THE RELEVANCE OF USING BLENDED LEARNING IN TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGES TO STUDENTS OF THE CORRESPONDENCE DEPARTMENT OF A TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY Текст научной статьи по специальности «Науки об образовании»

DOI: 10.25586/RNU.HET.21.03.P.35 УДК 378

I.V. Vlasova,

Samara State Technical University

The Relevance of Using Blended Learning in Teaching Foreign Languages to Students of the Correspondence Department of a Technical University

Самарский государственный технический университет

Blended learning is one of the actively used trends in modern education today. It is assumed that a combination of traditional forms of classroom learning with elements of e-learning, which uses special information technologies such as computer graphics, audio and video, interactive elements will remain relevant in the future. Considering blended learning technology as a synergistic technology, we believe that it allows us to use the advantages of face-to-face and e-learning more effectively [1]. Thus, mutually

© Vlasova I.V., 2021

compensate for the shortcomings of each of them. The peculiarities of modern economic development in our country have led to the need for additional on-the-job education, when a student can simultaneously practically study their specialty and at the same time theoretical knowledge in higher education [5]. Today's young people, after finishing school, want to feel more economically independent. They are willing to go to production, master the specialty in practice. Lack of theoretical knowledge motivates them to get

an education. This leads students to enroll in the correspondence Department, where they can get higher education remotely on-the-job. One of the advantages of this type of training is the acquisition of practical and theoretical skills in parallel. In order to make this process more effective, we have come to the technology of blended learning in the correspondence department of a technical University.

Practical experience has allowed us to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of blended learning with correspondence students. In the course of practical work, we have identified the following advantages:

1) unlimited time to get feedback from the teacher, the possibility of interactive interaction with educational materials (textbooks developed by teachers of the Department of "Foreign languages");

2) a large amount of information placed on an electronic mediа;

3) hypertext structure of information representation (the ability to add text hints, compact placement of large amounts of information, placement of grammatical comments to texts);

4) when preparing materials for independent work of students, they are offered texts on the specialty, which causes them special interest and motivates them to study professional vocabulary;

IRINA V. VLASOVA Samara, Russian Federation

Teacher of the Department of Foreign Languages of Samara State Technical University. Research interests: theory and methods of teaching a foreign language in a non-linguistic university. Author of 33 published scientific papers. Email address: [email protected]

ИРИНА ВЛАДИМИРОВНА ВЛАСОВА Российская Федерация, г. Самара

преподаватель кафедры иностранных языков Самарского государственного технического университета. Сфера научных интересов: теория и методика преподавания иностранного языка в неязыковом вузе. Автор 33 опубликованных научных работ. Электронная почта: [email protected]

It is devoted to the analysis of the application of methods of blended learning in the teaching of foreign languages to distance learning students in a technical University. The article analyzes the methods of blended learning, its advantages and disadvantages. The article also reflects the methodological basis of independent work of students in correspondence department and characteristics for independent learning activities.

Key words: blended learning, university students, distance learning, synergetic approach, independent work, advantages, disadvantages.

Рассматривается применение методов смешанного обучения при обучении иностранным языкам студентов технического вуза в дистанционном формате. Анализируются методы смешанного обучения, его преимущества и недостатки. Отражены методические основы и особенности самостоятельной работы студентов заочной формы обучения.

Ключевые слова: смешанное обучение, студенты вузов, дистанционное обучение, синергетический подход, самостоятельная работа, преимущества, недостатки.

5) students develop the ability to creatively rethink the available information.

Now let's look at the disadvantages of blended learning in working with correspondence students:

1) low degree of individualization;

2) not being able to communicate with fellow students;

3) the lack of development of listening skills.

The discipline "Foreign language" is part of the basic block of disciplines for training students at the correspondence faculty of Samara technical University by the Department of "Foreign languages". The discipline is aimed at developing the ability of graduates to communicate orally and in writing in Russian and foreign languages to solve problems of interpersonal and intercultural interaction. The content of the discipline covers a range of issues related to the professional orientation of the discipline "Foreign language" focused on mastering professional vocabulary in the profile of training. Teaching the discipline provides practical classes and

independent work of the student. The following types of control are also provided: current control of progress in completing tasks for practical classes and intermediate control in the discipline, which takes the form of an exam and includes testing in the Moodle distance learning system.

The entire training program is designed so that students should know the basic norms of a modern foreign language. Be able to use basic reference literature and dictionaries of a foreign language. Have the skills to create competent and logically consistent texts in a foreign language and basic skills in translating literature in the specialty [2].

We offer students tests that are necessary for assessing knowledge, skills and abilities. The Department of foreign languages of the University has developed a textbook that includes a variety of lexical and grammatical tasks for technical students [4].

Practice shows that students cope with this type of work quite successfully.

The distance learning program provides a limited number of

classroom hours compared to independent work. Independent work of students consists of working in the classroom, studying additional literature recommended by the teacher, and doing homework.

Students are assigned various types of homework for extracurricular independent work in order to prepare for the next classroom session [6]. These tasks are aimed at:

- formation and consolidation of lexical and grammatical language skills;

- formation and development of communication skills in different types of speech activity;

- acquisition of linguistic and cultural knowledge about a foreign language and the countries of the language being studied;

- familiarization with professionally relevant information provided in a foreign language;

- maintaining and improving the achieved level of communicative competence.

During these tasks, students gain experience in performing various types of work related to their professional activities in the search for foreign language materials (including on the Internet) on professional topics.

Intermediate control in the form of grammatical, lexical works and translation of technical texts in the specialty allows students to analyze errors and set tasks to eliminate them.

The methodological basis for independent work of students in the correspondence Department in the applied educational programs of the new generation is a personal-activity and synergetic approach [3]. As the goal of independent work of students, it is proposed to expand and consolidate the knowledge acquired by the student in traditional forms of classes. We build independent work so that it contributes to the development of creative potential and personal qualities of students [7].

We create appropriate conditions for independent work of students, namely:

1) students' readiness and desire to improve their foreign language skills independently;

2) students' ability to act in accordance with their own internal motives and goals;

3) the ability of the teacher to create the necessary conditions for autonomous learning and correctly determine their place in this process.

Readiness for independent learning activities is characterized by a number of interrelated and interdependent components:

• psychological component (motivation, attitude to this activity, intellectual capabilities and abilities, volitional potential, self-regulation);

• communication component (communication competence);

• methodological component (mastering the methods and techniques of independent activity/ main speech activity, the ability to navigate in this activity, knowledge of the features of its implementation).

As a result of using blended learning as a form of organizing language education in higher education, we came to the conclusion that the control of independent work in the process of distance learning is carried out by performing practical work, checking completed tasks and passing an exam in the Moodle distance learning system. The organization of independent work of students

is combined with all the teaching methods used in a technical University and together with them represents a unified system of means for acquiring knowledge and developing skills. The final type of independent work of students in the correspondence department when using this type of training is preparation for the exam. Its main difference from other types of independent work is that students independently solve the problem of updating and systematizing educational material, applying the acquired knowledge and skills as structural elements of competencies, the formation of which is the goal and result of mastering the educational program.

REFERENCES

1. Banarceva A.V. (2018) Smeshannoe obuchenie kak forma organizacii yazykovogo obrazovaniya v vuze [Blended learning as a form of organization of language education in higher education]. Bulletin of the Samara State Technical University. Series "Psychological and Pedagogical Sciences". № 2 (20). Pp. 77-84. (In Russian).

2. Blinov V.I., Vinenko V.G., Sergeev I.S. (2013) Metodika prepodavaniya v vysshej shkole [Methods of teaching in higher school]. Moscow: Yurayt. 315 p. (In Russian).

3. Vlasova I.V. (2013) O nekotoryh problemah professional'no-inoyazychnoj podgotovki studentov tekhnicheskogo vuza v usloviyah deyatel'nostnogo podhoda [On some problems of professional and foreign language training of technical University students in the conditions of the activity approach. In the collection]. Teaching foreign languages in a multidisciplinary University. Samara: Samara State Technical University. Pp. 22-28. (In Russian).

4. Kyuregyan A.L., Rybal'chik O.A. (2013) Anglijskijyazyk. Praktikum [English textbook for students of correspondence department]. Samara: Samara State Technical University. 118 p. (In Russian).

5. Nesterenko V.M., Ionesov V.I. (2013) Chelovek v sisteme prostranstvenno-vremennyh svyazej: proekcii i vyzovy sociokul'turnoj kommunikacii [Man in the system of space-time relations: projections and challenges of socio-cultural communication]. Bulletin of the Samara state technical University. Series "Psychological and Pedagogical Sciences". № 2 (20). Pp. 142-148. (In Russian).

6. Psihologiya ipedagogika vysshejshkoly. (2014) [Psychology and pedagogy of higher education]. Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix. 620 p. (In Russian).

7. Sovremennye obrazovatel'nye tekhnologii. (2010) [Modern educational technologies]. Moscow: Knorus. 432 p. (In Russian).

ЛИТЕРАТУРА

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3. Власова И.В. О некоторых проблемах профессиональной иноязычной подготовки студентов технического вуза в условиях деятельностного подхода // Обучение иностранным языкам в многопрофильном вузе: материалы науч.-практ. конф. с междунар. участием. Самара: Самарский государственный технический университет, 2013. С. 22-28.

4. Кюрегян А.Л., Рыбальчик О.А. Английский язык. Практикум. Самара: Самарский государственный технический университет, 2011. 118 с.

5. Нестеренко В.М., Ионесов В.И. Человек в системе пространственно-временных связей: проекции и вызовы социокультурной коммуникации // Вестник Самарского государственного технического университета. Сер.: Психолого-педагогические науки. 2013. № 2 (20). С. 142-148.

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