Medynska S. I.

Senior Lecturer

Alfred Nobel University, Dnipropetrovsk

PECULIARITIES OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE TRAINING FOR PROFESSORS AT HIGHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS OF ECONOMIC SPECIALIZATION IN UKRAINE FOR THEIR FURTHER PARTICIPATION IN INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC AND EDUCATIONAL PROJECTS UNDER CONDITIONS OF INNOVATIVE DEVELOPMENT OF EDUCATION

At present urgent problems of the educational sphere and relevant alterations in the requirements for highly qualified teaching staff, in particular at higher educational institutions, raise a question of intensive foreign language training provided for professors to increase the level of their competence in the international scientific world.

Easy access to information and achievements of the world science due to cutting edge technologies gives additional competitive advantages to those professors who have a sufficient level of foreign language competence which can be applied not only for getting information for further processing and analyzing in the teaching process but also generating and sharing new ideas and scientific achievements on the professional level while participating in the international scientific conferences, symposiums, forums, seminars etc.

International programs and projects on collaboration between Ukrainian universities and foreign ones with the Ukrainian scientists and professors being involved in the process of teaching the subjects in foreign languages, mainly English which is an international language of communication in the scientific, business and technological spheres at the current stage of social development, are getting more and more common.

All the innovations in the educational area mentioned above are prerequisites of intensified interest in studying Business English and English for Specific Purposes which leads to necessity of thorough research of theoretical bases and methodological aspects which are crucial for defining the most effective and efficient approaches to performing the set tasks.

Effectiveness of foreign language learning depends on various factors including age peculiarities and individual abilities of students, relevance of the chosen teaching method and techniques, efficiency of the team, the level of internal motivation and favourable psychological climate etc. Combination of the most optimal factors leads to high progress and proficiency in the language but certain pedagogical and psychological aspects have to be taken into consideration.

The keys to success in Business English learning for adults include striving for getting language proficiency and persistence; aptitude for languages and presence of the basic level of linguistic competence in General English (not lower than Pre-Intermediate) since the higher the starting level is, the higher progress can be expected; ear for music and aptitude for sound imitation which are important for minimizing the accent; psychological comfort of the team and compatibility of the team and their tutor; constant interest in language learning and self-development; teaching resources which are appropriate for this particular team and their needs etc.

Taking into account everything mentioned above it is possible to make a conclusion that foreign language training for professors of subjects for their further participation in the international programs in Ukraine and abroad is a challenge for those experts who need to provide this training.

Having compared two basic approaches to teaching foreign languages for adults, namely audio-lingual and natural, there should be noted outweighing advantages of the latter which creates environment for second language acquisition similar to children’s perception using business reality, role plays and case studies which immerse the students in the natural language environment hindering the use of the mother tongue in the teaching process. Applying the native language is justified as long as it is used for explaining grammar rules and practising translation for getting extensive vocabulary.

It is also worth applying components of various pedagogical systems that allow students to overcome psychological and cultural barriers in the situations associated with foreign business communication and facilitate building up foreign language competence of the experts. There should be mentioned intensive methods of teaching, a project method, module organization of the teaching process, immersion as well as communication-oriented and personality-centered approaches.

Foreign language training for professors has a set of goals which need to be achieved including increase of foreign language competence as well as certain cognitive and psychological tasks since an ultimate aim is to prepare students for delivering lectures and seminars based on the developed teaching resources which supposes search and analysis of information, participation in international conferences and making presentations, correspondence with students and other scientists from foreign countries via the Internet etc. Therefore, the issue of creating the environment favorable for foreign communication and close to real life business situations connected with professional activity, intercultural communication and sociolinguistic specifics arises. It leads to the question of effective organization of the teaching process under the conditions of innovative processes in the educational sphere to be up-to-date with the latest developments and modern approaches applied in the area.

Optimal organization of the teaching process based on the foreign educational resources taking into account specifics of assessment and testing of the specified category of students including impossibility of applying the traditional system of grades due to its educational limitations, professional ethics and a system of subordination can lead to high progress and constant intensification of motivation. Since international projects with Ukrainian scientists and lecturers participating in them are getting increasingly common in the process of innovative development of the educational sphere this direction involves intensive learning English as a language of international communication and requires particular attention to creating and pursuing specific teaching strategies and cost-effective approaches which need further methodological development.