Philological sciences /1. Methods of teaching language and literature

PhD in Pedagogics Richter O.Y.

Kharkiv Institute of Banking UB NBU,Ukraine

The role of innovative technologies in the process

of language competence formation

Nowadays the main task of the modern higher education system lies in harmonious development of a person, where the main attention is paid to a student with his talents, abilities, potential and creative innovative space. At the current stage of the development of our society the formation of intellectual, socially active and creative personality becomes increasingly urgent [1]. Learning a foreign language is one of the key elements of the system of professional training at all levels in our country, it becomes an integral part of formation of highly qualified specialists in all spheres of the economy. Knowledge of any foreign language in the professional sphere is necessary for students to become competitive in the labor market after graduation.The problem of language competence formation is one of the topical in the methods of teaching foreign languages. Thus, the aim of the article is to reveal the role of innovative technologies in the process of language competence formation.

The concept of "language competence" in the modern theory of teaching foreign languages comprises a set of linguistic knowledge, skills, abilities mastering of which allows to speak a foreign language in accordance with the linguistic rules of the target language, as well as to contribute to the development of the students’ language skills[3].

Competence in general sense is a group of interrelated and interdependent knowledge and skills for ensuring the implementation of a specific task. In turn, the competence is the ability to carry out activities within the competence mastered as well as make responsible decisions and act appropriately according to the requirements of the situation [3].The term "linguistic competence" was introduced bythe American linguist Chomsky in the middle of the XX century. In general sense it refers to the ability to understand and produce unlimited number of linguistically correct sentences usingstudied linguistic signs and rules of their connections. This implies the ability to perform specific language-related activities in a native language. So, linguistic competence is the ability to achieve a certain level of knowledge of orthographic, phonetic, lexical and grammatical aspects of speech and the ability to use language tools for building properly formulated statements. Language competence is formed in various types of language activities and is carried out both in oral and written form.

Foreign language training nowadays must be designed taking into account necessity of language competence formation at all stages. Development of the students’ language skills (lexical and grammatical, listening, speaking, reading, writing) is supposed to be bases on the systematic principle. According to it students of different professional orientation must listen to authentic texts in different formats (with common understanding, extracting specific information, with full understanding), read authentic professionally oriented texts, translate texts of specific origin (scientific journals, newspapers, reviews), compose summaries, applications, CVs, reproduce dialogues on professional situations, fill in questionnaires, write essays, as well as be prepared for the interview, speak on professional and social themes, use grammar constructions and stable expressions appropriately.

In addition, students must be offered a variety of tasks, enabling them to express their thoughts coherently and clearly, build statements orally and in writing, using appropriate language means in accordance with the purpose, content and conditions of communication. One of the main tasks today is to develop a language feeling, analytical and creative skills, both at the level of content and at the level of linguistic resources that are closely interconnected. “…there is a general aspiration for exposing learners to English as a ‘living language’, providing natural opportunities to practice target language through the use of authentic texts and exposure to real models of spoken English. In this case, the role of technology can provide a significant addition to the other more conventional tools (blackboards, textbooks, cassette players)... Technologies like the internet can provide access to large quantities of authentic input material and at the same time can provide opportunities for practice” [2, p. 20].

The student has the linguistic competence if he has an understanding of the target language system and can use this system in practice. Today, students need to use knowledge in the active practice. Ability to work with information in a foreign language and the ability to apply it in their practice is one of the most important qualities of highly skilled professionals nowadays.

Understanding specialized information requires deep knowledge of vocabulary as well as grammar constructions. Thus, to achieve this aim and make the process of learning less complicated every teacher should try to organize the process of innovation in the learning activities so as to create a favorable learning environment for students. Innovative environment is understood as a special space, which promotes innovative resources of a person; it accumulates innovation potential of the educational establishment as well as a teacher him(her)self.

It is well-known that the innovation process is a comprehensive work on creation, development, use and spread of innovations. In order to generate students’ interest to study a foreign language, teachers are to use new, interesting and effective forms and methods of the language learning process. Improvement of the training efficiency depends on the appropriateness of selection and use of a variety of teaching methods, as well as on the intensification of the entire educational process. The term "teaching methods" means arranged and interconnected ways of communication between teachers and students aimed at solving educational problems [1]. Hence, introduction of pedagogical innovations creativity is strongly dependent on both the psychological climate in the educational establishment and the teaching staff. Logistical, sanitary and aesthetic conditions also play an important role in the process of innovative technologies implementation. Selection of the actual scientific and educational topics, clear statement of the creative activity purpose help a teacher to optimize the process of learning foreign languages.

It is also advisable to implement curtain stages while introducing innovative methods in the classroom considering theoretical and practical questions of students’ training. Сomprehensive analysis shows the need to adjust the pace and the content of the process of teaching a foreign language. However sometimes it is also necessary to create special groups of skilled, creative, initiative teachers who will assume responsibility for analysis of the best practices, effective systematic selection of ideas, technologies and concepts that can be introduced into teaching process. This approach makes it possible to combine the best efforts of the pedagogical innovations oriented on the implementation of the innovation technologies and establishing the innovative environment. Innovative orientation in the process of teaching includes the following criteria:

a) novelty, which allows to determine the level of original experience. There are absolute, partially absolute, conditional and subjective level of novelty;

b) optimality, which helps to achieve good results with the least spent of physical and mental strength of the sides of communication;

c) effectiveness and efficiency, which means a certain stability of positive results in teaching;

d) possibility of creative application of new results in mass experience, providing proven expertise suitability for mass implementation in higher educational establishments.

Innovation is supposed to be an integral part of the educational process comprising each of its components:

1. Target component affects the structure and content of the curriculum and program of a separate discipline and the whole complex of subjects, focuses on reaching a predictable result of education.

2. Content component affects the content and structure of individual courses and education in general.

3. Evaluation component affect the content, methods, forms of monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning results.

The process of innovation implementation takes place according to the following logic scheme:

1) innovation awareness (the theoretical development of innovation which helps to organize public awareness);

2) learning (process of testing innovations in one or more groups of students and diagnostics of the results);

3) spreading (if the results of the project are positive, a broad introduction of innovations in regular teaching practice takes place);

4) traditionalizing (innovation turns into a customary norm, tradition);

5) crisis (innovation completely exhausts its possibilities and its results may deteriorate);

6) ending (innovation completes its existence, some other technologies take its place).

It is known that one of the main methodological innovations is an interactive teaching method. Interactive learning is a study based on dialogic speech, in which the interaction between a teacher and a student takes place, the members of this interaction are equal partners and there is no dominance of one side over another. In such circumstances, students quickly learn to be democratic, feel free to communicate with other people, think critically and make independent decisions.

The goal of interactive learning is the creation of comfortable learning environment in which the student feels his success, his intellectual perfection, as well as making the educational process productive itself. Teacher must always keep in mind that the essence of interactive learning is that the learning process should be constantly filled with active interaction of all students. Its main principle is based on cooperation and mutual-learning schemes “teacher – student” and “student – student”.

Interactive learning technology is the way of organizing education when there is no refuse to participate in the process of learning:

- each student has a specific task, the fulfillment of which trains his own responsibility;

- quality of the tasks fulfillment depends on the activity of each student.

Teaching methodology distinguishes two "fundamental" aspects:

1) ensuring of the final result;

2) planning of the future learning process.

Educational technology is a set of procedures for renewing professional teaching practices and ensuring final result. The goal of the modern education is to help a student to work and live independently and creatively. The following activities provide the fulfillment of the main goal: intellectual games, linguistic tales, differentiated learning, integrated tasks, role-plays, interactive learning methods [3]. The result of the implementation of the methods mentioned above in the process of teaching English lies in the fact that the language competence is formed. A set of the following methods may be considered to be effective and gives positive results in the process of learning English by the students of different professional orientation:

1. “Battleship”

 Step 1: Determine the theme keyword.

 Step 2. Encrypt it with numbers and letters.

 Step 3. Ask the students to decode and announce the theme.

2. “Brainstorm”

Step 1: Divide the class into groups of 5-7 people.

 Step 2. Clearly define the problem or topic to "brainstorm".

 Step 3. Work in a circle.

 Step 4. Choose a chairman (speaker of the group) who will lead the discussion and encourage the growth of new ideas. The Chairman should encourage the quantity and not the quality of ideas.

 Step 5. Give students time to think in order to increase the growth of new ideas.

 Step 6. Observe "brainstorming": avoid any criticism, don’t forget that borrowing other ideas is normal to some extent, assessment comes later.

Step 7. Share ideas cyclically.

3.”Mikrophone”

Step 1. Identify the problem (it is better if it is controversial) and ask the students to express their ideas in written form.

Step 2: Invite the students to an object that will perform the role of "imaginary" microphone.

Step 3: Give the floor to the students in turn.

Step 4. Ask the students to speak quickly and concisely.

Step 5. Don’t comment and assess the answers given.

Step 6. Ask the students to evaluate the speeches and present the results at the blackboard.

4.”Alphabetic soup”

Step 1: Cut the alphabet or take cards with letters and put them into basket.

Step 2: Divide students into teams, let the team leaders draw a letter from the basket.

Step 3: Ask students from different groups to invent as many words or collocations beginning with the chosen letter (state the theme of the game beforehand).

5. “Brainstorming carousel”

Step 1: Choose a theme that can be divided into sub-topics or sub-questions.

Step 2. Write each question or sub-topic on a separate sheet of paper.

Step 3. Divide students into groups of 4-5 people.

Step 4. Settle each group at the table.

Step 5. Select students who will record the ideas (a secretary) in each group.

Step 6. Specify the time limit for one answer.

Step 7. Continue this exercise until each group gives answers to all questions.

Step 8. Examine the answers and pay attention to what has been added by other groups.

6. “Associative tree”

Step 1. State the topic and write a connected word with which the work will be held.

Step 2. Students should remember everything that occurs in memory according to the word and the topic and write it on the blackboard.

Step 3: The teacher may give basic words (tips) as a kind of "a tree", which gradually "grows" through the responses of students.

7. “Guess the word”

Step 1: State the topic which will be reviewed in this game.

Step 2: Divide students into 2 teams and ask them to stand in front of the class in turn.

Step 3: Each student takes a card with a word connected with the specified topic.

Step 4: The student must show the word to his group with a help of gestures or other students are welcome to ask questions in order to guess the word on the card.

Step 5: Define the winners by counting how many words have been guessed by the group.

The constant use of the technologies mentioned above during English classes allows to conclude that such interactive methods enrich students’ speech skills, promote the development of mental activities, expend professional and social vocabulary and, therefore, help to form language competence. It is possible to achieve positive results only when a teacher realizes that students’ minds need continuous evolution, they want everything new and interesting. We have to remember that implementing innovative methods we help students to reveal their language and creative abilities as well as promote their comprehensive development. Learning is not an automatic insertion of educational material in the head of a student. It requires intense mental work and his own active participation in the process. Innovative technologies usage allows teachers to make learning a foreign language interesting and exciting and helps students to master English in all its diversity. The practice of computer technologies as a means of improving the efficiency of language competence formation is considered to be relevant and will be the object of the following research.

References:

1. Стрілець С.І. Інноваційні технології і методи навчання у вищій освіті: проблеми та перспективи / С.І. Стрілець // Вісник Чернігівського національного педагогічного університету / Серія: Педагогічні науки / – Чернігів: Видавничий відділ ЧДПУ, 2011. – Вип. 90 – С. 204 – 209.

2. Innovations in learning technologies for English language teaching / Ed. by Gary Motteram. – British Council, 2013. – 197 p.

3. Mayer, R. F. Multimedia learning. – Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2001. – 156p.