Педагогические науки\5. Современные методы преподавания.

PhD student Assanova A.K.

Kazakh University of International Relations and World Languages named after Ablai Khan, Kazakhstan.

Project method in teaching foreign language

Informatization of education is based on conduction an information technology to the life of students. Improving the efficiency of student learning in condition of informatization is relevant for higher education. Assimilation of increasing the flow of information on the one hand, promotes the connection of the educational process with modern achievements of science and practice, on the other - leads to overwork of both students and teachers. In this situation, future teachers are needed of pedagogical regulation, skills development orientation in the information field. Changes in the quality and quantity of information are brining expanding the range of learning activities, the improvement of existing and creation of new organizational forms, methods and means of learning. The fundamental characteristics of the future teachers become their ability to project their own activities, the ability to form their own strategy to acquire knowledge and gain information. Therefore, current study refers to a question of learning a foreign language based on the project activities of students aimed at rational assimilation of scientific and educational information, and promoting the development of logical thinking of students, in the alignment of individual strategies for personal growth and professional success.

A project is an extended task, which usually integrates language skills through a number of activities. According to Kunanbayeva S.S. project learning requires an individual approach where students solve problems starting with the correct formulation of the theme of the project and way of solution, the workable goal, methods and outcomes [1]. From the above it can be determined that the project is based on the idea of ​​the direction of teaching and learning activities of students to the result, which is obtained by solving a particular practical or theoretical importance of the problem, ensuring joint planning of teacher and student. Therefore, the result of the design of educational activity, in my opinion, should not be only considered as subject results, but also an intellectual, personal development of students, the growth of its competence in their project sphere and the formation of the ability to work in a team and to work independently. Also Jørgen Lerche Nielsen and Oluf Danielsen defined that problem-oriented project work focused on a group work of students to identify problems and solve them, where students learn how to plan, manage and evaluate projects, which oriented on forming study competence [2]. Students cite Internet sources and libraries in order to work on the large amount of information and improve their information literacy. Thus, students not only learn how to process information, but also to choose the information that will be useful in their group activity and expand their knowledge. Investigations of the following authors shows that the project activity acts as an important component of the productive system of education and performs as a non-standard and non-traditional way of organizing educational processes through active means of action (planning, forecasting, analysis, synthesis), aimed at the implementation of competence approach.

Nowadays, the educational program requires to carry out the formation of competences on the basis of competence-based approach in education, enhance practice-orientation activity, its subject-professional aspect and emphasize the role of experience, skills of practical knowledge to solve problems. School, as stated in the educational program, should form the basis for a new system of universal knowledge, skills, self-employment experience and personal responsibility of students. Currently existing psycho-pedagogical theory and methodology of the system can not fully be the basis of competence-based approach, since they are not practically-oriented and based on the idea of ​​mastering "the fundamentals of science" and development of theoretical thinking, not the formation of competences for everyday life and professional activity of the person. Hence, the need for using of project technology is increasing as a means of forming core competence of the students, which is understood as knowledge, skills reflecting their willingness and ability to use a foreign language for solving professional problems.

Foreign language as an academic discipline has great potential to create an environment of cultural and personal formation of students. Social order of society in the field of foreign language learning poses the problem of development of students' personality, the intensification of humanistic learning content, and implementation of educational and developmental potential of the discipline with regard to the individuality of each student. Therefore, the main aim of learning a foreign language at the present stage of education is the personality of the learner who is able and willing to participate in cross-cultural communication in the target language and improve himself\herself in foreign language speech activity.

Project method helps to develop language and intellectual skills, motivate strong interest in language learning, and increase the need for self-education. At least, it is expected to achieve communicative competence, i.e., a certain level of language, regional studies, socio-cultural knowledge, communication skills and language skills that realize foreign language communication. Using the project method is one of the components of the humanization of the educational process, as students with different levels of language training are involved in the work in accordance with their capabilities. Project-based learning allows student to solve not only educational tasks, but also socio-cultural, educational tasks.

Modern students are interested in everything. Students want to know about the culture of other countries, they travel a lot and talks, aiming to be fully developed, and thus gain access to the cultural values ​​of the new country for them, expanding their horizons. The results of the using new computer technologies are the individualization of learning process, increasing motivation in learning a foreign language, giving feedback (student-teacher), objective evaluation of knowledge and skills (because assessment of results held with a computer), the identification of weaknesses in the knowledge and differentiation of training, changes in teacher employment patterns. Computer technology gives enormous opportunities. They are:

-                     using of Internet forums for dialogue with young people from different countries;

-                     developing multimedia software;

-                     using of computer on-line dictionaries;

-                     getting films and audio-visual material in digital format;

-                     education in distance learning;

-                     building their own projects.

In this case, the students are enriched their knowledge by the information which they have acquired. Lave, J. and E. Wenger defined the knowledge acquisition in the process of project activity as the result of the combined action of the students, in which they present the acquired knowledge and combine it with the previous one. From this point of view, it is understood that learning is not an individual process that takes place in special "clean" educational contexts beyond the practical work. It is situational, dynamic and context one in which an active participant cooperate with other participants in the practical social interaction [3].

The key element of the project and another participant of the process is a teacher. In the traditional system of education, books and knowledge of the teacher are the main competent sources of learning. The teacher controls the subject of knowledge. Under the new paradigm of education, the teacher acts as an independent organizer of active and cognitive activity of students, competent consultant and assistant of students. Jørgen Lerche Nielsen and Oluf Danielsen differentiate the role of the supervisor from the role of teacher. The teacher develops the lessons based on the curriculum assessing students by performed work and the supervisor consults students in large volumetric work-up to 30-pages – from each students of the group giving them feedback [4]. The teacher informs the students about the source of knowledge, directing the thoughts of students organize their independent search. Students individually and jointly solve teaching and research problems using the knowledge from different fields, get practical results. The solution of problems, thus, gets contours of project activity.

The organization of project work may seem difficult but if we do it systematically, it should be easy. We should define a theme, determine the final outcome, structure the project, identify language skills and strategies, gather information, compile and analyze the information, present the final product and finally evaluate the project. Project work demands a lot of hard work from the teacher and the students; nevertheless, the final outcome is worth the effort.

The project relates to the one of the modern method of educational tasks:

- To change the teaching into problem-oriented;

- To stimulate the students' ability to formulate their own opinions;

- To strengthen students' autonomy;

- To reconsider the traditional role of the teacher and the student in class [5].

In conclusion, project method involves the formation of core competencies based on competence approach in the process of foreign language speech activity. Competence approach is implemented in two ways at the same time. On the one hand, the relationship of theory and practice is observed in project work i.e. students in the process of creative work of a particular product used some scientific knowledge, personal experience, and most fully realize their performance in solving various problems that entails the search for new knowledge. On the other hand, students are involved in active mental activity in the course of the project work. Communicative and cognitive needs of the students with personality-oriented training become the internal motive of their speech activity, while the language forms and formulates the thoughts. Thus, the project method allows fully reveal the identity of the student. First, this is due to:

- the integrated nature of the project: basically project method is practically or theoretically significant problem associated with real life, the solution of which requires the knowledge of the participants, not only in the framework of the subject, but also in other areas;

- the autonomous nature of the project: project method expects elimination of direct dependence of students on the teacher by self-organization and the possibility of existence of their own initiative in the process of actively-cognitive thinking activity.

 

References

1.                 Кунанбаева С.С. Компетентностное моделирование профессионального иноязычного образования. Алматы, 2014.-С.147.

2.                 Jørgen Lerche Nielsen , Oluf Danielsen, ‘Problem-Oriented Project Studies: The Role of the Teacher as Supervisor for the Study Group in Its Learning Processes’. Exploring the Theory, Pedagogy and Practice of Networked Learning, 10 September 2011, pp 559.

3.                 Lave, Jean and Etienne Wenger (1991) Situated Learning - Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge University Press.

4.                 Jørgen Lerche Nielsen , Oluf Danielsen, ‘Problem-Oriented Project Studies: The Role of the Teacher as Supervisor for the Study Group in Its Learning Processes’. Exploring the Theory, Pedagogy and Practice of Networked Learning, 10 September 2011, pp 560.

5.                 Бычков      А.В. Метод проектов в современной школе. - М., 2000. - 35с.