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ЛШГВ1СТИЧНЕ ЗАБЕЗПЕЧЕННЯ ОСВГГЯНСЬКО! Д1ЯЛЫЮСТ1
Simonok Valentina Petrivna,
Doctor of Philology, Full Professor,
Head of the Department of Foreign Languages № 1,
Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University,
Ukraine, Kharkiv.
e-mail: kafedra_i24@rambler.ru
ORCID 0000-0003-3664-9218
REALIZING OF NEW APPROACHES TO FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING IN HIGHER LEGAL EDUCATIONAL ESTABLISHMENTS
The article deals with new approaches and methods for teaching a foreign language in non-linguistic higher legal educational establishments. The main characteristic features and trends of education are defined; and the basic purpose of teaching is outlined.
Key words: communicative approach; professional orientation; communicative skills; specification; communication-focused teaching; interactive methods and technologies; project technology.
Симонок В. П., доктор филологических наук, профессор, заведующая кафедрой иностранных языков № 1, Национальный юридический университет имени Ярослава Мудрого, Украина, г. Харьков.
e-mail: kafedra_i24@rambler.ru ; ORCID 0000-0003-3664-9218
Реализация новых подходов к преподаванию иностранного языка в высшем юридическом учебном заведении
В статье рассматриваются новые подходы и методы преподавания иностранного языка в неязыковых высших юридических учебных заведениях, определяются главные характерные черты обучения, намечаются основные тенденции и определена основная цель преподавания.
Ключевые слова: коммуникативный подход; профессиональная ориентация; коммуникативные умения; спецификация; коммуникативно-ориентированное обучение; интерактивные методики и технологии; проектная технология.
Problem setting. The significant changes in the general political and socio-economic strategies of Ukraine have largely stimulated the increasing interest in the learning of foreign languages. Challenges associated with the learning of foreign languages are particularly important in connection with the participation of the country in the Bologna process, which primarily involves mastering several languages.
The need of communication in a foreign language is undoubtful, as even experts in the non-related to linguistics fields are convinced that without foreign language knowledge adequate exchange of the scientific and technical information is impossible, therefore, the progressive development of science and technology is impossible too.
The processes of globalization and integration in the European and world community, the participation of Ukrainian specialists in international projects that require implementation of the following aspects of professional activities which involve foreign language knowledge: timely acquaintance with the world technologies, discoveries and trends in science and technology, establishing contacts with foreign partners. New requirements to experts encourage lecturers of universities and researchers to explore the new approaches and methods of teaching even in non-language higher educational establishments of Ukraine.
Traditionally, the foreign language teaching in non-linguistic universities was focused on reading, understanding, and translating the specialized texts and learning the problems of the scientific style syntax, which was determined by the standard educational program. Modern foreign language teaching methods are based on the communicative approach and cover the use of various Internet technologies that contribute democracy, openness, and mobility in the educational process.
Recent research and publications analysis. Many scientific papers were devoted to this problem. Among them we have to mention the scientific works by A. I. Kuzminsky and V. L. Omelianenko. They state that «teaching methods are not some simple «algorithmic units», their rational and motivated use in foreign language classes requires a creative approach from a teacher» [2, p.159-160].
The analysis of recent achievements and publications shows that these problems have been researched by N. P. Volkova, S. Yu. Nikolayeva, M. O. Skuratovskyi, M. Yu. Kademiya, A. V. Vardashkina and others.
Paper objective. In this article we attempt to outline the main features and benefits of new approaches and methods for teaching a foreign language of professional orientation in non-language educational establishments and to offer using some of them in practical training at universities.
New approaches and methods imply such organization of learning process in which all the used methods and techniques are relevant to a student's personality, his needs, motivation and abilities. We consider this scientific approach relevant as only under such conditions a student becomes the subject of speaking and learning activities, their active member
Paper main body. First of all, it should be pointed out that the main feature of foreign language teaching in university of non-language profile is its profes-
sional orientation. It is based on the needs of learners in mastering a foreign language determined by the specific features of the profession which, in their turn, require its learning.
We completely agree with N. Brieger that the field of English for special purposes consists of the following closely interrelated components: language skills, communication skills and professional content. That is why the aim of the lecturer is to develop language skills that reflect the fundamentals of the students' specialty and to develop the communication skills specific in their professional activities. M. Ellis and Ch .Johnson also believe that learning should be based on the specific content that is associated with the definite professional area [4].
Since these areas and situations vary depending on the specialty, the content of the courses of a foreign language will also be different, notably, as N. Brieger mentioned, the distinctive feature of language learning for special purposes is its specification for certain professional needs of the students [3]. Based on the assumption that the specialist of a certain field needs foreign language skills to implement its informational activities successfully in relevant situations that appeal to his professional interest, the whole process of learning a foreign language for special purposes should the most closely resemble to the real professional activity of the given specialist.
The practical experience shows that the absence of language environment in non-linguistic universities is the reason why free foreign language communication situations occur very rarely. The majority of situations are build by the lecturer artificially. Educational purpose there at first glance looks covert, but is not completely hidden from students. That is why they form the fully-featured speaking skills, since all the parameters of situations are similar to natural and cause the appropriate communicative intentions and the program of the communication task decision.
Today, above all, methodologists call the realization of the communicative approach the remarkable trend in teaching foreign languages. The communication is defined as the process of oral / written communication, the nature of which lays in exchanging information and its evaluation. Communication focused education involves the formation of students' communicative competence, which is considered to be formed if the prospective specialist is using the foreign language to gain and expand his knowledge and experience individually. Among the various methods of teaching, the communicative method is the one that is able to activate the creative potential of a person, which, according to psychologists, is limitless in everyone. In our opinion, one can open up only in the process of communication.
Within the communication method texts should show conflicts that motivate students to express their opinions. The managing of communication process is carried out not through grammar, but is directed by communicative intentions. The student finds himself in the center of the learning process. The language becomes the means of communication, the domination of the language production over linguistic accuracy, correctness, mistakes are allowed. The students are taught how to communicate during the communication itself. They improve their verbal communication skills and overcome the fear of mistakes.
According to most experts, the formation of communicative competence is the main aim of learning a foreign language in higher educational establishments; the other purposes (educational, moral building, self-development) are implemented in the course of achieving the goal. The communicative approach involves teaching communication and the formation of the ability to cross-cultural interaction. The similar expansion of mobility and providing employment of the graduates, whose knowledge and skills should be applied and practically used, is the key point in the Bologna Declaration, on behalf of which the European educational community is consolidated.
Regarding the methods of teaching foreign languages it means the gradual awareness by teachers and methodologists of the benefits of interactive teaching methods and technologies, where the developmental potential is laid: the ability to develop students' critical thinking, to enrich imagination and feeling and to improve the overall culture of communication and social behavior in general. These interactive technologies of teaching foreign languages create the necessary conditions for the development of speaking competence of students, and for the formation of skills to accept collective and individual decisions which aim to develop active citizens of the society.
In the process of interactive method in practical learning a foreign language it is necessary to remember that its basic principle is the principle of collective interaction whereby students achieve communicative purposes is possible through social and interactive activities: discussions and debate, dialogues and role-playing, imitation, improvisation and debates. Such activities meet the individually oriented approach to learning, as well as comply with the common European recommendations on humanization and democratization of the educational process. During these activities a positive impact of the group on personality of each student is provided, favorable relationships in the group of students are generated.
At the present stage the realization of any innovative approaches and technologies of teaching foreign language is impossible without constant improvement of the lecturer skills. Creative approach and innovation of the lecturer is possible only if he has awareness of himself not only as the carrier of certain information but as the research scientist. It is important for him to have the ability not only to answer questions but to ask questions and encourage students to search for the answers on their own.
It is well known that all modern knowledge and any discoveries correspond to one or a number of questions and at the same time put a dozen of new. The development of creative independent and learning activity of students will be successful if the lecturer involves them in the active process of proving and justification of their own point of view on the certain issues. Such classes turn into dialogues and common thinking. The educational problem becomes the subject of research; it is put forward and solved by the students. Thus, the main objective of this approach is the creation of problem situations; cognitive activities of the students in this include search, analysis and solution of various problems that, in turn, requires updating their knowledge and skills.
The analysis of pedagogical and methodological literature shows that the modern theory of problem-based learning tends to separate the two types of problem situations: the psychological associated with students, and the teaching concerning teachers. The pedagogical problematic situations are created by teachers to intensify thinking, the interest of students and to emphasize the importance of the issues being discussed. The psychological problematic situation is completely individual. The problem situations can be created at all the stages of the learning process, while explaining the new material, the revision of that previously learnt, the monitoring of knowledge and skills.
In our opinion, the problematic approach develops creative thinking and encourages such activity of students as discussion (as the discussion by H. Palmer is the most active form of thinking), ability to listen to other opinions, justify their own thoughts, to find a compromise with the other, the laconic statement, finding several solutions of the problem, working in pairs and groups. The students learn to be tolerant, attentive and friendly. Thus, this approach develops independent creative thinking of students, involves them in research work, and forms the cooperation and interaction of the teacher and the student.
On the other hand, as experience shows, common social and interactive activity allows each student to show the most of his intellectual and creative abilities, encouraging initiative and independence in decision making. Consequently, interactive activities combine the cooperation of speaking partners and control over the actions of students by the teacher, provide for finding alternative ways of solving communicative tasks, provide extensive practice of student speech in a relatively free creative atmosphere. The interactivity in the learning process can be explained as the ability to interact, learn through conversation, dialogue, polylogue, i.e. active communication. In our opinion, the interactive method can be called the method by which the learning is not only a member (observer, listener), but is an active creator of the learning process.
The analysis of modern methodological individually oriented approaches to teaching foreign language in non-linguistic universities indicates that one of the most common innovative technologies is the project method that is considered as a complex educational system. The basis of this system is the foundation of education on creative learning of knowledge in the process of independent individual or group activity of learners to performing the meaningful tasks lying within their interests, with the obligatory presentation of the results. According to many authors, project method of learning the most fully meets modern demands, involving communication with a focus on professional goals. It helps to bridge the gap between the learning of the language and using it.
Project method is not entirely new in the world of pedagogics. It appeared in the 1920-ties in the United States. It was also called the problem method and it was associated with the ideas of humanistic direction in philosophy and in education, developed by the American philosopher John Dewey. He proposed to build the learning on the active basis through the purposeful activity of the pupil or the student based on his / her own interest.
Practice shows that in the XXI century the technology of projects involves, above all, the ability to adapt to life conditions that are rapidly developing. The ability to use the method of project is an indicator of the teacher qualifications, his/ her progressive methods of teaching and development of students.
According to the theory and practice, project method is always focused on the independent activity of a student - individual, pair or group, which they perform within a specified period of time.
Making projects, students learn to take decisions and responsibility for their implementation. The student becomes an equal participant in the common activity with the lecturer; he is responsible for his success, failures and shortcomings. He analyzes each step of his learning individually, determines his shortcomings, seeks for the causes of the difficulties, and finds the ways to correct mistakes. The students are given a choice of methods, making hypotheses, participation in collective discussion of different views. They learn to work in a group, help and support each other, to seek information from various sources, to process material and submit it, to assess their work, to compare their own level of proficiency, to combine language skills and their own imagination. Project work develops the ability to plan and to think critically.
We follow the conception that aims at teaching students foreign languages through communication in these languages. The term «communication» includes speech activity, and as for speaking and listening - it also includes paralinguistic elements - facial expressions and gestures.
Thus, the practical purpose of learning a foreign language in terms of the project method is the formation of development linguistic speech abilities, communicative competence of students, which lies in building the language skills of speech (speaking and listening), reading and writing based on communication, limited by topics and language material.
Practical experience shows that the educational use of interactive learning technologies helps students to acquire vocabulary skills in communication process, to increase the range of terminological vocabulary on specialty, make learning interesting, informative, professionally-oriented and personally meaningful. Interactive learning technologies stimulate cognitive processes and stimulate language and speech material in a foreign language communicating of students, develop their creativity and professionally oriented skills in conditions close to real communication situations.
Analyzing modern approaches to teaching foreign languages is impossible without mentioning the widespread use of the Internet and computer technology in the studying of English in general and business English in particular. The use of computers radically changed the very concept of language teaching, making such training much more effective and more intense, more creative and close to life. One of the newest approaches to teaching business English based on the wide application of information technology is the so-called «blended learning». This approach which is still little known in Ukraine was tested as the experimental at Dnipropet-rovsk University of Economics and Law. As S. Kozhushko states, blended learning is significantly different from the more traditional approach, in which the information technologies (computer, Internet) are added as add-on to the normal educa-
tional process organization - classroom and self- study work. This add-on definitely intensifies and optimizes the educational process, but, according to S. Kozhushko, is not natural to it - if you give up this add-on, educational process will not stop its existence. In the combined studies, in contrast, the use of information technology, especially the Internet, are naturally integrated in the learning process. Lessons and all the work are generally divided into class and self-study work, this work, according to the authors of the experiment, is completely based on the use of the computer (searching for information online, implementation of the joint project work, preparing presentations, etc.). Classroom work stems from what students have done outside the classroom by using a computer and becomes impossible if there was not self-preparation through the use of information technology. In blended learning, work in the classroom and self-study work using the information technologies are balanced, each of which is absolutely necessary and not possible without the other. It is during classroom work, when students present the results of what they have done on their own, working on computers, analyze the accomplished task s and get instructions for the further self-studying work.
Thus, according to experts, the benefits of blended learning over traditional are its natural character, the absolute interdependence of parts as well as possibility, on the one hand, to use the full unlimited informational technology resources and, on the other, to keep communication in a foreign language real and not primarily virtual (as in distance learning), which cannot fully be replaced by the real. The technology of «blended learning» becomes the most effective when learning a foreign language because it allows organizing time of a teacher and a student efficiently. The term «blended learning» appeared not long ago. On the one hand, this is the means of combination of rigorous formal learning means (classroom work, studying the material of language course), with informal (the discussion of important aspects of educational material via e-mail and web conference). On the other hand, it is the combination of different means of presentation of educational material (face to face, online learning self-study learning) using the technique of knowledge management [1].
The advantages of «blended learning» lay in the ability to build individual educational trajectory of the student with the teacher, the possibility of constant interaction with fellow students and lecturer, increasing student responsibility for the results of the study.
Conclusions of the research. The analysis of methodological and pedagogical sources, analysis of the practical experience proves that today the professional orientation and communicative focus of foreign language teaching in non-specialized universities in Ukraine is realized through the use of innovative technologies. Careful attention is paid to the content of the discipline, the purpose and organization of practical training, to the selection of authentic texts for studying and analysis.
As to the choice of methods and forms of teaching, interactive technologies that contribute to the development of cognitive and creative activity of students, to the formation of communicative, speaking and intercultural competence of the students, creating of the environment close to the professional field of activity of the prospective professionals are selected at present.
The use of innovative technologies in practical classes in a foreign language, in our opinion, raise demands not only to the level of proficiency of students but also to the lecturers, whose role is changing and becoming more important.
The teaching methods of organization of the students' individual work require further studying as well as the means of combination of classroom and self-study work of students, with extensive use of computer and Internet technologies.
Список лггератури:
1. Костина Е. В. Модель смешанного обучения (Blended Learning) и ее использование в преподавании иностранных языков / Е. В. Костина // Известия высших учебных заведений. Серия: Гуманитарные науки. - 2010. - Т. 1 . - № 2. - С. 141-144.
2. Кузьмшський А. I. Педагопка : тдручник / А. I. Кузьмшський, В. Л. Омеляненко. -Ки!в : Знання-Прес, 2008. - 447 с.
3. Brieger N. Teaching Business English Handbook / N. Brieger. - 1997. - 192 p.
4. Ellis M. Teaching Business English / M. Ellis, Ch. Johnson. - OUP, 1994. - 237 p.
References:
1. Kostina, E. V. (2010) Model' smeshannogo obuchenija (Blended Learning) i ee ispol'zovanie v prepodavanii inostrannyh jazykov [Model of blended learning (Blended Learning) and its using in foreign languages teaching]. Izvestija vysshih uchebnyh zavedenij. Serija: Gumanitarnye nauki, [Proceedings of the higher educational establisments. Series: Humanities]. Vol.1, 2., pp.141-144 [in Russian].
2. Kuz'mins'kyj, A. I., Omelianenko, V. L. (2008) Pedahohika. Kyiv: Znannia - Pres, 447 p. [in Ukrainian].
3. Brieger, N. (1997).Teaching Business English Handbook, 192 p. [in English].
4. Ellis, M., Johnson, Ch. (1994).Teaching Business English: OUP, 237 [in English].
Смонок В. П., професор, доктор фшолопчних наук, заввдувач кафедри шоземних мов № 1, Нацюнальний юридичний утверситет iменi Ярослава Мудрого, Украша, м. Харюв.
e-mail: kafedra_i24@rambler.ru ; ORCID 0000-0003-3664-9218
Реалiзацiя нових nia,xoAÍB до викладання шоземно! мови у вищому юридичному навчаль-ному закладi
У статт розглядаються новi тдходи та методи викладання шоземно! мови у немовних вищих юридичних навчальних закладах, окреслюються головш характерш риси навчання
i визначаються головш тенденци i основна мета викладання.
Перевага надаеться комуткативному тдходу, суть якого полягае в обмш шформащею та
ii ощнюванш. Саме комуткативний метод здатний активiзувати творчi можливосп особистосп, розкрити як можна лише у спшкуванш. студенти вдосконалюють навички усного мовлення, долають страх перед помилками. саме формування комушкативно! компетенци е основною метою вивчення шоземно! мови, а ва iншi цт (освиня, виховна, розвиваюча) реалiзуються в процеа здшснення ще! головно! мети.
1нтерактивт технологи навчання шоземним мовам створюють необхвдш передумови для розвитку умшня приймати колективт та шдиввдуальт рiшення.
Метод проеклв е найбiльш поширеним серед шновацшних технологiй. Вiн допомагае подо-лати прогалину мiж вивченням мови та користуванням нею.
Технологiя змшаного навчання - поеднання формальних засобiв навчання з неформаль-ними або комбшування рiзних засобiв подання навчального матерiалу (очне, елементарне, само-стшне вивчення) з використанням методики управлшня знаннями.
Ключовi слова: комунiкативний тдхщ; професiйна орiентованiсть; комунiкативнi вмiння; комуткативна компетенцiя; комунiкативно-орiентоване навчання; iнтерактивнi методики i технологи; особисто зорiентований пiдхiд; проектна технологiя; «змiшане навчання».
Received editorial board 11/12/2015
