Students who religiously attend tutorial centres undoubtedly dedicate their hearts and souls into excelling academically. The academic ritual of investing their precious hours in tutorial centres to polish their English skills is culturally ubiquitous in the Hong Kong scene, and because of this ritual, many students rightfully bear the fruits of their labour. However, what we see on their report cards might not entirely reflect their social competence; with the pedagogical culture of exam-oriented curricula, Hong Kong students are mostly accustomed to acquiring academic skills without the necessary pursuit of developing critical thinking skills. 

Initiating and participating in classroom discussions comes with an eager awareness that developing critical thinking through classroom discussions is an empowering act to enhance social competence by willingly stepping outside of the comfort zone. The pursuit of critical thinking is a long, steady pathway to developing and practicing social competence skills: conflict resolution, communication, active listening, team building, intrapersonal and interpersonal skills, self-efficacy, empathy, cultural sensitivity, and social awareness. When a student embodies rich social competency to navigate their world in and outside of their classroom, they become proactive and resilient in dealing with demanding challenges. Unless students are encouraged to learn the value of contributing to classroom discussions, their social competency will remain stagnant once they step out into the real world. 

To enhance critical thinking skills, students will need to start taking more initiative in their learning space. Students who take Critical Reading and Writing, and Voyage International courses at i-Learner are encouraged to actively participate in classroom discussions, so that they develop required skills to display their social competency not only in academic spaces, but also in different social scenarios as well. We do have moments when our students display reluctance in opening up during classroom engagements therefore there are simple habits they can practice in the classroom before they feel safe to engage in productive discussions.

1.         Annotating text
   Annotating text is a good start if you want to make your points clearer. Taking notes on texts you read in the class will help you to understand the text in-depth. In the process of annotating, you might come up with your opinions that you want to share with the class.
   

2.         Practice active listening
   Active listening is as equally important as speaking up in class. Listening attentively to others’ points during discussions will help you better understand diverse perspectives. You might have agreeing or disagreeing points to share right after. 

3.         Start with simple statements
   Start with simpler statements if it’s your first time participating in a discussion. You can start with stating your agreements or disagreements, then follow up with further explanations to justify your points. 

4.         Be respectful when engaging in heated discussions
   Critical thinking is not just about engaging in conversations to prove that you are right or better than your peers. It’s about wanting to exchange ideas and being curious about what others have to say on your inputs. There are moments when someone might present an opinion that challenges your core beliefs, however, instead of taking it defensively, try your best to ask more appropriate questions to understand their perspectives.