Critical Thinking Development in the ESP Course for Engineering Students Based on Bloom’s Taxonomy

Abstract

This paper discusses the importance of critical thinking within the ESP engineering course, and it shows possibilities for improving knowledge practice and skills, as well as for developing students’ communicative abilities. In this regard, and as for the needs of students, the author has applied Bloom’s taxonomy of critical thinking in order to develop students’ ability to think and apply it in a specific professional (engineering) context. By the end of the course students should be able to provide an overview of the engineering field, apply knowledge to real life situations, ask questions and seek answers about a particular topic, develop engineering communication skills, communicate effectively, orally (speaking and listening) and in written form (writing and reading), work collaboratively with their classmates in order to maximize their own learning, and develop critical thinking skills (understand, analyze and interpret related information).