378Tashkent State Transport University Volume 3 | TSTU Conference 1 | 2022
Google Scholar indexed Prospects for Training International
DOJO.24412/^^
ROLE-PLAYING AS A METHOD OF TEACHING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
Rustam Irkinovich Nazarov
English teacher of Tashkent state transport University
ABSTRACT
In this article, we would like to consider the main difficulties that teachers of technical universities face when teaching a foreign language, substantiate some principles and strategies for overcoming them and give examples of role-playing games as a practical embodiment of these principles. But teachers of a foreign language at a technical university often face a number of very specific problems.
Keywords: motivation, problem, "role-playing" games, activities, communicative.
One of the urgent problems of modern methods of teaching foreign languages is the organization of teaching a foreign language to students, namely, students of technical universities with the help of role-playing games. The urgency of this problem is caused by a number of factors.
Firstly, the intensification of the educational process sets the task of finding means to maintain students of technical specialties' interest in the subject and the course teaching material, to activate their activities throughout the lesson. Role-playing games are an effective means of solving this problem.
Secondly, one of the most important problems of teaching a foreign language is also the teaching of oral speech, which creates conditions for the disclosure of the communicative function of the language and allows you to bring the learning process closer to the conditions of reality, which, in turn, should increase motivation to learn a foreign language. The involvement of students in oral communication can be successfully carried out in the process of game activity. The importance of play activity in teaching a foreign language is indicated by well-known methodologists, such as E.I. Passov, M.N. Skatkin. "It is important to realize," M.N. Skatkin points out, "which didactic tasks this game should contribute to, which mental processes it is designed to develop" [1, p. 96]. The problem of using role-playing and business games in teaching a foreign language is widely covered. (E.P. Belkina, G.S. Demidova, G.A. Kitaygorodskaya, B.G. Polesyuk, R.S. Soldatov, etc.). Play activity affects the development of attention, memory, thinking, imagination, and all cognitive processes. But its main
April 21-22
561
^^pecialists^n^heFieldoimÊamÊpmÊm
advantage when used in a technical university is that the pedagogical and didactic value of gaming activity lies in the fact that it allows its participants to reveal themselves, learn to take an active position, test themselves for professional fitness. In foreign language lessons, using gaming activities, teachers often talk about "business" and "role-playing" games. These terms require clarification. Distinguishing between the concepts of "business" and "role-playing" games, N.V. Basova says that "a business game is a replay of a particular situation by specialists. Their goal is to determine the process or its result. The purpose of role-playing (or, conditionally, business) games is to form certain skills and abilities of students (who do not fully own their specialty) in their active creative process. The social significance of role-playing games is that in the process of solving certain tasks, not only knowledge is activated, but also collective forms of communication are developed." [2, p. 93]. The role-playing game is a practical exercise that models various aspects of the trainees' professional activities. The game creates conditions for the comprehensive use of students' knowledge of the subject of professional activity, and also contributes to a more complete mastery of a foreign language. As N.I. Torunova notes, "the introduction of... games into the university pedagogical process contributes to the formation of professional formation of a specialist's personality" [3, p. 17]. Role-playing is a method belonging to a group of active ways of teaching practical command of a foreign language [4, p. 203]. It should also be pointed out that there is no unified system of role-playing games of various levels of complexity that would help students of technical specialties improve their knowledge of a foreign language. Of course, the initial stage of training should begin with it, but this form of role-playing game cannot meet all the tasks of the communicative activity of teaching a teenager necessary for the future professional communication of an adult. At further stages, the teacher should include in the program short role-playing games based on a specific professional situation and provide a link between professional terminology and grammatical course material. The next stage of training is the participation of students in such a role-playing game, in which there are a number of logically related problem situations. Also, role-playing games can be divided into two groups.
The first group consists of grammatical, lexical, phonetic and spelling games that contribute to the formation of speech skills. The main attention is paid to grammatical games, since the mastery of grammatical material, first of all, creates an opportunity for the transition to active speech of students. Games will help make boring work more interesting and
April 21-22
562
^^pecialists^n^heFieldoimÊamÊpmÊm
exciting. Grammatical games are followed by lexical games that logically continue to "build" the foundation of speech. Phonetic games are designed to correct pronunciation at the stage of formation of speech skills and abilities. And, finally, spelling games contribute to the formation and development of speech and pronunciation skills to some extent, the main purpose of which is to master the spelling of the studied vocabulary [5, p. 333].
The second group is called "Creative Games". The purpose of these games is to contribute to the further development of speech skills and abilities. The ability to show independence in solving speech-thinking tasks, quick reaction in communication, maximum mobilization of speech skills - characteristic qualities of speech skills - can be manifested in auditory and speech games. Such games train students in the ability to creatively use speech skills. In such a game, everyone has their own image and functional responsibilities, and the role of the teacher is to organize the game and prepare students accordingly for it. In order for role-playing in foreign language lessons to bring maximum benefit, you need to choose the right topic and tasks for the participants. One of the key requirements is the interest of students. The game roles should be clear to them, and the vocabulary used should not be too complicated. Before the start of the game, you can invite participants to prepare for it. For example, to study a topic in advance or prepare a small homework assignment. Sometimes, before such classes, students are given lists of vocabulary to be used. However, it is often more effective to introduce new words as the game progresses, rather than memorizing them in advance. English authors A. Mailey and A. Duff offer various role-playing games in which students can try their hand at acting. In games, they bring elements of naturalness and spontaneity that accompany real communication situations [6, p. 140]. Alice O. Hadley offers role-playing games based on the so-called "cultural capsule", a short description consisting of 1-2 paragraphs of differences between the cultural traditions of the native country and the country of the language being studied, supplemented by photographs, objects. This technique, from the author's point of view, helps students to discover differences and similarities in behavior in similar situations in two cultures in an interesting way. Also, such role-playing games are an effective means of developing communicative skills [7, pp. 527-529]. But the most widely used variants of role-playing games are interviews and improvisation. According to S.D. Krashen and T.D. Terrell, interviews are one of the simplest forms of role-playing. Any material in a foreign language can be used as a basis for an interview [8,pp.191]. In the structure of the role-playing game, the
April 21-22
563
^^pecialists^n^heFieidofmÊamÊpaam
following three components can be distinguished: the roles that students perform in the lesson; the situation acts as a way of organizing it; role-playing actions that students perform playing a certain role. The task of the teacher is to select the necessary situations-illustrations and situations-problems on a specific material, prepare didactic material: (task cards for each); select groups of students and assign roles, set a task on which students should express their point of view, think through the expected answers and replicas, show interest and attention to students during the game. It should be noted that game forms of learning are relevant not only at the initial, but also at the senior stage of learning, because they activate the cognitive processes of students, increase motivation to learn a foreign language. But what is especially important is that game techniques create quite natural situations of communication between participants. In the process of forming professional foreign language competence, we used the method of communicative tasks based on the identity of learning and communication processes:
1. Work in pairs. Write the first half of a conversation between a doctor and a patient. Write about the patient's symptoms only.
Hello, Mr. Brown. What seems to be the problem? Well, I haven't been feeling very well recently. I've got...
2. Swap papers with another pair. Write the rest of the conversation. Suggest treatment for the patient's symptoms.
3. Practise the conversation in pairs until you can remember it.
4. Work in groups of four. Take turns to role-play the conversation for the students who wrote the beginning. Do you agree with the other pair's suggestions for treatment?
Thus, role-playing is a method belonging to a group of active ways of teaching practical command of a foreign language. Role-playing game is a conditional reproduction by its participants of real practical activities of people, creates conditions for real communication. The effectiveness of teaching here is primarily due to an explosion of motivation, an increase in interest in the subject. It is effective both at the junior stage of training, and at the middle and senior. The role-playing game gives students the opportunity to understand and study the educational material from various positions. The social significance of role-playing games is that in the process of solving certain tasks, not only knowledge is activated, but also collective forms of communication are developed. Role-playing games with "survival situations" included in them should be used in the process of teaching middle-level schoolchildren. For greater
April 21-22
564
Tashkent State Transport University Volume 3 | TSTU Conference 1 | 2022
Google Scholar indexed Prospects for Training International
DOI: 10.24412/2181-1385-2022-1-312-316 Specialists in the Field of Transport
proximity to real conditions, when playing situations such as ordering and choosing dishes in a restaurant, buying New Year's gifts, the student feels like a real participant in this or that process [9, p. 268].
In conclusion, I would like to note that role-playing games are based on the principles of teamwork, practical usefulness, competitiveness, maximum employment of each student and unlimited prospects for creative activity within the role-playing game. Therefore, the use of role-playing in a foreign language lesson helps to reveal more deeply the personal potential of each student, his positive personal qualities, to preserve and strengthen educational motivation. Thus, games form cognitive interest, promote the development of independence and foster a sense of collectivism. Role-playing is one of the most effective methods of implementing the communicative principle in teaching a foreign language.
REFERENCES
1. Skatkin M.N. Shkola i vsestoronnee razvitie detey. M., 1980. p. 96.
2. Basova N.V. Pedagogika i prakticheskaya psixologiya. - Rostov-na-Donu: Feniks, 2000. - p.93.
3. Torunova N.I., Koktasheva G.I. Delovaya igra // Inostrannie yaziki v shkole. -2000. - №6. p.17.
4. Mirolyubov, A.A. Ob^aya metodika obucheniya inostrannim yazikam v sredney shkole : uchebnoe posobie dlya uchiteley / A.A. Mirolyubov, I.V Raxmanov, V.S. Tseytlin, - M. : Nauka, 2003 - 203 s.
5. Rostovtseva, O.M. Angliyskiy dlya detey doshkolnogo vozrasta : uchebnoe posobie / O.M. Rostovtseva. - Tula : Yasnost, 2005 - 333 s.
6. Maley A. Technique in Language Learning / A. Maley, A. Duff - Cambridge University Press, 1978. - 140 p.
7. Elektronniy resurs - Muzichenko O. V. Rolevie igri v obuchenii inostrannomu yaziku v shkole // Molodoy ucheniy. — 2014. — №7. — S. 527-529.
8. S.D. Krashen & T.D. Terrell The Natural Approach: Language acquisition in the classroom. Oxford: Pergamon, 1983. (Paper-back, 191 pp.)
9. Stronin, M.F. Obuchayushie igri na uroke angliyskogo yazika : uchebnoe posobie / M.F. Stronin. - M. : Prosveshenie 2006. - 268 s.
April 21-22
565
