Role of communicative method in foreign language skills development of future specialists

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ROLE OF COMMUNICATIVE METHOD IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE SKILLS DEVELOPMENT OF FUTURE SPECIALISTS

Kharkavtsiv I.R. Ph.D. in Pedagogy,

Associate Professor at the Department of English Practice

Drohobych Ivan Franko State Pedagogical University

Abstract

The article deals with the essence and specificity of communicative learning. Favorable conditions for the development of students' foreign language skills as well as the importance of the motivational component when learning foreign language communication have been determined. The study points out the necessity to implement communication techniques and methods of teaching in foreign language classes in EIT to develop and improve foreign language communication skills. The main principles used in the application of the communicative method have been highlighted in the article. They are the principle of speech orientation (communicativeness) and the interactive principle, because students best develop their foreign language communication skills thanks to the practical use of language in natural situations in the group interaction.

The use of the communicative method in the process of mastering a foreign language requires various forms of learning, which include a wide range of exercises, working with texts and dictionaries, modeling professional situations using forms of group work (discussion, role-playing games, setting problematic questions on the topic, etc.). Emphasis is placed on the need to interpret mistakes as a means of self-improvement and an integral aspect of learning a foreign language, as well as the need to create a favorable educational environment (selection of interesting topics for discussion, dialogues, etc.) for effective development of communication skills.

The priority tasks due to the requirements of the employment market to future professionals have been singled out, in particular - the ability to express themselves in various real professional situations and solve problems, share responsibility for individual or team results, discuss various issues and present their own ideas and arguments.

Key words: communicative method, communication, foreign language skills, interactive principle, group interaction, dialogic speech.

Анотація

РОЛЬ КОМУНІКАТИВНОГО МЕТОДУ НАВЧАННЯ У ФОРМУВАННІ ІНШОМОВНИХ НАВИКІВ МАЙБУТНІХ СПЕЦІАЛІСТІВ.

Харкавців І.Р.кандидат педагогічних наук, доцент кафедри практики англійської мови Дрогобицький державний педагогічний університет імені Івана Франка.

У статті проаналізовано сутність та специфіку комунікативного навчання. Визначено сприятливі умови для розвитку іншомовних комунікативних навичок студентів-філологів, а також важливість мотиваційного складника під час навчання іншомовному спілкуванню. Акцентовано впровадження комунікативних прийомів і методів навчання на заняттях з іноземної мови у ЗНО з метою розвитку і вдосконалення іншомовних навичок. Досліджено, що основними принципами, які використовуються під час застосування комунікативного методу, є принцип мовної орієнтації (комунікативності) та інтерактивний принцип, оскільки студенти найкраще розвивають свої комунікативні навички під час практичного використання мови в природних ситуаціях у процесі групової взаємодії.

Доведено, що застосування комунікативного методу в процесі оволодіння іноземною мовою вимагає різних форм навчання, які включають розмаїття вправ, роботу з текстами і словниками, моделювання професійних ситуацій із використанням форм групової роботи (обговорення, рольові ігри, постановка проблемних питань тощо). Відзначено необхідність тлумачення помилок як засобу самовдосконалення та невід'ємного аспекту вивчення іноземної мови, а також необхідність створення сприятливого освітнього середовища (добірка цікавих тем для дискусій, діалогічного мовлення тощо) для ефективного формування комунікативних навичок студентів.

Окреслено пріоритетні завдання, зумовлені вимогами ринку праці до майбутніх фахівців, а саме: здатність проявляти себе в різних реальних професійних ситуаціях та вирішувати проблеми, розділяти відповідальність за індивідуальний або командний результат, обговорювати різні питання і за необхідності презентувати свої власні ідеї та аргументи.

Ключові слова: комунікативний метод, спілкування, іншомовні навички, інтерактивний принцип, групова взаємодія, діалогічне мовлення.

Problem statement

A communicative approach to teaching English is very relevant as it contributes to skills development. Мodern specialists are supposed to possess not only reading skills but also productive skills such as acting a dialogue, discussing, participating in speeches, presentations, reports and finding the necessary information in Internet resources in a foreign language. The primary task for the teacher is not only to teach students lexical and grammatical material but also to use techniques for developing speaking skills and forming students' communicative competence in various life situations. Applying a communicative approach involves developing the ability to exchange messages without focusing on grammar, so we can talk about the level of foreign language proficiency based on the level of communication skills development.

Research analysis. The advantages of the communicative method are indisputable as it is becoming increasingly important in teaching foreign languages. The functioning of the communicative method in the process of language teaching is studied by many scientists (N. Godovanets, A. Nakonechnaia, S. Passov, N. Ushakova, L. Subbota, L. Selivestrova, etc.). Researchers emphasize the need to apply this method to teaching foreign languages.

The interest in communication skills is not accidental, the advantages of the method are indisputable, and it is also becoming increasingly important in teaching foreign languages considering the fact that they are constantly developing. The latest analysis of scientific studies shows that the communicative approach for developing foreign language communication skills is a particularly promising area and requires further study.

The article aims to analyse the peculiarities of using communicative method for developing foreign language skills of future specialists as well as to implement it into the educational process of higher education institutions.

Presentation of the main material

The communicative method is based on the following basic general didactic and methodological principles: the principle of speech-thinking activity provides that any speech material (phrase, text) is widely used by native speakers in the process of communication; the principle of individualization as the main means of creating motivation when mastering speech; the principle of functionality - according to this principle, the functions of speech, reading, listening and writing as a means of communication are determined; the principle of situativeness provides for the recognition of the situation as a basic unit of organization of the process of teaching foreign language communication; the principle of novelty provides support for interest in mastering a foreign language, the formation of speech skills, the development of productivity and dynamism of speech skills [6]. In our opinion, the main principles used in the application of the communicative method are the principle of communication orientation (communicativeness) and the interactive principle, because students best develop their foreign language communication skills thanks to the practical use of language in natural situations in the group interaction.

The communicative method develops all language skills - from speaking and writing to reading and listening. Grammar is learned in the process of communication: the student first remembers words, expressions and speech patterns, and only then begins to analyse their meaning from the grammatical point of view. The purpose of the communication method is to teach students to speak a foreign language not only fluently, but also correctly [8].

In the process of learning with the help of the communicative method, students acquire communicative competence - the ability to use the language depending on the specific situation. They learn to communicate in the process of communication itself. Accordingly, all exercises and tasks should be communicatively justified by a lack of information, choice and reaction. The most important characteristic of the communicative approach is the use of authentic materials (ones used by native speakers). Students' interaction in communicative language teaching involves all four types of speech activity with limited use of their native language. The object of assessment is not only the correctness but also the fluency of speech and reading. Various types of supports are widely used as part of teaching foreign language communication skills by means of communicative method:

• content and semantic features;

• verbal and visual elements that help manage the content of the utterance (text, micro text, plan, logical and syntactic scheme) as well as assimilate grammatical material;

• language games that allow you to communicate in different social contexts and different roles [4, p. 100].

People learn better when they feel comfortable and free, and therefore you need to try to create an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect. It is important that students feel that their thoughts are appreciated and taken into account, they should not be afraid to make mistakes or become the object of ridicule. There should be friendly relations between the teacher and students, and the assigned tasks should be difficult, but achievable. Students should be involved in the learning process, and the teacher should know their opinion on the content of the lesson. It is good when students are allowed to evaluate the lesson themselves, make comments and suggestions. Another important factor is that students should be aware of their success in learning the language, so it is important to reward them for solving their tasks. communicative learning philology student

According to N. Godovanets, the essence of communicative learning is that the learning process is a model of communication since it aims not only to give students practical knowledge of grammar and vocabulary of a foreign language but also to develop their understanding of how the corresponding language is used for communication. Formal aspects of the language, such as grammar, vocabulary, phonetics, are presented in communicative contexts to form an understanding of the ways these forms are used in speech [2, p. 42].

When teaching a foreign language, you need to remember that vocabulary is more important than grammar, you should focus on grammar at the expense of vocabulary. The study of the language system (grammar) is mainly intuitive, that is, in contrast to the traditional method, where grammar and vocabulary are the main subjects of training, when teaching using the communicative method, grammar is necessary only for correct construction, however, students are not required to memorize grammatical rules mechanically, but to have an intuitive sense of correctly constructed fragments of speech [1].

It is advisable to plan classes in such a way as to enable students to speak fluently: they should realize that “understanding the meaning of the message” is just as important as “speaking a foreign language grammatically correctly”. It is important to pay more attention to students' activities in class and be aware of their capabilities, strengths and weaknesses.

Meaningful communication is a very important skill for students. They often feel that they understand the teacher and classmates, but they have trouble communicating outside the classroom. Therefore, teachers need to create real-life situations for discussion in the classroom. Students' ability to express themselves in various real-life and professional situations, solve problems, share responsibility for an individual or team result, discuss various issues and present their ideas and arguments, if necessary, is of paramount importance regarding current employment market requirements to future specialists [7].

The methodology of forming communicative culture of future foreign language teachers at the stage of interactive interaction is analysed in the works of O. Zabolotskaya. It offers interesting ways to learn lexical units by drawing up a semantic map, exercises for correlating Language units, filling in gaps in contextual form, tasks for guessing by context, educational periphrasis, cutting words etc. Most of these exercises relate to speech and conditional communication, but they also involve a direct approach to the stage of communication. To develop the skills of professionally oriented communication, the author suggests using exercises aimed at putting forward and testing hypotheses, forecasting, generating ideas, identifying and comparing views, positions, argumentation, simulation and game modeling [3, p. 91-92]. We consider this task interesting to perform and contribute to the development of communication skills in foreign language classes.

In this context, it seems appropriate to give a detailed analysis of such communicative tasks as imitative speech, intensive speech, speech response, business speech (dialogue), interpersonal communication (dialogue), long-term speaking (monologue), and the practicability of their use in foreign language classes. Thus, imitation speech often involves training or mechanical imitation of teacher's speech. Short tongue twisters are useful for practicing a foreign language in the classroom, but their use should be limited to practicing grammatical constructions and phonetic parts since they do not contribute to the development of communication and interaction in the classroom. It is proven that intensive speech gives a better result than imitative. Students put into practice the grammatical constructions and phonetic elements covered earlier. Speech response includes oral interaction of students with the lecturer and classmates. An example of such interaction is a greeting between a student and a teacher. Speech interaction occurs when you need to exchange certain information. This often involves questions and answers. Communication is similar to the speech interaction, but here we can talk about using slang and idioms. Long-term speaking involves a monologue, which students often use for their speeches.

Dialogues also play an important role in the development of communication skills. A. Nakonechnaya and I. Ordinskaya distinguish the following features of dialogic speech: the presence of interlocutors; rapid exchange of replicas almost without prior consideration; semantic interdependence of replicas; situational dependence of replicas; conciseness, clarity of replicas; the wide use of “worked out” means in speech - cliches; auditory perception of dialogue participants: the importance of intonation, timbre, tonality, etc., which can affect the semantics of words, change it or even completely neutralize it; visual perception of dialogue participants (a special role of facial expressions, gestures, and other means) [5, p. 178].

In foreign language classes, it is advisable to use either oral or written dialogues, as they help students learn the social units of the language, make the language more lively; they include paralinguistics (tempo, timbre, volume, speed). Dialogues are an opportunity for students to learn how to use pauses, interjections, to respond to the situation in a foreign language as well to develop listening and speaking skills, practice pronunciation, learn new grammatical material in communicative situations etc. To teach dialogic speech in a proper way, you need to choose the right dialogue and divide the task into three parts: students' reading or listening; performing tasks or exercises on the dialogue; using the dialogue as a topic for discussion.

However, to ensure the formation of skills and abilities of foreign language communication, it is necessary, according to scholars, to use the method of interconnected learning, when the learning center is reading, but the corresponding skills are formed in close connection with speaking, listening and writing. This ensures the simultaneous development of skills and abilities in the relevant types of foreign language communication activity [9, p. 223].

Another important issue for developing communication skills is the right way to correct mistakes. When a student is corrected, he is aware of his mistakes, However, when communication is very quick and you have to correlate what you hear with what you have to answer, it's difficult to keep up with the process. As a result, speaking slows down and seems artificial. This affects the ability to both perceive and produce information. So, correcting student mistakes in the classroom is quite controversial, sometimes even humiliating. There are several types of errors. Infrequent mistakes are mostly understandable to students, and they can correct them on their own, frequent ones can become a habit, so they require constant correction. Individual errors cause a negative reaction from native speakers - they must be explained in cultural contexts. Other errors distort the meaning or understanding of the sentence and must be explained using the comparison method. Some teachers consider mistakes are an important part of the lesson, as they provide an opportunity to learn about the differences between your native language and a foreign one. The student has an opportunity to master the language, considering mistakes as part of learning. While correcting errors, it is very important to consider the time. Constant mistakes need to be corrected instantly, but for timid students, it should be done with the help of an anonymous method or self-correction not to hurt their feelings. The teacher should take into account the students' reaction when correcting mistakes to avoid a negative impact on them and not cause fear of the answer. A positive response to students' response is often more effective than a message that they are wrong.

A. Havryliuk considers the following features of the communicative method in a higher educational institution to be the most important:

1) the purpose of the course is to teach students to speak a foreign language at the level necessary for further work;

2) the main learning tool is business games that simulate real communication situations. Mastering phonetic, lexical, grammatical means of communication, as well as speaking, listening, reading and writing as types of speech activity occurs during practical application in the process of communication;

3) use of the native language should be limited when learning a foreign language;

4) intuitive learning of the language system (grammar) involves using the communicative method in the process of learning, grammar is required for the correct construction of sentences, omitting mechanical memorization of grammatical rules;

5) vocabulary is studied in context during its application [1].

Conclusions and prospects for further development in this direction

The use of the communicative method in the process of mastering a foreign language requires various forms of learning, which include a wide range of exercises, working with texts and dictionaries, modeling professional situations using forms of group work (discussion, role-playing games, setting problematic questions on the topic, etc.). To help students develop communication skills, it is necessary to provide a positive educational environment in which they will feel comfortable while communicating in a foreign language. Future specialists must understand that the goal of learning a foreign language is communication, not perfection, so it is important to encourage them to ask a lot of questions since this is an important part of communication and requires both listening and speaking skills.

Foreign language communication is possible provided the subjects of foreign language communication master a foreign language as a means of communication. The level of formation foreign language communicative skills is a decisive factor that determines the level of efficiency of the communicative process as a whole. The use of communicative method in foreign language contributes to the development of future specialists' communicative skills which are regarded as a structural element of professional competence in foreign languages.

Thus, the process of formation of foreign language communicative competence should be aimed not only at equipping future professionals with a system of knowledge and skills necessary for the effective implementation of foreign language communication, but also on the formation of a deeply meaningful, communicatively competent position of future teachers, which will enable the future specialist self-determination, self-development and self-improvement in one European educational space, to participate in its improvement and creation.

References

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Література

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7. Kovacs G. Role-plays in teaching English for specific purposes. 10th Conference on British and American Studies - Crossing Boundaries - Approaches to the Contemporary Multicultural Discourse. URL: https://www.academia.edu/35988488/ROLEPLAYS_IN_TEACHING_ENGLISH_FOR_SPECIFIC_ PURPOSES, 01.08.2021.

8. Muller F. Selbststandigkeit fordern und fordern: Handlungsorientierte und praxiserprobte Methoden fur alle Schularten und Schulstufen (Beltz Praxis). 2002. 143 s.

9. Tomas P. The Art and Craft of Teaching. Cambridge, MA : Harvard University Press, 1984. P. 218-250.

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