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УДК: 378.81
Н. Ф. Коряковцева
профессор, доктор педагогических наук, профессор кафедры лингводидактики МГЛУ; e-mail: koryakovtseva@mail.ru
ОБРАЗОВАТЕЛЬНЫЕ ТЕХНОЛОГИИ В ОБЛАСТИ ИЗУЧЕНИЯ ИНОСТРАННОГО ЯЗЫКА: СОВРЕМЕННАЯ ТЕОРИЯ И ПРАКТИКА
В статье обобщается опыт использования современных образовательных технологий в области изучения иностранного языка; предлагается группировка и определяются основные характеристики интерактивных и проективно-исследовательских технологий; сформулированы критерии эффективности образовательных технологий в изучении иностранного языка с позиции концепции личностно ориентированного продуктивного образования.
Ключевые слова: обучение, ориентированное на личность учащегося и развитие его учебной деятельности; образовательные технологии в изучении иностранного языка; интерактивные технологии; проективно-исследовательские технологии; личностный образовательный продукт; продуктивное языковое образование.
Koryakovtseva N. F.
Advanced Doctor (Pedagogy), Professor MSLU; e-mail: koryakovtseva@mail.ru
EDUCATION TECHNOLOGIES AND TECHNIQUES IN LANGUAGE TEACHING AND LEARNING: CURRENT THEORY AND PRACTICE
This article sums up current theory and practice in the field of modern technologies and techniques in language teaching and learning; categorises and defines the key features of interactive and research-and-project techniques; defines criteria for effective language teaching/learning techniques from the perspective of learner-and-learning centered language pedagogy.
Key words: learner-and-learning centered language pedagogy; language learning technologies and techniques; interactive techniques; research-and-project techniques; learner constructive production; productive language learning.
Over the four decades of communicative language learning methodology have resulted in the development of a wide variety of language teaching / learning technologies and techniques.
Technologies for language teaching and learning are generally associated with tools (devices) that assist the teaching / learning process,
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such as audio- and videotapes, computer assisted language learning (CALL), computer mediated communication (CMC).
With the advent of the XX1-st century language education, as well as education in general, faces new challenges. One of these challenges is a new generation of learners - cyber generation and online learners. Online resources (the open space ofthe internet) offer the foreign language learner various opportunities to learn and practise the use of the target language. In addition to CALL programmes there has been an increasing spread of CMC technologies, such as teleconferencing, email, blogs, wikis, instant messaging, chat, which create autonomous learning environments.
In this context "the different curricular roles for technologies can be described as blended (i.e. using technologies as a supplement to classroom instruction), hybrid (i.e. providing instruction both in class and on line), and completely online language learning" [2, 7].
E-technologies, especially in the format of hybrid instruction, may include various techniques to be used to provide context for productive and receptive language use. Hence, the focus in this article is made on education techniques for foreign language (FL) teaching and learning.
"Education technique" in research publications is defined as a set of purposely structured procedures and activities aimed at achieving particular educational goal, a set of steps taken by the teacher to instruct the learners and adopted by the learners to achieve a conceived goal [6]1.
There is now a general recognition that the basic CLL principle of "learner-centeredness" underlies the grounds and requirements for effective education techniques, such as: developing the learner's individual potential, activating the learner's creative, cognitive and language learning capacities, developing the learner's social skills, bridging the gap between classroom studies and real-life language use.
The latest developments in FL methodology have initiated the shift to learner-and-learning language pedagogy. D. Little argues that the "market-model" of education assumes that knowledge and skills can be "pre-packaged" by the authors of curricular and text-books, and tested in the exams. In this mode learning is launched "from the outside" and not "from the inside out", i.e. teacher-centered mode. And the art of learning is an academic orphan [10].
1 Дидактическая (образовательная) технология - это система взаимосвязанных действий (приемов) обучающей деятельности преподавателя и учебно-познавательной деятельности учащегося, направленных на достижение образовательных целей [6].
It is but obvious that language pedagogy for modern Digital-World generation needs to be learning centered, motivating productive language learning in which the learner is not just passively receiving "pre-packaged" knowledge, but is actively involved in the process of language acquisition and personal constructive performance [1; 10].
CLL has already accumulated experience to provide the learner constructive performance in FL learning. In a language classroom it could be achieved by:
- constructing (simulating) real-life situation of language use and involving the learner in this event as an active participant;
- offering the learner meaningful (problem-solving) task-based assignment;
- giving the learner opportunity to freely choose from optional ways of achieving the task;
- stipulating the use of cognitive skills and language learning skills;
- activating the learner's reflective skills to go over the ways and procedures used and assess the achieved result;
- creating the situation of group work and co-operation;
- stimulating the learner to create a personal meaningful "product" of language learning and language use (личностно значимый образовательный продукт [1; 5]).
It can be argued that in a FL learning context "personal construct" ("product") of language learning and language use may be identified as:
- "ideal" construct - acquired language, knowledge, skills, competences, experience in language learning and use, and
- "material format" - information-text product, such as solving language and information problem tasks, creative writing (compositions, reviews, surveys, story-writing, etc.), research projects, case-studies of different kind, information and language resource base materials (personal grammar, personal vocabulary notes and glossaries), diaries, blogs, etc., Language Learning Portfolio.
The concept of "productive language learning" (продуктивная учебная деятельность учащегося - 1) presupposes and entails the learner constructive performance in a language classroom. From this perspective it can be argued that an effective language leaning technique needs to provide:
- developmental learning;
- exploratory learning;
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- experiential learning;
- "constructionist" learning;
- product-and-process related learning;
- creative learning;
- social-interactive learning;
- collaborative learning;
- learner-initiated, launched "from the inside out";
- reflective learning.
Learning the language is a developmental process, aimed at the level of potential development - "zone of proximal development" (Vygotsky). The key goal of developmental learning is to:
- develop the learner's cognitive skills; information processing, decision making, generating ideas, etc.;
- develop the learner's metacognitive skills; logical thinking, generalising meaning, drawing conclusion, inference, etc.,
- engage the learner's affective (empathic) capacities; personalising the learning task (getting the learner involved, not indifferent), making the learner active participant, making the learner responsible for his / her learning.
Learning the language is an exciting process of "discovering" new language and culture. Exploratory (discovery) learning in a FL context means the learner ability to: explore the new language to "discover" the meaning and new ways to relate meaning, explore the context to "discover" the items of a new, unknown culture, draw comparisons, explore similar and different language features, develop so called metallinguistic skills, get deeper into both cultures by exploring the linguistic ways to express meanings in a socio cultural context.
Experiential learning is natural learning (as opposed to formal learning), rooted in authentic social and cultural experience, as a byproduct of our life. Hence, developmental and experiential learning is based on culture and social practices. This means that to provide functional use of the language, to bridge the gap between formal classroom language use and real-life social and culture context we should provide authentic culture and social practices in a language classroom.
"Productive", "constructionist" view oflearning assumes that learning is product-and-process oriented, and the learner's goal is constructing personal knowledge as a learning "product", instead of receiving "prepackaged" knowledge [1; 5; 10].
Building up language learning skills is a meaningful "product" to facilitate the learning process, skills like: general cognitive and metacognitive, specific language learning skills (compensation, semantic, culture awareness skills, etc. [1].
Personal constructive (productive) performance is by definition creative. We use the term "productive" in Vygotsky's sense of this notion, which entails two meanings: creative and constructive as opposed to receptive [1].
Creative language learning presupposes the learner capacity for: the insight, heuristic knowledge and skills, looking for language and communication experience, tolerance to language and meaning ambiguity, reflection on the product and process, capacity for transformation, modifying, experimenting, playing with language, meanings and ideas, capacity for risks, lack of "fright for errors", capacity for empathy in a communication event and interaction, interest in resolving language problems, difficulties in communication and interaction, profound thinking, profound (non-surfacing) approach to language learning, a sense of humor.
Collaborative (co-operative) learning entails that learning is collaboration (co-operation) with the teacher and peers, collaborative performance of learning tasks. It is argued that there is a dominant tradition in psychology and education to treat cognition and learning as internal to the individual, requiring within a formal educational context a significant individual effort [4; 10]. Social-interactive view of learning identifies the group as the primary locus of learning activity (коллективный субъект образовательного процесса. - В. В. Давыдов).
According to the social-interactive view of language, language learning is a matter of: social interaction, collaboration in sharing and constructing meaning. Social-interactive language learning is also a matter of mediating culture in and through the target language, moving gradually closer to the culture of the target language.
Developmental and experiential learning is interaction with other people and our capacity to learn on our own derives from our experience of learning with and from other people.
Learning a language is not only a matter of practicing procedural skills.
It also involves reflection, analysis and self-assessment of distinct and related aspects, such as: reflection on language use, reflection on
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the performance of learning tasks, and achieved result, reflection on the learning skills and the progress of the learning process. Reflection is essential for proficiency in language learning.
Reflection and self-assessment are key features of the learner's capacity for autonomy. Learner autonomy has ceased to be just a "buzz word". It is generally acknowledged as "the ultimate goal of learning" (Vygotsky). The accepted definition of learner autonomy is taking charge of one's own learning, capacity for critical reflection, decision-making, and independent action [1; 2; 10].
It needs to be emphasized, however, that this capacity presupposes autonomy not only in choosing ways and procedures to perform the learning task (деятельностная автономия), but also autonomy in identifying values in real-life situation and education (ценностная автономия), focusing on authentic personality [1; 2].
From the social-interactive perspective learner-and-learning centered education is aimed at developing learner autonomy and capacity for constructive production. The currently used variety of language teaching / learning techniques may be categorized as follows.
1. Interactive techniques
1.1. simulating (replicating) communication events
(имитативное моделирование), including:
- simulation;
- role play (action role play);
- drama.
1.2. organizing (modeling) authentic (close to real-life) communication events (моделирование аутентичных ситуаций
общения):
- discussion (as problem-solving and decision-making);
- function role play;
- case-study.
1.3. Games:
- communication games;
- scripted drama.
2. Research-and-project techniques (проективно-исследовательские)
2.1. Problem-solving tasks:
- language exploration tasks;
- text processing tasks.
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2.2. Cultural awareness raising research:
- language-and-culture exploration tasks;
- culture-related text interpretation tasks.
2.3. Project work of different types, such as:
- Information and research projects;
- Survey projects;
- Production projects;
- Performance and scenario projects;
- Construction projects;
- Creative writing projects.
2.4. Language Portfolio of different types, such as:
- Self-Assessment language Portfolio;
- Language Learning Portfolio;
- Administrative Language Portfolio;
- Show-Case Feedback Language Portfolio;
- Comprehensive Language Portfolio.
An interactive communication event in a language classroom is about what actually happens in a real-life situation, what the participants think, feel and do, how they behave. It is very difficult to make fine distinctions between interactive techniques because they all are rooted in drama and role-playing. Drama - in the meaning of "dramatic performance", embraces related activities including role play, simulations and drama techniques, as well as games. Most of these events may have a story-line or scenario (fact or fiction, history or fantasy), but many are non-scenario without any story-line, just topic-centered.
Yet, relying on current research and practice [3; 8; 9; 11], we can argue that the following distinction between the above mentioned interactive techniques can be made.
Role-play is playing imaginary characters in a make-believe open ended situation. The situation is prompted (directed), but not very much constrained. And the activity is "a dress rehearsal for real life" [9].
Simulations are complex, lengthy, and relatively inflexible (constrained) events. They will always include role playing, but also such activities as analysis of data, discussion of options, etc. Students role-play their functional activities, they "play themselves".
Drama involves students acting out make-believe scenarios, creating individual fictitious characters in a specific context, with the emphasis on natural imitation, improvisation, spontaneous exchange of opinions. Drama in education uses the same tool employed by actors in the theatre,
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not for the benefit of the audience but for the benefit of the learners. Unlike the role play drama is not directed, but improvised ("improvised role-play"). It is also used to develop phonological competence.
Games in language education model (replicate) human behaviour, its social and human features, norms and rules of social interaction (Elkonin). Games introduce in a language classroom: "a spirit of rules" to conduct behaviour, "a spirit of competition" to achieve the goal which is visible - outdoing others, and improving on oneself, a closed situation which justifies the behavior. Gaming in a language classroom encourage learners' interaction, encourage talk and the use of the language, create a situation of problem-solving and decision-making, activate learners' cognitive potential, put learners in charge of the event.
Authentic communication events, such as discussion, function role play and case-study provide a context for co-operative learning, for brainstorming ideas, for argument, and for collaborative decision-making. Students are provided with opportunities to recycle acquired language and skills in a relatively natural context. These techniques simulate functional or professional conduct and prepare learners for language use in a specific professional (or professionally oriented) and social context.
Research-and-project techniques bridge the gap between a language classroom and real-life language use, embracing classroom and out-of-class activities allow the learner to transfer what has been learned to wider contexts, enjoy significant measure of independence and freedom, and at the same time take responsibility for his learning and creative production, develop the learner social competences. As relates to language learning research-and-project activities provide the development of language and communication skills "from inside" in response to the research goal. It is essential that research-and-project tasks activate learners' cognitive and reflective skills, as well as specific language learning skills, thus developing language learning and general educational competence [1].
A specific education technology rapidly gaining popularity is Language Portfolio (see European Language Portfolio for Russia) - a package of materials and data collected by the learner on the basis of self-assessment to evaluate and demonstrate what level of language proficiency he has achieved and what he can do in the target language. The key pedagogic goal of this education technique is to provide the context for reflective language learning and the development of self-assessment skills for language learning [1].
It is generally assumed that in productive language learning special attention should be paid to the teacher's role and to teacher-learner interaction. The teacher abandons the role of instructor and becomes "a member of the team" joining efforts in the collaborative exploration of language and culture, mutual experience in constructive and creative performance.
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