Enhancing critical thinking through English

Abstract

The task-based design project aimed to create a stress-free and fun English learning environment for young learners to develop their critical thinking skills, creativity and stimulate natural curiosity through different tasks. The students had a chance to improve both their receptive and productive skills. The course was piloted in the Experimental English Classes (EEC). Seven weeks course was implemented with elementary level students ageing from ten to thirteen years old. The course book consisted of eight units including various types of activities organized around most common topics such as mathematics, animals, clothes, sights in the town, profession, seasons, etc. During the course, the students had two poster presentations. The role-plays and problem-solving tasks were chosen in order to assess a wide range of sub-skills needed for critical thinking. Although the main emphasis of the course project was to enhance learners’ critical thinking skills through English, the course aimed to help learners to enlarge their English language vocabulary and grammar skills through both revision and learning. The results showed that the learners successfully met the goals and objectives of the course showing significant improvement in terms of their motivation for learning English and critical thinking skills.