Integrating Critical Thinking into Digital Connectivism Theory: Omani Pre-service Teacher Development

Abstract

The current study implements digital connectivism theory within an English language teaching (ELT) program—specifically for pre-service teachers—in order to evaluate teachers’ ability to generate teaching activities with Bloom’s taxonomy. Connectivism theory emphasizes the principle of connecting students in a network of cognitive processes which in turn can allow the transfer of information; yet it is unclear what students do if they were asked to evaluate, synthesize and analyse (the three higher order skills of Bloom's taxonomy) in connectivism learning approach. The methodology of the study is a case study conducted by means of clustered sampling on 54 teachers, who collaborated in 18 groups and were distributed between ten schools in one district of Oman. The participants were involved in critical thinking training, generating reflections, group discussions, and filling in a checklist. The results indicate a strong need for conceptualizing the principles of connectivism theory to provide a guideline for teachers and students. It is then concluded that the concept of mental “knowledge” is expanded when integrating connectivism and Bloom’s taxonomy in the ELT field. The study proposes pedagogical implications for ELT programs.