CC BY
97
Intercultural Pedagogy: Theory and Practice DOI: 10.24411/2470-1262-2018-10024
УДК(UDC) 372.881.1
Svetlana А. Asanova, Dankook University, Seoul, South Korea
For citation: Asanova Svetlana A., (2018).
Innovative Technologies at an early stage of Teaching a foreign language.
Cross-Cultural Studies: Education and Science.
Vol.3, Issue II, pp. 116-124 (in USA) Manuscript received: 05/03/2018 Accepted for publication: 06/13/2018
CC BY 4.0
ИННОВАЦИОННЫЕ ТЕХНОЛОГИИ НА РАННЕЙ СТАДИИ ПРЕПОДАВАНИЯ ИНОСТРАННОГО ЯЗЫКА
INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES AT AN EARLY STAGE OF TEACHING A
FOREIGN LANGUAGE
Abstract
In this article, the author highlights modern trends that have emerged recently in pedagogy, aimed at the use of electronic textbooks at the initial stage and the importance of transition in the entire learning process. It proposes the use of innovative technologies, not only as auxiliary materials, but also as basic tools for teaching phonetics and speech repetition. The author shares ethno-methodical aspects of her teaching Asian students (Chinese, Korean, etc.) and gives clear recommendations on how to work with these groups ofstudents. It has been proven that the process of teaching language achieves its effectiveness when substantive methodical correction is carried out taking into account the ethno-cultural, educational, ethno-psychological, communicative and cognitive features of foreigners studying the Russian language. For this purpose, the interaction of Russian and Korean, and Chinese languages — and ethnic groups, the national and educational traditions of Russia, Korea, and China, the intergenerational transmission of Russian and Korean languages -— have been studied. The article analyzes from a comparative-methodological aspect the difficulty of teaching to Chinese and Korean students Russian phonetics, vocabulary, grammar, speech interaction. It examines the causes of difficulties and suggests ways to overcome them.
This work is addressed to all interested in the theoretical and practical aspects of teaching in a non-native language in a new socio-cultural environment.
Keywords: innovative technologies, digital textbooks, teaching foreign languages
".. .Today we want to highlight the main lesson..: that technology always moves on, that there is always resistance to its adoption, but that overall, the trend is always to better, easier and more effective tools. Students learn more, and they learn faster, when the right technology is applied in the right way."[7]
Accelerated informatization of all professional spheres of our life demands that we transform the learning process. In universities, much attention is paid to the creation and use of information technology and progressive techniques for teaching foreign languages.
The world scientific community is looking for new technologies that can be effectively used in modern informatized society with the goal of formulating on their basis new laws of social development, as well as managing the global community, where the language occupies a central position.
Given the ethno-methodical aspect of teaching students about different nationalities, we propose to use modern means of teaching and want to share our methodological developments with teachers working mainly with Asian students (China, Korea, etc.).[1]
Taking into account the computer literacy of students, who for the most part "absorb" information in electronic format; the use only handouts slows down the process of obtaining information and learning in general. Electronic devices have become the most necessary personal assistants in our lives. Consequently, installing a suitable software application or training program on a mobile device is able to speed up the learning process and, accordingly, improve it.
To accelerate the learning process, we suggest, first, that the modern teacher needs to change, to transform herself and the way she thinks, moving from pen on paper to the digitized way of thinking. Secondly, we must change the form of the presentation of the training material. Third, we should minimize one's own time costs for organizing the teaching process itself: for example, students' notebooks can be checked by using mobile applications, such as Kakao Talk85.
This application not only helps speed up the verification of written assignments, but also extends the range of the homework. For example, students can record their own speech patterns and get authentic samples offered by the teacher. This allows students not to wait for the next lesson, but receive immediate feedback on the assignments, to become acquainted with the errors, and correct them.
85 The software application developed by South Korean programmers has a wide range of applications.
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Pic.1. The app: KakaoTalk. The submitted home assignment. On the left the photo file. On the right the audio file.
In the university practice, native speakers are not limited to teaching grammar and reading, but mainly conduct classes in speaking and writing. Given this fact, there is a need for voice-recording applications to permit students listen to authentic speech or electronic audio samples in a digital textbook, and also offer students the means to record their own speech patterns and send them to the teacher.
In this case, the foreign students quickly master the phonetics of the new language imitating these patterns and receiving recommendations for correcting the pronunciation. Regular listening of the text of the native speaker and simultaneous reading of it, allow the students to develop improved listening skills. Performing similar tasks helps to memorize the text, new vocabulary, better adapt to the Russian syntactic system, improve speech mechanics, etc.
Taking into account, that in the university practice, there has been a regular reduction of the class contact hours, checking the homework online (not deferred control) helps to save the classroom time.
In addition to self-produced materials, the Internet web presence of many Russian and foreign universities offer a variety of educational programs and games that allow beginners to learn Russian.
One such is the "Program of Promoting the Russian Language and Education in Russian" at the State Pushkin Institute of Russian Language: the Internet portal "Education in Russian". This is intended to develop distance education (studying the Russian language and teaching in Russian) in virtual space: www.pushkininstitute.ru.
The program offers:
• a system of open distance education, where materials for 6 levels of Russian language are offered, from A1 to C2;
• online testing to determine the level of Russian language proficiency;
• training in Russian under the GEF programs of basic general education;
• preparation for the passing of the certification examination according to the TRCI model,
• a refresher courses and professional retraining programs for teachers in the direction "Russian as a Foreign Language".
The test materials include a socio-cultural component: checking the knowledge of verbal etiquette, folklore (proverbs, riddles, and tales), poetry, and painting. Level B1 includes a separate subtest "Russian Civilization". Serious attention is paid to the verification of systemic links in the student's vocabulary. The state of a student's vocabulary is examined not only in a quantitative but also in a qualitative aspect, which is characterized by the presence of a variety of links between lexical units, beginning with word-building ones.
In each subtest "Writing," starting with the A1 level, there are tasks on spelling and punctuation. The existence of such tasks seems to be necessary for the following reasons. Some students have already formed certain language and speech skills, they easily understand and understand fluent "reduced" oral speech in situations of everyday communication.
In addition to testing tasks, a page was created entitled "Russian Language for Our Children". This section of the site is devoted to pedagogy, the content and methodological materials for supporting bilingual educational activities in Russian.[6]
(http://rus4chld.pushkininstitute.ru/#/bilingvtest)86
The system proposed by the Pushkin Institute is a multi-centric model where the main components of the system are formed under the influence of many linguistic and extra-linguistic factors, while maintaining clear coordination with the main parameters of the European scale of language proficiency levels.
For students of the initial period of training, the rubric "Alphabet" was created. Each letter is illustrated with words with pictures and audio, which helps to additionally use the visual and auditory channels of the memory of the individual, thereby facilitating the memorization of new words.
It should be noted that the Internet space is "crowded" with Russian language courses, both paid and free. Electronic applications offer entertaining materials for speaking, writing, and reading. One of our key responsibilities as educators is to evaluate the quality of such sites and guide our students to the most useful ones.
The site http://www.russianlessons.net/ presents materials for the sequential study of Russian grammar, vocabulary; an audio book with a DEMO lesson is included. Lessons are built on texts for reading with translation and comments in English. Working with this electronic textbook helps the first-year students master the Russian alphabet and phonetics faster and better. The interactive alphabet-vocabulary is composed with soundtracks, which greatly facilitates phonetic work in the classroom, and the correct perception of the Russian alphabet, speeds up its memorization.
86 http://rus4chld.pushkininstitute.ru/#/bilingvtest/
Fig.3. The Representation of the Russian Alphabet. The Audio Presentation of the Letter '"3."[5]
* A a - Pronounced like the "a" in the word "father" or "car". It is not the 'flat" "a" sound you sometimes hear in words tike "cat" or "flat".
* K k - Pronounced like the "k" in "kitten" or "kangaroo". This letter replaces the enghsh "c" sound in words like "cat".
* M m - Pronounced like the "m" in man. (Note: Unlike English, the hand-written "m" should always start from the bottom)
* O o - When stressed, it is pronounced like the "o" in "bore". When un-stressed it is pronounced more like the letter "a". (See later notes.)
* T t - Pronounced like the "t" in "tap". ("Note: The hand-written (and italic) form is "x". It should always start from the top, as it looks quite similar to the letter "m")
Russian alphabet_
Russian letters that are (almost) the same.
Fig.4. Lesson 1. Russian Alphabet. By pointing the cursor at the letter, you should get an audio output.
One important factor worth noting when teaching at the initial stage is that in many countries the teaching of English begins with early childhood. The vast majority of young people who have reached the student age, communicate freely in English. Consequently, English can serve as a language of mediation between the teacher and the student, and leads to increase in the effectiveness of teaching.
The time spent listening is one of the most valuable resource of the learning process; therefore, many types of training aimed at memorization can be transferred to the technique. This frees instructor and students in the lesson itself to perform more creative tasks, conduct a conversation in the foreign language for this is the only opportunity for the student to engage in authentic language speech.
There is an interesting smart-phone app HelloTalk (https://www.hellotalk.com/) that lets you make free calls or send text messages to language-learning partners from all over the world. This 120
platform combines language learning and practicing into a single process. You can talk to native speakers of over 100 languages. There is the ability to search for partners based on the language and city of residence. Since there are users who live in different time zones, one can find someone to connect with at any time of the day or night.
The voice-to-text feature enables you to speak and allow HelloTalk to translate your words into text. There is also a text-to-voice feature, which helps you practice proper pronunciation. The platform also supports transliteration and translation.[8]
Another similar platform, Italki (https://www.italki.com/home), is a website that does not offer lessons, but still give you the ability to master a language and help you get directly to the main point: communicating with people. We should note that Italki is not a free service.
The application is responsible for connecting the user with online teachers across the globe to provide one on one lessons in a wide variety of languages. A student gets a custom lesson plan which encourages her or him to practice speech on day one with the supervision of a native speaker. There is also an option to exchange in your native language with someone else who started to study your language. [10]
While working with grammatical and lexical materials, it is necessary to note the digital textbook: http://learnrussian.rt.com/lessons/. This tutorial has multiple exercises for honing grammar and phonetic skills, as well as listening. To help the teacher, the textbook contains test materials after every 5 lessons. A well-organized thematic dictionary, topics and grammatical tasks are attached to each block of training materials.[8]
Fig.5. Digital tutorial Learn Russian. This textbook can be used at the initial stage of training to basic.
(A1-B2)
How to teach Asian students...
Based on the above and on personal experience gained, one issue that has not been raised between Korean and Russian colleagues should be discussed, but it is important enough for teachers who is still working with Korean audiences.
What does preparation for the lesson mean for us? Few if any of the Russian or Western colleagues will have the same cultural experience with the homework before and after the lesson. In a recent conversation with a Korean colleague, it it became apparent that for Korean students homework is primarily for independent prior preparation of the material to be covered in the lesson
At all stages of education, starting from the primary school, all Korean students "learn" ahead of time in order to directly, with the teacher, to consolidate and understand, something new that has been studied independently. Knowing these subtleties, for example, you can provide initial coverage of the chapter from a digital textbook or some other materials, as homework.
Classwork is a repetition and consolidation of the homework assignments given prior. Westernized systems work in opposition to the learning styles of most Korean students.
For students to familiarize themselves with the new vocabulary, then most often, in all textbooks there are native speech examples, and if not, the correct pronunciation can be found using the electronic dictionary Google translate. In addition, to correct pronunciation, students can the often multiple varieties of translation, synonymous expressions and the usage of a certain new word in the context of the sentence, which also helps the expansion of a student's vocabulary. Such pedagogical findings facilitate the presentation of new material, making its acquisition and mastery better and faster.
The Kakao talk app helps a teacher to present new material in the group chat. The teacher offers students two files, words with translation, and the same words, with audio sample. Features of the program allow you to record both audio and video formats.
Without transitioning to another software, students are able to get the transcript in audio and text formats. In the process of learning words, the student accustoms her- or himself to perceive by hearing the authentic narrated speech by the native speaker. This generates a native like understanding of the phonetics and listening skills. Thus, multiple listening not only helps to memorize the word and its meaning, but it teaches how to detect the proper native speech.
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Fig.5. Software application KakaoTalk. The Group Chat. Functions of the program: photo file, video recording, camera, gift shop, group chat, audio recording, credit card, location. This software application works as a virtual classroom, helping to stay in touch with students in a 24-hour mode.
In conclusion, available online educational resources already can help to organize the learning process in a new style. But the use of electronic technologies, at an ever increasing acceleration of change, requires the teacher to have a new look at the learning process and its modernization.
Additionally, after teaching Asian students more than 20 years, I have realized two specifically ethno-methodical aspects. First, why are the students so quiet during class time? Based on Asian philosophy of life, the student must come to the class with a clear mind, just like an empty glass and fill it with knowledge. This is why the students keep quiet and stay still due to the Asian culture of education. For them, the teacher is perceived in the image of God or the father. Students view the teacher as a father figure and may not disobey or confront her/him because the image of God and may not be ridiculed or argued against. Therefore, the knowledge must be accepted then quoted each phrase by heart with great devotion and responsibility. Consequently, students don't question the teacher. In this elevated positon of authority and responsibility, a teacher must not voice the frustration publicly if one is to expect the student's progress. Confrontation is better voiced in private to get the intended result. Second, students prefer to get the homework assignments prior to class so they can get acquainted with the material. Greater mastery is possible if they can compare the prior information with that given during the class.
References:
1. Asanova Svetlana Innovative Electronic Technologies in Teaching Russian as Foreign Language (Ethno-Methodic Aspect)), Dissertation Theses. RUDN, Moscow, 2015.Pp.3-5;
2. Antonio Tooley 3 Tech Platforms for Students to Practice Speaking Foreign Languages. https://www.emergingedtech.com/2015/09/tech-platforms-for-students-to-practice-speaking-foreign-languages/
3. Balykhina Tatiyana, Zhao Yujiang. From Methodology to Ethno-Methodic. Teaching Chinese to the Russian Language: Problems and Ways to Overcome Them. Monograph. -2nd ed. - Moscow: RUDN, 2010. - 344 p. ISBN 978-5-209-03404-9
4. https://www.busuu.com/en/ru/?b_source=adwords&b_campaign=row_en_web_learn_rus sian&b_group=row_en_web_learn_russian_free_e&b_subnetwork=SN&b_term=learn°/o 20russian%20online%20free&b_placement=&utm_nooverride=1&gclid=CjwKEAjw86e 4BRCnzuWGlpiLoUcSJACaHG55VcJISh2Yh3J9quTCia4HUKC9KrJOvXbxvb-RVqXm6hoCgAbw wcB
5. http://www.russianlessons.net/
6. http://rus4chld.pushkininstitute.ru/#/bilingvtest
7. www.pushkininstitute.ru.
8. http://learnrussian.rt.com/lessons/
9. https://www.hellotalk.com
10. https://www.italki.com/home
11. Susana Perez Castillejo 100 Years of "New Technologies": Teaching a Foreign Language with Technology from 1918 to 2018.
https://extemporeapp.com/2018/02/15/100-years-new-technologies-teaching-foreign-language-technology-1918-2018/
Information about the author:
Svetlana A. Asanova, Ph.D., works as the Assistant Professor at the College of Foreign Studies, Department of Russian Language in Dankook University. -
-Graduated from PH.D. Course of Theory and Methods of teaching and Upbringing Russian as a Foreign Language at the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia, Moscow in 2015. Field of research: Development of innovative technologies for language studies; bilingual education; ethno-methodic aspects of teaching the foreign language, TEFL; TORFL.
Published 25 science works (in the fields of Innovative Lingua-Didactic and Pedagogy; Teaching Russian as Foreign Language,)
Among them one textbook "Russian for Koreans" and lmonography "Lingua-Methodic Simulator in the E-Educational System for Teaching Russian as Foreign Language" (coming soon, 2018), one book: Digest of articles. "Innovative Methodic of Teaching Russian as Foreign Language" (2015, ISBN: 978-3-659-68439-5)
