Филологические науки/1. Методика преподавания языка и литературы

Baimurzina S.S Zhumataeva B.K.

L. N. Gumilyov ENU, Astana, Kazakhstan

Case-study in teaching English language

In our generation big distribution was gained by such modern educational technology as "case study" or method of cases that has meaning "Studying of a concrete certain case". In my opinion, this method uncommonly joins a framework of training a foreign language, though initially this method was developed for application in a business education. The case-study method is most widely used in training economy and business sciences abroad. The approach firstly was applied in Harvard Business School in 1924. Teachers of Harvard business school quickly understood that there are no the textbooks suitable for the postgraduate program in business. Listeners were given descriptions of a certain situation which the real organization faced in its activity to examine a problem and collectively find the decision.

Distinctive features of a case method are:

• Description of a real problem situation;

• Alternativeness of the solution of a problem situation;

• Product purpose and collective work on development the decision;

• Functioning of group estimation's system of the made decisions;

• Emotional pressure of students.

One of the first, who paid attention to the potential of the case study method in this sphere, was David Kotton, the author of textbooks series "Market Leader". However it should be noted that, except David Kotton's (English language) textbook, there are no works on this problem in the market of educational literature. The main difficulty is in labor-intensive process of preparation a concrete situation (case). The FL teacher has to solve two problems: selection of a situation from the world of business and methodical processing of this situation, i.e. its adaptation to requirements of teaching FL.

For the teacher of FL the use of "the western cases" gives the chance to acquaint students with realities of the foreign world's business, norms of business western culture.

However, as well as any other method, this approach has also difficulties in use. First of all, it is necessary to pay attention to competent preparation a case for a lesson. The teacher has to think over a representation form of a case and to plan children activity, combining individual and group forms of work. The intricate moment for the teacher is estimation because it is required to assess work of each participant, his activity and originality; at the same time it is necessary to assess his knowledge objectively. It should be noted that the traditional five-point system of results doesn’t allow estimate learners activity. The hundred-mark system of a knowledge assessment is flexible and allows determine the level of learners' preparation more objectively. Therefore at estimation of each participant we will try to combine five-point and hundred-mark systems. For receiving total "5" students are necessary to gain 100–85 points, for receiving "4" — 84–70 points, and students receive "3" if they gain less than 70 points. As all participants will be involved in discussion, even students with the lowest communicative abilities, the mark two wouldn't be used during the case approach.

Some useful recommendations are presented for the teachers who are actively using Case Study in educational process:

1) Make sure that students correctly understood a task. If it is necessary, once again explain what is required from them (the task, as a rule, is given in English that represents additional complexity for students).

2) Won't be superfluous to repeat keywords and expressions on subject of Case Study.

3) When carrying out case study do marks about the most widespread and gross mistakes made by students during discussion.

4) If development of case study happens slowly, students don't take active part in discussion because of insufficiently good language preparation or absence of background knowledge of a subject, interfere with their creative process, leading, but be not overzealous.

So, the case study technique allows not only realize effectively development of creative activity of trainees, but also assumes that in this moment of educational activity, in the course of communication the trainee solves certain communicative task. Thus student often finds out that knows English better, than it assumed. It helps to remove a disbelief barrier in opportunity well to learn English language, to the general development of mental and creative abilities future experts.

List of references:

1. Jenny Miller. Case study in second language teaching Graduate School of Education. The University of Queensland

2. Cotton David, Falvey David, Kent Simon.Market Leader Pre-Intermediate. Course Book – Pearson Longman, 2007. - 164 p.

3. Start with a story: the case study method of teaching college science. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data