Critical Thinking and Inclusivity in Teaching English to Teenagers

In today's increasingly interconnected world, teaching English to teenagers is about more than language skills: it's about helping teenager to think critically and inclusively. The classroom should be a space where young minds are encouraged to question, analyze, and empathize, fostering skills that will serve them well beyond their school years. Let’s explore the significance of critical thinking and inclusivity in English education and how these elements can transform the learning experience for teenagers.

Inclusivity is a key aspect of education today. In a world that is changing rapidly, equipping our students with the best tools to navigate the world means embracing diversity and fostering inclusion. Inclusion starts with critical thinking, and this is not merely a cognitive skill. It means understanding the world around us from different perspectives and connecting through empathy with views that may differ dramatically from ours.

Critical thinking is the ability to analyze information objectively and make reasoned judgments. It involves evaluating sources, recognizing biases, synthesizing information, and making informed decisions. For teenagers, developing these skills is crucial as they navigate a world filled with information from various sources, including social media, news outlets, and academic texts.

In our accompanying videos and "3 Tips," you will find practical tools to help students develop the capacity to think beyond and more deeply and ideas on how to foster empathy and connection.

Inclusivity in education means creating an environment where all students feel valued, respected, and supported, regardless of their background, abilities, or identities. An inclusive classroom recognizes and celebrates diversity, providing equal opportunities for all students to succeed. As English teachers, we have always shown a cutting-edge approach in our views of the world as a globalized arena. Now is the time to help our students really understand the power of empathy and of embracing differences.

Teaching English through a diversity lens starts with ourselves. As a teacher, have you asked yourself how many tokens of openness, curiosity, acceptance, and belonging you offer your students? What is your own relationship with embracing different views?

• Building a Supportive Learning Environment: An inclusive classroom fosters a sense of belonging, where students feel safe to express themselves without fear of judgment. This supportive environment is essential for encouraging active participation and engagement in learning activities. Make sure your students feel seen and heard. That’s the underlying principle to creating a nurturing learning environment.
• Reflecting Diverse Perspectives: Incorporating diverse texts and materials in the curriculum allows students to see themselves reflected in what they are learning. It also exposes them to different cultures, experiences, and viewpoints, broadening their understanding of the world. In our "Friends Connected" series, you will find plenty of opportunities to do this, already mapped to the English language objectives.
• Addressing Bias and Stereotypes: Inclusivity involves actively challenging biases and stereotypes that may arise in the classroom. By promoting respectful dialogue and critical examination of prejudices, teachers can help students develop a more inclusive and equitable mindset. Don’t be scared when students challenge views, even if they are your own. Embrace every single emerging opportunity to teach your students about biases, how they work, and how together we can create mitigating strategies.
• Enhancing Social and Emotional Skills: Inclusive education emphasizes empathy, respect, and collaboration. These social and emotional skills are crucial for building positive relationships and creating a cohesive classroom community. Critical thinking and inclusivity both require a high level of emotional regulation, one of the key aspects of emotional literacy. So every time a conflict arises in the classroom, someone feels bad, or an emotional gap is identified, take the opportunity to address it and to talk about the importance of emotions and how they shape who we are.

As teachers, we all want to play a beneficial role in raising teenagers who know how to use their inner compass to think critically in an inclusive way. And for that, we need to understand that "thinking" goes beyond cognitive skills: it is an interwoven matrix of emotional, social, and cognitive capacities. Helping our students develop this skillset becomes essential in a world that develops a higher sensitivity towards inclusion each day.

Dr. Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, a worldwide specialist on Affective and Social Neuroscience, emphasizes the concept that the experiences of thinking and of feeling help us build knowledge.[1] This is especially true for today’s teenagers, where we constantly have to offer them "meaning" if we really want to engage them and boost their motivation. As teachers, we need to constantly find ways to make the world meaningful for our students as a source of intrinsic motivation. They will learn whatever is important to them, so we need to create salience in what we teach. Make it meaningful. Make it memorable.

[1] Immordino-Yang, M. H. (2015). Emotions, learning, and the brain: Exploring the educational implications of affective neuroscience. W.W. Norton & Company.

In my classes with teenagers, I have implemented for more than 10 years a simple technique I call "Take a Leap into Their World".

Today’s teenagers are extremely well-informed. They are not easily swayed by information alone. If we really want to help your students engage with the teaching and learning process, becoming agents in the process of language acquisition, we must offer them very good reasons to learn. Mary Helen Immordino-Yang calls this the salience network activation.

As teachers, we need to become expert crafters of meaning for them, showing the hidden connections between what we want to teach and what ignites their passion. And for that, we must first get to know our students deeply. We need to become detectives searching for clues as to what matters to them (not to us as teachers and adults) and more specifically why they feel passionate about those things. What makes meaning for them? What is salient, important, worth fighting for?

So, here comes the million-dollar question: how well do you know your students? How much do you know about each of them: their passions, their causes, their motivations, the hidden strings that move their world?

The invitation is simple yet challenging: Get to know your students. Take a leap into their world. Be authentically curious. Therein lies the hidden treasure: the information to make whatever you want to teach them meaningful within their universes.

Before moving on to practical tools, let’s look at two powerful drivers: Openness and Curiosity. Even if you can’t apply any of the ideas shared in the videos or below in this post, make sure you always invite students to approach activities and new knowledge with a curious mind. Inclusivity is about fighting bias, and biases are natural for humans since they are simplifications the brain makes to understand the complex world around us. The problem with these simplifications is that they are partial views of reality. Asking ourselves better questions about how we perceive the world is something that should be taught at all levels of education. It is through openness and curiosity that we get to think more deeply and critically about the world.

Useful Strategies:

1. Socratic Questioning: Encourage students to engage in Socratic questioning, a method that involves asking and answering questions to stimulate critical thinking and draw out underlying assumptions. This technique helps students explore complex ideas and develop a deeper understanding of texts. If you are using the "Friends Connected" series, use the "Be a Friend" section to spark deeper reflections. Set a reasonable amount of time for debates and discussions, using prompt questions based on your students' passions. This way, you will be connecting these great ideas in the book with their own personal realities.

2. Problem-Based Learning: Incorporate problem-based learning activities that challenge students to solve real-world problems. This approach encourages them to apply critical thinking skills to practical situations, enhancing their ability to think logically and creatively.

3. Inclusive Language Practices: Use inclusive language in teaching materials and classroom interactions. Avoid stereotypes and biases, and encourage students to do the same. This practice helps create a respectful and supportive learning environment.

4. Cultural Competence Training: Provide cultural competence training for students to ensure they are equipped to address the diverse needs of their peers. This training can help students create more inclusive lesson plans and foster a culturally responsive classroom. In the "Friends Connected" series, you can use the "Think Critically" sections and projects to expand views and horizons on the importance of cultural competence.

The integration of critical thinking and inclusivity in teaching English to teenagers is not just beneficial—it is essential. These elements transform the learning experience, making it richer, more engaging, and more meaningful. Together, these elements prepare students not only to succeed academically but also to become thoughtful, empathetic, and responsible global citizens. As educators, it is our responsibility to embrace and implement these practices, ensuring that our classrooms are places of growth, understanding, and unity.

Discover 3 simple, low-prep activities with Usoa Sol to boost your students' critical thinking skills. Watch now!