Implementation of principles of individualization and differentiation in foreign language classes in high school

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Educational and Scientific Institute of Philology of Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University Kyiv

Implementation of principles of individualization and differentiation in foreign language classes in high school

Pivkach I.O.

Assistant at the Department of Foreign Languages

of the Mathematics Faculties

Abstract

The article examines the system and approaches of individualization and differentiation in the process of learning a foreign language in higher education. Determined factors that affect their functioning in the process of working in classes. Separate problems and ways to overcome them are analyzed. Certain opportunities for creating favorable conditions for the development individual approach to learning of the creative potential of an individual, development of his thinking and understanding of the ultimate goal and task of learning a foreign language have been identified.

Methods and techniques for increasing students' cognitive activity in classes and strengthening their motivation are illustrated. The article examines the views of scientists N.P. Volkova, G.R. Havryshchak, O.M. Shparyk on individualization and differentiation as dominant and organic components of the educational process. Various approaches to the concepts of differentiation and individualization, as well as concepts related to them, are summarized. The works of these scientists became the theoretical and methodological basis of the conducted research. These principles help to find effective means for teaching a foreign language and learning it effectively. We must not forget that in higher education, the main influence on a student is his mood, curiosity, drive, concentration, surprise. The ability to stimulate the mental states we desire requires a process of individualization and differentiation of each student. A unique approach should be the whole system of education and training of the individual. This article describes the technology of implementing the above- mentioned principles in English language classes in higher education. The use of internal differentiation for working in groups and the cluster method for strengthening the cognitive development of each individual when learning a foreign language in higher education are illustrated. The problem of a wide range of possibilities of these principles in the conditions of changes in the system of social relationships, rules of student behavior in the new realities of life is raised. Emphasis is placed on the importance of new requirements for the education system: flexibility, adaptability, feedback, quick response to changes in the social environment, cooperation with psychologists. Considered possible means of organizing students' work in groups and individually, determined prospects for further research in this direction.

Key words: differentiation, individualization, cognitive activity, learning autonomy, cluster method, reflection, personally oriented learning,

Реалізація принципів індивідуалізації та диференціалізації на заняттях іноземної мови у вищій школі

Півкач І.О., асистент кафедри іноземних мов математичних факультетів, Навчально-науковий інститут філології Київського національного університету імені Тараса Шевченка Київ

Анотація

individualization differentiation higher education

У статті розглянуто систему та підходи індивідуалізації та диференціації у процесі вивчення іноземної мови у вищій школі. Визначені чинники, які впливають на їх функціонування у процесі роботи на заняттях. Проаналізовано окремі проблеми та шляхи їх подолання. Визначено можливості для створення сприятливих умов для розвитку творчого потенціалу особистості, розвитку її мислення та розуміння кінцевої мети та завдання вивчення іноземної мови. Проілюстровано методи та прийоми підвищення когнітивної активності студентів на заняттях і підсилення їхньої мотивації. У статті розглянуто погляди вчених Н.П. Волкової, Г.Р. Гаврищака, О.М. Шпарика на індивідуалізацію та диференціацію як на домінанти й органічні складові частини навчально-виховного процесу. Праці цих науковців стали теоретично-методологічним підґрунтям проведених досліджень. Зазначені принципи допомагають знайти дієві засоби для викладання іноземної мови та результативного її вивчення. Не можна забувати й у вищій школі, що головним впливом на студента є його настрій, цікавість, потяг, зосередженість, здивування. Здатність стимулювати бажані нам психічні стани потребує процесу індивідуалізації та диференціації кожного студента. Унікальним підходом має бути вся система виховання та навчання особистості. У статті описано технологію реалізації вищезгаданих принципів на заняттях англійської мови у вищій школі. Узагальнено різні підходи до понять диференціації та індивідуалізації, а також дотичних до них понять. Проілюстровано використання внутрішньої диференціації для роботи у групах і метод кластера для посилення когнітивного розвитку кожної особистості під час вивчення іноземної мови у вищій школі. Порушено проблему широкого спектра можливостей даних принципів в умовах зміни системи соціальних взаємозв'язків, правил поведінки студентів у нових реаліях життя. Акцентовано на важливості нових вимог до системи освіти: гнучкості, адаптивності, зворотного зв'язку, швидкого реагування на зміни в соціальному середовищі, співпраці із психологами. Розглянуто можливі засоби організації роботи студентів у групах і окремо. Визначені перспективи подальших досліджень у даному напрямі.

Ключові слова: диференціація, індивідуалізація, когнітивна активність, навчальна автономія, метод кластера, рефлексія, особистісно орієнтоване навчання, індивідуальний підхід у навчанні.

Formulation of the problem

One of the trends in the development of modern education is its focus on the personality of a person, his development in the group and outside of it in the process of online and offline learning. This orientation is due to the fact that for a modern higher school, not only the knowledge and skills acquired in the process of education are important, but also the disclosure of personal potential, the creation of situations of choice and decisions. So, today, in accordance with the declared principles of humanization and democratization of society, a free, developed and educated person, capable of living and creating in the conditions of a constantly changing world, it is recognized as the greatest value [4].

Analysis of recent research and publications

The problem of individualization of education is the subject of research by many scientists, such as N.P. Volkova, N.M. Zayachkivska, G.I. Kobernyk, H.P. Pyatakov and others. In the opinion of N.P. Volkova, one of the most important problems of learning technology is the search for more ways to use the individual skills of students in working conditions in groups, in the classroom, and in independent extracurricular activities. Communicative learning involves, first of all, the personal individualization. Despite personalization, we do not use large individual internal reserves [1, p. 243].

The purpose of this article is to reveal the essence of differentiation and individualization, to summarize certain aspects of using the principles of individualization and differentiation of learning in foreign language classes in higher education.

Presentation of the main research material

Individualization of teaching is manifested in the differentiation of educational material, the development of approaches to performing exercises of varying difficulty, the development of forms of organizing the learning process in groups, taking into account the individual characteristics of each student. Differentiation is a way of individualizing teaching. The use of differentiation creates opportunities for the development of the creative potential of an individual who is aware of the ultimate goal and objectives of learning; to increase the cognitive activity of students in the classroom and enhance their motivation; forms progressive thinking.

Therefore, it is necessary to take into account the psychological characteristics of students, which is one of the fundamental conditions for the use of individualization and differentiation at the university. The main task of individualization and differentiation is the development and education of a person who would be a unique, comprehensively developed and educated person who can learn independently, think and convey his thoughts to the listener.

During the experiment, two sets of tasks were prepared for students of different groups; the essence of the tasks remained unchanged, only the approach to its implementation differed, namely the forms of work. Based on this differentiation of groups according to the characteristics of introversion and extroversion of students, different groups were offered educational material taking into account the psychological characteristics of the group, namely: the type of temperament and character of each student was determined.

The use of this approach in experimental work generally contributed to the development of interest and increased motivation of students in foreign language classes, as well as an increase in academic performance in the group. Thus, in the first group during the experiment, the average academic performance increased by 10% compared to the previous period, in the second - by 6%. Based on the research and analysis of practical activities, it was revealed:

the training of each individual student is developmental in nature if it corresponds to the level of development of each student (implementation of the “principle of feasible difficulties”);

one of the fundamental conditions for interaction between a teacher and a student is the objective identification of the cognitive capabilities and level of development of the student;

the development of mental abilities involves the formation of knowledge and rational skills of mental work.

Using a pure individual approach in foreign language classes is not possible, as it is a very labor-intensive and time-consuming process, but individual elements of this approach can be used. It allows us to make the following conclusions:

successful development of cognitive activity and independence of learning at the university is possible when the educational process is organized as intensive cognitive activity of each student, taking into account his psychological characteristics and capabilities;

it is necessary to make fuller use of knowledge about needs, interests, cognitive student characteristics in mastering new educational material and developing specific skills;

taking into account the characteristics of the reaction and mental capabilities of the group, it is necessary to correctly select the pace of educational work, determine quantitative indicators of the content ofthe material, types and forms of organizing students' activities, ensure the effective use of opportunities and distribute forces;

differentiated training for each group allows us to achieve higher rates of development of mental and speech skills.

Thus, we offer the following recommendations for implementing an individual approach in foreign language classes:

Despite the difficulties of using an individual approach when teaching English, it is necessary to use only elements of an individual approach in order to improve the quality of education, the level of knowledge and the effectiveness of the teacher's work.

When choosing an individual approach method, it is recommended to: determine the level of general mental development and the degree of readiness for learning, moral and volitional qualities; determine the level of motivation and discipline; determine the student's temperament.

In order to provide adequate assistance to the student in mastering the material when studying a foreign language, the individual characteristics of the entire group must be taken into account both when developing lesson plans and in the process of conducting them.

In order to obtain maximum benefit from the application of the principles and elements of an individual approach, it is recommended to study the individual characteristics of students and their temperament already at the stage of forming foreign language groups and select students with similar temperaments into groups.

To develop and implement the principle of educational autonomy, it is very useful to use internal differentiation. O.M. Shparik in his research mentioned this division into any groups, even non-homogeneous ones [4].

The main global development trends require from the education sector the formation of a selfsufficient personality with intelligence, will, the ability to solve new problems independently and the ability to communicate. It is impossible to expect the transformation of university students into independently thinking adults who make responsible decisions if they are not given the opportunity to be autonomous in the learning process.

The implementation of the principle of educational autonomy presupposes the abandonment of authoritarianism, rigid standardization and orientation towards the average learner in favor of a learner-centered approach based on maximum individualization and even personalization. The practical implementation of this approach involves the use of optimal forms of organizing students' educational activities in the classroom, primarily various forms of internal differentiation of the study group.

The very concept of differentiated learning is not new in teaching methods; more of them were written about in the 1970s, but its practical implementation in educational activities has never been realized for both objective and subjective reasons. Recently, many interesting publications have appeared in European scientific publications about the forms and types of internal differentiation of educational groups depending on educational goals and teaching methods in such groups. There are also positive practical experiences.

The most important goal of internal differentiation is to create optimal learning conditions for each student, providing him with equal chances to obtain the highest possible educational result, based on the individual characteristics and personal priorities of the student.

M. Bensch distinguishes three main types of internal differentiation of an educational group, depending on the degree of teacher control over the work of each mini-group:

Subsequent differentiation, when the presentation of new material is carried out frontally, that is, for everyone at the same time and in the same way, and then students work in groups organized according to a heterogeneous principle.

Each group receives its own package of tasks that differ in volume, level of complexity, and degree of control over the progress of the work.

Differentiation of methods for solving a clearly formulated problem that is the same for everyone. Students complete the task independently using all available means. The distribution of responsibilities within the mini-group, the order of actions and possible sources of information are determined by the students themselves.

Open differentiation, when students receive a certain amount of educational material and a complex assignment for it, which must be completed by a set deadline.

If the first type of differentiation is quite well known and has found wide application in practice, then the differentiation of educational activities in more free forms, which assumes a high level of student autonomy and responsibility for the final result, is methodologically insufficiently developed and is not adapted to the realities of our educational system. On this level of differentiation, our practice actively uses methods such as learning stations and projects, but they are used by teachers fragmentarily, and not as a permanent form of organizing educational activities, since they do not sufficiently provide consistency and targeted progression in the study of program material. A lesser-known method is the development of learning routes, when students are offered several options for complex learning tasks aimed at achieving the same goal, but differentiated by type of activity and reporting.

Learning tasks must be carried out in a certain sequence from learning new material to its practical application in professionally oriented learning situations that are close to authentic typical situations in the workplace. Regardless of the name, all possible methods should be cooperative in nature and give each student the opportunity to demonstrate their individual qualities in a team united by a common goal, compensating for the possible shortcomings of other group members with their personal merits.

Differentiation of students' educational activities as a fundamental approach to organizing educational activities involves solving a number of problems on the part of the teaching staff. The primary task is to develop parameters for the trainee diagnostic system and prepare reliable and valid tests. The preparation of various versions of educational complexes is possible only by a team of like-minded professionals and requires a high degree of cooperation among teaching staff.

Differentiated learning in the modern sense does not fit well with the traditional system of control and assessment, so mechanisms for monitoring the educational process must be developed and forms of control must be determined to assess how much the knowledge, skills and abilities of students, acquired in different ways, meet the established requirements. Differentiated learning as a systematic approach inevitably entails a change in the role of the teacher in organizing the educational process, encouraging him to closer partnerships with student groups and cooperation with colleagues.

Each teacher strives to ensure that students are able not only to simply present the material, but also to analyze, isolate the main thing, think independently, call up already acquired knowledge at the right time and be able to supplement this knowledge with new ones, in a word, think critically. In this process we use individualization and differentiation to enhance the effect.

Critical thinking, according to David Kluster, is the learner's independent social thinking that draws on accumulated knowledge, begins with asking questions and understanding problems to be solved, and strives for persuasive argumentation. Professor Ralph C. Johnson (Canada) defines critical thinking as “a special type of mental activity that allows a person to make a sound judgment about a proposed point of view or model of behavior”.

D. Kluster also says that thanks to critical thinking, the learning process turns from routine memorization into “purposeful, meaningful activity, during which students do real intellectual work and come to solutions to real life problems”.

We remember and know that critical thinking has three stages:

challenge stage (students recall everything they knew on this topic, form an associations and pose questions that need to be answered);

stage of understanding new information (working with information: reading, thinking, analysis);

stage of reflection (the acquired knowledge is creatively processed and made water).

The ability to think critically must be taught. There are special methods for this, such as RAFT technology, the Fishbone method, and the “I Know. I want to know. I can” or, in short, ZHU, “brainstorming”, cluster method, insert method, diamond, syncwine and others. It is good to use the cluster method and the possibility of its application in foreign language lessons.

A cluster is a graphical form of organizing information highlighting the main semantic units and connections between them or, in other words, a graphical method of systematizing material. The cluster can be used at any stage of critical thinking:

At the challenge stage, all knowledge accumulated on this topic, associations and ideas are recorded. You can write down absolutely all the ideas that students name. In the process of work, incorrect options can be corrected, supplemented or removed.

At the comprehension stage, with the help of a cluster, the educational material is structured and new information is recorded.

At the stage of reflection, with the help of a cluster, all acquired knowledge is systematized, concepts are grouped, and logical connections are established between them. The cluster is designed in the form of a cluster or in the form of a model of a planet with satellites. In the center is the main concept, on the sides there are large semantic units connected to the main concept by lines, then from the large semantic units the lines lead to less significant semantic units that more fully reveal the topic.

Some methodologists advises were written about the main concept all the ideas that students have in connection with a given basic concept, and at the end of the work, establishing logical connections between these words and ideas, connecting them with lines.

The cluster can be drawn up on the board, on a separate sheet of paper, in each student's notebook, or in a Power Point presentation. For greater clarity, it is advisable to use different colors in the design. The teacher must clearly represent all the categories and the logical connections between them in order to guide the students' mental activity.

It is possible to use the cluster method throughout the lesson: at the beginning of the lesson, students write down all the information they have on this topic, throughout the lesson they add new data to the cluster, using a different color for clarity, at the end of the lesson all information is once again systematized and spoken out.

The cluster is used when introducing a new grammatical topic, when introducing new vocabulary on a topic, when working with text, when preparing to write an essay or report, and others. The form of work can be individual, group or collective. Depending on the purpose and objectives of the lesson, forms can flow from one to another.

Using the cluster method it is interesting to organize a general lesson on one or all of the completed topics of the semester, asking students, divided into groups, to design and present a cluster into which they need to include all the topics with examples. Cluster structure.

The teacher prompts, using leading questions and tasks on cards, the same for all groups. By answering these questions and completing assignments, students must remember all the material covered, graphically visualize the cluster and present it at the end of the lesson as a result of group work.

When it is properly organized the cluster method has the following advantages:

All students are involved in the work, they are interested and relaxed, and are not afraid to make mistakes.

The cluster allows you to cover a large amount of information.

Students learn to form and express their opinions, pose questions, highlight the main and secondary, establish cause-and-effect relationships, draw conclusions, understand a phenomenon or problem as a whole, compare and analyze, generalize, and draw analogies.

The cluster method develops systemic and associative thinking and imagination.

The cluster method allows students to develop the qualities necessary for a productive exchange of opinions: tolerance, the ability to listen to others, responsibility for their own point of view.

In conclusion, we can say that, in addition to the above advantages, the cluster method, like any non-traditional teaching technology, increases the interest and motivation of students, helps organize a lesson in an atmosphere of cooperation and healthy competition, and increases students' self-esteem. The creative component of the method gives a feeling of creative freedom. And by developing critical thinking skills in students, we contribute to the education of caring, thoughtful, energetic and constructive individuals.

Thus, the conducted analysis and research make it possible to make the following conclusions: the chosen topic remains relevant in higher education, although it exists and arouses the interest of many researchers for more than a year. Differentiation and individualization are effective means of improving the quality of teaching and learning a foreign language, development of abilities, interests, and activity of cognitive activity of students in groups and individually.

Differentiation and individualization are one of the key directions of education modernization, democratization and humanization of the education system, as it provides conditions for the optimal development of each person, because the humanistic orientation of differentiation and individualization requires that every participant in the educational process be taken into account in the organization of such training.

Bibliography

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References

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