Рroblem and communicative tasks on the discipline «english for specific purposes» for students of technical specialties

Abstract

According to European Recommendations, educated person is one who masters a profession, several foreign languages, computer, democratic world view and fundamental culture. The role of foreign language for any specialist is crucial. There are no boundaries between countries in cooperation, collaboration, common investigations, researches, etc. In accordance with New Standards of Ukrainian Higher Education, general competences of future specialist include: ability to find, distinguish and analyse the information from different resources and capability to communicate in foreign language in professional (scientific and technical) situations. The issue of problem approach appliance in foreign language teaching is vital and essential nowadays. The overall aim of English for Specific Purposes teaching and learning is to prepare students to communicate effectively in their academic and professional environments. Teacher should determine the specific communicative skills required and the situations and job-related areas in which their students need to use them. The author has explored the problem of impactful teaching of the professional English done by methodologists and psychologists, and on the basis of obtained results she proposes to use and check the effectiveness of the problem and communicative tasks at the lesson of “English for Specific Purposes”. Exploratory activity of the students influences on their motivation and creativity: students’ inclusion to independent preconceptual study, mastering new activities and creation of problem situations. The examples of such exercises and tasks are given in the article, and practicability of their appliance and the results are described. These exercises contain the real-life professional situations. The author has concluded that these components of the communicative methodology of teaching foreign language with the use of communicative methodology and problem tasks promote automation of such skills as speed, flexibility, endurance, and low level of intension and pressure in the process of foreign communication and professional activity. The prospects of further investigations are defined in teaching professional and scientific foreign language on the basis of communicative methodology when combined with the method of project work and newest information technologies.