Филологические науки/1. Методика преподавания языка и литературы

T.B. Agalakova, N.V. Оgorodnikova

Kirov State Medical Academy, Russia

Technology of Critical Thinking to Build Up

Foreign Communicative Competence in Medical Students

The fact that Russia joined the Bologna process at the turn of the last century gave way to the competence approach in professional training. This approach created the new educational standards.

The educational standards for medical schools and faculties state that a graduate must have certain cultural and professional competences. Such competences as “to speak a foreign language in everyday situations” and “to be perfectly ready and capable of studying scientific information in medicine, national and foreign experience in the topic of the investigation” are to be developed in the process of learning a foreign language in a medical higher educational institution [1, 2, 3]. Achievements in building these competences largely depend on the level of the students’ foreign communicative competence.

In order to achieve the necessary standard of the foreign communicative competence foreign language instructors of Kirov State Medical Academy apply modern educational technologies alongside with traditional teaching methods. The following educational technologies are widely used at the lessons of foreign languages: communicative language training technology, intensive language training technology, professionally oriented language training technology, interactive technologies, learner-centered training technology, collaborative training technology, technology of critical thinking.

The article speaks about implication of the technology of critical thinking (TCT) to organize medical students’ learning activity while acquiring foreign language competence. TCT provides students with an opportunity to set their own educational goals thus adding to learning motivation.

The main purpose of using TCT in a medical school is its potential as to contribute to forming general and professional competences, which include skills necessary at college as well as in the future trend.

TCT is based on its three-phase structure: evocation, realization of meаning, reflection.

This article describes TCT in action in a class “Skeleton”.

Evocation helps to stimulate students’ self-motivation and learning activity. It’s of high significance to avoid criticism but to follow the rule “Any student’s point of view is valuable”.

The subject and purpose are defined at this stage.

“We’re going to speak about a system in the human body. What systems do you know? You have to ask questions to guess.”

Students аsk questions: 1. How many parts does it consist of? 2. What is it like? 3. What is its function?

The teacher may ask: “What do you know about the system?”

The technique INSERT (interactive noting system effective reading) is used. In the process of discussion a table is completed. It includes the graphs: V (I knew that), + (new information), - (I had a different idea), ? (I didn’t quite get ) it/ I’ve got some questions). Some facts on the subject are read (read out). Students are provided with a memo/instruction. After the text stage the notes are discussed in pairs and/or small groups.

The next phase - realization of meаning – takes most of the time and aims at getting new information. In our class the students get the information reading a text (reading for detail) and doing after-reading tasks. The utmost point here is to control comprehension while getting new information. It can be self or mutual control based on keys.

From a large number of techniques recommended for reflection we use Fishbone. The students are given the following tasks:

1. Put down the bones on the paper imaging a part of the body. Speak about the part. (Paper imitations of body parts are given)

2. Assemble the parts and

A) describe the skeleton (you are a professor);

B) answer the examiners’ questions (you are a student at the exam).

Afterwards we resume to INSERT table to dot all the I-s and to cross all the T-s. Students speak out what they have learnt using a model. E.g. I’m glad/ Fortunately/ However/ As far as I am concerned I have learnt that…

However both evocation and realization of meaning also include some reflection and estimation. Still it has different forms and functions. It is only on the final phase that reflection is the focal point.

Conclusion

TCT provides students with an opportunity to express their own point of view on the subject they are studying and to develop self-control skills as well as collaborative ones that are both valuable for developing their general and professional competences as future doctors.

References:

1. Федеральный государственный образовательный стандарт высшего профессионального образования по направлению подготовки (специальности) 060101 Лечебное дело (квалификация (степень) «специалист»); утвержден приказом Минобрнауки России от 8 ноября 2010 г. № 1118.

2. Федеральный государственный образовательный стандарт высшего профессионального образования по направлению подготовки (специальности) 060103 Педиатрия (квалификация (степень) «специалист»); утвержден приказом Минобрнауки России от 8 ноября 2010 г. № 1122.

3. Федеральный государственный образовательный стандарт высшего профессионального образования по направлению подготовки (специальности) 060201 Лечебное дело (квалификация (степень) «специалист»); утвержден приказом Минобрнауки России от 14 ноября 2011 г. № 16.