Филологические науки/1. Методика преподавания языка и литературы

Ст. преподаватель Гончарова Ж. Н.

Харьковский Национальный Экономический Университет им.С. Кузнеца

The development of personal qualities of future specialists in the field of economics (leadership, ability to make decisions, activity, initiative, independence) by means of a foreign language.

There is a continuous process of professional education improvement worldwide. In Ukraine, it is connected with social and economic conditions that are constantly changing; scientific and technological progress, which makes high level demands for training specialists in various fields. Modern society is marked by the emergence of a new paradigm of education which is aimed at personality development in the world. According to the situation the requirements for the training of future specialists are being changed. It is therefore necessary to optimize the whole system of training in accordance with the changes which occur in the economic and social infrastructure, because bringing the country development to a new level is possible in case if the professionals are competent and able to make effective economic decisions, create and design economic information systems.

Effective implementation of the system of human potential in the course of his/her activity is considered to be self-actualization in the theory of personality formation. [2, 76] At universities in the process of economists training such important characteristics of students’ self-actualization as individuality, striving for greater freedom, personal and professional growth, independence, self-respect are formed through clearly set out and organized learning environment. Also it is crucially important for the future economist to possess the qualities of searching for managerial decisions, priorities assessment and high level of overall and intellectual culture, assessment of alternative ways to solve unusual problems, willingness to take risks, confidence and commitment. All these personal features are formed not only in the process of learning the mathematical sciences, but also in foreign languages classes.

We believe that the most effective method to teach foreign languages is the technology of problem-based learning. Problem-based learning methods are grounded on the creation of problematic situations, active students’ learning which consists of search and complex issues solving that require knowledge actualization and analysis. You can use the integrated complex methods to enhance the educational process with the advantage of active learning methods as advanced technology of modern educational process in order to develop the basic skills of self-actualization of students. That is behind the formation of professional competence of a specialist qualified in the field of economics. Examples may include such active learning methods of students as role play, problem simulations, group training.

We are giving a few examples of problem situations involving a group work of students:

Problem 1:

A mobile phone company has been attacked in several newspapers for using “dishonest” methods to sell its phones. The managers arrange a press conference to defend their company’s reputation and answer questions.

Role card1:

Managers: you should defend your company’s sales methods and persuade the journalists that your business has high ethical standards. The information below will help you to answer the journalists’ questions.

· Your marketing strategy is to target older people (over 60s) because they need phones more than young people.

· Your sales staff phone potential customers in the evening because customers are usually at home then. Your staff ask for the customer’s credit card details to check the customer’s financial status.

· Sales staff are trained to maximise sales revenue by offering the customer extra accessories, for example leather cases, straps.

Role card 2:

Journalists: many readers have complained to you about the dishonest methods used by the phone company. The complaints are related to selling by telephone. Use the information below to question the managers closely about their sales methods. Try to persuade them to offer financial compensation to all dissatisfied customers.

Readers say that the company’s sales staff:

· Target old people, using high-pressure tactics to persuade them to buy a phone.

· Always phone late in the evening when people are tired and vulnerable

· Persuade people to buy accessories, such as leather cases, which they don’t really want or need [4, 34].

Problem 2:

You are managers in a mobile phone company, Speakeasy Ltd. Based in San Diego, California. The company wishes to send two executives to set up a branch office overseas. However, the location chosen is politically very unstable and there has been some terrorist activity in the area recently. Hold on a meeting to decide:

a) Whether to send the two executives to the area

b) If so, how to reduce the risks to which they will be exposed

Role card 1: Manager A

You are not in favor of sending the executives to the area. You think the risk is too great. They could be kidnapped, or war could break out at any moment. Both executives are your personal friends and you fear greatly for their safety. If they did go, the company will have to hire an armoured car for them, at great cost. Try to persuade your colleagues to give up the idea of sending them.

Role card 2: Manager B

You are very keen to send the executives because a sales office there would be highly profitable – there is a huge demand for mobile phones in the area. You don’t think the risk is very great. The government control the area firmly. There have been a few terrorists incidents, but that’s to be expected. The executives can get advice before they go on what precautions to take (for example where to live, changing routes when they return home, locking their car doors, being alert at all times).

Role card 3: Manager C

You can’t decide whether the executives should go or not. On the one hand, the area has great sales potential and the company would be the first mobile phone operator to set up an office there. Also, at the moment, there is no terrorist activity. On the other hand, there is a real risk because in other areas of the country, executives had died as a result of terrorist activity or war. If they did go, you think they should have a special bodyguard at all time. This would, of course, be very costly [3, 51].

Gaming techniques and group work, which are the constituent parts of the problem-based learning methods, can simulate real social and economic situations that arise in the market and business games can significantly increase the interest of students, activate their attention, and help deeply understand the market relations and processes. As we know, economic activity requires solving problematic situations arising in its process permanently. And the success of an active market subject will depend on the way he will learn to cope with these issues.

Group seems indispensable for the leadership skills development. Becoming a leader and team development – is a continuous process that cannot be separated. A leader is a status of a person in the group. During interpersonal relationships the status of each person is determined since the formation of the group and at the same time human impact on this group is defined. One of the most important qualities of a leader is skillful communication. Communication is closely connected with trust. And every fact of his interaction with people can be seen as a realized or lost opportunity to gain their trust. Educational technologies oriented onto group work effectively stimulate the development of students’ communicative skills. Gaining experience in communication is not only based on personal involvement in acts of communicative interaction with others. There are many ways to obtain information about the nature of communicative situations, problems of interpersonal interaction and the means of their solution [2, 49]. Quite effective forms of team work are introspection groups where members are able to track their definition of communicative situations in the process of comparing the views of all members. For example, the students are given the task to prepare for the meeting. They are divided into two groups and the role cards with the task are handed out. After the meeting they gather into one group and compare their views during the preparatory process:

Assignment 1:

Role card 1

Marketing director and senior product manager: It will be good for the company if you can sign this personality, but you know you are not the only offer on the table. Before the meeting, decide what you can offer and what you want in return.

Role card 2

Sports personality and agent: With fame on your side, you know you can sign endorsement agreements with any number of sports companies, but you like this particular firm. Before the meeting, decide what you can offer and what you want in return [4, 124].

Assignment 2: Discuss the situation at Universal Systems PLC and analyze your position then compare your ideas.

Group1: Dennis Mitchell: decide on three reasons for staying at the company, two reasons for being uncertain whether to stay or leave, and one reason for leaving the company.

Group2: Jack Copper: decide on three reasons for keeping Dennis Mitchell, two reasons for being uncertain whether he should stay or leave, and one reason for getting rid of him.

The efficient management of students’ cognitive activity is an important aspect of their self-actualization model in the educational process. The other side of students’self-actualization making is a multi-level organization of their self-education, aimed at fostering professional mobility, development of their research skills, the disclosure of creativity and individual abilities formation. In order to organize the process of students’ self-education teachers of foreign languages sometimes use a method of projects as a way of communicative competence and a method that combines individual independent work of students with their mutual cooperation in small groups.

The project is a work that is planned and carried out independently by students under the flexible guidance of a teacher. Performing such kinds of tasks combines communication in a foreign language with the intellectual and emotional activity of students in the form of surveys, interviews. This means that the purpose of each lesson is determined not only in terms of acquiring knowledge and skills, but also in terms of progressive changes in the structure of students’ personality. Doing the project, students learn to think creatively, to plan their actions, to use the obtained in class communication skills in real life situations and to improve their interpersonal communication and cultural cooperation.

Students receive the card- task of project topics with specified time and type of presentation (verbal report, poster presentation, display materials, a written report, tourist booklet). Also the forms of gathering materials and the outline of the project are offered. Project method is the work with various sources of information on the use of research methods that allow to form their own views on the issue, summarize the collected material and present it in an aesthetically meaningful form [2, 72].

We offer the card-task on “Tourism in Kharkiv”.

Project – Tuesday, March 15, 2017

Subject: Tourism in Kharkiv/Youth/Social/Education abroad/Recreation

1. Internet: www.gorsovet.com.ua

2. Interviews:

When? Monday, February 16, – Saturday, February 26

Where? Kharkiv Tourist agencies

Preparatory work:

Look for the information in the Internet. Your main information source is www.gorsovet.com.ua but you can use any other web-site you consider useful. Think over what will be interesting for your friends to know about the subject. Choose some tourist agencies to visit. Prepare then some questions you will ask during your interview (the history of the subject, modern state, problems, plans for the future etc.). Go round several tourist agencies and get as much information as possible. During and after the conversation make detail notes so that you can use them later.

Output:

Sit together with your group, collect, sort and discuss your printed materials and notes. This will be your basis for the written paper on Tuesday, March 15. It may be an essay or a report. Think over beforehand what you will write about. Be ready to exchange your papers with the members of other groups, discuss and evaluate the process and results of the work of your group and the work of other groups.

Involving students in independent work plays a significant role while training future professionals in the field of economics. It enables to develop autonomy, creativity, ability to orientate independently in practical situations, to give them real assessment and to take decisions during their activities.

We believe that the implementation of the discussed ideas of training future economists will allow to achieve “the main purpose of vocational education – training qualified specialists of appropriate level and profile, that are competitive in labor market, competent, responsible and know a lot about related areas” [1, 32]. By means of a foreign language teachers are seeking the goal to train the future specialists to work effectively in the field of economics at international standards, to be ready for continuous professional development, social and professional mobility.

References translated and transliterated

1. Bakayeva H.Ye., Borysenko O.A., Zuyenok I.I. Program in English for professional communication. – 2005.

2. Brotta, F. “L2 project work in L1 context”. Problems and Experiences in the Teaching of English. Volume II, No.2, 1985.

3. Cotton, D., Falvey, D. Market Leader. Course book. Upper Intermediate Business English, 2001.

4. Cotton, D., Robbins, S. Business class. Course Book, 2001.

5. Zakharova L.N. Personality characteristics, styles and types of behavior and professional identity of students at pedagogical universities // Issues of Psychology, 1998. – № 2.