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65Ученые записки Таврического национального университета им. В.И. Вернадского Серия «Филология. Социальные коммуникации» Том 26 (65). № 1 - С. 574-579
УДК 411(07)
Инновационные методы обучения английскому языку Науменко Л.П.1, Стрельникова Л.Г.2
1 Институт филологии Киевского национального университета имени Тараса Шевченко 2Национальная академия статистики, учёта и аудита, г. Киев, Украина
Статья посвящена изучению инновационных методик и подходов к обучению иностранным языкам (английскому в частности) в трудах западноевропейских ученых-методистов, которые представляют британскую, американскую и чешскую методические школы. Рассмотрены инновационные методы развития четырёх базовых навыков, изучения лексики и грамматики, а также предложены собственные наработки - развивающие игры для применения на уроках английского языка и образец выполнения одной из них.
Ключевые слова: инновационный метод, обучение английскому языку, коммуникативная компетентность, навыки, развивающие игры.
The problem of modernization of teaching methods belongs to the core problems since the ancient times. At present it attracts a lot of attention because of the pragmatic needs of the modern world, desire to acquire necessary skills and competence in communication, increasing speed of professional and everyday life as well as globalization processes. Innovative methods of foreign language learning and teaching are in the focus of attention of many contemporary researchers and practising teachers, among them are: V. Boumova, G. Broughton, K. T. Henson, D. Nunan, J. C. Richards, J. Scrivener, R. W. Tyler, M. West, R. V. White, D. Zemenova [1-11], et. al.
The aim of the paper is to summarize the latest achievements in the sphere of modern teaching methods of English as well as to consider contemporary approaches in teaching four major skills, vocabulary and grammar, and to present examples of possible stimulating games in the English classroom.
Unlike traditional methodology, modern teaching is much more student-oriented. According to J. Scrivener, the teacher's main role is "to help learning to happen" which includes involving the students into what is going on "by enabling them to work at their own speed, by not giving long explanations but by encouraging them to participate, talk, interact, do things etc." [6, p. 18-19]. G. Broughton also adds that "the language student is best motivated by practice in which he senses that the language is truly communicative, appropriate to the context, that his teacher's skills are moving him forward to a fuller competence in a foreign language" [2, p. 47]. Briefly put, the student is the most active element in the process of teaching; the teacher is here not to explain but to encourage and help to explore, try out, make learning interesting.
In his book Learning Teaching, J. Scrivener claims that nowadays a great emphasis is put on "communication of meaning" [6, p. 31]. J. C. Richards also highlights the communicative competence which is, as he defines it, "being able to use the language for meaningful communication" [5, p. 4].Thus, many professionals refer to this methodology as communicative language approach. Another group of authors headed by G. Broughton points out,
"foreign languages are taught to broaden horizons by introducing certain ways of thinking about time, space, quality and attitudes towards issues we have to face in everyday life" [2, p. 9-10].
Among the tasks which are put to foreign language teaching is development of different speech skills in order to achieve the communicative competence which enables the learner to orient and meaningfully interact in a foreign environment. As pointed out by J. C. Richards, "attention is shifted to the knowledge and skills needed to use grammar and other aspects of language appropriately for different communicative purposes such as making requests, giving advice, making suggestions, describing wishes etc." [5, p. 8]. Teachers' methods, courses, and textbooks are to be adjusted to new needs of learners to meet their expectations. So, instead of grammatical competence, communicative competence became a priority. R. V. White articulates three principles of modern methodology: firstly, "the primacy of speech", secondly, "the centrality of connected text as the heart of teaching-learning process", and thirdly, "an absolute priority of oral methodology in the classroom" [9, p. 11].
As we all well know, the main skills in learning are: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. They are classified into two groups: receptive (listening and reading) and productive (writing and speaking). These skills consist of sub-skills; for example, reading includes skimming (reading for a gist), scanning (reading for specific information), intensive / precise (reading for full understanding), extensive / searching (reading for primary and secondary information). While listening, students can listen for a gist or for detecting specific information - details, like numbers, addresses, directions etc. Therefore, as many professionals agree, the task should be realistic too.
The tasks should improve skills, not test memory. According to J. Scrivener, with receptive skills it is always better to assign one task, let the students accomplish it, have feedback, and then assign another etc. Besides the tasks should be graded from the easiest to the most difficult, or in other words, from the most general to the most detailed [6, p. 170-173].
Concerning productive skills, writing and speaking, the teacher should be aware of a contradiction between accuracy and fluency. As J. C. Richards states, "fluency is natural language use occurring when a speaker is engaged in a meaningful interaction and maintains comprehensible and ongoing communication despite limitations on his or her communicative competence" [5, p. 13]. According to the common opinion, "Students should be encouraged to speak the language, though with errors, to get the meaning through" [11, p. 6]. As for J. C. Richards, "Modern methodology tries to keep a balance between a fluency and accuracy practice" [5, p. 14]. Other important issues in language teaching are context and purpose. Skills should be taught in a context which is close to real life situations and activities should be well aimed. These will help students to be motivated and interested in the subject matter.
Teaching vocabulary is another important part of learning language. In common discussion students and teachers agreed that the important matters are: meaning, pronunciation, spelling, tense forms, functions of words in a sentence, connotations and combinability (collocations). The most common ways of teaching lexis, according to J. Scrivener, are: matching words with pictures, checking the meaning of words in the dictionary, matching the words with definitions, brainstorming words on a certain topic, dividing the words into groups (making taxonomies), labeling the items in a picture with the right names, completing gapped sentences with words from the list, discussing a topic, saying which words (from the list) are expected to be in the text [6, p. 231]. Professionals from Masaryk University offer to complete this list with the following methods: miming, drawing or showing a flashcard to indicate the meaning of a word, using timelines or percentage (in comparison with some similar words), eliciting some words (preferably funny or personal, possibly repetitive) from dialogues or stories, letting the students to get the meaning from the context,
using synonyms and opposites, reading crosswords and riddles, for some difficult words (abstract items and verbs) using translation [11, p. 23-25].
As G. Broughton claims, "Language item which is not contextualized is more difficult to remember and use" [2, p. 41]. This aim can be achieved by observing six stages suggested by J. Scrivener, which are: "1. Pre-text lexis, 2. Written practice of lexis, 3. Oral practice, 4. Reading to find specific information, 5. Further lexis work, 6. Communicative activity" [6, p. 233].
Teaching grammar in a modern way is an essential part too. Unlike the traditional method, learning grammar presupposes involving the students to a greater extent. Teachers should observe four conditions for a good grammar presentation: creation of a safe atmosphere and feeling that the tasks are achievable, showing understanding, active listening, reading, speaking and writing, teaching the meaning before the form. J. Scrivener also states, "Keep it short" [6, p. 267]. Observing this rule is essential because long explanations often become confusing and boring. Two important approaches in teaching grammar are elicitation and personalization. Personalization means using personal information and data, elicitation presupposes active participation into the lesson. Checking understanding can be provided by asking concept questions (which need "yes" or "no" answers). To facilitate the classroom activities teachers can also use examples, visual aids or language games.
From our own teaching experience we also propose to play stimulating games which are intended at developing students' memory, imagination, verbal reaction, and communicative potential. For these purposes we apply different types of language-based games which can also serve such additional purposes as relaxation, facilitation and incentive. Stimulating games can be applied in various types of classes, starting with oral practice and ending with specialized courses like practice of translation. They need not more than 20 min. in the mid- or at the end of the class and demand minimum preparation. We usually practice a block of stimulating games which include the following activities: 1. Short synopsis, 2. Imagery memory, 3. Emotional memory, 4. Visual memory, 5. Make it shorter, 6. Construct a catch phrase, 7. Make out a lead, 8. Create a headline, 9. Have understood - explain to the other, 10. Checkpoint, 11. Theme and variations, 12. How it was? 13. I know three words..., 14. Paint the text, 15. Let's have a talk! 16. Join me, 17. It is not still an end, 18. I'd like to tell you., 19. The truth is somewhere near, 20. I'm writing to you, 21.
Complicated matter.
To illustrate the point we propose to consider Game 1. Short synopsis. It can be performed by pairs of students, in small groups or by individuals. The task is: 1) to read attentively a brief text and make its synopsis in a form of drawings, schemes or symbols on the margins; 2) render the text according to the drawings. The winner is the group / student whose rendering represents the content of the text to the fullest extent.
Game 1. Short Synopsis
HUMAN RIGHTS All of the rights and freedoms* associated with respect for the dignity and worth of the human being. The UN adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. It proclaims that every human being without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth, or other status has the following rights, among others: the right to life, liberty and security of person; equality before the law; freedoms of thought, conscience and religion; freedom of opinion and expression; the right to work and to freely choose type of employment; the right to a standard of living, adequate for health and well-being; the right to education; and the right to participate in the cultural life of one's community._
To sum up the modern methodology principles, we can highlight the student-oriented interaction which is connected with the involvement of students in everything going on during the lesson. This shifts the teacher's role to not causing the learning but to helping the learning to happen. The teacher's task is to choose activities suitable for the learners to guide them in the lessons and to encourage them to experiment with the language. The modern methodology comprises a reach variety of methods which share the common features - involving students in classroom activities and adapting the study to real-life situations. To be effective, methods should follow after each other in a suitable order, and there should a balance of teaching focused on different aspects of the language.
As further perspectives we plan to develop a series of stimulating games in the context of ESP and to compose a practical book for students' self-practising and classroom activities in computing performance.
Literature
1. Boumova V. Traditional vs. Modern Teaching Methods: Advantages and Disadvantages of Each: Master's Diploma / V. Boumova. - Brno: Masaryk University, 2008. - 91 p.
2. Broughton G. A Printed Sources and Lectures / G. Broughton et al. // Teaching English as a Foreign Language. - London: Longman, 1999. - 2nd ed. - 400 p.
3. Henson K. T. Teaching Methods: History and Status / K. T. Henson // Teaching Methods: Designs for Learning, 1980. - Vol. 1. - P. 2-5.
4. Nunan D. New Ways in Teaching Listening / D. Nunan, J. C. Richards. - USA: Benjamins Publ., 1995. - 290 p.
5. Richards J. C. Communicative Language Teaching [Електронний ресурс] / J. C. Richards. - Режим доступу: http://www.phil.muni.cz/elf/mod/resource
6. Scrivener J. Learning Teaching / J. Scrivener. - London: Macmillan, 1998. - 432 p.
7. Tyler R. W. Nature of Learning Activities / R. W. Tyler // Review of Educational Research, 2008. - Vol. 1. - No 1. - P. 22-29.
8. West M. On Learning a Foreign Language / M. West. - London: Longman, 1991.
- 224 p.
9. White R. V. The ELT Curriculum / R. V. White. - Oxford: Blackwell Publ., 1988
10. White R. V. New Ways in Teaching Writing / R. V. White, J. C. Richards. - USA: Benjamins Publ., 1995. - 271 p.
11. ZemenovaD. Course. Methodology I & II. / D. Zemenova, N. Fortova, H. Smiskova.
- Brno: Masaryk University, 2006-2007. - 560 p.
* The underlined words are represented here graphically in computer symbols. There can be much more of them in manual representation.
Науменко Л.П., Стрельткова Л.Г. 1нновацшш методи навчання англшськот мови // Вчен1 записки Тавр1йського нащонального ун1верситету 1мен1 В. I. Вернадського. Сер1я «Ф1лолог1я. Соц1альн1 комун1кацИ». - 2013. - Т. 26 (65). № 1 - С.574-579
Статтю присвячено вивченню iнновацшних методик та тдход1в до навчання тоземних мов (англiйськоi зокрема) у працях захiдноeвропейських вчених-методис-тiв, що представляють британську, американську та чеську методичт школи. Роз-глянуто тновацтш методи розвитку чотирьох базових навичок, вивчення лексики та граматики, а також запропоновано власш наробки - розвиваючi iгри для засто-сування на уроках англтсьmi мови та зразок виконання однiei з них.
Ключовi слова: iнновацiйний метод, навчання англiйськоi мови, комуткативна компетенттсть, навички, розвиваючi iгри
Naumenko L. P. Strelnikova Lidiya Hryhorivna Innovative teaching methods of the english language // Scientific Notes of Taurida V. I. Vernadsky National University. -Series: Philology. Social communications. - 2013. - Vol. 26 (65). No 1 - P.574-579
The paper is devoted to consideration of innovative methods and approaches to teaching of foreign languages (English in particular) which are presented in the works by the Western methodologists including the British, American and Czech methodological schools with emphasis on teaching language in context, to help learning to happen which means to encourage students to participate, talk, interact, viewing the learner as the most active element. Special attention is paid to development of students' communicative competence in order to use language for meaningful purposes. The innovative teaching methods of developing four basic skills (listening, reading, writing and speaking) with specific aims and realistic tasks as well as ways of learning lexis in a variety of language activities
and grammar by means of two approaches - elicitation and personalization - have been also considered. It has been presented our own endeavor for developing students' memory, imagination, verbal reaction and communicative potential which comprises a series of stimulating games for practicing at the English classes of different types with a sample of performance of one of them.
Key words: innovative method, teaching English, communicative competence, skills, stimulating games.
Поступила в редакцию 12.04.2013 г.
