicative act. Being trained to act on the spot

within the ever-changing discourse is a key

advantage of the synchronous conferences either

face-to-face or technology-mediated. Thus, even

though the numerical data provided in the research

of Fitze (2006) indicates the advantage of the written

communication practice, it is essential to consider it

as a supplement to the face-to-face communication

training.

3.2 Synchronous Conferences

The most popular tools for synchronous video-

conferences in education are Skype and Polycom.

The benefits of the former include greater

availability and low cost, the advantages of the latter

are higher quality of transmitted signal (picture and

sound) and more options for manipulating with

viewer layout and recording the video. Nevertheless,

both are user-friendly, which allows their use by

non-technicians. Due to the spread of video-

conferencing technology, a number of studies have

been dedicated to the use of these instruments in the

foreign language acquisition classes. For instance,

Eaton (2010) provides an extensive overview of the

pedagogy of using Skype in ESL classroom. The

study focuses on the increase in students’ language

and communicative competencies.

In contrast to the asynchronous e-forums, video-

conferencing has some unique features which can be

regarded as the advantages of this type of

technology. First, unlike in written communication,

the user faces strict time constraints which call for

the development of time-management skills and the

ability to express oneself in a laconic yet meaningful

CSEDU2012-4thInternationalConferenceonComputerSupportedEducation

manner. Such constraints impose self-regulation and

a more careful choice of linguistic means. Likewise,

inability to alter one’s speech act upon its

completion (unlike the possibility to use the feature

of editing in the written e-forums) also pressures the

participants into a more reflective speaking. Then,

on the other hand, real-time communication leaves

room for flexibility and self-correction based on the

instant reaction of the listener. It allows a faster

negotiation of meaning in case of comprehension

failure. Finally, the unique characteristic of video-

conferencing is the opportunity to observe the verbal

and non-verbal communication patterns of the target

culture live. The culturally-rooted discussion styles

are on display while the viewers get both the audio

and the visual picture.

4 CASE-STUDY

4.1 Project Description

In response to the demand for pedagogy

enhancement in foreign language acquisition in

terms of creating a special environment for critical

thinking and cross-cultural learning, a World Debate

project was launched in the spring 2011 between the

two institutions of higher education: National

Research University Higher School of Economics,

Moscow, Russia, and Brigham Young University,

Provo, Utah, U.S.A. The main goal of the project is

to teach argumentation and debate in a foreign

language by focusing on the three areas: language

proficiency, cultural communication patterns and

logical reasoning. The project has been carried out in

the form of synchronous video-conference debates.

4.1.1 Participants

The project brought together the students of English

as a foreign language from Russia and the students

studying Russian as a foreign language in the U.S.A.

The initial level of the students ranged from

intermediate-high to advanced-high according the

Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) conducted by

American Council on the Teaching of Foreign

Languages. The project was been conducted in the

spring semester of 2010/2011 and the fall semester

2011/2012 bringing together each time 12 students

on each side. Russian ESL students were all

sophomores majoring in world economics and

international affairs, while American students were

sophomores and juniors from various majors.

4.1.2 Framework

The project consisted in conducting 6 video-debates

(conducted through Polycom): three in each target

language, alternating the language of the debate each

time. In total the students participated in 3 debates in

the foreign languages and 3 in their native language.

Each video-debate had a time limit of 50 minutes

total (the class time of the U.S. institution) and had

the following structure. Six participants on each side

were given 4 minutes each to provide the arguments

in favor or against a particular claim. The minutes

were distributed in the manner so as to have the first

minute to present the argument, the second and the

third minute to answer on-the-spot questions from

the opposite side, and the fourth minute to conclude

the argument. Each student from the opposite side

had to pose at least one question during the debate

round. This rule specifically tackled the issue of

critical evaluation of the presented arguments.

4.1.3 Objectives

The main objectives of the project included the

following: 1) to increase foreign language

proficiency; 2) to learn communication patterns

specific to the target culture; and 3) to master

efficient argumentation and reasoning. All three

objectives were united by a meta-goal of fostering

critical thinking in foreign language acquisition.

4.2 Content Design

The content of the project was designed so as to

meet the intellectual needs of the students.

Researchers of debate pedagogy note that proper

topic selection is key: It cannot be too vague or too

general (Hansen, 2007). Thus, the choice of debate

topics was done through a survey in which the

students had to pick those topics that they found

engaging. The short-list offered to the students

included the topical issues relevant to both countries

– Russia and the U.S.A. For instance, the students

had to debate such claims as ‘Economic growth

should not be carried out at the cost of the

environment’ and ‘Foreign governments are justified

in interfering in domestic affairs of sovereign

countries.’

As a scaffolding tool, the students were provided

with the articles in respective fields in the foreign

languages along with the list of topical vocabulary

and speech patterns to frame the debate. The aims of

the articles consisted in introducing the students into

VIDEO-CONFERENCEDEBATES-APlatformforCriticalThinkingwithinForeignLanguageAcquisition

the issue, equipping them with the vocabulary and

appropriate language constructions to the discussion

of the topic and stimulating further research which

would result in constructing their own arguments

and proving them with valid support.

4.3 The Benefits of Technology

The synchronous video-conferencing technology

used in the project (Polycom) brought about the

following benefits of a multi-cultural environment.

First, the students on the two sides of the ocean

got an opportunity to practice the language with the

native speakers of the target language, which would

not have been possible without such platform.

Namely, not only did it allow observing the correct

usage of grammar and vocabulary, along with

checking the right pronunciation of the key

vocabulary but also it provided for observing speech

pragmatics in practice. The differences between the

Russian and the American styles of debate were

clearly seen in the students’ interaction, which

facilitated finding common ground and adapting to

the culturally-rooted communication differences.

Second, synchronous interaction encouraged

instant negotiation of meaning and immediate self-

correction in case of an error. The on-going dialogue

also contributed to practicing spontaneous speech

and questioning the opponent’s position through

posing questions and requesting clarification in case

of fallacies in reasoning. The immediate peer-

reviewing and peer-correction by prompting the

right answers through the questions facilitated the

cross-cultural dialogue.

Finally, the use of video-recording of the debate

provided an opportunity for self-reflection and self-

criticism. Each student was assigned to submit

feedback on their own performance in the written

form highlighting their strong and weak points

displayed during the debate round.

All in all, the video-conference debate created a

platform for building language and reasoning skills

along with fostering cross-cultural understanding.

5 CONCLUSIONS

Anticipated results of the World Debate project

conducted in the form of video-conference debates

revolve around measuring the students’ progress in

critical thinking reflected in the use appropriate

language tools and culturally-rooted discussion

patterns to negotiate the meaning through a

logically-built argumentation and reasoning. Yet, on

the level of implementation already, it can be

observed that the format of debate can promote

critical thinking in foreign language acquisition

under the following conditions: 1) creation of multi-

cultural environment, 2) appropriate content design,

3) initial scaffolding in terms of language and

reasoning. Since the video-conferencing plays a vital

role in bridging the gap between native and non-

native speakers bringing them together in a

synchronous virtual classroom, we can conclude that

new technologies in education facilitate the

successful implementation of critical thinking and

enhance the pedagogy of foreign language

acquisition.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The author would like to thank Dr. Newel Anthony

Brown and his students from Brigham Young

University in Utah, U.S.A. for making this project

possible.

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VIDEO-CONFERENCEDEBATES-APlatformforCriticalThinkingwithinForeignLanguageAcquisition