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61CASE STUDY METHOD IN TEACHING EFL AT HIGH SCHOOL
Jadmenova D.,
second-year postgraduate University of International Business Almaty, Kazakhstan Tsay Y.
candidate of pedagogical sciences, docent University of International Business Almaty, Kazakhstan
Abstract
The article examines case studies as the integrative method of teaching a foreign language and describes the experience of using this method in learning English. The study reveals the features of case study method as a part of the independent educational work of students and a factor in increasing motivation. The authors analyze types of cases, stages of working with it and give practical recommendations of using the case study method in EFL classes.
Keywords: teaching methods, case studies, experience, foreign language.
The most urgent problem in teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) to high school students is the selection of the content of the language material, as well as teaching methods. Teaching methods for students of senior school age should contribute to the development of communication skills, broadening their horizons, the development of independent, search activities, an increase in the level of subject competence, interest in the research material. One of the interactive learning tools for EFL is the method of case study.
In teacher education, case study is a motivating, student-centered approach in which theoretical models and concepts are illustrated through their application to practical situations. Participation in case studies fosters active engagement, participation and critical thinking among participants. Case studies "can be used in any discipline when instructors want students to explore how what they have learned applies to real world situations.. .[and] require students to answer an open-ended question or develop a solution to an openended problem with multiple potential solutions". [1] Although the case method is very popular in the West, this technology is rather new for Kazakhstani school system.
A case is an event that occurred in a particular field of activity and described by the author in order to facilitate discussion, analysis of the situation and decisionmaking. The case method is a technique of active learning, which consists in using specific learning situations in organizing the learning process, aimed at formulating a problem and searching for options to solve it followed by analysis in training sessions. The case should include a specific situation (case, problem, real life story), context of the situation (chronological, historical, context of the place), commentary on the situation presented by the author, questions or tasks for working with the case. Applications can also accompany the case.
Researchers identify the following types of cases:
1. Practical cases, which are real life situations, reflected in detail in the educational process. Their educational purpose is to consolidate the knowledge,
skills, and behavioral (decision-making) skills of students in a given situation.
2. Educational cases reflecting typical situations that are most frequent in life. The situation in this type of cases is not real (I am what it could be in life).
3. Research cases that serve as models for gaining new knowledge about the situation and behavior in it. In the specified form of cases, the teaching function is reduced to research procedures.
Yu.P. Surmin notes that the most important feature of the case method in teaching is to increase the effectiveness of the teacher's activities, since the use of case technologies in teaching allows not only realizing one's abilities, but also developing them. The scientist believes that in the process of working according to the case method, there is a unity of the main functions of the teacher's activity: educating, teaching, organizing, research. [2, p. 79]
The case method can be successfully used in foreign language classes, since this method allows to develop all types of speech activity: reading, speaking, writing and listening. Students have a real opportunity to communicate in a foreign language in the process of interacting with other group members and the teacher. It is admitted that the case studies are more effective when they are presented sequentially, so that students receive additional information depending on the situation unfolds and can continue to analyze or criticize the situation or the problem. [3]
At the same time, the success of the case method depends on three main components: the quality of the case, which should be as clear and detailed as possible, the preparedness of the students and the readiness of the teacher to organize work with the case and conduct a discussion.
Let us consider the authors' experience of teaching EFL using the case method. The topic of the lesson is «City life - country life?». This lesson is designed to be conducted in the 9th grade of a secondary school, 2 academic hours. The type of the case is practical. The teacher needed to identify the problematic aspect of the lesson «Living in the city or in the country». A few days
before the lesson, the students were explained the problem area, and proposed the lesson would be conducted in the case-study mode. The class was divided into several small subgroups (4-6 people) and each subgroup was assigned a task to conduct a social survey on the topic "What is better: life in the city or in the countryside?". The teams should compile a comparative table of the advantages and disadvantages of living in the city or the countryside, supporting their reasoning with the examples of people who chose life in the city or in the countryside. Since the level of language training for all students was different, it was advisable to give the study of the case materials as a homework.
The case study was preceded by activities on the topic vocabulary and grammar, which were designed to make the discussions more fruitful and to help the participants clearly express their thoughts to convince the interlocutor or several members of the group that they were right. The students were offered a case, which contained information on how to conduct a social survey, how to compile a comparative table of the advantages and disadvantages of living in the city and in the countryside, a video «City life or country life». The proposed case had the following content:
1. A social survey on the topic "What is better: life in the city or in the countryside?"
2. http ://www.bryk.pl/wypracowania/j £zyki/an-gielski/16518 -advantages_and_disadvantages_of_liv-ing_in_a_city_and_in_the_countryside.html — comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of living in the city and in the countryside.
3. The article «City life and country life». https://www.comparemymove.com/blog/your-move/city-life-vs-country-life
4. The article «Problems of city and country life». https://in2english.net/2018/03/29/problems-of-sity-and-sountry-life/
5. A video «City or country life. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=belx2eExprU
Based on the application of the case study method, the following learning technology by the case study was derived. The teacher's activity before the start of the lesson involved the development of a case, determining the list of literature necessary for mastering the educational topic, thinking through the lesson scenario; during the lesson - organizing a preliminary discussion of the content of the case, leading group work, organizing a final discussion. The activity of students before the start of the lesson was to receive a case, study the literature, self-preparation.
During the lesson students studied additional information, presented and defended their own versions of solving the problem, listened to and argued the points of view of other participants. One performer
from each team (team leader) gave the message. Then others spoke up, shared opinions, asked questions, whereas the opposite side disputed their opinion. The teacher questioned both groups, guided the students during the discussion. As a result, the students summarized and substantiated the main ideas, coming to a common conclusion.
If any of the team remains unconvinced, the teacher summarizes the discussion on the given topic. Testing students communicative abilities during the discussion gives each participant an opportunity to discover their weaknesses and stimulates the desire to work towards improving knowledge of the language and its use in speech.
Experimental work on using the case studies method in teaching the English language to high school students showed the positive results. Students mastered both the methods of data collection and analysis, acquired skills to work in a team. Case study performance developed learners' reading skills, improved the level of speaking skills and increased information processing skills. As part of the research, we have developed and proposed the following case study topics for the use in EFL classrooms: study abroad; modern artists; digital technologies, etc.
It can be concluded that the case method allows students to activate theoretical knowledge and practical experience, develop the ability to express thoughts, ideas, suggestions, see an alternative point of view and argue their own. At the same time, learners show improved analytical and evaluative skills and willingness to work in a team that promote an understanding of the ambiguity of solving problems in real life.
The use of the case method requires more time from the teacher to prepare for the creation of the case since significant difficulty consists in the lack of educational and methodological literature. However, this method brings great satisfaction to both the teacher and the student at the sight of high performance results.
References
1. Using Case Studies to Teach. Boston University Center for Excellence & Innovation in Teaching: 2013. Available from: https://www.bu.edu/ctl/teach-ing-resources/using-case-studies-to-teach/ [Accessed 24th March, 2021].
2. Yu.P. Surmina. Situational analysis, or anatomy of the case method. Kiev: Center for Innovation and Development; 2002. [Published in Russian].
3. The Herriet W. Sheridan. Center for Teaching Learning; 2014. http://www.brown.edu/about/admin-istration/sheridan-center/teaching-learning/effec-tiveclassroom-practices/case-studies [Accessed 24th March 2021].
