Project-based method as an interactive model of foreign language teaching

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Project-based method as an interactive model of foreign language teaching

Svetlana Makukhina,

Senior Lecturer at the Department of Tourism, Hotel and Restaurant Business and Foreign Languages

Kherson State Agrarian and Economic University (Kherson, Ukraine)

The article deals with the problem of design methodologies at foreign language lessons. Various aspects of design methodologies, its stages and kinds of its activity are given. The influence of the method on students ' communication skills and the level of their practical knowledge of a foreign language are analyzed. The aim of design methodologies is the development of students ' creative abilities and encouraging of their independent productive learning activities. The project method allows us to individualize the educational process, allows students to show independence in planning, organizing and controlling their activities. The project methodology is characterized by a communicative orientation, the active involvement of students in educational activities. The main features of educational projects are analyzed (definition of a specific goal that allows using a foreign language in communication and obtaining new information; joint planning and implementation of projects by teachers and students; conducting independent research using various sources: websites, books, magazines, dictionaries, etc.; learning outcomes that can be demonstrated outside the audience and that can facilitate the organization of debates or discussions in real life). It is noted that the desired element of the project method is teamwork, which requires students to be responsible for their part of the task, evaluate the results of their own work and the work of peers. The main advantages of the project method are summarized (memorization of lexical and grammatical units; creation of conditions for free expressions and understanding of information; enrichment of vocabulary; development of communication skills). According to the author's opinion the implementation of design methodologies for teaching foreign language allows to improve the learning process, increase students ' motivation potential and have a command of a foreign language.

Key words: project method, creativity, technology, student-oriented approach, communicative competence.

Світлана МАКУХІНА,

старший викладач кафедри готельно-ресторанного та туристичного бізнесу й іноземних мов Херонського державного аграрно-економічного університету (Херсон, Україна)

МЕТОД ПРОЕКТІВ ЯК ІНТЕРАКТИВНА МОДЕЛЬ НАВЧАННЯ ІНОЗЕМНОЇ МОВИ

У статті розглядається проблема проектної методики на заняттях з іноземної мови. Представлено різні аспекти використання методу проектів, його етапи та види робіт. Проаналізовано вплив методу на комунікативні здібності студентів, рівень їхнього практичного володіння іноземною мовою. Доведено, що саме проектна методика спрямована на розвиток творчих здібностей здобувачів вищої освіти, стимулювання продуктивності навчальної діяльності. Метод проектів дозволяє індивідуалізувати навчальний процес, дає можливість здобувачу виявляти самостійність у плануванні, організації та контролі своєї діяльності. Проектна методика характеризується комунікативною спрямованістю, активним включенням здобувачів у навчальну діяльність. Проаналізовано основні ознаки навчального проекту (визначення конкретної мети, яка дозволяє використовувати іноземну мову у спілкуванні та отримання нової інформації; спільне планування та проведення проектів викладачем та здобувачами освіти; проведення самостійних досліджень за допомогою різних джерел інформації: сайтів, книжок, журналів, словників тощо; результат навчальної діяльності, який можна продемонструвати поза аудиторією та який може сприяти організації дебатів або дискусії у реальному житті). Наголошено на тому, що бажаним елементом методу проектів є робота у команді, що вимагає від студентів відповідального ставлення до своєї частини завдання, оцінки результатів власної праці та праці одногрупників. Узагальнено основні переваги методу проектів (мимовільне запам'ятовування лексичних та граматичних одиниць; створення умов для вільних висловів і осмислення інформації; збагачення словникового запасу; розвиток комунікативних умінь; розширення світогляду студентів). Реалізація проектної методики в процесі навчання іноземної мови дозволяє удосконалити навчальний процес, підвищити мотиваційний потенціал студентів і рівень володіння іноземною мовою.

Ключові слова: метод проектів, творчість, технологія, особистісно-зорієнтований підхід, комунікативна компетенція.

Problem setting

project method language teaching

The main objective of teaching a foreign language is to form the intercultural communicative competence. We believe the project method can contribute to an effective solution to the problem of teaching a foreign language as a means of intercultural communication. It allows us to implement the most a complex and essential task for the methodology - the creation of a language environment. The main goal of the project method is to enable students to develop creative opportunities, to construct their knowledge and apply them to solve cognitive and practical problems, navigate in the information space, areas, analyze the received information.

Analysis of recent researches and publications

The study of the project method was carried out by such scientists as J. Dewey, W. Kilpatrick, E. Collings, E. Parkhurst and others. Numerous studies have found that project activity acts as an important component of the system of productive education and is a non-standard, non-traditional way of organizing educational processes through active methods of action (planning, forecasting, analysis, synthesis) aimed at implementing a student-centered approach.

The purpose of the study is to reveal the possibilities of using the project method in the process of learning English.

Presentation of the main material

It should be noted that in the 19th and early 20th centuries this direction of problem solving method was developed by J. Dewey (1859-1952). He placed great emphasis on reflective thought and saw it as an important part of a cycle that enabled us to learn from experience.

The projects may be suggested by the teacher, but they are planned and executed as far as possible by the students themselves, individually or in groups. Project work focuses on applying specific knowledge or skills, and on improving student involvement and motivation. A project is a work independently planned and implemented by students, in which verbal communication is woven into the intellectual and emotional context of another activity. Project method includes the use of a wide range of problematic, research, search methods, clearly focused on the real practical result. The project methodology provides a student-centered education and training, since it practically absorbs and other modern technologies such as education in cooperation. This method helps to develop active independent thinking, fantasy, creativity, the ability not only to memorize and to reproduce, but to apply knowledge in practice, the ability to independently plan actions, predict possible options problem solving, choose ways and means of their implementation. Students have the opportunity to show their organizational skills, hidden talents (Арванітопуло, 2006: 14).

In the language teaching environment, we distinguish three types of projects:

A group project, in which “research is carried out by the whole group, and each of students learn a certain aspect of the chosen topic”.

- A mini-study consisting of conducting an “individual sociological survey using questionnaires and interviews”.

- Literature-based project involving “selective reading on topic of interest to the student” and suita-ble for individual work.

A great place in the method of projects is occupied by discussions in English. In the course of the discussion, it is most effectively formed sociolinguistic and pragmatic competences. Students learn to look problem from all sides, to reason and formulate their point of view in English. Moreover, students must clearly understand what is required of them, namely the conclusions on problems of study, and not a listing of facts, reasoning and brevity of answers, but not vague reasoning. Such requirements for conducting a discussion make it possible to form a certain culture of speech, for example, to listen to the interlocutor to the end without interrupting, ask him questions, refute his judgments or agree with him, developing the thought.

Work on your own projects reflects the current trend in education - an orientation towards a research, search model of learning. While working on a project, students get the opportunity to work in a “team”, responsibly work towards the completion of your work area, evaluate the results their own labor and the labor of their comrades.

Let's consider the stages of work on the project. The first stage is information searching: suggesting a research topic, choosing a project problem. Developing the topic of the project, the teacher thinks through specific situations of learning activities for each student, depending on his personal potential, interests, the rate of assimilation of the material. The project topics may relate to any theoretical issue, in order to deepen the knowledge of students on it. More often, the topics of projects relate to some practical issue that is relevant to the life of a student in a society that requires the involvement this own life experience. Introduction of the project topic, its discussion, commenting also promotes the development of foreign language communicative competence students: they are faced with the need for an independent choice of arguments for their statement, the use of appropriate language and speech means (Купрікова, 2013: 225).

The second stage is planning: agreeing on the general line of project development, forming groups, drawing up a detailed project work plan, discussion of ways to collect information and the implementation of the search work, as well as the discussion of the first group results. When forming groups, the teacher must take into account not only external differentiation, personal sympathy of students in the audience, but also the possibility of creating the most favorable atmosphere for the formation of sources of personal experience of students with different intellectual and creative potential.

The third stage is researching: the design of the project. At this stage, students collect all the mate-rial, prepare for the final lesson; the teacher monitors the work, talking with group members, getting acquainted with the questionnaires and diaries of each or the group as a whole.

One of the important steps of the educational project implementation is the fourth stage - the presentation. It completes, sums up the work on the project and is important for both students and teachers, who must plan the course and form. presentation from the very beginning of the project. The chosen method of presentation can be based on the already formed skills to conduct public speaking and demonstrations, or in the process of working on a project, these skills can only form and develop. (a newspaper, a video, a composition, a role-playing game, a holiday, an album, an almanac, a topical event, etc.) which corresponds to the logic of the activity. The type and form of the product are determined when setting the goal and objectives of the project. The results must be publicly presented. During the presentation, self-assertion takes place and increasing the self-esteem of the individual, the skills of public self-presentation, reflection are formed and developed. Forms of the presentation are selected taking into account the individual characteristics of students, their personal choice and preferences.

The fifth stage is project closing. At this stage, there is evaluation of the results of the project and the overall progress on it, as well as planning the topics of future projects.

The teacher listens to the reports of the project participants, asks questions, and also writes down the most typical mistakes of the discussion participants for their further discussion. It is also important at this stage to evaluate the efforts of each of the student and the group as a whole: creativity, quality of use sources, the potential and capabilities of each, the quality of the report or prepared presentation. Students can also take a participation in the conversation, planning further steps individually or with the teacher, both in learning the language and in participating in further projects, thereby striving for self-improvement and self-education (Пєхота та ін., 2003).

Using the project method, we set ourselves the following goals: to show the ability of each student or group of students to use acquired research experience; to demonstrate the level of foreign language proficiency; to develop research skills.

We can define the basic principles of using project-based learning.

1. The principle of communication.

Personally significant, motivated speech statement of the listener in the project activity is the main condition that serves as the best prerequisite formation of speech activity of speaking. In the process of project activity, the listener is given the opportunity to express their own opinions, feelings, share experience. For example: the introduction of a new vocabulary (jobs in the hotel business) in groups for beginners takes place in in the form of a quick survey: what does a manager do in a typical day, what do I like about this job and why? The discussion is always accompanied by a surge of emotions among the listeners (Іжко, 2014: 96).

Working in a team significantly increases the motivation of students and the ability to exchange ideas and help each other. To fix the material within the phonetic course, we proposed the game “Association”. The group is divided into 2 teams. First team receives a list of words to be guessed by the second team (lexical material according to the English language course) and a box with objects-associations. So guess the first word (rest -відпочинок): the first team demonstrates the object-association (park - парк) and provides information on the number of letters and sounds, etc.

Consequently, we see that in the process of active mental foreign language speech activities during project work, various kinds of associations arise between foreign language and the listener's own world, which contributes to the development of communicative competencies.

2. The principle of situational conditioning. During the project, students work together on personally significant topics. For example: When studying the lexical topic “Types of hotels”, students are offered tasks aimed at developing the skills of dialogical speech. The first listener speaks as a hotel owner who wants to purchase equipment for the hotel, and the second is a sales representative. So they take active participation in activities that simulate real situations.

3. The principle of problematicity. We know that creative problem solving involves breaking down a problem to understand it, generating ideas to solve the problem and evaluating those ideas to find the most effective solutions. It uses techniques to make the problem solving process engaging and collaborative. Integrated process in project-based teaching of a foreign language helps students to realize the role language knowledge, which become the main tool for the successful mastery of a foreign language speech activity, help to master cultural patterns of thinking, form their mental strategies and boldly engage in intercultural communication. While studying lexical topic "Hotel of Tomorrow" teacher suggests discussing some life problems in couples. During the dialogue there is a consolidation of lexical material and the formation of a grammatical skill in the use of modal verbs should, need.

4. The principle of language and culture study.

This principle involves the creation of a dialogue of cultures in the process of foreign language speech students' activities.

5. The principle of autonomy. Project work eliminates the dependence of the student on the teacher by self-organization and self-learning in the process of creating a specific product or solution a separate problem taken from real life. Therefore, one of the main principles of our work on the project methodol-ogy in teaching a foreign language is to provide students with real autonomy and the opportunity to show initiative and independence in the process of active cognitive mental activity. For example: the teacher offers students new colloquial phrases on the topic “Congratulations. Wishes. Congratulations. Wishes”. Using speech models, they work in pairs. Students determine the topic of the dialogue on their own. It should be noted that the project method allows for maximum individualization and differentiation learning, which is expressed in providing the student with the conditions for working on the feasible volume and complexity of the task at an individual pace, which creates equal opportunities for personal growth of all students, realization of the potential inherent in nature.

Conclusions

It should be noted that the technologies of the XXI century, provide the ability to adapt to the rapidly changing conditions of human life in an industrial society. The ability to use the project method is an indicator of the teacher's high qualification, his progressive teaching methodology and development. Project activity educates and develops the independence of students in expressing themselves, because in the process of group joint activity, they, first of all, learn to express their opinion, to hear others, not to enter into conflict if one's own opinion does not coincide with the opinion of a friend, they learn to seek agreement, develop a common opinion about what and how to do. We come to conclusion that the project method helps to create creative atmosphere, relaxed atmosphere and conditions for development personality.

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