CC BY
15ПРОБЛЕМЫ ЮРИДИЧЕСКОЙ НАУКИ И ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ
PROBLEMS OF LEGAL SCIENCE AND EDUCATION
Y^K 811.111-112
DOI 10.33184/pravgos-2020.4.34
DISTANCE AND CONTACT MODES OF TEACHING THE DISCIPLINE «FOREIGN LANGUAGE FOR BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION» TO STUDENTS IN NON-LINGUISTIC UNIVERSITIES
TOKAREVA Elena Nikolayevna
Candidate of Sciences (Philology), Senior Instructor of the Chair for Foreign Languages, Ufa State Petroleum Technological University, Ufa, Russia. E-mail: [email protected]
YUSUPOVA Rozaliya Rimovna
Candidate of Sciences (Philology), Assistant Professor of the Chair of International Law and International Relations, Bashkir State University, Ufa, Russia. E-mail: [email protected]
This article examines the specifics of distance and contact training with students of engineering, technical and legal specialties. In this regard, the distinctive features of modern students as representatives of the digital generation are revealed, the concept of professional universalism is considered, the relevance of the use of information and communication technologies in the educational process of the university is determined. The article aims to consider the types of competencies developed by the discipline «Foreign language of business and professional communication», as well as to define the main models of training students, taking into account the changing formats of education. The goal and objectives of this discipline are formulated. Methods: general scientific methods of observation, experiment and modeling, and special scientific methods: descriptive and structural are used. Results: the analysis of the discipline «Foreign language of business and professional communication» in non-linguistic universities reveals the relevance of new digital competencies of participants in
176
the educational process in connection with the transition to distance education, as well as the need to change the approach to teaching this discipline. Keywords: distance learning; up-to-date information technologies; communicative competence; social and cultural competence; successful communication; communicative tasks; speech behavior; business communication; digital competencies.
The rapid development of information technologies as well as the forced transition to a self-isolation regime with unfavorable epidemiological conditions, have recently led to the active introduction of distance education tools into the system of higher education. Along with the global development of the network and the emergence of all kinds of information and communication innovations, there is a «transformation of students into the digital generation» [1, p. 27]. As the technology of knowledge transferability is changing, the perception of this knowledge by the learning audience is also changing. The speed of learning is increasing so it is reflected in the reduction of instructional time with an increase in the volume of educational information due to the use of new technologies. If previously the creation of educational content required a long systematic work, now modern technical capabilities allow you to create more quickly, save effectively and deliver instantly the educational content to the recipient of knowledge. The student's personality is also changing under the influence of the modern information environment. Perception is characterized by reliance on visual images, high attention span; operative, figurative memory prevails; comprehension is characterized by a decrease in the ability to systematize and structure information; thinking becomes «clip», that is, characterized by the speed of information processing, relying on the visual perception of short sets of theses (clips), etc. [2].
The discipline «Foreign language of business and professional communication» is taught for postgraduate students after students have already completed their main foreign language course. As a rule, at this stage of education, students are focused on the point acquisition of knowledge, the practical approach prevails and there is specificity in mastering the material. If education is conducted in an electronic, distance format, then a modern lecturer has to adapt to this form of education, to plan and to manage the class period in a different way, to place emphasis on a particular material, to formulate clearly the task requirements, to structure the content more effectively and to manage information flows. Now the quality of teaching depends not only on the pedagogical skills of a lecturer, but also on the literacy of the information presented, the sequence of information blocks, the placement of certain semantic accents, etc.
177
This transformation is inevitable, since in this format the communication between the lecturer and the student becomes mediated and is realized through a variety of technical means, the power of which also affects the quality of the presentation and processing of information.
In the context of distance education, lecturers and students develop practical skills and abilities to work with modern software, use various applications (Discord, Skype, Zoom), correspond on social networks, attach documents for general use in cloud services (Google, Yandex, etc.) etc.), work with online platforms (McMillan, Pearson) and other distance learning systems (Moodle, Blackboard).
The specificity of teaching foreign languages at a non-linguistic university consists, as a rule, in a shortened two-year program, within which it is necessary to have time to teach not only a practical course of a spoken foreign language, but also to study special terminology, techniques of scientific and technical translation and business communication in a foreign language. Today, knowledge of one or two foreign languages is no longer an outstanding achievement, but rather belongs to the area of «must-have», which allows university graduates to feel more confident in the professional environment, as well as quickly and effectively master the foreign information space. The modern education system should form such a quality as professional universalism -the ability to change areas and ways of activity. Recent research in the field of the labor market revealed the need to move from a «good specialist» to a «good employee» [3, p. 5]. This means that in addition to a certain special professional preparedness, a good employee is expected to be able to work in a team, to make independent decisions, to show initiative and the ability to innovate. Thus, a good employee is a specialist who can perform professional activities in the conditions of any organization and possess a complex of formed general cultural (universal and general professional) competencies [4].
In non-linguistic universities, major disciplines (technical, legal, etc.) are prioritized, but much attention is paid to natural sciences and humanities. A foreign language has a huge educational potential, and successful mastery of it is the creation of competent, mobile, competitive professionals who can meet international standards [5, p. 122]. Teaching a foreign language at a university is aimed at the integrated development of the communicative, cognitive, informational, socio-cultural, professional and general cultural competencies of students and, undoubtedly, contributes to the formation of professional universalism.
Performing various communication tasks, the language serves different areas of communication, including business. For the successful implementation of communicative tasks in this area, it is necessary to own an arsenal of certain
178
linguistic means. So, the official business style is characterized by standard turns of speech, a certain set of speech cliches and stamps. The specific of office work does not allow completing a business trip application form in a way as you like, since there are established samples of drawing up official documents. For an effective business conversation on the phone, you must immediately recommend yourself; there should be no frills in conducting a business conversation. The main requirement for a good text is as follows: it is necessary to choose all linguistic means for creating a certain text that fulfill the assigned communication tasks, or communicative tasks with maximum completeness and efficiency [6, p. 18]. However, in the process of speech interaction, it is not enough just to know the language.
The application of such principles as consistency, cooperation, politeness, attentiveness, tact allows you to organize verbal communication more successfully, increase its efficiency. Successful communication is adequate communication, in which more or less complete, but necessarily sufficient, from the point of view of the communicants, mutual understanding is achieved [7, p. 172]. To achieve mutual understanding, it is necessary for communicants to have common knowledge of the language used, a similar set of verbal communication skills, as well as «common knowledge about the world in the form of consciousness images» [8, p. 17]. Thus, for successful communication, communicants are to have a common set of symbolic means and a certain common set of social experience.
The discipline «Foreign language of business and professional communication» develops in students the communicative competence necessary for business professional communication, as well as socio-cultural competence based on general knowledge about the specifics of a particular national culture. According to A.V. Khutorsky, communicative competencies include knowledge of the necessary languages, ways of interacting with people who surround you and who are far from you, it is necessary to be able to work in a team, and to possess various social roles in a team. General cultural competencies include a range of issues covering the peculiarities of national and common human culture, spiritual and moral foundations of human life, individual peoples and humanity, cultural foundations of family, social phenomena and traditions, the role of science and religion in human life, their impact on the world, competence in the household and cultural and leisure spheres [9].
Various linguocultural communities have their own range of dominant features of communication. The norms of verbal behavior are the realization of the values that form the core of the national culture [10, p. 108]. So, for the English language personality in communication, a low volume level is impor-
179
tant; laconicism, high level of everyday politeness; uncategorized communication; anti-conflict orientation; a high level of thematic taboo communication; strict thematic regulation of communication in most situations; very high level of phatic communication, etc. The dominant features of American communicative behavior are: sociability, demonstrative democracy and benevolence, cheerfulness, contact, noisiness, efficiency of conversation, truthfulness in communication, tolerance, desire to reach a compromise, wish to demonstrate their success, the great role of humor in communication, etc. Russian communicative behavior is characterized by everyday unsmiling, the absence of the tradition of Western «secular communication». Russians are not interested in talking about general topics, since the conversation in this case is perceived as meaningless, and the interlocutors do not want to be frank. Conversation in Russian culture is a tool of self-expression, when the interlocutors talk a lot about themselves, express their own opinions and assessments. A Russian person loves to talk «heart to heart» and expects the same from a partner. Thus, immersion in a particular culture affects the nature of communication, it is even true for the business environment.
The combination of the above mentioned principles determines the specifics of teaching a foreign language as a business language and allows you to formulate the goal and objectives of this discipline in the context of a non-linguistic university. The purpose of the discipline «Foreign language of business and professional communication» is the practical application of a foreign language in order to use it in the professional activities of a specialist and in situations of business communication. In practice, there are various forms of communication: business conversations, business negotiations, meetings, business correspondence, organizational and technical communication (computer, fax), etc. A business person needs to know the specific features of these forms, to master the method of their preparation and behavior, and taking into account the linguocultural environment in which he is at the moment should be taken into account. Therefore, the objectives of the discipline «Foreign language of business and professional communication» are:
- to study types and forms of business contacts, ethics of business communication;
- to develop special skills of official communication, negotiation, participation in discussions, speeches, preparation of presentations;
- to develop language skills and abilities necessary for business correspondence and communication;
- to understand the communicative and sociocultural features of the speech behavior of representatives of a particular linguocultural community;
180
- to understand the general trends in the development of interethnic relations in the modern world.
In accordance with the above mentioned tasks, it seems possible to single out two main models of classroom training for students in the discipline «Foreign language of business and professional communication», namely, communicative and sociocultural, based on the corresponding types of competencies. As a result of training within the framework of this discipline, students know the linguistic features of the business language, the most common speech clichés, styles and ethics of business communication, forms of oral and written communication; know how to conduct a dialogue with the expression of certain communicative intentions, which is necessary for business negotiations, as well as telephone conversations; know how to compose messages in the format of presentations and speeches at business events. Also, students develop skills for implementing communicative intentions in writing: writing business letters, faxes, telexes; the skill of drawing up a resume, plan, abstracts, reports; skill of filling out questionnaires. In addition, in the process of directed training in a business foreign language at a non-linguistic university, students acquire not only the relevant knowledge, skills and abilities to use business speech as a means of communication, but also certain professional skills and abilities that they need in their future work. All this strengthens interest in the chosen profession and, in the future, contributes to the successful professional development and career growth of young specialists.
Currently, education technologies occupy a strong position in the system of higher professional education. The change in the paradigm of educational technologies leaves its imprints on the methods of teaching a foreign language to modern students. Classroom work with students is gradually being replaced by blended learning, and sometimes completely transformed into a distance education format, which cannot but affect the development of students' competencies. Communicative and sociocultural competences fade into the background, giving way to cognitive, informational, digital competencies. Digital competencies are a set of competencies for working in a digital environment and with digital products, including the activity of creating and collecting data, processing and analyzing them, as well as automating processes using computer technologies [11, p. 3]. However, in teaching, digital competences cover a broader area. In the new educational environment today there are completely different approaches to communication, lecturers and students can no longer simply bring their teaching practices into the digital environment.
For example, the European model of competencies Digital Competence of Educators (DIGCOMPEDU) consists of three main blocks. The first is digi-
181
tal professional competencies. These are the skills that any modern specialist should have. This includes digital aspects such as communication, professional collaboration, digital skills development, and reflective practices. Reflexive practices are the ability to reflect, analyze and learn from your actions. This is a continuous learning process based on one's own professional experience, which leads to constant development and improvement. The second block is digital pedagogical competencies. European experts singled out: digital resources -their selection, creation and modification, as well as management, protection and sharing; learning and teaching, including reflective practices - analysis and learning from experience, as well as self-management of learning; assessment - assessment strategies, evidence analysis, feedback and planning; empowering learners - accessibility and inclusiveness, personalization, engagement. The third block combines modern digital competencies of a lecturer, which are aimed at the formation of digital competencies of students. These are information and media literacy, digital communication and collaboration, digital content creation, responsible use of digital resources and solving technological problems1.
In the current environment, lecturers and students need to learn as quickly as possible, master modern technologies, master new tools for teaching and interaction, and also introduce all effective learning formats into their daily work. When working in a digital environment, the technical features of information channels (video conferencing, audio channels, instant messengers, etc.) often limit the class period, the emotional impact on the audience decreases, the educational component and immersion in the socio-cultural specifics of the language being studied are weakened. This is especially true for non-linguistic universities, where a limited number of classroom hours are allocated for foreign language classes. The educational autonomy of students is increased. They need higher motivation to master additional material independently within the educational program; there is a need to develop skills of self-organization, self-discipline, planning and competent time management. The transition from verbal, direct communication to mediated interaction through a variety of technical means requires professional knowledge of these tools. All this leads to the development of new competencies in the educational process and leads to possible changes in the program of the discipline «Foreign language of business and professional communication».
1 EU Science Hub. The European Commission's Science and Knowledge Service [Electronic resource]. URL: https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/digcompedu (accessed date: 04.11.2020).
182
References
1. Dronova E.N. Distance learning technologies in higher education: experience and difficulties of use. Prepodavatel' XXI veka = Teacher of the XXIcentury, 2018, no. 3, pp. 26-34. (In Russian).
2. Osipov M.V. The student model as a representative of the digital generation. In Tamarovskaya A.N. (ed.). Molodezh' i nauka [Youth and Science]. Krasnoyarsk, Sibirskij federal'nyj universitet Publ., 2014, vol. 1, iss. 1, pp. 90-95. (In Russian).
3. Lebedev O.E. Competence-based approach in education. SHkol'nye tekhnologii = School technologies, 2004, no. 5, pp. 3-12. (In Russian).
4. Belkova E.A. Competence approach in professional training of specialists of enterprises and organizations. Vestnik Akademii Pastuhova = Bulletin of the Academy of Pastukhov, 2008, no. 3, pp. 2-4. (In Russian).
5. Galnykina M.A. Working with texts in the specialty at non-linguistic faculties of the university. Tekhnologii obucheniya inostrannym yazykam v neyazykovyh vuzah [Technologies of teaching foreign languages in non-linguistic universities]. Ulyanovsk, 2010, pp. 122-126. (In Russian).
6. Uzerina M.S. Etika delovogo obshcheniya [Ethics of Business Communication]. Ulyanovsk, 2004. 72 p.
7. Tarasov E.F. Intercultural communication - a new ontology for the analysis of linguistic consciousness. In Ufimceva N.V. (ed.). Etnokul'turnaya specifika yazykovogo soznaniya [Ethnocultural specificity of linguistic consciousness]. 2nd ed. Moscow, Ejdos Publ., 1996, pp. 7-22. (In Russian).
8. Krasnyh V.V. Osnovy psiholingvistiki i teorii kommunikacii [Fundamentals of Psycholinguistics and Communication Theory]. Moscow, Gnozis Publ., 2001. 270 p.
9. Hutorskoj A.V. Key competencies as a component of student-centered education. Narodnoe obrazovanie = Public education, 2003, no. 2, pp. 58-64. (In Russian).
10. Sternin I. A. Communicative behavior in the structure of national culture. In Ufimceva N.V. (ed.). Etnokul'turnaya specifika yazykovogo sozna-niya [Ethnocultural specificity of linguistic consciousness]. 2nd ed. Moscow, Ejdos Publ., 1996, pp. 97-112. (In Russian).
11. Koncepciya razvitiya cifrovyh kompetencij studentov NIU «VSHE» [Concept for the development of digital competencies of students of the NRU «HSE»]. Moscow, NIU «VSHE» Publ., 2020. 13 p.
Received: 24.11.2020
183
ОСОБЕННОСТИ ДИСТАНЦИОННОЙ И КОНТАКТНОЙ РАБОТЫ СО СТУДЕНТАМИ НЕЯЗЫКОВЫХ ВУЗОВ В РАМКАХ ДИСЦИПЛИНЫ «ИНОСТРАННЫЙ ЯЗЫК ДЕЛОВОГО И ПРОФЕССИОНАЛЬНОГО ОБЩЕНИЯ»
ТОКАРЕВА Елена Николаевна
кандидат филологических наук, старший преподаватель кафедры иностранных языков Уфимского государственного нефтяного технического университета, г. Уфа, Россия. E-mail: [email protected]
ЮСУПОВА Розалия Римовна
кандидат филологических наук, доцент кафедры международного права и международных отношений Института права Башкирского государственного университета, г. Уфа, Россия. E-mail: [email protected]
В статье рассматривается специфика дистанционной и контактной работы со студентами инженерно-технических и юридических специальностей и понятие профессионального универсализма, раскрываются отличительные особенности современных студентов как представителей цифрового поколения, определяется актуальность использования информационно-коммуникативных технологий в учебном процессе вуза. Цель: рассмотрение видов компетенций, развиваемых дисциплиной «Иностранный язык делового и профессионального общения», определение ее целей и задач, основных моделей подготовки студентов с учетом изменения форматов обучения. Методы: общенаучные методы наблюдения, эксперимента, моделирования и частные методы - описательный и структурный. Результаты: анализ дисциплины «Иностранный язык делового и профессионального общения» в неязыковых вузах позволил выявить актуальность новых цифровых компетенций участников образовательного процесса в связи с переходом на дистанционное обучение, необходимость изменения подхода к преподаванию данной дисциплины.
Ключевые слова: дистанционное обучение; современные информационные технологии; коммуникативная компетенция; социокультурная компетенция; успешная коммуникация; коммуникативные задачи; речевое поведение; деловое общение; цифровые компетенции.
184
Библиографический список
1. Дронова Е.Н. Технологии дистанционного обучения в высшей школе: опыт и трудности использования // Преподаватель XXI века. 2018. № 3. С. 26-34.
2. Осипов М.В. Модель студента как представителя цифрового поколения // Молодежь и наука : матер. конф. : в 3 т. / отв. за вып. А.Н. Та-маровская. Красноярск : Сибирск. федер. ун-т, 2014. Т. 1, ч. 1. С. 90-95.
3. Лебедев О.Е. Компетентностный подход в образовании // Школьные технологии. 2004. № 5. С. 3-12.
4. Белкова Е.А. Компетентностный подход в профессиональной подготовке специалистов предприятий и организаций // Вестник Академии Пастухова. 2008. № 3. С. 2-4.
5. Галныкина М.А. Работа с текстами по специальности на неязыковых факультетах университета // Технологии обучения иностранным языкам в неязыковых вузах : сб. науч. тр. VI Межвуз. науч.-практ. конф. Ульяновск, 2010. С. 122-126.
6. Узерина М.С. Этика делового общения : учеб. пособие. Ульяновск : УлГТУ, 2004. 72 с.
7. Тарасов Е.Ф. Межкультурное общение - новая онтология анализа языкового сознания // Этнокультурная специфика языкового сознания / отв. ред. Н.В. Уфимцева. 2-е изд. испр. и доп. М. : Эйдос. С. 7-22.
8. Красных В.В. Основы психолингвистики и теории коммуникации : курс лекций. М. : Гнозис, 2001. 270 с.
9. Хуторской А.В. Ключевые компетенции как компонент лично-стно-ориентированного образования // Народное образование. 2003. № 2. С. 58-64.
10. Стернин И.А. Коммуникативное поведение в структуре национальной культуры // Этнокультурная специфика языкового сознания / отв. ред. Н.В. Уфимцева. 2-е изд. испр. и доп. М. : Эйдос, 1996. С. 97-112.
11. Концепция развития цифровых компетенций студентов НИУ «ВШЭ». М. : НИУ «ВШЭ», 2020. 13 с.
Дата поступления: 24.11.2020
185
