Competence-based approach in foreign language teaching for specialists in navigation and ship handling

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Competence-based approach in foreign language teaching for specialists in navigation and ship handling

Shvetsova I.V.,

Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, PhD, Associate Professor at the English Language Department for Deck Officers Kherson State Maritime Academy

The article focuses on the need to introduce a competence-based approach for specialists in navigation and ship handling in the process of learning a foreign language. The purpose of the article is to substantiate the importance of using the competence approach in combination with other approaches (communicative; contextual; personality-oriented; systemic; cultural; pragmatic; technological) and to describe its features in the process of implementing the formation of foreign language communicative competence of specialists in ship handling and navigation in the context of lifelong learning. The article shows that the choice of the competence approach as the basis for the formation of foreign language communicative competence of specialists is justified by the following aspects: firstly, the focus of education on solving students' professional and personal problems, which follows from the ideas of professional and personality-oriented approaches; secondly, the focus on the result (which is considered not as the amount of information learned, but as the ability of a person to function in different situations). The publication defines that the competence- based approach is aimed at the comprehensive acquisition of knowledge and methods of practical activity, allowing a specialist to successfully implement his or her abilities in various activities. Particular attention is paid to the ability to learn, self-education, self-development, selfdetermination, self-realisation, socialisation and personal development. The study highlights the following features of the competence approach: close connection between linguistic knowledge and practical speech; professional orientation of the educational process aimed at developing the ability and readiness of specialists to make communicative decisions in the professional field of activity; ability to make daily, professional and personal communicative decisions based on the knowledge gained in the process of professional training.

Key words: competence-based approach, foreign language teaching, training of specialists in navigation and ship handling, formation of foreign language communicative competence.

КОМПЕТЕНТНІСНИЙ ПІДХІД У НАВЧАННІ ІНОЗЕМНОЇ МОВИ ФАХІВЦІВ З НАВІГАЦІЇ І УПРАВЛІННЯ МОРСЬКИМИ СУДНАМИ

впровадження компетентнісного підходу для фахівців з навігації та управління суднами у процесі вивчення іноземної мови. Мета

прагматичним; технологічним) та описання особливостей його у процесі реалізації формування іншомовної комунікативної компетентності фахівців з навігації і управління морськими суднами в умовах неперервної освіти. У роботі обґрунтовано вибір компетентнісного підходу як основи формування іншомовної комунікативної компетентності фахівців, що зумовлений наступними аспектами: по-перше, спрямованість освіти на вирішення професійних та особистісних проблем здобувачів освіти, що випливає з ідей професійного та особистісно- орієнтованого підходів; по-друге, орієнтація на результат (який розглядається не як обсяг засвоєної інформації, а як здатність особистості оперувати нею в різних ситуаціях) у поєднанні з навчанням через діяльність здобувачів освіти запозичені з діяльнісного підходу. У публікації визначено, що компетентнісний підхід спрямований на комплексне оволодіння знаннями та способами практичної діяльності, що дозволяють фахівцю успішно реалізовувати свої здібності в різних видах діяльності. Особлива увага приділяється здатності до навчання, самоосвіти, саморозвитку, самовизначення,самореалізації, соціалізації та особистісного розвитку. У дослідженні виокремлено такі особливості компетентнісного підходу: тісний зв'язок між лінгвістичними знаннями та практичним мовленням; професійна спрямованість освітнього процесу, спрямована на формування здатності та готовності фахівців до прийняття комунікативних рішень у професійній сфері діяльності; вміння приймати повсякденні, професійні та особистісні комунікативні рішення на основі знань, отриманих у процесі професійної підготовки.

Ключові слова: компетентнісний підхід, навчанні іноземної мови, підготовка фахівців з навігації і управління морськими суднами, формування іншомовної комунікативної компетентності.

Introduction

The development of a new economy, the main resource of which is a sustainable highly skilled human potential, the problem of establishing interaction between higher education and the international labour market, as well as the problem of increasing the competitiveness of specialists in navigation and ship handling in the world have led to the introduction of a competence-based approach to lifelong learning. According to the main provisions of this approach, the main goal of vocational education is to train a qualified specialist of the appropriate level and speciality who is competitive in the global labour market and to develop the ability to use foreign language communication competence in the course of work practice. The competency-based approach is designed to solve the problem of modern education, which is that a higher education student, while possessing a wide range of theoretical knowledge, at the same time experiences significant difficulties in professional activities that are necessary to solve specific problems or difficult situations. Thus, a balance is established between all stages of lifelong learning and the demands of life.

According to the Law of Ukraine «On Higher Education», competence is «a dynamic combination of knowledge, skills and practical abilities, ways of thinking, professional, ideological and civic qualities, moral and ethical values that determines the ability of a person to successfully carry out professional and further educational activities and is the result of studying at a certain level of higher education». foreign language teaching

Analysis of recent research and publications

The competence-based approach in education was studied by V. Afanasiev, A. Bermus and S. Vitvitska. Scientists define the competence-based approach as one of the main ones in educational activities aimed at the formation and development of key and subject competences (knowledge, skills, abilities, etc.). The result of this process is the formation of foreign language communicative competence of specialists in navigation and ship handling in the context of lifelong learning.

The purpose of the research is to provide justification for the importance of using competence-based learning in combination with other approaches and to describe the features of its implementation for specialists in navigation and ship handling in the context of lifelong learning.

Presenting the main material

Modern foreign language teaching in a non-linguistic university should be based on a reasonable combination of different approaches. We believe that the key to defining this group of approaches is the idea of the effectiveness of the educational process based on a combination of classical achievements of traditional science and pedagogical innovation research. This publication is about the competence-based approach. The methodological concept of our study is the implementation of scientific approaches in their interconnection in the context of solving the problem of developing foreign language communicative competence of specialists, in particular, communicative; contextual; personality-oriented; systemic; cultural, praxeological, technological and competence-based.

According to S. Vitvitska, a competence-based approach to the training of future specialists enhances the practical orientation of education, emphasises the role of experience, skills to practically implement knowledge, establishing the subordination of knowledge to skills and focuses on the results of education, considering them not as a sum of information learned, but as a person's ability to solve life and professional problems, to act in various problem situations [7].

As defined by I. Smirnova, it is the competence approach that helps to effectively form professional interests, motives, needs, and readiness to act productively in society, since this methodological approach aims to combine the development of the instrumental and moral and value spheres of the individual [33].

The main goal of the competence-based approach is education aimed at the comprehensive acquisition of knowledge and methods of practical activity, thanks to which a specialist successfully realises his or her abilities in various types of activity. The approach focuses on the ability to learn, the ability to self-education, self-development, self-determination, self-realisation, socialisation and personal development.

According to V. Cherniavskyi, the competence-based approach to the training of maritime specialists has a significant feature, as it should ensure professional activity in a limited circle of people of different nationalities, cultures and religions, develop the ability to communicate and find a common language, the ability to make informed decisions in extreme situations, and provide the ability to successfully adapt to rapid changes in today's dynamic world. The scientist determines that the formation of professional competence of maritime specialists is in the field of view of many disciplines, the teaching of which should be aimed at professional activity and based on interdisciplinary integrated requirements for the result of the educational process aimed at the formation and development of key and professional competencies of the individual [20, p. 230]. The key to successful implementation of this is to understand the goals and principles of communicative teaching and learning processes, combined with thorough preparation [21].

Competence is considered by scientists as a performance and activity characteristic of learning. Accordingly, it can be predicted that the introduction of a competence-based approach (which involves reorienting the educational process to a specific, clearly defined result) in the training of future international voyage navigators will contribute to the training of a qualified, professionally mobile specialist capable of working at the level of modern requirements [23].

An analysis of the curricula based on the State Curriculum for Higher Education Institutions "English for Specific PurposesШ­'approved by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the «Project of the State Standard for a Foreign Language» shows that they offer the same structural components of communicative competence as the CEFR and almost the same as the «Project of the State Standard for a Foreign Language». That is, the specifics of professional activity are hardly taken into account. This is because the curriculum is typical for all higher education institutions, regardless of the specialisation of the educational programme. In view of this, scholars are faced with the task of identifying the peculiarities of the competence approach depending on the specifics of the professional activity of specialists.

The choice of the competence-based approach as the basis for the formation of foreign language communicative competence of specialists is also due to the fact that this approach is a kind of correlate of a set of more traditional educational scientific approaches, having absorbed their best features. In particular, the focus of education on solving professional and personal problems of students, which follows from the ideas of professional and personality-oriented approaches; the emphasis on the result (which is considered not as the amount of information learned, but as the ability of a person to function in different situations) in combination with learning through students' activities are borrowed from the activity approach; the ideas of the communicative approach are reflected in the communicative component of education, in the focus of foreign language training on developing students' ability to communicate in other languages.

The choice of the competence-based approach as the basis for the formation of specialists' foreign language communicative competence is also due to the fact that this approach is a kind of adaptive ratio of a set of more traditional educational scientific approaches, since it incorporates their best features. Firstly, the focus of education on solving the student's professional and personal problems, which stems from the ideas of professional and personality-oriented approaches; secondly, the focus on results (which is seen not as the amount of information learned, but as the ability of the individual to operate with it in different situations) in combination with learning through students' activities are borrowed from the activity approach.

A competence-based approach is implemented in the context of developing the ability to use foreign language communicative competence during practical classes of the discipline «Maritime English» in the 1st-4th years and independently. As defined in the syllabus [1] of the discipline, the need to study «Maritime English» is due to the specifics of the professional activity of seafarers who need to communicate effectively in a foreign language with crew members of their vessel and other vessels, with port representatives (pilotage service, ship traffic control service, customs service, etc.), correctly understand orders for their adequate implementation and be able to report on the actions taken. As defined in the syllabus [1] of the discipline, the need to study «Maritime English» is due to the specifics of the professional activity of seafarers who need to communicate effectively in a foreign language with crew members of their vessel and other vessels, with port representatives (pilotage service, ship traffic control service, customs service, etc.), correctly understand orders for their adequate implementation and be able to report on the actions taken.

Considering that the development of foreign language communicative competence of specialists in navigation and ship management should be formed in the context of continuous education, it is worth noting that at the next stage (master's degree) it is implemented in our practical activities during the teaching of the discipline «Business English». The purpose of teaching the discipline «Business English» is to master the business English for special purposes as a means of communication and to carry out in this process the upbringing, education and development of the future specialist's personality, including the formation of his/her communicative competence as a means of formulating or understanding statements in the process of professional communication. As stated in the educational component of the course we teach for masters, the realisation of the goal involves solving certain tasks [4]:

Т» to develop creative thinking when performing practical tasks in special learning situations that require the professional competence of merchant marine specialists;

-to form a theoretical basis for higher education students on ship documentation, an understanding of the specifics of business communication on board a ship and in the marine environment, which will provide the necessary communication capacity in the areas of situational and professional communication in oral and written forms;

-to develop the ability to communicate in professionally oriented situations, to develop the ability to listen to audio recordings and respond accordingly, to develop the ability to read instructions and professional texts, to develop the ability to use original technical literature, to develop the ability to write personal and business letters (cargo documents, cargo damage reports, etc.), to apply the acquired knowledge during interviews in crewing companies and when passing computer tests.

The ability to solve practical problems can only be developed through active work, so competences can only be formed through a variety of cognitive, communicative and practical activities of students.

Conclusions and prospects for further research

It is important to note that the methodological concept of our study represents the implementation of competence-based learning in conjunction with other approaches in professional courses taken by specialists in navigation and ship management throughout their careers. Thus, we have developed courses that have their practical significance in the centre of continuing education and contribute to the development of foreign language communication competence.

Accordingly, based on the results of the theoretical study of the publications of the above-mentioned authors, as well as on our own experience, we highlight the features of the competence-based approach to the development of foreign language communicative competence of specialists in navigation and ship handling in the context of continuing education:

- close connection between linguistic knowledge and practical speech;

- professional orientation of the educational process aimed at developing students' ability and readiness to make communication decisions in the professional field of activity;

-the ability to make practical, professional and personal communication decisions based on the knowledge acquired in the process of foreign language education;

-working with official documents written in a foreign language. Accordingly, the development of search, analytical and cognitive skills is extremely important, as well as the systematisation of the necessary foreign language information and the development of search skills;

- professional diversity, the ability to change the focus and methods of foreign language communication practice.

The prospects of this area are to describe the pedagogical conditions for the effectiveness of the formation of foreign language communicative competence of specialists in navigation and ship handling in the context of lifelong learning.

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