USING BLOOM’S REVISED TAXONOMY TO DEVELOP DIGITAL LITERACIES IN THE ESP CLASSROOM

Abstract

The article explores some issues to be considered when integrating new technologies into English for Specific Purposes (ESP) learning. The main focus is on the challenges that ESP practitioners face in the context of a multilingual digital Europe. In confronting such problems as changing roles for students and teachers, the spread of English as a medium of instruction and increased emphasis on the subject content in the language classroom, it is necessary for ESP teachers to embrace innovation and develop strategies to improve students’ learning. To benefit from the use of technology, ESP teachers need to concentrate on those aspects which digital knowledge and skills share with traditional literacies. When essential elements of digital literacies are singled out, it becomes possible to employ their full potential for creating a technology enhanced learning environment. This research suggests doing it by drawing upon the Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. The framework, in this case, is used to check that goals falling within different categories of the cognitive domain of learning are aligned with technology-supported instruction delivery methods. While designing instructional techniques, we heavily rely on the idea of scaffolding in the form of visual aids for enabling learners to build on prior knowledge and internalize new concepts. As practical examples show, development of digital literacies proves not only to be compatible with formation of professional intercultural communicative competence but also providing means for activating the most complex cognitive processes of conceptual understanding, critical thinking, decision making, creation and metacognition. The findings may be useful in preparing instructional activities with the help of technological tools to support ESP teaching and learning.