Philological Sciences/7. Language, speech, communication

Kontsevaya, V. N.

Krasnoyarsk State Art Institute, Russia

Case study method: some aspects of its implementation

at the lessons of foreign language

In recent years there has been a tendency to use the case method not only in business education but also in subject teaching. To achieve the objectives of subject teaching in vocational education mini-cases used in combination with other methods and technologies of learning proved to be most suitable. The case study method can be successfully used in a foreign language class, since this method contains all the types of speech activity: reading, speaking, writing and listening. Students have the opportunity to communicate in a foreign language during interaction with other group members and the teacher. The essence of case-method in teaching English is an independent activity of foreign language learners in an artificially created professional environment. [3]

The success of the case method depends on three main components: firstly, on the quality of the case itself that should be as clear and detailed as possible, secondly, on the preparedness of students and readiness of the teacher to the organization of work with the case and to the conduct of discussion.

The main purpose of the case method is the activation of students, developing their analytical and communicative abilities. The use of a case-method has a clear advantage in comparison with more common habitual presentation of the material, which is mainly used in traditional pedagogy of higher school of Russia, as it evokes an important emotional tension in the learning process; allows to receive skills of work in team, to develop the skills of the most basic generalizations, to gain presentation skills, ability to formulate a question and justify an answer. However, the case study methods cannot replace traditional lectures and practical classes : spending too much time on the analysis of specific examples will form students ' preconceived stereotypical approach to solving similar problems and will not give rise to a higher level of generalization. Practical sessions and lectures provide the necessary academic material, enabling the study and application of rules, methods and principles. In addition, case methods require good preparedness of students, availability of skills of independent work, and the lack of knowledge or poor motivation can lead to superficial discussion of the case and to nullification of all the advantages of this method.

While developing the case method one should take into account a number of technological peculiarities. It is a technology for collective training, major components of which are the work in groups and sub-groups, the mutual exchange of information. It integrates technologies of developing education, including the procedures of individual, group and collective development, formation of personal qualities of diverse learners. The case study method also concentrates the significant achievements of "success creating" technology. It provides activities to mobilize students to promote their success, underlining the learners’ achievements. It is the feeling of success that is the one of the major driving forces of the method, the formation of a stable positive motivation, increasing cognitive activity.

The necessity of introducing the case method in teaching is very acute. It is caused by two trends. Firstly, education today is focused not so much on specific knowledge as on the formation of skills of cogitative activity, development of learning skills, a paradigm shift of thinking, the ability to process huge amounts of information. Secondly, the modern specialist must be able to find solutions in different situations, to take efficient actions under the modern conditions of crisis. [1]

There are no standardized cases, they can be presented in various forms (printed or multimedia), the volume can be also different (from a few sentences to a dozen pages). In recent years cases in the form of multimedia presentations or a specially prepared video have become more popular. However, video and audio presentations can create additional problems: they are not as easy to analyze as the printed information, the impossibility of multiple interactive view leads to misrepresentation of the information and mistakes. The presentation of the case in multimedia format is optimal as it combines the advantages of textual information and interactive video.

There are plenty of sources of information for creating a case study, it can be public life in all its diversity, fiction and nonfiction literature and, of course, the Internet with its inexhaustible resources.

To be successful, the case must have a good plot, arousing the interest of students, evoking emotional empathy in a variety of real-life situations.

The use of case method as a technology of professionally-oriented learning is a complex process, poorly amenable to algorithmization. It can formally be divided into several stages: the first stage is the study of the description of the situation. The students’ task is to figure out the problem and to define their own position in assessing the situation, to think over the answers to the questions and to find concrete solutions to the problem. The second stage is working in small groups, exchanging views on a range of issues. There, a selection of intellectual leaders, who can offer solutions to problems through group discussion, takes place. The third phase is the group discussion under the guidance of the teacher. The group expresses its point of view, and the task of the teacher is to guide skillfully the process of situation analysis, involving into the discussion as many students as possible. [1]

The peculiar feature of the discussion of a problem situation is that the teacher does not give the qualitative assessment of the answers – every utterance is perceived as valid. The situation examined in the framework of the case method, can be used as teaching material for students to learn how to analyze and organize information.

Positive emotional stress experienced by the students when working with the case study method, activates the processes of perception, attention, comprehension, memorization, which creates favourable conditions for active, creative and productive activity of students, stimulates thinking-and-speaking activity and significantly increases the efficiency of the entire educational process.

References:

1. Approximate Program of the Discipline "Foreign Language Teaching (in higher education institutions of non-linguistic specialties)". Min. Educ. Of the Russian Federation. – M.: SSRI and TT "Informatics", 2004.

2. Basics of the case method. [Electronic resource]. – Access mode:http//www.pprog.ru/Osnovi%20keis-metoda.doc.

3. Ilyina O. K. The Use of the Case Method in the Practice of the English language teaching / O. K. Ilyina // Linguistics: Methods of Analysis, Educational Technology. Sixth Inter-University Seminar on Linguistics. Languages in the linguistic cultural aspect;collection of scientific. articles in 2 parts, part 1. / Ed. by L. G. Vedenina. — M.: MGIMO — University, 2009.