CC BY
5
Zuparova S.Sh.
Chirchik State Pedagogical Institute
INNOVATIVE METHODS OF LEARNING IN ENGLISH LESSONS
Abstract. The relevance of the study is dictated by the demand of the state for training competitive specialists who are ready to maintain an intercultural dialogue in their professional field. The main goal of modern language education is the development of innovative integrated courses that enable students to enrich their subject knowledge and to master the ability to use this knowledge at the international level. This article considers Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) and English for Specific Purposes (ESP) to be promising ways of implementing the integrative approach into the education system. Many methodologists and linguists have proven the effectiveness of interconnected teaching foreign languages and cultures, resulting in the selection of a culture-based course designed in English as an object of the research. The study reveals that digital archives, online art collections, 'Virtual Visit', audio and video resources are valuable sources of authentic materials that can be used in the process of professionally oriented English teaching
Keywords: integration, culture, English for Specific Purposes, Content and Language Integrated Learning, professional foreign language competence, learning effectiveness, digital tools.
The education system responds vividly to the development trends that characterize modern world society. The process of globalization, the increase in direct contacts in the field of professional communication, the expansion of opportunities for academic mobility and career growth in the international market (including the use of various digital tools and communication means) change the definition of the main goals and the objectives of the higher education.
The system of legal regulation in the field of education emphasizes that university graduates should have "the ability to communicate in oral and written forms in Uzbek and foreign languages in order to solve problems of interpersonal and intercultural interaction". This idea is enshrined in the State educational standards for various subject areas.
Thus, the main task of researchers, methodologists, teachers and pedagogical designers is to develop innovative learning models. The main goal of such models is to train competitive and prospective professionals who have comprehensive knowledge in their subject area and the ability to share their experience with experts from other countries. The ability to maintain intercultural dialogue and achieve the desired results is one of the key factors that employers pay special attention to. That is why professionally oriented
teaching foreign languages is a new direction in the development of the modern education system
In an effort to rethink the actual functioning of the education system in accordance with the development trends of modern society and the demands of the state, many researchers pay attention to the possibility of interdisciplinary 'integration'. "The process of unification, synthesis or cooperation that occurs or is carried out in education regarding the objects of different nature" can significantly increase the effectiveness of training future specialists, which is a viable response to the challenges of modern society.
After analyzing the works of modern researchers in the field of integration processes (Skvortsov V. N., Brazhnik E. I., Solomin V. P., etc.), the following characteristic prerequisites for the emergence of interdisciplinary courses were identified:
■ the presence of two or more disciplines that were not previously considered as possible components of one integrated course;
■ the presence of obvious conditions for the unification of these disciplines or their constituent parts;
■ the possibility of creating a holistic, logical and systemic integrated course;
■ the possibility of including the resulting integrated course in the educational process;
■ the prospect of further development of the course to increase the effectiveness of training.
Interdisciplinary courses, developed within the framework of an integrative approach and meeting the demands of modern society, should involve a combination of three components, which Brazhnik E. I. identifies in her work:
■ cultural (introduction of the cultural heritage of the native country and the country of the language being taught to students); ■ linguistic (mastering the level of foreign language proficiency);
■ communicative (formation of students' communicative skills through participation in different conferences, seminars, debates, competitions, etc.)
In recent decades, many European and Uzbek researchers have been devoting their works to clarifying the definition of CLIL and ESP models, highlighting their key characteristics and confirming the effectiveness of their implementation in the educational process. One of the fundamental works in the area of ESP learning is "Developments in English for Specific Purposes: A multi-disciplinary approach" (1998) by Tony Dudley-Evans and Maggie Jo St John. The British linguists identify the following absolute and variable characteristics of ESP:
■ absolute characteristics:
- meeting the specific needs of students;
- using of the methodology and activities characteristic of the discipline being taught;
- focusing on language (grammatical and lexical units, register), skills and discourse appropriate to the discipline being taught.
■ variable characteristics:
- direct relationship with specific disciplines;
- using a different methodology from that of general English, if required by a specific educational situation;
- intended mainly for adult learners who are at the stage of higher or vocational education;
- intended mainly for intermediate and advanced learners.
Based on the above characteristics, the definition of the ESP model is formulated as follows: ESP is an approach characterized by the development of specialized language courses, the purpose of which is to use a foreign language to meet professionally oriented communicative needs of the students. Thus, ESP is distinguished by its personality oriented nature, it provides an opportunity to master language skills and forms the ability to use subject knowledge in the context of intercultural communication.
Taking into account the specificity of the research problem, we used theoretical methods that reflect the principle of a systematic approach to the analysis of the phenomena under study: analysis, comparison, synthesis, generalization. The methodological basis of this study includes publications in the field of interdisciplinary integration, the relationship between language and culture, teaching English for Specific Purposes, Content and Language Integrated Learning, using authentic materials and digital tools in the educational process
Many researchers note that interdisciplinary integration makes a great contribution to professionally oriented learning, and also allows to create "an innovative educational environment with the implementation of results-based mechanisms". Undoubtedly, this approach improves the students' activity in the learning process, as well as their cognitive and creative potential.
Authenticity is one of the most important principles of innovative interdisciplinary courses aimed at implementing personality-oriented technologies. Authentic materials, the creation of which did not imply their use for educational purposes, contributes to "improving communicative competence of students" and "creating innovative, creative, collaborative, cooperative learning through facilitation of learning that is capable of generating critical thinking, supporting each other (sharing ideas), problem solving skills, the ability to negotiate (negotiating), provide service orientation, and have cognitive rigidity with a high level of critical thinking". Meanwhile, authentic materials are not limited to written texts; today's integrated courses make extensive use of various oral texts and activities that are close to real life.
Modern language education is aimed at keeping up with global trends; therefore, it makes extensive use of various digital tools. Culture-based courses in English, taught in higher educational institutions, are no exception. The official websites of museums around the world provide many unique opportunities such as digital archives, online art collections, audio and video resources, 'Virtual Visit', etc. Social media accounts of museums, in particular, Instagram, as well as various online platforms are valuable sources of authentic material that can be used in the process of professionally oriented teaching foreign languages.
The digital tools analyzed in this article make a significant contribution to the formation of professionally oriented foreign language competence of students: they improve all language skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing), and are a rich source of professional vocabulary. Moreover, such authentic resources maintain a keen interest of students in the subject under study, contribute to the development of their creative and research capacity, and prepare them to participate in intercultural interaction at a professional level.
References:
1. Almazova, N.I., Baranova, T.A., Khalyapina, L.P. (2017). Pedagogical approaches and models of integrated teaching of foreign languages and professional disciplines in foreign and Russian linguodidactics.
2. Armstrong, N. (2005). Translation, Linguistics, Culture. A French-English Handbook. Clevedon, Buffalo and Toronto: Multilingual Matters Ltd, 218 p.
3. Brazhnik, E. I., Surtayeva, N. N., Surtayeva, Zh. B. (2012). Comparative studies of university education in the contemporary context of integration processes. Man and Education, 3 (32), p. 61-65.
