Педагогические науки/ 2.Проблемы подготовки специалистов

Василишина Н. M.

Національний Авіаційний Університет

Shaping listening skills is one of the non-linguistic students’ intrinsic communicative competence components

 

The actuality of mastering foreign language in professional preparation is out of the question. However, modern program made for non-linguistic faculty students anticipates a lack of periods dedicated to foreign language learning process. As a result, the tutor has to set a goal to optimize studying in oreder to achieve high results of communicative competence.

According the latest researches conducted in the area of methodology, the main practical aim of teaching foreign languages is acquisition of communicative competence. It is essential to trace back the course of the research of the phenomenon and to analyse three representative models of communicative competence done by Dell Hymes, M. Canale and M. Swain, and L.F. Bachman. D. Hymes  was the first who proposed that communicative competence should include the social meaning. The individual‘s linguistic system, the psycholinguistic capacity of the individual, the nature of communication, possibility, feasibility, and appropriateness comprised Hymes‘ understanding of communicative competence [1].

Later M. Canale and M. Swain‘s version of communicative competence was related more with the communicative approach application in language teaching. They included grammatical, sociolinguistic, strategic and discourse competences in their definition. M. Canale and M. Swain highlighted the importance of context, but somehow ignored the form (grammatical accuracy) in order to achieve the communicative function. According to the modern point of view, all human competences contribute in one way or another to the language user‘s ability to communicate and may be regarded as aspects of communicative competence [1, 3].

Essential to all interaction is the ability to understand what others are saying. It has been estimated by W. Rivers, M. Temperly that of the time adults spend in communication activities 45% is devoted to listening, only 30% to speaking, 16 % to reading and a mere 9% to writing. Apart from communicative interaction, much of the enjoyment in foreign language use comes from listening activities – watching films and plays; listening to radio broadcasts, songs; talks by native speakers. Even in class students learn a great deal from listening to their teacher, to tapes or records, or to each other. In this respect listening is one of the most important skills and a challengeable activity in a foreign language teaching, and the importance of being a successful listener can hardly be overestimated [3].

Particularly, teacher should take into consideration the following factors which can ensure success in developing learners'listening skills.

Linguistic material for listening (phonetic, lexical, grammatical) [1,2].

Content of the material suggested for listening comprehension (learners' familiarity with the subject/topic of communication; type of communication–description, narration; way the narrative progresses–chronological or narrative order; form of communication–dialogue, monologue; understanding of the cultural context, observation and interpretation of the circumstances of the utterance) [1, 2].

Conditions in which the material is presented (speed of speech; number of presentations; visual "props"–objects, pictures, photos, motions, etc.; voice of the speaker; recorded or alive presentation) [1, 2].

In communicative language classroom a usual framework for teaching listening is three-phased: pre-listening, while-listening, post-listening.

On the pre-listening stage learners are prepared for grasping the information. In order to facilitate listening teacher may provoke discussion to introduce the topic, to arose learners‘ interest or create (according to Roger Gover) a ̳need to know‘ by telling them how the listening task fits in with a later activity they are going to do. The stage may contain some pre-teach exercises to diminish learners‘ difficulties in grammar or vocabulary.

While-listening stage is the listening itself. Traditionally, the first listening is focused on an overall understanding while the second listening on more detailed understanding of the text. The ways of feedback in teaching listening skills may be very different. Teacher can use both verbal and non-verbal means to check learners‘ understanding.

Post-listening activities may include a variety of follow-up study ranging from the development of speaking or writing skills to practising language aspects. Learners can be involved into different kinds of interaction-based activities, such as What do you think? discussions or debates in pairs or groups, pre-writing exercises expressing their opinion on the problems arisen in the material listened to and so on. They can be focused on specific vocabulary or grammar structures used in the text with following  practising the issues.

To sum up, acquiring listening skills by students of non-linguistic institutions demands plenty of efforts from teacher as well as from students. The main point is to create artificial foreign atmosphere in which every task given to student will be aimed to practice listening skills, not only separate audio activities. On balance, we, as teachers should consider each possibility on certain class to intensify shaping communicative competence by means of applying listening background.

 

References:

1.                 Анісімова А. І. Сучасні аспекти методики викладання англійської мови. Теорія і практика / А. І. Анісімова, Л. С. Кошова –Д.: РВВ ДНУ, 2010.–326 с.

2.                 Вєтохов О.М.Наслухатися іноземної мови. Врахування психологічних явищ під час навчання аудіювання іноземної мови / О. М. Вєтохов // Іноземні мови в середніх навчальних закладах. – 2005.–No1.– С. 74–82.

3.                 Сучасні технології навчання іншомовного спілкування / [під кер. С.Ю. Ніколаєвої].–Бібліотечка журналу «Іноземні мови»–1997.–No4.– 96 с.