Научная статья на тему 'Peculiarities of intensive methods’ application in teaching foreign languages at Ukrainian higher educational institutions'

Peculiarities of intensive methods’ application in teaching foreign languages at Ukrainian higher educational institutions Текст научной статьи по специальности «Языкознание и литературоведение»

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Ключевые слова
ИНОСТРАННЫЕ ЯЗЫКИ / ИНТЕНСИВНЫЙ МЕТОД / ИНТЕРАКТИВНЫЕ МЕТОДЫ / РОЛЕВЫЕ ИГРЫ / КОММУНИКАТИВНЫЙ ПОДХОД / FOREIGN LANGUAGES / INTENSIVE METHOD / INTERACTIVE METHODS / ROLE PLAYS / COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH / іНОЗЕМНі МОВИ / іНТЕНСИВНИЙ МЕТОД / іНТЕРАКТИВНі МЕТОДИ / РОЛЬОВі іГРИ / КОМУНіКАТИВНИЙ ПіДХіД

Аннотация научной статьи по языкознанию и литературоведению, автор научной работы — Sazikina Tetyana Pavlivna

The article is dedicated to the linguistic and methodological peculiarities of the intensive teaching of foreign languages. There are compared traditional and up-to-date methods of teaching. Detailed approach is given to the communicative-role approach to teaching foreign languages. Psychological and methodological points of on intensive teaching of foreign languages are analyzed. Special attention is paid to the interactive teaching methods. Multi media means of teaching are emphasized. There are given principles of composing training exercises in teaching various aspects of a foreign language.

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Текст научной работы на тему «Peculiarities of intensive methods’ application in teaching foreign languages at Ukrainian higher educational institutions»

UDC: 81'243:378.147

Sazikina Tetyana Pavlivna,

PhD of Philological Science, assistant professor of the Dept. of English professional of the Odessa National Maritime University, Ukraine, 65029, Odessa, Str. Mechnikov, 34, tel.: (098) 22 12 035, e-mail: [email protected]

ORCID: 0000-0002-2707-4785

Сазикта Тетяна naeMieHa,

кандидат фiлологiчних наук, доцент кафедри професшног англшськог мови Одеського нащонального морського ут-верситету, Украгна, 65029, м. Одесса, вул. Мечникова, 34, тел.: (098) 22 12 035, e-mail: [email protected]

ORCID: 0000-0002-2707-4785

Сазыкина Татьяна Васильевна,

кандидат филологических наук, доцент кафедры профессионального английского языка Одесского национального морского университета, Украина, 65029, г. Одесса, ул. Мечникова, 34, тел.: (098) 22 12 035, e-mail: [email protected]

ORCID: 0000-0002-2707-4785

PECULiARiTiES OF iNTENSiVE METHODS' APPLiCATiON iN TEACHiNG FOREiGN LANGUAGES AT UKRAiNiAN HiGHER EDUCATiONAL iNSTiTUTiONS

Abstract. The article is dedicated to the linguistic and methodological peculiarities of the intensive teaching of foreign languages. There are compared traditional and up-to-date methods of teaching. Detailed approach is given to the communicative-role approach to teaching foreign languages. Psychological and methodological points of on intensive teaching of foreign languages are analyzed. Special attention is paid to the interactive teaching methods. Multi media means of teaching are emphasized. There are given principles of composing training exercises in teaching various aspects of a foreign language.

Keywords: foreign languages, intensive method, interactive methods, role plays, communicative approach.

ОСОБЛИВОСТ1 ВИКОРИСТАННЯ 1НТЕНСИВНИХ МЕТОД1В

НАВЧАННЯ 1НОЗЕМНИМ МОВАМ У ВИЩИХ НАВЧАЛЬНИХ

ЗАКЛАДАХ УКРА1НИ

Анотацiя. У статтi розглядаються рiзнi лiнгвiстичнi та методичнi осо-бливостi метода iнтенсивного навчання шоземним мовам. Порiвнюються традицiйнi та нов^ш методики викладання. Особливо дослiджуeться кому-нiкативно-рольовий пiдхiд у навчаннi шоземним мовам. Аналiзуються пси-хологiчнi та методичш питання навчання iноземним мовам. Особлива увага придшяеться iнтерактивним методам навчання. Виокремлюються мульти-медiйнi засоби. Наведено принципи тренувальних вправ при вивченш ас-пектiв шоземно! мови.

Ключовi слова: iноземнi мови, штенсивний метод, iнтерактивнi методи, рольовi ^ри, комунiкативний пiдхiд.

ОСОБЕННОСТИ ПРИМЕНЕНИЯ ИНТЕНСИВНЫХ МЕТОДОВ ОБУЧЕНИЯ ИНОСТРАННЫМ ЯЗЫКАМ В ВЫСШИХ УЧЕБНЫХ ЗАВЕДЕНИЯХ УКРАИНЫ

Аннотация. В статье рассматриваются лингвистические и методические особенности метода интенсивного обучения иностранным языкам. Сравниваются традиционные и новейшие методы преподавания. Исследуется коммуникативно-ролевой подход в обучении иностранным языкам. Анализируются психологические и методические вопросы обучения иностранным языкам. Особое внимание уделяется интерактивным методам обучения. Выделяются мультимедийные средства. Приводятся принципы составления тренировочных упражнений при изучении аспектов иностранного языка.

Ключевые слова: иностранные языки, интенсивный метод, интерактивные методы, ролевые игры, коммуникативный подход.

Target setting. In order to communicate in a foreign language adequately and successfully, a modern specialist, besides actual knowledge of the language, needs general cultural and historic background learning, ability to actively apply necessary lexical and grammatical structures, i.e. to achieve such a level of mastering a foreign language which allows flexible reacting to spontaneous changes in the course of conversation, quickly determine an adequate direction of language behav-

ior, unerringly choose concrete language means [1, p. 15]. The pedagogical aim of teaching any discipline directly derives from the social aim and social content of learning. New demands of the society to education, namely to the level of knowledge and individual development, new life conditions, boost the needs in changing the methods of teaching.

Methods of teaching and learning a foreign language have passed a long period of development since the reforms of

the early XXs century to the present-day times. Actuality of foreign languages intensive teaching has already been proved, but this problem still remains topical. The notion of "intensive learning" for students in general means that a student pays many hours a day to studying during a short period of time. Nevertheless, this understanding of intensive teaching/learning contains much indefinite, e.g. which branches of a foreign language should be given attention to and which ones may be ignored; how much time it is better to spare to definite aspects; which way these aspects are to be toughed and studied, etc.

Analysis of the recent researches and publications. The most popular method of intensive foreign languages teaching by means of "immersion" was elaborated at the end of 1970s - beginning of 1980s on the basis of ideas and concepts of G. K. Lozanov and G. A. Kitaygorodskaya [2, 3]. This method foresaw activation of individual and collective introduction of theoretical material and practical language training in various communicational situations with the help of hidden psychological resources. Nevertheless, this method also raised unsolved and debated aspects because it did not plan individual home work, a system of individual training exercises for the formation of speech automatic mastering.

Partially, G. K. Lozanov's and Kitay-gorodskaya's ideas were used in working out other methods of foreign languages teaching. Generally, such a method means that the traditional course program is shortened, and it preserves only the most important (from the author's point of view) basic or most frequent topics. For instance, analyzing English

language programs, the author can consider the course intensive, if it includes grammar in a shortened variant. Another course may be considered intensive if its aim is training a student to communicate on some specific topic, e.g. business-presentation and the ensuing discussion. Great contribution into the development of intensive foreign languages teaching was made by I. A. Zim-naya, O. O. Leontiev, R. Yu. Martynova, I. P. Podlasyi, I. V. Rakhmanov [4-9].

Psychological and linguistic grounds for the formation of intensive communicative methodology were built up by A. A. Bodalev, V. M. Lyaudis, L. A. Pet-rovskaya, A. A. Verbitskiy, V. T. Ku-driavtsev, A. M. Matiushkin, K. Koffka, N. Chomsky, L. Bloomfield, E. Thorn-dike [10-19].

The subject of research is intensive methodology of teaching foreign languages. The object of research is distance learning courses of English, German and French in several higher educational institutions of Odessa city, Ukraine, and British manuals of English (Cambridge, Oxford editions).

The purpose of the article is to analyze the peculiarities of the intensive methods of teaching foreign languages from the point of view of psychology, methods and linguistic aspects taught.

The statement of basic materials. Crucialchanges in the approach to teaching foreign languages are connected with the appearance of social demands to practical, often narrow, mastering these languages. The prior task for specialists in various fields of knowledge, connected with this aim, turned out the formation of practical speech communicative skills but not deep studying of the language system.

The appearance of new methods of teaching, directed at a quick achievement of practical results, was determined by new psychological and linguistic theories (L. Bloomfield, N. Chomsky, K. Koffka, E. L. Thorn-dike) [16-19]. Never the less, together with the advance of new methods, the grammatical-translation method, which is often called the "traditional" one, has been still dominating in our higher educational institutions. Its traits can be found today in the programs of teaching foreign languages and in the text-books, which are being published, though it has evidently been proved that even prolonged studies with the help of this method does not form students' communicative competences.

The task of teaching students to rapidly master skills in gaining adequate communicative competence rose before representatives of the audio lingual and audio visual intensive methods of teaching. Of course, psychologists, linguists and foreign language teachers understood the disadvantages of these methods. They are the following: for the audio lingual direction, over estimation of strictly mechanical training exercises is characteristic; lack of conversational exercises; under estimation of the mother tongue and individual peculiarities students; disadvantageous gap in teaching oral and written mastery of foreign languages. For the supporters of the audio visual method there is inherent exclusion of the mother tongue, seman-tization of conversational material only thanks to visual perception, separation of oral teaching from writing and reading teaching. Notwithstanding that fact, such principal issue of the two methods, namely, the priority of oral speech and

selection of basic patterns and conversational patterns, and also the principles of situation and global learninglexics and grammar rules by learning with the audio visual method, undoubtedly positively influenced further development of the methodology of teaching foreign languages.

Decisive in the intensive method is not heart, but realization of language needs of the students, effecting their own communicative intensions. Guided by this approach, a special importance gains the problems of teaching motivation. Motivation is the essence core which is nowadays selected by metho-dologists and linguists throughout the world as the necessary priority and condition of successful language mastering.

Some branches of modern psychological and pedagogical theories define the process of teaching and studying as mutually processed activities of the teacher and the student. The problem of dialogue in teaching and studying, or the problem of pedagogical communication, has become a social problem of modern pedagogical psychology (V. T. Kudryavtsev, A. A. Bodalev, L. A. Petrovskaya, V. M. Lyaudis, A. A. Verbitskiy, et al.) [10-14]. There is growing an interest to group and collective forms of cognitive activity. There has determined itself the tendency of transition from informational to the so-called active forms and methods of teaching with the inclusion of elements of raising problems, research. This is done opposite to rigid means of control of the training-upbringing process, to the benefit of developing, activating, intensive, game means (A. A. Verbitskiy, A. N. Leontiev, V. T. Kudryavtsev, A. M. Matyushkin, et al.) [13; 5; 14; 15].

Having an aim of intensive studying a foreign language, students should master specific groups of communicative strategies. These strategies are subdivided into subgroups and answer definite rules. The first rule is based on maintain general requirements on the organizational-communicative level, and foresees knowledge of the structure of process of communication and definite topics. The second rule foresees knowledge of the strategies, which allow to use various language means (among them communicative formulas) and answer the necessary communicative aims. Each of the communicative strategies has the corresponding linguistic formulation, which the teacher of foreign languages is to practically insure at the lessons.

The quality of training is determined by the state and effectiveness of the teaching process, its correspondence to the demands and expectations of the society. It inevitably includes a social component, which presumes intellectual development of students and their motivation to permanent individual perfection. A very important role in raising education all evelin higher education al institutions is played by computer technologies' application [6, p. 8]. Intensive us age of the interactive methods of training has already demonstrated its positive impact on directing aimsand contents of higher education in the sphere of foreign languages teaching. The us age of multimedia technologies enables the teacher avoid traditional routine methodical activities, all owstocreatively renderthe training material and train skills. Methodologically correct application of informational-communicative technologies makes it

possible to change the whole teaching process, shift the emphasis from simple learning by heart to cognition and understanding in the process of realization of individual knowledge and skills [6,

p. 9].

Itispossible to create a virtual multimedia teaching/learning environment for intensive foreign languages communication with the help of the following means:

• virtual media-library of multimedia training courses;

• virtual phono-library of authentic audio materials in a foreign language;

• virtual video library in a foreign language;

• virtual reference system, which may include multilingual dictionaries, lexical and grammatical guides, multimedia encyclopedia;

• virtual library of electronic textbooks, teaching materials, etc.;

• network of satellite and local TV.

An important role in the intensification of teaching English is played by presentation. The concept of "presentation" has become an object of scientific research in the field of education recently. In the social sciences this concept has long been known and used in providing information, which do not only presents new knowledge, but also aims to inspire confidence to the material presented, to put the information in people's own belief and affect the subsequent behavior of the individual. It is known that the presentation is intended to induce certain information [20, p. 20-21].

Information must necessarily carry a definite meaning. As it is known, the sense is issued in the human mind in the form of words, images and feelings. A human being is able to create a

new sense using semantics, that is why R. Yu. Martynova proposes to name notional information as semantic. As the scientist points out, during the transfer of semantic information, there must exist the so-called "reconciliation" between the source of information and the receiver of notional signals in the form of words, phrases, grammar and idioms which are commonly understood, sufficiently for all the communicating parties in quality and volume [6, p. 12-13]. This means that delivery and reception of information is possible only under conditions of linguistic accessibility. Information in different circumstances (professional, household, various forms of communication) is available in various ways. According to the research of scientists, at the grounds of the process of learning is repetition of a certain amount of new information. That repetition, with proper organization, leads to deeper informational perception. The more the work of repetition more active and conscientious, the stronger is the digested material. Thus, numerous repetition of the learning material converts surface knowledge into the firm one. But the acquisition of strong knowledge is not enough to form practical knowledge and skills. "Real knowledge digestion also means acquisition and capability to operate the learned material in accordance with various tasks, which may arise in the course of usage of the gained knowledge with theoretical and practical purposes" [20, p. 507].

Mastering of a foreign language in the form of the presentational material is based on the system-communicative method and takes place in three stages. In the first phase separate lexical or grammatical material is repeated in

different modes in the oral and written form until the students get the relevant knowledge. Experts suggest the average required number of repetitions. An indicator of mastering individual units of the language is the student's ability to reproduce the material in the form in which it was presented, in a mother tongue with its perception in a foreign language (receptive knowledge) and in a foreign language with its perception in a mother tongue (reproductive knowledge). If the next phase of activating material does not start in a few hours it will start to be forgotten [6, p. 40]. In two days the original material remains only a quarter [20, p. 283].

In the second, stage the same material is presented in the form of word combinations, phrases and sentences for its frequent repetition in different modes in different language environment and in various forms. An indication of formation of skills is the ability of each student to utter lexemes or grammatical structures in combination with those studied previously on the level of phrases and sentences at an ordinary speech tempo, and without mistakes in a foreign and native language (receptive and reproductive skills). However, a fast and correct reproduction of phrases and sentences within the material studied in a foreign language only provides a sound basis for the development of speech [7, p. 53]. The third phase is the one of developing the ability to use a foreign language material studied, comprehensively in all kinds of speech activities. Thus, at this stage, a foreign language material is used in the not texts studied before, but in a free way of speech [20, p. 507].

Most of the leading English-language schools in the world, including Oxford,

Cambridge and London Schools, use the communicative approach. This approach aims at integrated development of all types of speech activities (reading, writing, listening, speaking) to achieve communication objectives, in other words, mastering the means of communication aimed at the practical application of the process of communication. From my own experience I can say that methods of such schools, even though they operate worldwide and provide general common textbooks also there are some disadvantages. They often replace communicative means by providing information, i.e. factual material. For example: Which of scientific achievements would you take to the ancient times?; Tell about a famous actor/ singer/artist/writer/athlete; Which famous places of interest in Great Britain would you advise to visit? (a story for 3-5 minutes): Which are the requirements for future employees of your company?; specify the motto of the future the company (in several minutes). This focus, first, is on the memory, and, secondly, on the ability to rhetorically well apply the materiallearned, but it is not the communication. This is a memorized monologue, often drawn up by the teacher, but which does not apply to the opinions or beliefs of the student, and is the result of rehearsing specific topics. Very often, these topics even cause my own irritation, such as: What will you do on the last day of the world?, etc.

The main methods of intensive foreign language teaching is the role/business games, situational tasks as a means of communication (phonetic, lexical, grammatical). Particular attention of methodologists is paid to the role-play-

ing games. "The role play is an imaginative depiction of real practical activity by its participants, creating conditions for real communication" [7, p. 52].The role/business game motivates alertness, teaches to articulate the purpose and the final result, which is useful for professional activity at a whole. In it, the principle of interactivity is very important, as in the situation of group interactiona common linguistic fund within the scope of this communication is created. That helps increase not only motivation but also the success of the mastery of information and consolidation of language skills

The use of the mother tongue during the teaching of the foreign language has long been limited, which is considered useful. But many teachers say that to learn a foreign language or teach it to others without using the mother tongue is not possible, because not all lexical units can be represented on pictures. When explaining the meaning of words in a foreign language there may turn out new unfamiliar words, and in teaching a foreign language at a non-linguistic higher school, the students are required accurate knowledge of the terms both in a foreign and native language (the majority of which the freshmen do not know yet). Also useful is the use of the native language while learning grammar, as only studying pattern sentences, e. g. in various foreign grammar tenses, does not guarantee understanding of grammatical tenses of a foreign language compared to the native one (grammatical tenses of the Ukrainian and Russian languages are very different from the tenses of the Germanic and Romance languages), to say noth-ingof the modal verbs, non-finite forms

of the verb, complexes with them, adjectives, articles, etc.

Speaking about intensive communicative orientation training, we should not forget simple grammar and vocabulary training exercises, translation of certain phrases or sentences, because such tasks help automate using specific patterns, constructions. We should also train some sentences, colloquial situations, extracts of information (learning sample dialogues and monologue speech), and so on. As has long been known, it is very handy to work out and repeat the material already studied, after its learning, with the help of various exercises and mini tests.

Conclusions. Rapid development of science and technology, information redundancy and various overload, acceleration of the rhythm of life in the society, an acute shortage of time — such is the specificity of latest decades. Thus, the need for learning foreign languages, especially English is incredibly growing. Now it is practically unthinkable to master a foreign language without intensive methods. Intensive training is considered by many experts as the optimal means of embodying trends of scientific and technological progress. Reflecting the basic social requirements, it offers a realistic and consistent way to master foreign language communication. Training results are communicative competence of students, their ability to actively and creatively participate in communication in a foreign language [6].

The method of distance learning has already gained special importance and expansion in the world. This method can be also considered as an intensive one. This innovative trend is caused

by high levels of modern information technologies. At the same time, speaking about intensive communicative orientation of training, we should not forget simple grammar and vocabulary training exercises, translation of certain phrases or sentences, because such tasks help automate using specific language patterns.

Scientific substantiation of innovative teaching goes far beyond the limits of methodology, widely employing psychology research, in particular its various branches. A special place belongs to solving social and psychological problems, such as: mastering foreign language communication skills, research of group processes impact on the success of training, personality development in the educational collective interaction. All these problems and the role of the teacher as a person, understanding the need for knowledge of foreign languages by the students themselves, require further study and implementation of new teaching methods from both educationalists and teachers of the practitioners, and psychologists.

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