V.
Kasyanova
Kostanay
State University named after A.Baitursynov, Kazakhstan
Specific
features of using intensive methods of teaching a foreign language at
non-linguistic faculties
Nowadays to teach students not only to participate in
all aspects of communication in a foreign language, but also actively
participate in the development of their personality is one of the aims of
teaching a foreign language at non-linguistic faculties. In this regard, most of the modern methods of teaching a foreign
language are based on the principle of active communication (communicative
methodology, project methodology, intensive technique). The main incentive of
this training is its effectiveness and fast results. This is due to the fact
that when learners see the results of their work, they are motivated to study
the language better. Intensive methods of teaching foreign languages can
provide such effectiveness best of all. The use of intensive methods of
teaching a foreign language at non- linguistic specialties has its own specifics. Firstly, it is impossible to use intensive methods of teaching a foreign
language in the process of study at the University entirely during the whole
course of learning, as they are used, if necessary to accelerate training. Secondly, it is necessary to adapt the features of intensive techniques
to educational tasks and opportunities of students. Thirdly, we need to use
these methods only when we are teaching a foreign language oral speech
activity, since its principles (student-orientation communication, collective
interaction, role-organization of the educational process, concentration of
educational material and versatility exercise) can significantly extend the
process of training, educational opportunities of students and increase their
vocabulary twice.
The main task of intensive methods
of teaching a foreign language is to
master under tight time a foreign language as means of communication and means
of knowledge, to develop skills of understanding speech in a foreign language
on every-day, socio-political and scientific topics. Considering this, it is necessary to use the elements of intensive
methods in fragments or in parallel in the process of teaching a foreign
language at non-linguistic specialties, which will greatly intensify the process
of training a foreign language speech.
On this basis, we can say that the use of intensive
methods of teaching foreign languages in non-linguistic specialties involves
complex and parallel development of all kinds of speech activity, virtually
simultaneous creation of listening and speaking skills in a foreign language,
with a slight delay of time for development of reading and writing speech
skills. With this approach, there is a shift from quantitative parameters of
training to qualitative ones, the relationship between home and classroom load
of students in favor of the latter is reconsidered, a new nature of the
interaction of the teacher and the student is formed, as well as the learners
themselves.
Professionally-oriented foreign language teaching is
advantageously carried out in accordance with modern teaching technologies. The
social order of modern society provides minimum periods of training, the
minimum energy consumption, but at the same time, the immediate effectiveness
of the training. A similar situation exists at the university. Time for
studying a foreign language is limited as a result students’ load on the
subject is minimal weekly. Much more hours are devoted to the study of other
disciplines and this limits the time to learn a foreign language, in particular
- when doing homework. With all this high
requirements (which are quite justified) are set for the level of a foreign
language possession by graduates of technical and engineering specialties. This
problem is being solved with the help of innovative learning technologies. This
concept is very multifaceted and includes intensive method, design methods and
distance learning.
We would like to consider more closely intensive methods
of teaching foreign languages, since it is not just effective training, but the
one in which maximum efficiency in the shortest possible learning time with
minimum effort of students and teachers is achieved. Intensification of learning activities can be achieved by various means,
in particular, due to the special organization of the educational material, its
concentration and distribution, specific forms and methods of teaching, as well
as by mobilizing and more productive use of students' potential. Activity in
teaching does not belong to the innate personality traits. It is formed in the
process of cognitive activity and is characterized by a desire for knowledge.
Three levels of this cognitive activity are distinguished.
The first level is reproducing
activity, which is characterized by a student's desire to understand, to
supplement already received prior knowledge and use it in accordance with the
model. Therefore, at the initial stage of training, most training exercises are
built on the principle of reception and reproduction (perceived - reproduced).
The student's desire to understand the new phenomena can serve as the criterion
for this level of activity.
The second level is interpretive
activity. It is characterized by the student's desire to identify the sense of
the studied content. Exercises offered to students who have reached this level
of activity, are reproductive by nature, but they have already the elements of
production.
The
third level of the activity is creative (productive). It is characterized not
only by the students’ interest and desire to penetrate deep into the essence of
the phenomena and their relationships, but also to find for this purpose a new
way to apply the knowledge in a new situation.
Intensification of mental activity of
students is sufficiently versatile in nature and involves the activation,
growth of their communicative, reflective, cognitive and creative activity.
The technique is intensive because the
educational process involves intensification through greater use of
psychological and personal opportunities of the teacher and the student.
A person is often
unaware of the presence of own those or other abilities. The intensive method
helps to mobilize resources and personality, to reveal hidden reserves which
are often unknown to personality itself. Intensive training provides maximum
support to emotional processes, creates a student's emotional states leading to
the optimization of any of their activities and has a positive effect on the
efficiency of learning.
One
of the most successful moments confirming the effectiveness of this approach to
teaching a foreign language is to overcome the psychological barriers, in
particular, the barrier of fear of speaking a "foreign" language,
barrier and fear of the possibility of making a mistake, as well as overcoming
internal awkwardness and hesitation.
The situation of
psychological comfort and a sense of success in speaking a foreign language is
an important incentive for further language learning in an educational
institution. According to the research made by Vasilyeva M.M. after six years
of learning a foreign language with little success at school a student is not
sure of the possibility of successful learning a foreign language at the
University. According to the survey,
35% of students believe that they do not have the language skills; 25% of the
students complain of poor memory, which, in their opinion, is a serious
hindrance to learning a foreign language. [3] In most cases, such
self-assessment is subjective and understated, but it really can cause the
students' negative attitude to learning a foreign language, which cannot but
affect the academic progress.
We believe that providing motivation involves attention to
the opinion of each participant of the communication, respect to his point of
view. Learning situations must not be detached from reality or be too
generalized. The success of training
is provided by the fact that any of the simulated situations is vitally
important for the students. It should
be noted that for the use of the intensive method specially trained teachers,
specially organized training material and classrooms appropriately equipped are required. Only in this case, you can be
sure that such efforts will be justified.
Many
researchers of the process of a foreign language teaching emphasize the need to
drive interest among learners to enhance their mental activity. We shouldn't
hope that the students themselves may become interested in learning the
language, but it is the teacher who needs to set the task to create this
interest. Thus, the question
arises about the emotional regulation of students' thinking activity while
learning a foreign language. There is a direct relationship between the
motivation of training and positive emotional state of the students due to
information saturation of texts or tasks to them.
A positive reaction of the student on the task
contributes to the emergence of positive emotions and therefore there is the
premise to the search activity of the student. This activity acquires the
character of the problem activity. Emotions play an important role in the
process of searching for information. Organization
of cognitive activity of students in reading literature in the specialty in a
foreign language should be focused on the formation of the motives underlying
the structure of the future professional activity. In this case learning motivation can be saved if the teacher creates a
problem or search, develops thinking on the basis of interesting, informative,
and emotionally charged materials of the texts and tasks to them. No doubt, participation in such activity contributes to the formation of
the students' creativity, initiative and independence.
References:
1.
Каргина Е.М. Особенности преподавания иностранного языка в техническом вузе на
профильной основе (монография). – ГУАС, Пенза. – 2006.
2.
Серова Т.С. Тезаурусно – целевой подход в организации и введении лексики при
обучении профессионально-ориентированному чтению на иностранном языке в вузе.
// Иностранные языки в высшей школе: Учеб. – метод. пособие/ Под ред. Н.С.
Чемоданова. Вып. 18. – М.: Высш. шк., 1985. – 152 с., ил. – с.109.
3.
Васильева М.М. Возрастные особенности личности студента и их учет в обучении
иностранному языку. // Иностранные языки в высшей школе: Учеб. – метод. пособие
/Под ред. С.К. Фоломкиной. Вып.20. – М.: Высш. шк., 1987. – 143 с.: ил. – с.23.