ABSTRACT
Critical thinking (CT) has gained increasing popularity in English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching field. Many non-English speaking countries have included CT in their updated foreign language syllabus. Its implementation, however, remains a challenge to practitioners. During last decade in China, ongoing discussions have been focused on pedagogical feasibilities of integrating teaching CT into EFL classes. This chapter, therefore, evaluates an innovative integration of teaching CT to align with tasks in a reading and writing course targeted at English majors in a Chinese university. Paul & Elder's (2006) CT framework was used as the main teaching materials, and a four-phase teaching model and other engagement tools were designed guided by Vygotsky's concept of mediation. Findings from pre- and post-writing tests, questionnaires, and interviews suggest that this integration made positive impact on students' conceptualization of CT, their awareness and application of CT to writing, and their CT and writing competence.
