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ББК Ш 13 (Ан) - 1
NEW APPROACHES IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING: ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES - ROLE-PLAYS AND PROJECTS
O.A. Artemyeva
Department Foreign languages, TSTU Represented by a Member of the Editorial Board Professor V.I. Konovalov
Key words and phrases: genuine communication; English for Specific Purposes (ESP); creativity; teacher's project culture; role-play; language skills.
Abstract: Nowadays because of modernization of education in Russia the whole English Language Teaching (ELT) community is entering a new stage of interactive learning by means of new technologies. The article discusses one of the most effective teaching approaches in ELT. Role-plays, video situations, projects can greatly widen our horizons of creation within the suggested methods. ESP project is a valuable approach, it integrates all the language skills and takes an opportunity of using performances in the learning process. From the point of view of research work the project takes language learning out of the classroom into the real world. Culminating moment of the game is presentation of the project in public. This approach to ELT is closely connected with the problem of developing the teacher's project culture concerning the formulation of goals, selecting ESP material professionalized situations and spheres of future specialist's activity.
We see almost daily in our classroom a learner with high quantitative and analytical intelligence that is not guaranteed success in language learning. Further, many of our brightest and fastest language learners may even show relatively low levels of ability in quantitative and analytical types of reasoning. Research by H. Gardner, based in part on previous findings by L.S. Vygotsky, has challenged the traditional notions regarding what aspects of personality make us «smart». Gardner proposes some types of personal capability that, in his view, better define that complex cognitive, physical, and social interactions which determine the intelligence and abilities of a human being. These categories are: verbalinguistic intelligence, professional intelligence, musical intelligence, logical intelligence, interpersonal selfknowledge intelligence.
The article is designed to help foreign language teaching professionals to see the concept of intelligence in a new light in order to broaden its traditionaly narrow definition and develop awareness of learner differences, with the goal of introducing classroom approaches and techniques that will better meet the needs of individuals within the learning collective.
Experienced language teachers know that individual learners have distinct sets of personality characteristics which determine their talents, abilities, and preferences in language learning: some learners are «quick», some are thoughtful, some love to work independently, others require explanations, guidance, and constant attention from the
teacher. That's why we must use the most effective teaching methods and aids at our disposal. Role-plays, projects,video situations can greately widen our horisons of creativity within the suggested methods. Nowadays the whole ELT community is entering a new stage of interactive learning by means of new technologies. We give the preference to using ESP educational role-plays and projects. The system of role-plays is a valuable approach because it is very motivating and integrates all the language skills. It incourages the students to work independently and together and involves genuine communication. It takes language learning out of the classroom into the real world. More over ESP role-plays take an opportunity of using performances in the learning process. This method encourages cooperation and sharing of the ideas and skills within the group. In the present article we attempt to seek answers to a number of questions relating to the role of role-play activities in the ELT classroom. They are: why are these activities useful? What goals are to be set and results obtained? What kinds of plays to choose? What hidden obstacles prevent a performance from being a success?
To begin with role-playing might be interesting from the point of view of a cross-cultural perspective. Second, it might be useful for practial and professional purposes as well as to draw a distinction along the lines of contrast between role-playing in process and role-playing as a product.
In brief our ultimate goal amounted to having no blank faces among the audience -it had become our motto, in a sense. The task set - thought not very difficult at first glance - entails certain complications. Needless to say, that the text's complexity has to correlate with the language level of the students. We also must take into account the necessity of a preparatory phase to enable certain categories of potential spectators to get ready for role-play comprehension. This is the text «Advertizing», which may be the basis of transforming it into game.
A: What can you say about the role of advertizing in the marketing mix?
B: Oh, it’s a most powerful tool. It formulates demand, promotes sales and helps to create a market.
A: Can we speak of specific advertizing objectives?
B: Of course we can. Both image advertizing and product advertizing first of all inform the buyer of the company’s products and services. They create the company’s image.
A: But now that isn’t enough to show the product at the exhibition in a shop or at a convention, is it?
B: No. You’ve got to have active sales promotion efforts and provide pre- and post-sale services.
A: Yes. Advertizing is a part of the marketing strategy. In fact it’s a complex of activities.
B: And a comrehensive one. An advertizing budget now comes to a very high figure.
Another step is to transform the text into a play. The plot of the performance should be captivating and at the same time as simple as possible to facilitate understanding. At that point we face real problems. «Transformations» - is a very important phase. Our final task being to make it understandable so that most of our ideas «went home».
Here the method of presentations and explanations, so common for classroom activities, is of much help. As for multi-media in the performances colourful and funny posters are also employed as an aid in grasping the meaning of unknown words. Slides and recordings are used as a mean of further explanations.The only thing is techniques has to be dealt with very carefully, not to overburden the plot. Music and songs accompaning acting help the audience to relax.
Before the role-play during several lessons certain skills or language structures have to be introduced and then further illustrated or drilled during performance
(etudes). Suppose that there are some places in the text or in the coming play, say grammar structure, new words or speech patterns or something else which the teacher considers difficult for particular groups of students. Approached creatively, the problem might be solved by intreducing and incorporating them into materials of a corresponding lesson - to facilitate their understanding during the performance.
On the other hand, the teacher might reverse the procedure and introduce some elements into a play to be drilled by actors during the preparatory period - unless those performances are considered as 4-6 minutes activities.
Next step is to choose the right kind of a play and to transform the text into a play, using two models.
Model of professional role-play activity
Model of the Game
Player's activities (roles in the game)
Method
Player's duties, rules
Now we are going to present you the competitional role-play on the subject “Advertizing” (Economics Department). The plot of the role-play is: a new-opened firm on advertizing is interested in highly-educated, telented young people, who would like to take a post in the firm. In order to define intelligence and abilities of the pretenders they were devided into two teams: “Alfa” and “Bravo”, who would be ready to fulfil some tasks (fill in a card, dramatize the given situation, form sentences using separate words, guess the cross-word, etc.). Culminating moment of the game will be the presentation of the projects by both teams in public. Look at the process of the game from beginning to end.
ISSN 0136-5835. Вестник ТГТУ. 2005. Том 11. № 4. Transactions TSTU. 995
996 ISSN G136-5835. Вестник ТГТУ. 2GG5. Том 11. № 4. Transactions TSTU.
ISSN G136-5835. Вестник ТГТУ. 2GG5. Том 11. № 4. Transactions TSTU. 997
998 ISSN G136-5835. Вестник ТГТУ. 2GG5. Том 11. № 4. Transactions TSTU.
In order to conduct a game successfully, it is necessary to pay attention to the peculiarities of the educational project and a role of a teacher in project.
We consider the educational project to be an active and research method, which takes much time to produce an end-product. Project work may be divided into some stages. They are:
1 Motivate the learners. It means that at the beginning stage of the project work the teacher explains the learners what the project is. He gives them necessary information about project. He tells them that a project is a group activity. He gets them exited about the idea, the topic and what they know already and what they will have to find out.
2 Organize class. It means that they decide on the size of group and divide the class up of 4-5 learners in each group.
3 Practice. It means that the project takes much time to produce. The learners cannot do a project in one lesson. It might take several lessons or the teacher may ask the learners to work on the project after lessons. It means that the learners have to practise any language skills they may need - perhaps question’s forms (for guestionnaires and interviews), letterwriting, using reported speech, etc.
4 Design the material. It means that each group should decide on the end-product. The end-product might be a wall display, drama, an advertisement, etc.
5 Collect the information. It means, that a project involves research. Learners will have to read books, ask questions, find out information, do questionnaires outside the room. This information will form the basis of the project.
6 Collate the information. In groups prepare all the material they will need for the project.
7 Assemble the end-product - put the product together (working in groups) and make the presentation in public.
Educational project as a method of English learning is closely connected with the problem of developing the teacher’s project culture, concerning to the formulation of goals, selecting ESP materials and situations of professional profile, spheres of future specislist’s activity and all the stages of project work. They are: motivate the learners, organize class, practice, design the materials, collect and collate information, assemble the end-product (presentation in public).
To begin with the teacher chooses the text necessary. Its complexity has to be correlated with the language level of the students to get ready for the performance comprehension. The plot must be problematic and professionalized to facilitate understending and activity of the learners. The teacher must constantly remember that the ideas and creation of the project is the task of the learners and one of the key objectives of project work is to encourage the learners to work cooperatively as part of a group and independently of him. The teacher’s role is to be the motivator, helper, adviser and to watch and see that the groups are working effectively together, that the tasks are being shared out equally, that class time is being used efficiently.
References
1 Артемьева, О.А. Активизация познавательной деятельности студентов вуза при обучении иностранному языку на основе учебно-ролевых игр: монография / О.А. Артемьева / Тамбовский государственный университет им. Г.Р. Державина. - Тамбов, 1997. - 191 с.
2 Артемьева, О. А. Проекты на уроках немецкого языка: учебно-методическое пособие / О.А. Артемьева, В.В. Черных / Тамбовский государственный университет им. Г.Р. Державина. - Тамбов, 2003. - 104 с.
3 Артемьева, О.А. Интеграция игровой и проектной деятельности на занятиях ESP / О. А. Артемьева - СПб.: Издательство РГПУ им. А.И. Герцена, 2004. - С. 219-222.
Новые подходы в обучении английскому языку: учебно-ролевые игры и проекты профессиональной направленности
О.А. Артемьева
Кафедра иностранных языков, ТГТУ
Ключевые слова и фразы: активное общение; английский для специальных целей; творчество; проектная культура преподавателя; учебно-ролевая игра; языковые умения.
Аннотация: В настоящее время ввиду модернизации высшего образования в РФ все педагогическое общество входит в новую фазу интерактивного обучения на основе новых технологий.
Данная статья касается одного из современных направлений обучения английскому языку на основе учебно-ролевых игр, метода проектов и др., которые открывают путь к творчеству. Метод проектов, например, ценнейший метод, который интегрирует в себе все аспекты языка и виды деятельности, дает возможность использовать в учебном процессе игровые квазиреальные ситуации, предполагающие предварительную исследовательскую работу вне класса, как результат, последующую публичную защиту проекта. Данное направление тесно связано с проблемой совершенствования проектной культуры преподавателя, касательно формулирования цели занятия, исследовательской проблемы, отбора учебного материала для разработки профессионально-направленных ситуаций и сфер деятельности будущих специалистов.
Neue Behandlungen in der Englischausbildung: Lehrrollenspiele und Projekte der Berufsrichtung
Zusammenfassung: Zur Zeit geht die padagogische Gesellschaft wegen der Modernisierung der Hochausbildung in RF in die neue Phase der interaktiven Ausbildung auf Grund der neuen Technologien hinein.
Dieser Artikel betrifft eine der modernen Richtungen der Englischausbildung auf Grand der Lehrrollenspiele, der Projektenmethode u.a., die den Weg zum Schaffen eroffnen. Die Projektenmethode gibt z.B. die Moglichkeit, die Spielquasisituationen im Lehrprozess zu benutzen. Solche Situationen nehmen die grofle vorausgehende Untersuchungsarbeit und als Resultat die nachfolgende offentliche Projektenverteidigung an. Diese Richtung ist mit dem Problem der Vervollkommnung der Projektenkultur der Lehrkrafte, mit der Formulierung der Unterrichtszwecke, mit dem Forschungsproblem, mit der Auswahl des Lehrmaterials fur die Erarbeitung der berufsorientierten Situationen und mit den Tatigkeitsbereichen zukunftiger Fachleute eng verbunden.
Nouvelles approches dans l’enseignement de l’anglais: jeux de role d’etude et projets d’orientation profesionnelle
Resume: L’article aborde une des orientations actuelles de l’enseignement de l’anglais, celle des jeux de role d’etude, de la methode des projets et autres qui donnent la possibilite de creer. Par exemple, la methode des projets est la plus importante, integrant tous les aspects de la langue et de l’activite et peut creer a la legon des situations quasireelles qui supposent le travail de recherche prealable et comme resultat -le soutient public du projet. Cette orientation est etroitement liee au probleme du perfectionnement de la culture du professeur en ce qui concerne le but de la legon, le probleme etudie, le choix du materiel pour l’elaboration des situations professionnelles orientees et les domaines de l’activite des futurs specialistes.
