Critical Thinking Development of Foreign Language Teachers Through Digital Literacy Training

Digitalization and global technology use have increased expectations for language teachers, making digital literacy and adaptability crucial for their competence in education. Based on this, the research aims to investigate ways of using digital literacy as a tool for improving the critical thinking skills of foreign language teachers. The analysis, synthesis, comparison, deduction, and generalisation methods were used. The professional development of foreign language teachers was found to involve the improvement of their competence and individual skills, in particular critical thinking. The importance of digital literacy for a teacher in the modern teaching process was revealed in the paper. The challenges faced by a teacher-educator in the course of professional activity were also investigated. It was found that the competitiveness and effectiveness of the professional activity of a modern teacher depend on the development of digital literacy. The study created a digital literacy module to enhance educators’ critical thinking skills by teaching them about digital technologies. This revealed the pivotal role of critical thinking in teaching, portraying digital literacy as a solution to contemporary pedagogical challenges. The findings are useful to use in organising activities to improve teachers’ professional competence, critical thinking, and digital literacy in Kyrgyzstan.