Features of distance teaching of foreign language for future seafarers: module "Art"

Art is an integral part of person's life. We are eager to creativity, expressing in such way our emotions, thoughts, feelings. Every art has its own language, for example painting talks to us with a help of lines and colours, literature - with a help of words, and music - with sounds.

Seafarers often spend long periods of time away from their families and loved ones, and this can lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness. Engaging in creative activities like art can provide a source of emotional release, stress relief, and a sense of accomplishment, which can improve mental health and well being. The role of art in the life of a cadet of a higher maritime institution can be diverse and beneficial in many ways. Whether as a form of personal expression, a way to learn about different cultures, a professional skill, or a means of building teamwork, art can enrich a cadet's experience and prepare them for success as a seafarer.

That is why, when studying foreign languages, the basic knowledge of which is so necessary in maritime professions, the study of vocabulary related to art becomes important. The special module “Art”, included in the educational course “Foreign Language”, helps to accomplish this task. At the same time, in modern conditions, for various reasons, teaching a foreign language (as well as other disciplines) takes place remotely, which makes it necessary to master new computer technologies that provide this process.

Analysis of publications according the topic

Many scientists have conducted their research on distance learning especially while COVID-19. It should be noted that the importance of the distance learning system is evidenced by the growing number of works. Thus, studies of general didactic problems of distance learning were carried out by N. Boychuk,

A. Voronkin, V. Hrytsak, I. Derkach, V. Datsyuk, L. Dobrovolska, Shunevych. In particular, the organization of distance learning in the professional training of future specialists were engaged by Yu Vasylevich, O. Kalitseva, S. Romaniuk, L. Trebyk (explored about upgrading the qualifications of civil servants), O. Oliynyk (investigated students of non-language universities), N. Zhevakina (inspected the education of students of humanitarian specialties).

For the B. Holmberg's theory is typically the use of an empathic approach to the distance learning, which, in his opinion, reduces the “extreme” transactional distance of industrial distance learning, that is, in such a way education must necessarily involve dialogue and interaction (Holmberg, 1995). In this regard, for the distance learning methodology, the following opinion is appropriate: “learning how to learn” and “how to find useful sources” (Evans & Jakupec, 2022: 17).

At the same time, in the scientific work of these and other researchers a number of aspects of distance learning and its technologies are highlighted, which are characterized as modularity, flexibility, asynchrony, long-range, internationality, sufficient quality, various and multifaceted sources of educational information.

Objectives, novelty and methodology of the study. The article investigates the organization of the learning process, the selection of methods and means of distance learning, the peculiarities of teaching of a foreign language in the context of maritime subjects.

An innovative perspective of the study was the rationale for the need to study art-related vocabulary in a foreign language course for future seafarers (module “Art”), as well as an analysis of modern distance forms of such training on the Moodle platform.

The study was conducted on the basis of Kherson State maritime Academy (KSMA, Ukraine), using the methods of scientific analysis of the studied phenomenon of distance teaching of a foreign language to future seafarers on the example the “Art” module. The system approach and the dialectical method were applied to consider the interactive distance learning practice.

Presentation of the main research material

Speaking about seafarers, we can't but admit that it's not easy to be far from home and loved people, that is why while, having spare time a lot of them try to study. A vessel is a world of its own, which requires a competent and skilled crew to ensure the safe and efficient work. Working in an international environment, among a multinational crew, seafarers try to find something common and interesting. It can be sport, different kinds of films, music.

We have all noticed that the role of music in our lives is quite large, music can affect our mood, calm us, raise our mood, and also make it worse. Music builds a special subculture, changes people's views on many things, shapes the style of clothing, communication or the style of the whole life. Different music has different effects on people. After all, some melodies can even improve human memory, they also help to build an associative series of certain events and moments of life.

Music is closely related to medicine. It has long been discovered that the music of Bach, Beethoven and other classics has a wonderful effect on people, cures diseases. There is even a special name, a direction in modern medicine - music therapy. A melody with a rhythm of 60 beats per minute acts on a person as a meditation, it is quite capable of distracting any person from any problem by slowing down brain activity.

If you listen to such music, memory, working capacity, calmness and self-confidence are actively improved. Everything is explained by the fact that the human brain simply stops the extra production of energy, which goes to the same negative emotions that prevent us from thinking correctly, confuse us and make us nervous once again. Similarly, listening to classical music helps to remember information. Sibelius “Sad Waltz” can save you in the fight against sleepless nights, and Tchaikovsky's pieces simply make wonders.

Music affects not only the moral and emotional state of a person, but also the work of internal organs, such as the heart, and the activity of blood pressure. For those who want to actively increase their blood pressure, it is worth listening to energetic music, and to stabilize the heart rate, listening to a calm melody is recommended. A very interesting fact is that a calm melody can have a positive effect on the blood. The melody that gives a person pleasure, actively increases the volume of lymphocytes in the blood, and accordingly, it becomes much easier for the entire human body to fight any diseases.

So, art can be a powerful form of communication, and seafarers who may not share a common language can use art to express themselves and communicate with others on board. This can help create a sense of community and facilitate the sharing of experience among crew members. In this process, knowing the basic art-related vocabulary makes the task much easier.

However, it often becomes impossible to arrange offline education for students due to global social cataclysms - military operations, pandemics, natural disasters - or for personal reasons. In this case, modern communication technologies come to the rescue - various computer software that allows to maintain direct audiovisual contact with a group of students, as well as to exercise various forms of control over the quality of assimilating the linguistic skills in the practice of distance learning.

The distance learning bases on purposeful and controlled intensive independent work of the student, who can study in a place convenient for him, according to the schedule agreed with the teachers, and under the guidance of experienced professionals. Constant attention is paid for improving the quality of the supplying of educational services and the introduction of modern innovations using interactive methods and various audio-visual programs (Skype, video conferences based on the Zoom platform, as well as Viber, platform Moodle, etc.). A lot of students like to listen music, some of them presented their own musical “ideas”, using such service as Music-Lab (it helps to create music).

Students receive educational materials in graphic and textual information in synchronous or asynchronous mode, from one hand students do the task in accordance with the program and schedule, from the other hand - when he can have free time.

Platform Moodle is a distance learning management system, where is comfortable to use wide variety of different instruments for educational interaction between a teacher and a student. We can use it to present the material in video format, as a text, or presentation form. Also, students can make tests (Fig.1), take part in discussion and even send files for correction (Diahyleva et al., 2021: 412).

SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model) is a standard for creating e-learning content that can be shared across different LMS. Moodle is an open-source LMS that supports SCORM packages.

A SCORM package is a collection of web-based learning content (such as HTML, audio, video, and interactive activities) that is packaged according to the SCORM standard. The package includes a manifest file that describes the content structure and organization, as well as how the content should be tracked and reported in the LMS.

Fig.1. Test from Module “Art”

When a SCORM package is uploaded to Moodle, the LMS uses the manifest file to organize and present the content to learners, and to track their progress and completion. SCORM packages can be used to deliver a wide range of e-learning content, including courses, quizzes, simulations, and games.

In summary, a SCORM package on Moodle is a standardized package of e-learning content that can be easily shared across different LMS platforms, and is used to deliver and track e-learning content in Moodle.

The example of SCORM activity of Module “Art” is shown in the Figure 2. This activity is called Hangman and the task of cadets to learn new lexical units, check their knowledge etc. It's done by providing vocabulary acquisition, contextualization, collaborative learning, and critical thinking opportunities (“flip”, according to McLuhan (2015: 15):“The conflict between the new `inner trip' and the old outer trip in track or jalope...”). The game is used to reinforce spelling and pronunciation of the words (Bernardes et al., 2022: 800).

Fig. 2. Hangman activity (SCORM package)

Another variant of SCORM package (fill in the gaps activity) is shown in the Figure 3. In this activity cadets watch the video and do postwatching task. They choose correct words/word combinations from the list. This activity helps learners improve their listening comprehension skills by listening carefully to the video p, and identifying the words that are missing. It also helps to learn new English words or phrases by exposing them to new vocabulary in context (Andriuschenko, 2015: 11). Cadets improve their spelling and punctuation skills by requiring them to write the missing words in the correct spelling and context. They also practice their grammar skills by exposing them to different sentence structures and verb tenses in context.

The HotPot module (Fig. 4.) helps teachers to share interactive learning materials and activities to their students via Moodle (Kayisoglu et al, 2022: 130). The exercises for such module are made by the teacher herself on the computer, using authoring software (at first it should be downloaded from the Moodle plugin database) and then load to platform Moodle. The activities can be different: gaps filling, choosing the correct variant, etc.

Fig. 3. Fill in the gaps after watching video activity (Module “Art”)

The HotPot exercises are not like tests for sum up the assessment (Yurzhenko, 2018). They are designed for students to revise the vocabulary, complete the text the information studied during the lesson.

The test is not finished until the student has 100% correct answers. That is why they should do it several times, also these activities have hints, which help a student to find the correct answer (Voloshynov & Yurzhenko, 2021: 35).

Studying foreign languages, including modules like “Art”, is beneficial for future seafarers because the role of art in their lives is multi-faceted and varied. Engaging in art can be a way for cadets to express themselves creatively, relieve stress, and cultivate a sense of well-being.

It can also provide a source of enjoyment and satisfaction outside of academic and professional pursuits. Studying art can broaden cadets' horizons and expose them to different cultural expressions from around the world.

This can enhance their understanding and appreciation of different societies and ways of life. Art can also help cadets develop skills such as attention to detail, ability to solve problems, and creativity, which are important for their professional success.

Art can be a way for cadets to work collaboratively with their peers on creative projects. This can help build a sense of teamwork that can be useful in their future profession, where collaboration and communication are essential.

Fig. 4. Activity from HotPot module

Results and conclusion