Critical thinking is one of the key 21st century skills, but is it the role of the teacher to develop those skills alongside English language learning? In my talk I’ll address this question by considering how teachers might use higher order thinking activities to enhance their lesson planning and materials design. We’ll also see how critical thinking in the language classroom demands more from the learner but in doing so makes their language learning a much more rewarding experience.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
John Hughes is a teacher, teacher trainer and course book author. He has worked in ELT since 1992 and managed departments of Business English and Teacher Training. He currently combines a variety of roles including part-time teaching, running online training courses, and lecturing on ELT methodology at Oxford University in the summer. He has written many books with National Geographic Learning including the six-level general English course series called Life and World English Third Edition. He lives near Oxford and is a contributor to the National Geographic Learning In Focus Blog. His website is www.johnhugheselt.com