The article reveals the development of critical reading skills of master's students of the specialty 7M01712 - ‘Preparation of teachers of foreign languages’. The article emphasizes the importance of using lecture texts in the educational process to prepare master's students for professional activities. Effective use of professional texts in the classroom contributes to the improvement of scientific and professional speech and communicative competence of master's students, which in turn provides the optimal use of various methods of critical analysis in their future professional activities. Special attention is paid to the development of independent thinking skills, search, analysis, systematization, structuring and communication of information.The author identifies three stages of critical reading development. The author also suggests types of questions that promote the development of this type of reading, as well as the ability to identify contradictions and types of structures present in a text and to argue one's point of view based not only on logic, but also on the ideas of the interlocutor. The use of various methods and tools of critical reading technology at the stage of challenge, at the stage of reflection and at the stage of analysis is described. Methodological recommendations on mastering the technology of critical reading are intended for teachers of a foreign language, but can be useful for teachers of other subjects, since the technology of critical reading development belongs to the interdisciplinary modern educational technologies. The article presents practical experience of using some techniques of critical reading technology on the example of the special course “Cognitive linguocultural methodological foundations”.