CC BY
18DOI: 10.25586/RNU.HET.21.03.P.31
yflK 37.022:811:378
Yu.S. Belenkova,
Samara State Technical University
Methods and Techniques of Teaching Adults a Foreign Language
Самарский государственный технический университет
One of the main requirements for a modern specialist is to speak a foreign language. Proficiency in a foreign language is often associated with career prospects, it provides an opportunity for a comfortable stay on business trips and travel. Of course, the success of teaching largely depends on the methodology of teaching a foreign language and on the teacher's ability to use various teaching methods and techniques.
Adult training has several specific features, which must be considered to optimize the educational process. Adults achieve goals, expand areas of needs, they are motivated, they have opportunities for personal development, on the other hand, an adult loses a sense of the new, faces the problem of lagging
© Belenkova Y.S., 2021
behind life, accumulates fatigue [1]. We highlight the following main features of an adult learner:
1. Self-awareness as an independent, self-governing person with extensive life experience.
2. High motivation to learn, associated with solving problems of professional or daily activities.
3. Constant striving for practical application of the acquired knowledge.
4. Demanding quality and learning outcomes.
Consequently, it is possible to single out the basic pedagogical principles of adult training: the priority of independent learning, emphasis on self-development and previous experience, individual approach,
practical orientation of training, flexibility in choosing training programs [9, p. 190].
In the process of teaching a foreign language, it is important to consider the peculiarities of adult learning.
1. An adult must want to learn himself. The effectiveness of the process relates to intrinsic motivation.
2. Adults usually choose what they will study and what is the purpose. Interest is manifested only with the possibility of practical application of knowledge and skills.
5. Adult learning should be linked to real problems of practical life and their solutions.
5. Adult learning should be related to the accumulated life experience; fundamentally new and unknown things are rejected.
6. Adults learn better in an informal situation without visible pressure.
7. When teaching adults, it is better to use different teaching methods at the same time. Videos, audio, tables and diagrams, discussions will generate interest and attract active participation.
8. When teaching adults, it is necessary to abandon the assessment system, since many adults are afraid of condemnation, criticism and have a negative attitude towards competition in the learning process [8].
We want to consider the most effective, in our opinion, methods of teaching a foreign language.
The direct method of teaching a foreign language was proposed by linguists O. Espersen, P. Passy and others. A feature of this method is
JYULIA S. BELENKOVA ■Ё Samara, Russian Federation
Lecturer of the Department of Foreign Languages, Samara State Technical University. Research interests: study and application of effective methods of teaching foreign languages, development of metacognitive skills in the ь щ \ ^""/T "V process of self-education and self-development. Author of 29 published I works. Email address: [email protected].
ЮЛИЯ СЕРГЕЕВНА БЕЛЕНКОВА Российская Федерация, г. Самара
преподаватель кафедры иностранных языков Самарского государственного технического университета. Сфера научных интересов: изучение и применение эффективных методов обучения иностранным языкам, развитие метапознавательных способностей и навыков в процессе самообразования и саморазвития. Автор 29 опубликованных научных работ. Электронная почта: [email protected].
The paper describes the main features of teaching a foreign language to adults. The pedagogical conditions for learning and motivating adults are determined. The effective methods and techniques of teaching are considered. The described strategies for learning a foreign language contribute to the optimization of the process of learning. The analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of various teaching methods is presented. The author gives recommendations on the use of productive techniques and methods in the educational process. Metacognitive strategies for learning a foreign language are considered on the example of tasks for teaching one of the types of speech activity - reading. When teaching adults, it is necessary to consider the level of language training, professional interests, select effective methods for teaching, develop content on the base of the needs. The priority of self-study, emphasis on self-development and previous experience, individual approach, practical orientation of training, flexibility in choosing training programs are important. Motivation is a fundamental element in teaching a foreign language to adults.
Key words: language teaching methods, effective techniques, principles of training, foreign language teaching, learning strategies, motivation.
Освещены особенности преподавания иностранного языка взрослым слушателям. Определяются педагогические условия для обучения и мотивации взрослых. Рассмотрены эффективные методы и приемы обучения. Выделены и описаны стратегии изучения иностранного языка, применение которых способствует оптимизации процесса его изучения. Представлен анализ достоинств и недостатков различных методов обучения. Даны рекомендации по использованию продуктивных приемов и способов в учебном процессе. Раскрыты метапознавательные стратегии изучения иностранного языка на примере заданий для обучения одному из видов речевой деятельности - чтению. Показано, что при обучении взрослых необходимо учитывать уровень языковой подготовки, профессиональные интересы, подбирать эффективные методы для обучения, разрабатывать содержание с учетом потребностей слушателей. Подчеркнуто важное значение самостоятельного обучения, акцента на саморазвитие, опоры на опыт, индивидуального подхода, практической направленности обучения, гибкости при выборе программ обучения. Отмечается, что основополагающим элементом при обучении взрослых иностранному языку является мотивация.
Ключевые слова: методы обучения, эффективные приемы, принципы обучения, обучение взрослых иностранному языку, стратегии обучения, мотивация.
the requirement to associate foreign words with a concept, bypassing the word of the native language, excluding translation. The main goal of training is practical knowledge of a foreign language. Representatives of this method found that the main goal of teaching foreign languages is practical language skills.
The audiolingual method was developed by C. Freese and R. Lado. The method is based on the statement that there is nothing in common
between knowledge of a language and speaking a foreign language. The method assumes the priority of oral speech over writing, the predominance of training exercises in the educational process for the formation of speech skills, intuitive perception of the language material. Using this method, it is necessary to adhere to four stages of learning: memorizing certain speech structures, choosing new structures when comparing with the material studied, practice in using these
structures in various communicative situations [6, p. 168].
The audiovisual method was proposed by R. Gubernia, P. Rivan. This method assumes that listening is the main language skill, and modern equipment and information technology tools provide visual clarity. The advantage of this method is the analysis of a vivid language, dialogues in real situations, teaching communication [7].
In the course of training, we suggest using the following strategies for learning a foreign language.
Strategy 1. "Use the power of emotions." When learning new words, you need to associate them with something bright and positive in your life, try to "live" different linguistic situations.
Strategy 2. "Believe in yourself." Our brain absorbs information like a sponge, both positive and negative. Persuading yourself that you cannot do anything, you are programming your brain to resist learning. But you shouldn't convince yourself that you are incapable of learning a foreign language or that everything is difficult for you. The most important thing is to believe in yourself and be able to rejoice at even small successes.
Strategy 3. "Tune in to long-term memory" Our beliefs affect the brain's ability to store information. We advise to program yourself to store information in your memory for a long time. There is no need to be afraid that you will forget something, you need to believe in your ability to restore your knowledge.
Strategy 4. "Set goals". People with an important reason for learning a language learn it much faster than others. Therefore, the most important in effective learning of a foreign language is motivation and purpose.
Strategy 5. "Study unconsciously". It is no secret that studying unconsciously we assimilates new information much better and faster. For example, when you are driving a car, your attention is completely focused on the road, while you learn unconsciously new words from the
lyrics of a song that you listen to on the radio. It is necessary to read interesting books, articles on your specialty, listen to and watch interesting programs. Then your mind will be busy with the plot, and you will be able to learn easily new words and expressions.
Strategy 6. "Learn and remember through experience." If we look at a small child, we can see that when he meets a new word, he begins to use it in a variety of situations in his life. For example, hearing the word "big" for the first time, a child begins to repeat it when he sees a big house, a big ball. And this is precisely the secret of quickly and easily memorizing new words. In the contexts the new word becomes more familiar and familiar. So, it is necessary to use new words in situations as a small child [10].
We advise to consider the application of metacognitive strategies for learning a foreign language using the following tasks. They are for teaching one of the types of speech activity - reading:
1. Planning. Drawing up an action plan to complete the task. We offer the following tasks:
- Read the text with a pencil, underlining unfamiliar words, and skipping words clear from the context.
- Start working with the text by analyzing incomprehensible sentences.
- Pay attention to the title of the text and illustration.
- Read the title and guess what the text might be about.
2. Setting goals. The strategy is aimed at developing the skills of setting goals for mastering educational material:
- Read the text. Give a summary and outline what you read.
- Find sentences where the author expresses his attitude to the problem, state your opinion.
- Mark dates, concepts, or events in the text, think about what else you would like to know about these events or concepts.
3. Reflection and self-control. To control the comprehension, we offer pre-text and post-text tasks:
- Read the title and make assumptions about the content; check if your guess was correct; assignments for the ratio of the beginning and end of the sentence, followed by verification in the text.
4. Verification and correction is carried out using tests and other forms of control:
- Choose the correct option based on the alternative, multiple and cross-selection. After checking, write down the words or sentences with mistakes, analyze them, evaluate your results [4, p. 37].
There is a huge number of techniques for learning a foreign language. Creative exercises for learning new words and expressions cannot be ignored.
1. Try to compose a story from the words and phrases you have learned.
2. Make flashcards with the most difficult words to remember.
3. Make a semantic accent or intonation accent. It is necessary to build associations and visual images associated with the studied word, expression. We compose and pronounce sentences aloud, focusing on the word we are studying.
4. Write your own story with illustration. You should select two words and substitute them in your context. You should do it in writing, while for greater efficiency it is advised to depict a story visually or schematically or to draw a picture that is associated with a new word [2].
Our research has shown that positive emotions improve the process
of remembering and assimilating information. Therefore, the teacher needs to make the process of learning the language enjoyable: a pleasant comfortable environment, interesting content of texts and exercises, a teacher who knows how to tune students to positive emotions [5].
Reading the original literature in the specialty is very important: when working on a report, a project, for solving professional problems and self-development. But it is important to choose the right literature and consider the following principles:
1. The principle of accessibility and affordability. When choosing a text, it is necessary to take into account the fact that too simple or complex texts will not be interesting. The texts must correspond to the language and professional background.
2. The principle of information content and relevance. The texts should contain useful and relevant information that can be used in the learning process or for solving professional problems.
3. The principle of consistency Tasks for working with text and the texts must be linked and have a logical sequence.
4. The principle of text authenticity [3, p. 65].
There are many techniques, methods, and strategies for learning a foreign language. Of course, the success of training largely depends on the teacher's ability to use various teaching methods and techniques. The teacher needs to remember that positive emotions improve the process of memorizing and assimilating information, so the process of learning a language should be enjoyable. Motivation is a fundamental element in teaching a foreign language to adults.
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