Vol 4, No 1 (2023)
Articles
Assessment of problem and project-based activities in a CLIL course
Abstract
Today, according to various educational documents, a university teacher must be able to control the learning process not only in order to compare the level achieved by students with a certain minimum of requirements laid down in the curriculum on the basis of competent and transparent assessment criteria and to record changes in the general level of preparedness of each student and the dynamics his successes, but for the diagnosis of problems that arise among students in the learning process; for the development of reflection skills; skills of self-assessment and peer-assessment by students of their achievements. Unfortunately, at the current stage, peer-assessment, reflection and self-assessment are weak points in the educational process, since the student does not participate in control and assessment, he is not involved in the process of developing or choosing assessment criteria, in peer and self-assessment, in reflective activity after completing the project assignment or taking a course. The article aims to address this issue by examining assessment and feedback as critical components of the methodological system, including stages of control, assessment methods, control and reflection tools. The ultimate goal is to develop an approach to assess professionally oriented projects within the framework of content and language integrated learning (CLIL). The article discusses the different stages of web project assessment, prerequisites for successful implementation in blended learning, and online tools and mobile applications that facilitate effective feedback, reflection, and assessment in a CLIL course. By embracing this approach, teachers can provide students with a more engaging and participatory learning experience while ensuring that they are equipped with the necessary skills to become successful professionals in their respective fields.
3-19
Teaching practical phonology on-line: pros and cons
Abstract
In our digital era the necessity of developing distance (on-line) learning courses both in Russia and in the whole world is not viewed any longer as a challenge but rather as an issue of practicality. Both state budgeted educational institutions and private sector companies are involved in producing relevant programs to answer the demand in the market. Pronunciation is the area which stays beyond the main focus of material writers’ attention. Although the speaker’s pronunciation culture is the first signal that influences the listener’s perception of the utterance itself and of the speaker’s personality, consciously or subconsciously. In the latest projects of the Council of Europe which provide detailed descriptors for assessing phonological skills, general phonological control is measured according to the intelligibility, that is how much effort interlocutor has to make to understand the speaker. The interlocutor should not necessarily be a native speaker. This ruins the idea of native pronunciation and traditional phonetic standards. The role of the teacher becomes more complicated, because he/she has to identify the level of intelligibility of a student according to his/her inner criteria. In this respect digital technologies can save the situation providing speech models with acceptable range of variability. In the article the possibilities of teaching and learning the phonology of foreign languages distantly are discussed. The following methodological factors are considered: focus groups, content, format, technologies, methods and techniques of training, duration of training sessions. Electronic resources for teaching phonetic perception and production of the English Language at both segmental and supersegmental levels are presented. Each resource’s characteristics are discussed in a short review. The preferable options are identified. This material might be useful for English teachers planning distance classes with remedial type of phonetic training in various educational contexts.
20-34
The role and conditions for the effectiveness of intercultural online communication as an important way to raise motivation for learning a foreign language
Abstract
The paper is devoted to organizing intercultural communication experiences via the Internet. The study is relevant due to the contradiction in teaching a foreign language between the need to use intercultural communication skills in natural conditions and the lack of a language environment. This study aims to identify the requirements for organizing intercultural online projects effectively and to determine the role of intercultural communication with native speakers in increasing the motivation for learning English among students of Russian universities. The experience of an academic project conducted within the framework of the international virtual project-oriented exchanges program Experiential Digital Global Engagement (hereinafter EDGE) is presented. The empirical materials of the study included the data from an online survey conducted during the final stage of the project. The information obtained was processed using qualitative and quantitative methods, including descriptive statistics and content analysis. A comparative study of the data revealed a positive correlation between students’ motivation and the ability to apply foreign language communication skills in genuine intercultural communication with native speakers. The research results showed that the necessary conditions for the success of intercultural online communication are the participation of native speakers, a high degree of student involvement, the interaction of all project participants, the correspondence of the project topic to the potential interests of the participants, students’ knowledge of a foreign language at a communicatively sufficient level, overcoming stereotypical thinking, positive emotions, and a competent choice of digital tools, platforms and services. These parameters, as well as the theoretical, methodological and applied aspects presented in the study, can be used in forming a linguistic, intercultural environment in various types of digital communication.
35-64
Visualization of linguistic material as part of the professional and communicative competence of language teachers
Abstract
Visualization is a powerful tool that can be used in foreign language classroom. According to the foreign language education practice and traditions in Russia, the principle of visibility has always been one of the fundamental principles of teaching. The use of visibility is appropriate for all stages of training, and the scope of its application is constantly expanding. It can act as an intermediary for explaining new material or its presenting in a compact and easy-to-perceive way. Specialists as well as foreign language teachers agree on the benefits of visuals to affect learners on a cognitive level and stimulate imagination, therefore, enabling users to process the information faster and retain it better. In the present paper the main studies in the field of visualization and picture superiority effect in pedagogy, psychology and methodology of teaching foreign languages are observed, for instance, the works of J. Piaget, L. Standing, R. Meyer, E. Makarova. It is highlighted that the use of visual aids in foreign language teaching is extremely important, however it still remains unclear what skills should a teacher possess in order to visualize material efficiently, and how to develop these skills within the framework of the foreign language teacher professional and communicative competence. Thus, an attempt is made to distinguish the key skills of visualization of language material according to the updated version of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) in 2018. Finally, the experience of an experimental work (workshops) is presented. The workshops were attended by 3rd year Bachelor students and 1st year Master students of the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Area Studies at Moscow State University. During each workshop session the main qualities of an efficient multimedia educational presentation were shown and various interactive activities were done. After each session students had to make their own presentations that were assessed according to the criteria given in the table in present paper. Finally, the effectiveness of an experimental work is evaluated and prospects for future research are given.
65-87
Modern digital solutions for L2 education and their prospects
Abstract
This article considers the modern solutions that are currently being implemented in the digitalization of second language (L2) education in the world in general, with a particular focus on the English language, and in Russia in particular, with a particular focus on the Russian language. The article first discusses the two factors mainly contributing to the need to develop digital solutions in the L2 education and learning field, namely the rising population mobility and migration levels and the rapid development of digital solutions and their implementation in various sectors in the recent decade. The article demonstrates why the rise in population mobility and migration levels in and around the world, together with the advancement of digital solutions in the wider educational and learning space, in the past two decades of the twenty-first century have necessitated the development and implementation of digital solutions for L2 education and learning. On this basis, the article carries out a concrete analysis of the surge in the development, implementation, and adoption of digital solutions in L2 education and learning, together with the prospects for further advancements in the field, particularly a study of the various novel game- changing digital products and solutions that are being offered on the L2 education and learning market by educational institutions and centers of higher learning, followed by an investigation of their effectiveness, drawbacks, and areas on which they could be improved in this field. Further, an investigation is conducted on the increasingly complex requirements for linguistic skills among professionals working in various industries in the Russian Federation and across the world that have to do with the rising need to create a workforce with the necessary skills and knowhow to implement digital solutions in L2 education, as well as on how various economic structures have raised their demand for these competencies against the background of the rapid globalization of industry and commerce at large.
88-107
Students’ perception and analysis of the teaching method and teaching strategies in Eranitri’s YouTube video for teaching grammar
Abstract
The influence of modern technology advancements has led to a widespread adoption of social media as a tool for English language learning. Due to social media, teaching English is no longer constrained by time or place. YouTube is a medium that can be used to teach English grammar, Eranitri is one of the content creator who used YouTube as media for teaching grammar. This study aims to analyze students’ perception of teaching method, teaching strategy and teacher performance of Eranitri’s Youtube video for teaching grammar. The participants were ten graduated students of English Education at Universitas Pancasakti Tegal. Data collection conducted by Observation Checklist, Questionnaire and Sentiment Analysis.face validity and content validity were used to meet validity the questionnaire. There are two types of questionnaire, the first questionnaire used to analyze students’ perception of teaching method in Eranitri’s YouTube videos and the second questionnaire used to analyze students’ perception of teaching strategy used by Eranitri in her YouTube videos. The result show that the highest strongly agree and agree response of questionnaire teaching method is from the criteria Grammar Translation method strongly (75% and 25%), then in the questionnaire of teaching strategies majority positive answer strongly agree and agree is from the criteria boardwork presentation, concept map, analogy, questioning, and wait time strategy (30%-70%). According to five categories (Organization, Active and Engaged Learning, Rapport, Credibility and control, Presentation) in the observation checklist and Sentiment Analysis which is used to analyze Eranitri performance as teacher in her YouTube Videos, most respondents give the positive answer in categories 1,2,4, and 5 (35%-80%). The conclusion of this study is Eranitri used Grammar Translation method for teaching in her YouTube videos, she also used 5 strategies for teaching; boardwok presentation, concept map, analogy, questioning and wait time srategy, then Eranitri has good performance as teacher but bad in the rapport or knowing and responding the students.
108-124