Advancing foreign language competencies through internet technologies

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Advancing foreign language competencies through internet technologies

Vadym I. Tynnyi

PhD in Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Foreign Languages

Vadym Hetman Kyiv National Economic University, Ukraine

The need to modernize the education system of Ukraine in the era of the digital society, to improve the professional component of education, determine the need to train information-competent and competitive specialists in the process of transformation of all social spheres under the conditions of comprehensive use of Internet technologies. In addition, an integral component of effective training of a modern specialist is teaching a professional foreign language. The problems of training modern specialists with a formed knowledge system and practical experience of using digital technologies and a foreign language in professional activities today require further research.

The issue of the communicative approach in teaching foreign languages was studied by such scientists as: V. Allen, R. H. Robins Widowson, M. K. Halliday. The process of informatization of higher education was studied by scientists in a number of directions: the use of information technologies (N. Volkova, O. Karelina) and software products (R. Kostenko), as well as software computer systems (E. Benkovich) in professional activity while training future economists. The theoretical foundations of communicative methods of teaching foreign languages were developed in the works of researchers: Yu. V. Hnatkevich, I. V. Rakhmanov, E. I. Pasiv, G. A. Kitaigorodska, N. I. Hez, G. P. Boguslavska, V. L. Skalkin and others who considered the principle of communicative orientation as the main function of foreign language teaching methods.

The use of a communicative approach in the process of learning foreign languages is aimed at forming the communicative competence of specialists, which allows them to practically implement the skills and abilities they have learned to successfully solve communicative tasks. Scientists who have devoted their research to the problems of language training in higher education emphasize the need for further improvement of teaching technology, which would give an individual character, deepen the independence of students during the study of a foreign language, and fully realize the possibilities of modern information and communication technologies. In addition, there is a need to build a universal technology for teaching a foreign language, which would provide a higher level of specialist training through the integration of informational, linguistic and general professional spheres. Only by introducing modern innovative professional-oriented educational technologies, which provide algorithms and criteria for assessing information and language competences in the process of learning a foreign language by means of information technologies, it is possible to improve the quality of training of a highly qualified specialist. Communicative competence, which is defined in modern science as a personal resource that is a prerequisite for successful communicative activity, is included into language competences.

Modern digital technologies significantly contribute to the effective formation of both informational and communicative competences, as well as the professional development of future specialists who speak a foreign language at a highly qualified level. Modern ICT requires the formation of competence not only of the teacher, but also of students - the ability to use information and communication technologies.

Various scholars investigate communicative competence in different angles: in terms of ability to establish communicative contact with people; as a collective communicative property of the future specialist, which is based on the presence of communicative abilities, skills and interpersonal communication skills and activates verbal and non-verbal contacts to solve communication problems; a complex concept which consists of a set of knowledge about the rules of communication and cultural norms of speech, the presence of practical experience in the use of communicative skills and abilities, means of regulating communicative actions on the basis of own communicative practices; an integrative combination of communicative knowledge, abilities and skills that contribute to the achievement of goals of the subject's communicative activity.

It is natural that communicative competence is improved during communication, speech activity and, therefore, should be considered together with interaction. Formation of communicative competence of higher education seekers occurs due to their involvement in communication and direct interaction with other participants of the learning process. This ensures mastery of knowledge of verbal and non-verbal means of norms and rules of communication; personal experience to perceive and understand the partner, adjust verbal contacts, exchange information, listen to and influence the opinion of the dialogue partner, choose your own communication strategy. We interpret the interaction as purposeful mutually determined activity of educational subjects process focused on achieving the predicted goals in cooperation and involves formation of value orientations, personal qualities, system of professional and pedagogical knowledge and skills, acquisition of social experience, as well as promotes self-realization and their achievement in life and professional success. M. Yevstigneev reveals the teacher's ICT competence as a "construct that consists of theoretical knowledge about modern information and communication technologies and practical ability to create and use educational Internet resources, social services Web 2.0 and other ICT technologies while forming language skills and the development of language skills during learning a foreign language and culture of the country of the studied language" [2, p.120-122].

The introduction of information and communication technologies in the study of a foreign language ensures the motivation of the educational and cognitive activity of students, the essential individualization of educational material, the strengthening of independence, as well as the optimization of learning due to the consideration of the characteristics of students. The specified trends in the modernization of the educational space determine the intensification of the study of a foreign language at a high-quality professional level in higher education.

The modern digital environment reinforces the need for an innovative approach when conducting English language classes. The introduction of innovative technologies into the learning process absolutely should not exclude traditional methods of education, but only supplement them [3]. The main task of implementating innovative technologies in classes of English in universities is formation of sustainable motivation through active participation of students and teachers in the educational process [4]. Effective improvement of educational activities is possible only with an optimal combination of developed methods, personal experience and modern technologies [5]. Among the advantages of innovative technologies, we outline the following ones: interactivity, quality of tests, clarity, remote participation of scientific research events (online conferences, student Olympiads, etc.), justification of the use of audio and video materials, the possibility of differentiated and individual training for all students (including those with disabilities, territorial accessibility of education). Practical experience of speaking and listening is effectively practiced in online environment that provides a variety of opportunities for organizing a video lesson, namely: the opportunity to see the student, send files to students, use a "virtual" blackboard, divide the group into subgroups for practicing dialogues, monologues, organize student chats, show the teacher's laptop screen.

Modern online platforms allow implementing such activities such as surveys, monologues, conversation. During the lesson in the virtual environment, students have the opportunity to directly put the questions to the teacher. Modern digital technologies allow learning in the conditions of any unforeseen situations (in particular, during pandemic). Among the advantages of such technologies, the following ones should be outlined: the possibility of multiple use watching classes and webinars; mobility; versatility. The virtual environment has the following characteristics: interactivity; the possibility of differentiated and individual education for all students (in particular, disabled ones, territorial availability of training); quality of tests; justification of applying audio and video materials; clearness; conducting online lectures and consultations; remote participation in olympiads, competitions, conferences.

The complexity and versatility of the process of foreign language communication and the search for necessary information in a foreign language of professional content in the digital environment requires the use of information and communication technologies in the educational process of learning a foreign language. E. Passov emphasized the effectiveness of using language communication technologies in the educational process [6, p. 62]. That requires the use of a communicative approach to the organization of students' educational activities. The potential of using technologies for designing situations of professional language communication was studied in the works of V. Tomilova, T. Kurshakova, and E. Shaer. Analyzing the peculiarities of language communication as an object of constructing, scientists specify its structural components and functions in teaching students foreign language [7, p.116-119].

Our study used modeling of communicative situations with the aim of intensifying the preparation of students for self-educational activities and forming their readiness for self-education in the professional sphere as one of the key prerequisites for building communicative competence. L. Gaponenko confirmed effective contribution of communicative situations into the improvement of students' language practice for communication: "When learning foreign language, more specific and achievable goals are set, which are implemented through a specially organized process that we called the technology of communicative situational modeling (or the technology of modeling the communication situation based on a communicative approach to learning a foreign language)" [8, p. 39]. Communicative situations with the participation of students contribute to the active development of various social roles, which take into account the possibilities and abilities, interests, communicative experience and professional knowledge of students as much as possible.

Modern information and communication technologies make it possible to improve the skills and abilities of intercultural communication during the study of foreign languages. The modernization of pedagogical technologies and teaching methods contributed to their improvement to a higher quality level, adequate to the conditions of the Internet environment and modern information and computer teaching tools. Among the modernized teaching methods, one can single out the method of specific situations (case method), business games, on-line discussions and work in small groups, as well as role-playing and didactic games, the project method, etc. The Internet environment covers an unlimited number of information sources. At the same time, in order to achieve the educational goal from a didactic point of view, a well-constructed educational process, its organization, and provision of pedagogically sound conditions for the effectiveness of the educational and cognitive activity of foreign language students using information and communication technologies are essential. Under contemporary conditions of the digital environment, the formation of communicative competence requires the development of skills and abilities of intercultural interaction, which is facilitated by the wide opportunities for communication between representatives of different cultures by means of Internet technologies. Only the practical improvement of foreign language knowledge in the process of communication with foreign specialists in the specialty chosen by students in the information and communication environment of the Internet contributes to the optimal actualization of the communicative and motivational component of the educational and cognitive activity of students studying a professional foreign language. In addition, the wide implementation of communicative situations of future professional activities of students in practice provides motivation for independent professional improvement by means of Internet technologies. Foreign language material, distributed in the form of a communicative situation with role-playing tasks for students, is the basis for the introduction of information and communication technologies in the process of learning foreign language.

The problem of improving innovative technologies in teaching is revealed in the works of modern foreign and domestic methodologists and researchers. Luis Miguel Dos Santos emphasizes that the search for optimal and effective teaching methods and strategies is an integral part of teaching foreign languages [9, p. 106 - 107]. Reni Puspitasari Dwi Lestariyana and Handoyo Puji Widodo emphasize that for the modern digital era, students have rich experience in the active use of digital technologies, in particular, using such online platforms as Facebook, Instagram, blogs and WhatsApp [10, p. 490]. The digital environment is becoming a natural, mandatory area of activity for today's youth. Thus, Murdoch Matthew noted that education on the basis of modern technologies is an accessible means of spreading ideas, innovations and education in the world [11, p. 489]. According to the researcher, the diversity and wide range of ways of searching information contribute to the diversification of educational forms and the creation of virtual classes and other digital online learning platforms. H. William concluded that the advantages of modern innovative technologies have led to significant improvements in the academic infrastructure and allow to significantly save time for obtaining a new information [11, p. 491]. Rapid changes in the learning process are described in the works of N.P L. Nariyati, Sudirman, N.P.A. Pratiw, which emphasize the importance of mobile strategies in the digital age and this allows for continuous improvement of the learning process [11, p. 40]. R. Chartrand notes the need and capacity of modern technologies to provide unlimited access to educational materials for all interested parties [12]. This greatly facilitates the educational process and creates conditions for the formation and development of continuous education available to a wide range of people. Naderan Tanyeli [13, p. 565] believes the same. The scientist claims that the use of the Internet virtual environment turns the learning process into an interesting learning process, especially for those who study a foreign language.

Today, the issue of the influence of new forms of education on the motivation of students' cognitive activity has gained significant development. According to Muhammad Dafit Pitoyo, Sumardi Abdul Asib, in the XXI century there is a tendency to decrease the role of traditional forms of education [3, p. 4]. In their works, the scientists proved that students' level of learning motivation increased, they began to study more intensively after completing game tests on the free online learning platform Quizizz [14]. The modern digital environment involves the implementation of the educational process through the introduction of innovative educational technologies, mainly with the use of information and telecommunication technologies with remote or fully mediated interaction between the student and the teacher [15, p.121].

In our research, we created a virtual learning environment using various information sources of the Internet virtual environment, converted interactive databases; developing tests; updating a set of online resources for transferring, consolidating, and self-assessing knowledge, taking into account various learning conditions, which proved and enhanced the quality level of students' knowledge.

Conclusion

The effective formation of foreign language competences in the process of learning foreign language is ensured by the use of information and communication technologies and a communicative approach to the construction of the educational process. Improving communicative skills in professional vocabulary, using Internet communities to communicate in a foreign language by means of information and communication technologies, introducing educational situations of a professional orientation, communication within a foreign language environment contributes to strengthening the motivational component of the educational and cognitive activity of students, gaining experience in self-education, which facilitates the improvement of foreign language competence of students during their professional formation.

References

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