The effect of teaching critical thinking skills on the advanced learners of English at the University of Basra

الملخص EN

The paper investigates the unavoidable importance of fostering critical thinking skills in the teaching of essay writing for the third year university students.

A great emphasis is placed on improving the CT skills of the students by incorporating Richard Paul's elements and standards of reasoning into college classrooms.

On this basis, this action-based study includes essays on different topics : violence on TV, Iraqi constitution premise.

Garbage problem, and the value of human life.

The students were found completely undeveloped during the assessment of their writing in the five areas in writing : clarity of writing, analysis of author's argument, use of supporting information, organization, and grammar and syntax.

They were of different group levels: high, mid and low.

However, after focused critical thinking training, students were identified as good essay developers in all the above mentioned areas.

What is suggested here is to incorporate seriously the CT skills and strategies into college classrooms standards-based curriculum so that students can develop better thinking in all course materials.

This study presents a general overview of the concept 'critical thinking', its importance to college students in education and life, under the three realms of questioning : the what, the how and the why.

Moreover, the paper offers a historical background and basically a thorough understanding of the new concepts and terminologies of the very term.

Most importantly how critical thinking is connected with teaching and learning will be the interest of this paper.

What Stakes at all purposes is the fostering of the CT skills into college classrooms.

And examines how effective the CT skills are in the teaching in general and in teaching essay writing in particular in the five above mentioned areas.

The : esults arrived at in this paper reveals much of the students' power of mines at the college of Arts/Department of English and their thinking abilities in comprehending the secrets of the power of writing through what is en I led thought-stimulating types of questions process.

What follows up is the complete research plan adopted for this study.

This paper is an adoption of the research studies done by Gregory Bass ham et al (2008) Critical Thinking: A Students Introduction, and Mathew Allen (2004) Smart Thinking : Skills for Critical Understanding and Writing.

I am greatly indebted to the critical thinking foundation, especially to Dr.

Richard Paul and Lind Elder and some members for their continued moral support, materials and books via DHL.

Also, special thanks are due to Dr.

Majored Al-Mashta and Dr.

Stephan Breidbach for their guidance, reviews and prompt replies.