Project tasks - motivation to use a foreign language in practice

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Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor at the Department of Foreign Languages Odessa National Economic University

Project tasks - motivation to USE a foreign language in practice

Shostak I.I.

Abstract

The implementation of project tasks as one of the effective ways to motivate students to learn a foreign language has been considered in the article. It has been analyzed that to achieve a high level of foreign language proficiency it is important for a teacher to know and use the latest teaching methods, special teaching techniques appropriate to the level of knowledge, needs and interests of students, as well as those that motivate students to use foreign languages in practice. The author has justified that the purpose of teaching a foreign language in higher education institutions of economics is to master a foreign language as a means of communication and to acquire professionally-oriented foreign language competence for its successful use in future professional activities. It has been proved that such new methods allow students to apply the acquired knowledge in practice while generating their own ideas which will allow them to apply the skills in future professional activities in a foreign language. The author has emphasized that the project method is used as a method of innovative learning aimed at effective learning of foreign language knowledge by students, development of their mental activity, identification of skills and abilities of critical thinking, acquisition of qualities important for their further professional development and professional self-realization. The author has stressed that the use of project tasks motivated students to learn a foreign language and contributed to the development of their creative abilities. The project methodology has contributed to the development of students' self-presentation skills, presentation of their own ideas, developments and achievements, which is important for their further professional activity. It has been practically tested that the introduction of project methods in foreign language classes contributed to the development of practical skills of foreign language skills as a means of communication in various professional situations, as well as the development of foreign language communicative competence of students-future economists.

Key words: interactive teaching methods, innovative teaching, project methods, project tasks, group tasks, problematization of the educational process, personal results, students- future economists.

Анотація

ПРОЄКТНІ ЗАВДАННЯ - МОТИВАЦІЯ ДО ВИКОРИСТАННЯ ІНОЗЕМНОЇ МОВИ НА ПРАКТИЦІ

У статті розглянуто використання про-єктних завдань як один із дієвих способів мотивації студентів до вивчення іноземної мови. Проаналізовано, що для досягнення високого рівня володіння іноземною мовою викладачеві важливо знати й використовувати новітні методи викладання, спеціальні навчальні техніки та прийоми, відповідні рівню знань, потреб та інтересів студентів, а також такі, які мотивуватимуть студента до використання іноземної мови на практиці. Автором засвідчено, що метою навчання іноземної мови у вищих навчальних закладах економічного профілю є оволодіння іноземною мовою як засобом комунікації і набуття професійно-спрямо- ваної іншомовної компетентності для її успішного використання в майбутній професійній діяльності. Доведено, що такі новітні методи дозволяють студентам застосовувати одержані знання практично, генеруючи при цьому свої власні ідеї, що дозволить застосовувати набуті навички в майбутній професійній діяльності іноземною мовою. Автором наголошено на тому, що метод проєктів використано як метод інноваційного навчання, спрямованого на ефективне засвоєння іншомовних знань студентами, розвиток їхньої розумової діяльності, виявлення вмінь та навичок критичного осмислення проблем, набуття якостей, важливих для їхнього подальшого професійного розвитку та професійної самореалізації. Автор акцентував увагу на тому, що використання проєктних завдань змотивувало студентів до вивчення іноземної мови та сприяло розвитку їхніх творчих здібностей. Важливим аспектом стало те, що проєктна методика сприяла розвитку навичок самопрезентації студентів, презентації їхніх власних ідей, напрацювань та досягнень, що є важливим для їхньої подальшої фахової діяльності. Практично перевірено, що впровадження проектної методики на заняттях з іноземної мови в навчальний процес сприяло розвитку практичних умінь володіння іноземною мовою як засобом спілкування в різноманітних професійних ситуаціях, а також формуванню іншомовної комунікативної компетенції у студентів - майбутніх економістів.

Ключові слова: інтерактивні методи викладання, інноваційне навчання, проєк- тна методика, проєктні завдання, групові завдання, проблематизація навчального процесу, особистісні результати, сту- денти-майбутні економісти.

Formulation of the problem in general and its connection with important scientific or practical tasks. The main purpose of a modern pedagogy is to prepare students for their professional activities in the future through the use of innovative teaching methods. To achieve a high level of foreign language proficiency, it is important for the teacher to know and use the latest teaching methods, special teaching techniques appropriate to the level of knowledge, needs and interests of students, as well as those that motivate students to use a foreign language in practice [2, p. 478-493]. motivating educational knowledge need

Numerous studies have justified the increasing interest in the issue of a foreign language teaching of future professionals in various fields, as there is an urgent need for qualified competitive professionals able to use a foreign language fluently in their professional activities.

Nowadays, at the current stage of the modernization of higher education in Ukraine, the need to train specialists able to effectively communicate in a foreign language as a means of intercultural communication in various areas of their professional activity is becoming increasingly important.

Training of specialists majoring in economics in a foreign language is one of the important components of the modern system of higher economic education. The purpose of teaching a foreign language in higher education institutions of economics is to master a foreign language as a means of communication and the mastering of professionally-oriented foreign language competence for its successful use in future professional activities.

To achieve a sufficient level of foreign language proficiency, the latest teaching methods, special teaching techniques are used in accordance with the level of knowledge, needs and interests of students. Such teaching methods must be very relevant as the young specialist starting his/her career, communicating with foreign partners and colleagues faces with the importance to solve practical issues that require making urgent decisions, clear statements on professional tasks as well as the ability to formulate their opinions orally or in written form in a foreign language.

Analysis of the latest research and publications.

E. Arvanitopulo, N. Borisko, N. Sklyarenko, O. Tarnapolsky studied the peculiarities of a foreign language teaching according to the project method [1, p. 30]. The authors have developed a set of exercises for teaching certain types of speech activities on the basis of projects, elaborated methodological models of project-based teaching of English language.

Determination of previously unsolved parts of the issue. The process of teaching a foreign language can be effectively updated by problematization of the educational process. The formation of a new level of specialist with creative abilities, critical thinking, professional competence, able to make decisions in an unstable rapidly changing situation, involves the use of methods of activating and problematization of the linguistic education.

In our opinion, when selecting modern teaching methods close to practical real-life situations and especially project methodology, it is necessary to take into account the following criteria [4, p. 3-18]:

to create an atmosphere in which the student feels free and comfortable, to stimulate his/her interests, to develop the desire to use a foreign language in situations close to real, increasing the degree of his/her motivation to succeed;

to motivate the student as a whole to perform team work;

to stimulate his/her linguistic, communication, cognitive and creative abilities;

to involve the student in active interaction with other participants of the team work using various linguistic means;

to develop reflective skills to resolve conflict situations, as well as to use their own knowledge and experience to solve specific practical issues;

to suggest situations in which the teacher is not the central figure, but only helps the student to participate in team work encouraging him/her to learn a foreign language through topics related to his/ her personal interests as well as the ability for selfrealization;

to use the most relevant topics and practical situations that the student may deal with in his/her future professional activities;

to consider professional situations where each student of the project group, or any group task has his/her own role and tasks and responsibilities and can provide and implement his/her own ideas and achievements;

to emphasize the use of such project tasks that will help the student in the future in solving specific professional situations and future professional activities;

to form the student's independent thinking, encourage him/her to personal and professional development, the willingness to make important decisions about his/her professional growth, teach a student to work on language independently at the level of his/her physical, intellectual and emotional abilities.

Formulation of the purposes of the article.

The purpose of our article is to study the role of project tasks that will motivate students to learn a foreign language in practice. The use of project tasks in classes for students should be appropriate, motivated, stimulating to learn a foreign language, and such that forms a sufficient level of communicative competence mastering in a foreign language in their future professional activities. An important goal of project-based learning is the development of creative and intellectual abilities of students, the development of skills for their self-realization, critical thinking, willingness to take responsibility, as well as the ability for solving future practical professional issues in a foreign language.

Outline of the main research of the article. The use of project methods, the implementation of tasks aimed at solving specific problem situations close to the real ones, is very popular among teaching staff of the department of foreign languages of the Odessa National Economic University. Various project tasks in English classes were offered to the second-year students majoring in economics and management of entrepreneurship, the third-year students majoring in international economics and the fourth-year students majoring in economics and management of entrepreneurship. Project tasks were performed by students in small teams, contained certain goals, objectives, structure, algorithm for performing and presenting project tasks [3, p.6-8].

We evaluated the obtained results according to the following indicators: 90-100% - high level of results obtained; 70-80% sufficient level of results obtained; 50-60% average level of results obtained; 50% or less - low level of the results. We propose to consider the personal results of students according to ten criteria after completing group tasks according to the project method, which are presented in the table 1.

It is necessary to provide a general analysis of the obtained personal results of the second, third and fourth year students after completing their project tasks.

Comparative results on such criteria as: motivation to succeed, attitude to team work, creativity, development of communication skills, as well as prospects for the use of project tasks in future professional activities received the highest result of 90-100%. It can be justified that students are highly motivated to complete project tasks and achieve a positive result that helps to optimize their motivation to learn a foreign language in general. It should be noted that the students of the above courses have a positive attitude to group tasks, as each project participant receives his/her task, has his/ her responsibilities, can demonstrate his/her creative abilities in the process of the task, but can rely on the help of other project participants.

The opinion of students about the prospects of using project tasks in their future professional activity is important. Most students (90-100%) consider the possibility of practical use of project tasks in their future professional activities to be very important which motivates them to learn a foreign language, strengthens the role and importance of a foreign language and creates the need to master it for personal and professional development.

Regarding the criterion of the role of the teacher in the process of project tasks, it should be noted that students want to see the teacher as a mentor, assistant, who only helps or advises but does not interfere in the decision-making process or task and does not impose his/her own ideas about the results of the project. According to the survey, students believe that the role of the teacher is from 50% to 70% of the work on the project. The role of the teacher is very responsible, but it differs from his role during traditional classes.

Such criteria as: relevance and prospects of the topic chosen, mastering of reflective skills, ability to self-realization as well as personal and professional development (80% of respondents) have a sufficient level of indicators. We believe that students did not receive the highest level only because they do not have much experience in performing such project tasks, have insufficient skills to resolve conflict situations in the project, have insufficient skills to use their own experience to solve issues arising while performing this type of task. In this case, it is necessary to stimulate students' interest in certain tasks which involve mastering a certain knowledge base, teach them to integrate their skills developed from different fields of knowledge into project activities and apply them in practical project tasks.

Table 1 Criteria for personal results of students after completing their team work according to the project methodology

Conclusions and prospects

Thus, on the basis of the analysis of the personal results of students received after performing project tasks it is possible to draw a conclusion about expediency, importance and great value of the implementation of the project tasks at foreign language classes. Project tasks for students should be motivated, aimed at joint teamwork which at the same time increases the interest of a foreign language learning as well as develops the level of responsibility of students for the result and their success in educational activities. Therefore, it should be noted that the use of the project method as one of the interactive methods of teaching a foreign language, encourages students to use a foreign language in practice, helps to effectively organize their independent work, and promotes quality training of competitive economic professionals able to communicate with foreign colleagues and partners in a foreign language in their professional activities.

The main purpose of project-based teaching must be the development of creative and intellectual abilities of students, as well as the formation of skills for their self-realization, critical thinking, ability to take responsibility and solve practical professional issues in future professional activities.

References

1. Арванітопуло Е.Г. Проектна робота з англійської мови учнів старшої школи : монографія. Київ : Ленвіт, 2003. 64 с.

2. Ващенко Г.Г Загальні методи навчання. Історія української школи і педагогіки : хрестоматія. Київ, 2003. 410 с.

3. Минюк Ю.Н. Метод проектов как инновационная педагогическая технология. Инновационные педагогические технологии : c6. материалов участников Междунар. науч. конф., октябрь 2014. Казань : Бук, 2014. С. 6-8.

4. Олійник І.П. Використання методу проектів на уроках англійської мови як один зі шляхів формування комунікативної компетентності учня. Котовськ, 2012. 21 с.

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