“Педагогические науки”

Shalova N.S.

National Technical University of Ukraine ‘Kyiv Polytechnic Institute’, Ukraine

Importance of oral communication skills formation within teaching English

In a short period of time English displaced other languages and became the leading means of communication worldwide. Its domination continues to extend. The modern world of media, mass communication, and Internet demands a good knowledge of English, especially of spoken English. Every person wishing to get the benefits of modern education, research, science, trade, etc., knows that it is impossible without a working knowledge of the English language and good communication skills. A person without oral communication skills will suffer in this era of competition and may find it difficult to achieve a higher position.

Within a short period of time English replaced other languages and became one of the leading media worldwide. Its dominance continues to expand. The modern world of media, mass communication and Internet require a good knowledge of the English language especially spoken language. But most domestic students are not able to speak English fluently for many reasons. This study is dedicated to learning the conversational skills of students in today's Ukraine and existing methods for improving speaking skills of elementary level students, identification of the reasons to unwillingness communicate and ways to overcome the language barrier.

Thus, the problem of teaching English to students, especially oral communication problem is not solved, and there are many prospects for research in this area. Due to the significant role of speaking, many researchers such as Bailey (2005) and Goh (2007) proposed a method to improve conversational skills by creating educational programs, principles, objectives and types of materials, and evaluation of this type of speech activity as speaking.

This issue was also the focus of local researchers, such as Halskova T.D., Gez N.I. Passov E.I., Rogov G.V., Shchukin V.L. They suggested ways to improve conversational skills of domestic students through a variety of teaching methods, the use of appropriate exercises and student-centered approach to learning.

In general, the problems of local students related to speaking can be divided into four main groups:

· Students are ashamed to speak English because they are afraid to make mistakes. These things are usually observed at the primary level they fear being subjected to criticism from teachers and other students.

· Working in pairs (or groups) students often begin to use their own language.

· Students do not have enough information on the subjects discussed even in their native language.

· Students feel lack of language and verbal resources to address this problem. In this case, the teacher should create a friendly atmosphere of cooperation that students were not afraid to admit their mistakes and perceived criticism.

The English language has become easier to learn than ever before in the presence of many sources that help people learn in an easy and exciting way. E-learning is one of the areas of education developing rapidly. It is known that advances in information technology and new developments in pedagogy provide opportunities to create interactive, accessible and efficient e-learning environments (Khan, 2005). For this reason we can assume that Internet surfing is an alternative way to learn English. Web Technologies and useful websites provide various new features and latest trends for teachers and students. Today it has become possible to improve speaking skills using such tools as Skype, e-mail, blogs, chat and mobile devices.

To create effective communication skills students need to learn:

· to communicate using digital media and environments to provide personal and group learning; 

· to communicate effectively use appropriate media and digital environment; 

· to transmit thoughts and ideas clearly and effectively to different audiences using a variety of media and formats.

Basic communication skills are at the core of every organization. It is crucial that we as teachers help students build this vital set of 21st century skills. Everything depends on our ability to be creative and to use modern teaching methods. The following is a suggested list of such activities:

· reading aloud;

· students give their thoughts on topic assigned by teacher;

· students listen to classmates’ thoughts and respond;

· oral diary; oral weekly report;

· group presentations on a completed project;

· oral book report;

· picture description;

· storytelling;

· chained storytelling;

· creating riddles;

· role play;

· debates;

· dramatic monologues;

· radio drama;

· jazz chants.

If teachers take these rules into account and try to use them in their work, they can form a foreign communicative competence of students and improve their ability to speak.

References

1. Goh, C. (2007). Teaching speaking in the language classroom. Singapore: SEAMEO Regional Language Centre.

2. Koshy, V. (2005). Action research for improving practice: a practical guide. London: SAGE. Kuhl J. A theory of action and state orientations.

3. J. Kuhl, J. Beckmann (Eds.), Volition and Personality, Hogrefe & Huber Publishers, Gottingen (1994), pp. 9-46.