Students' perceptions of learning reading english throughout incorporating the six thinking hats into the topic of addiction

Units of the study ……………………………………………………………. Methodology …………………………………………………………………. Findings ………………………………………………………………………. Discussion and Conclusion………………………………………………………. Bibliography …………………………………………………………………. The topic of addiction is considered very important because when it controls someone, it may control the way he thinks or behaves. Also, I believe that students would be interested to learn such a topic which will help them understand and cooperate, in a better way. Moreover, examining students’ perception of learning reading is very important since reading helps to improve the communication and language skills, in addition to different other skills. Literature Review Passive, or perhaps, typical learning is not effective for our era anymore. The development of learning skills, critical thinking, and other important skills during the learning process are mainly achieved through active learning. During the reading process students can apply critical thinking to ensure they synthesize the information presented to them.

Critical thinking is a reflective process that should be applied by teachers in the process of teaching. It leads to active participation in class activities and allows students to be introspective when dealing with situation discussed in the classroom. It also involves standards by which one is able to measure the criteria of their thinking (Akyol, 2017). The use of evidence to support claims allows one to measure whether or not an assertion is accurate. indicates that such skills are essentials for higher order problem-solving thinking, therefore, it involves the ability to use our minds to achieve our goals. Thus, in order to help students be deep thinkers, better problem-solvers, reasonable decision makers, and skilled evaluators, teachers must find ways that develops these skills in their students (Paul, R. Elder, 2019). In this regard, Limbach, & Waugh (2010), state that it is essential for a teacher to identify the learning objectives that are inclined towards value addition to the students, and that require students to demonstrate a higher degree of learning through assessments and activities.

Thinking Hats: The six thinking hats approach was invented by Edward de Bono in early 1980s. Each usage of the six Thinking Hats is distinguished by a different color. Serrat (2017) explained about the use of both white and red hats stating that the white hat was meant to represent information whereas the red hat represented the opportunity for expression (Dhanapal, 2014). De Bono (1999) continues about the rest claiming just as the sun shines brightly, the yellow hat symbolizes the positive points, whereas the black hat which is the negative hat, involves detecting problems and critical judgement. Then there is the green and blue hat which focuses on creativity and manages the thinking process. Applying the Six Hats in the classroom: Each hat is focused and puts all students in the same direction of thinking.

Nonetheless, they should understand that reading is an interactive process that involves inferring, learning, and comprehension of information. Good reading skills are achieved through setting specific goals during a reading session, as such, good readers have a purpose for reading. One strategy for improving comprehension is predicting, which helps the reader set a purpose for their reading (Rizvi, 2011). Research has shown that good readers use their experiences and knowledge to make predictions and formulate ideas as they read. Moreover, poor readers having reading difficulties as a result of a lack of skills such as perceiving the unity of meaning, using strategies and connecting prior knowledge to new information; hence, they experience reading difficulties (Rizvi, 2017) Units of Study This paper includes a unit of study that contains five lesson plans that highlight the use of the six thinking hats by touching on the topic of addiction.

In this lesson the students are encouraged to think outside the box; put the six thinking hats in front of them, and make a poster that refers to each hat. The information provided will be in regard to yet addiction, since the posters will be turned into a message for the mayor to emphasis the severity of addiction. Students have to connect the hat to the idea they represent while working in groups to express more ideas and be more creative. All these things help students to look at things from a different perspective and think differently. The fourth and fifth lessons are mainly for the students to practice and express their understanding about the six thinking hats. The unit of study included five lessons plans that deal with the topic of addiction and focus on the area of reading.

The units of study were designed for seventh graders students. The teaching learning process was held in a private English center in the Nazareth called Pencil. The students were seated in a classroom where they applied the tool of the six thinking hats in a teaching learning process. After the teaching-learning process was carried out in the study, students’ opinions related to teaching-learning process using six thinking hats technique were held in open-ended questions interview. The first category deals with students. It consists of two subcategories: the participation of the students in the class and their motivation. The second category focuses on the classroom atmosphere which also consists of two subcategories: the social and the physical climate of the classroom. The last category is about the six thinking hats method. This category consists of two subcategories: the advantages and disadvantages of learning using this technique.

Students started to think differently and analyze everything according to different criteria. They not only learnt about expressing themselves, but also actively applied it in the project. Achievement: The use of the tool, the six thinking hats, in the lesson helped students improve their participation and achieve more in the classroom. The topic, addiction, which was much related to the students, enhanced students’ way of retrieving things. One student said that “learning about different types of addiction made me think twice about my actions”. This eventually helps in the learning process so that students can benefit more from learning. Physical climate: The small number of students and the way the students were seated raised the students' interaction to the lesson. One student said that: "The lessons included a small number of pupils, seven girls and two boys which made the lesson more interactive and enjoyable".

Other student claimed that: "The small number of students made the lesson more understandable. Moreover, one student said "I liked the lesson since it included a small number of students". For example, one student said that: "This method consumed a lot of time. It needs the teacher to be patient and demands lots of order". Other student stated that "sometimes we needed more time to finish a given task". Moreover, one student reported that: "Sometimes different perspectives lead to conflicts between colleagues since each one of us has his own perspective and his own point of view". Similarly, one student had shown fears in making decisions. Therefore, according to the findings, it can be concluded that students stand for the idea of learning reading in English using the six thinking hats method because it can improve learning and teaching process.

Additionally, students support learning English using the six thinking hats because it leads to a higher level of critical thinking, encourages communication, gives chances to work collaboratively, and allows learners to participate without fear. Students in this study have answered the interviews questions, however, most of their answers were similar and they repeated the same things. According to the findings, students have shown a positive attitude towards the tool of six thinking hats. They believe that the tool can affect their achievement in a better way since it gives the chance to think more critically and, for sure, differently; it improves communication, solving problems, and decision making. However, as the students adjust to the thinking process they begin to think more quickly. Conclusion: As a teacher, I think the six thinking hats tool has to be used in every class; especially when teaching a new topic which relates to the students because it does not only focus on the learned topic itself, but also on the personality of the students.

It helps students to look at things from a different perspective, and express themselves freely in any topic given. Moreover, this method creates a beneficial classroom atmosphere since it gives the students the chance to communicate and participate positively with their colleagues. In addition, it increases students’ achievements and participation on the classroom. Kuruyer, H. G. A study on the development of reading skills of the students having difficulty in reading: enrichment reading program.  International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 6(2), 199-212. Cioffi, J.  Journal of English Language and Literature, 1(3), 82-92. Hmelo, C. E. Ferrari, M. The problem-based learning tutorial: Cultivating higher order thinking skills. Clark, L. M. Raines, J. M. Engaging students in critical thinking and problem solving: A brief review of the literature. A. Bilal, M. Ghaffar, A. Asdaque, M.

APPLICATION OF SIX THINKING HATS IN EDUCATION. APPENDIX 1 UNITS OF STUDY Lesson Plan no. Process Description Topic Addiction Objectives SWBAT • brainstorm the term addiction: students should say what comes to their minds when they hear this word • express themselves and share information about addiction. • write their opinion about the short video they have seen. • find the problem. • Suggest/ think of/ write solutions for the given problem. • express themselves freely. Thinking Process & Thinking strategy • Creative thinking • Looking at things from different perspectives. Subject Matter Content • Developing the skills of speaking. • Expanding the students' knowledge about addiction, its consequences and solutions. • Using the six thinking hats in different situations. Lesson plan 3 Process Description Topic addiction and six thinking hats Objectives SWBAT • express themselves and share information about their opinion about the topic • improve communication through the use of the six thinking hats.

• apply the six thinking hats on a poster. • work in groups to make a poster Thinking Process & Thinking strategy • Creative thinking. • Looking at things from different perspective. Subject Matter Content • New vocabulary • Developing speaking skills. • Being in the shoes of others. Subject Matter Content • Looking for information through a given issue. Learning environment: (class, computers room, library) • Class Opening • Asking the students to choose a hat and put it on. Learners will work in pairs in order to brainstorm a list of words, phrases and expressions that describe them when they are wearing the hat. Activities & mode of interaction The activity involves the whole class. What do you think about this learning method? How do you feel about it? How is it different from traditional learning? Elaborate. What would you do differently, or add to the learning of this unit? Explain.

What are, in your opinion, the advantages and disadvantages of learning in this way? Please explain. Specific Questions 6. Please explain the process of ______________. • V 3 "The small number of students made the lesson more understandable". • V 4 "This way of thinking does not disturb me since it is always in change". • V 5 "I was very encouraged to ask and answer". • V 6 "The positive interaction between the students and the teacher made the learning process much better". • V 7 "The way that we were seated in created a positive interaction between the students". • V 18 "This method made me think more logically". • V 19 "In the lessons that we have learnt, I felt that I am more motivated and more confident". • V 20 "This method helped me to communicate more with my new colleagues". • V 21 "Thinking hats make the lesson more interested and enjoyable".

• V 22 "I felt that my language learning had improved". V • 33 "It includes a small number of students". • V 34 "six thinking hats has a positive impact in teaching". • V 35 "I gained new material and specifically new vocabulary". • V 36 "This method made me think more positively". V • 37 "This method demands lots of orders". V • 49 "smaller classrooms make students stay and focus much better on given tasks". • V 50 "I think that the method of six thinking hats can break the usual routine in schools" • V.