CRITICAL THINKING IN THE CONTEXT OF ELT CLASSROOM: DEFINING THE NOTION AND DEVELOPING THE SKILL

Abstract

While approaching things critically appears to be an innate ability, the skill of critical thinking is the one to be developed and honed in current educational settings. ELT classroom is not an exception as in a globalized world the fact becomes obvious that proficiency in a foreign language does not particularly pave the way for the unqualified success in business or academic background. A great number of skills are needed in order to employ one’s linguistic competence in the way which will yield long-term benefits for a future professional. Involving multiple intelligences, critical thinking is indicative of successful intellectuals and particularly sought after in the workplace. The paper addresses some ways to seamlessly incorporate teaching critical thinking into the process of foreign language instruction. The case of teaching the English language to the students of MGIMO University considered, the authors seek to provide an answer to the question of how to engage learners in critical thinking activities and hone the skill to facilitate its further use in practice. Regarding some obstacles to acquisition of critical thinking skills, the paper concludes by providing a number of practical recommendations on teaching and learning them in universities.