In modern non-philological establishments the study of English occupies the important place and is an important component in training specialist for different branches of our country. The introduction of the innovative methods of teaching English becomes currently and has big practical importance. In article there is given synopsis and analysis of modern information-communication technology (ICT) in the field of teaching of English for special purposes.
Key words: English for specific purposes, information-communication technologies (ICT), multimedia technologies, web-quest, Wiki, high vocational training
Currently, English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is taught all over the world in different directions. Since the 60s of the last century, when it first started being talked about ESP as a separate direction in teaching English as a foreign language, this aspect of English language teaching has developed considerably and has taken a leading position in teaching English for professional purposes. In the context of the dynamic development process of international integration and exchange of information professionals in any industry, in addition to traditional training, you need a tool that allows you to effectively and efficiently exchange professional information. That tool is a professionally oriented special purpose language or a language.
Today there are lots of monographs on the theory of ESP, ESP has developed special teaching methodology, conducted a variety of studies. But among them, unfortunately, only a small portion of authors and developers. It is necessary to note the fact that in our country, officials at all levels say that university graduates today must surely know English. However, the level of English proficiency of students in philological universities is very different, and often leaves much to be desired. Thus, the vital was the question of a single program in foreign language to language high schools, which would take into account requirements for the level of foreign language graduates today. Today, such a program recommended by the scientific and methodological advice in foreign languages professor S. G. Ter — Minasova exist. It is based on the following provisions recorded in contemporary documents for the modernization of higher education:
‒ Possession of a foreign language is an integral part of the training of experts in high school.
‒ Foreign language course is multi-level and developed in the context of lifelong learning.
‒ Learning a foreign language is based on an integrated multidisciplinary basis.
‒ Learning a foreign language is aimed at comprehensive development of communicative, cognitive, informational, socio-cultural, professional and general cultural competence of students. But, even with a single program, you must always take into account the specificity of each institution or its departments, customer demand and the students themselves. [4. p 89]
An important role in vocational education plays ESP teachers. They are often asked to develop programs and training for ESP plans to organize a special English language courses for students, etc. As with any other form of training here, there are many methods and approaches used depending on the objectives of courses and resources available. Based on the philosophy of ESP, they can be divided into three main groups as follows: problem-based learning (PBL), an autonomous entity (AL) and training with the help of information and communication technologies (ICT). It is worthy that all of them are student-oriented methodology. [3. p 120]
Today, when placed new emphasis on the interpretation of language education goals and made some changes in the process of educational interaction of the teacher and the student, the teacher must be clearer idea of what is required of him in the classroom of a foreign language. In the development of foreign language programs should take into account the potential of knowledge and language skills of students, as well as the motivation of the students in gaining knowledge. Apparent at first glance, a simple procedure to determine the content of teaching and the organization of training should include theoretical positions.
The main objectives are the ESP teacher selection and organization of educational materials, preparation of effective training programs and plans aimed at obtaining the desired learning outcomes, support students' motivation, their efforts and endeavors. Another important element of the work in the ESP group is to provide feedback to students with a teacher as for the organization of the control of the learning process, as well as for the organization of advice to students. When the ESP teacher comes into the audience, he is, above all, sets specific targets activities that help to create there conducive learning environment, a friendly atmosphere of mutual understanding and mutual support. By choosing certain teaching materials for foreign language to the course content, instructors or course developers thus express their ideas, views on the teaching of foreign languages and teaching methods. Goal setting exercises increasingly influences the choice of educational and methodological materials. If the teacher in the class aims to strengthening communication skills, it includes a variety of exercises, exercise simulating practice communicating in the language: business games; thematic dialogues; compilation instruction; reports; presentations and discussions. In drawing up the course should be borne in mind that the concept of «communicative competence» of students is not seen as the sum of their knowledge and skills, but also as a set of personal qualities of students (value-semantic orientations, knowledge, skills and abilities). Evaluation criteria is signed according to their ability to solve problems and find their own answers to the questions that arise in the course of professional, educational and social, cultural and everyday communication in a foreign language. The form of organization of the course program can be synthetic, when the language is segmented into separate language elements that are presented at one time, or analysis, when the language does not seem crushed, and one piece at a time and without linguistic control. [1. p 35]
The important element in ESP teaching is the ability of the teacher to create a classroom atmosphere for live communication and constructive debate. Students acquire stable communication skills only when they have the opportunity to use them to communicate with others. Too often, unfortunately, the teacher may be the only person to speak English, which students can talk and time to communicate with each student the teacher in the classroom is limited. Therefore, the teacher should develop and use effective techniques for the development of communication skills in their groups, as well as to involve in its work other resources, including the online resources of the Internet to encourage communication outside the classroom walls. People are easier to learn a foreign language when they are highly motivated and have the ability to use their knowledge and skills in the language environment that they understand and that are interested. From this perspective, ESP is a powerful tool for the realization of such a possibility. Students master the English language as they work with the materials that they find interesting and relevant, and that they can use in their professional work or further studies. Keep in mind that the more often students communicate in a language that they hear or where they read, the more they will succeed in mastering them. On the other hand, the more they will be forced to focus their attention on the purely linguistic, grammatical and other aspects of the language or its individual structures, which seems difficult to them, the less willing they are to attend classes. As for the students of ESP, they are especially predisposed to concentrate on the material is closely related to their specialization in particular students of engineering specialties. The ESP language should not be represented either as a subject that should be studied in isolation from the actual use, not as a mechanical skill that should be developed. On the contrary, the English language must be presented in an authentic context, to acquaint students with specific ways to use the language they need to be able to apply to their specialties or works.
Today, unfortunately, at the disposal of ESP teacher the limited material for work in the classroom — it is, above all «manuals» with texts in specialty students with a limited set of tasks to them. Therefore, most experts on ESP often use their own materials in ESP teaching, specially designed for a specific purpose and the needs of their students. Formatting text and insert various objects produced using wiki markup. The possibility of collective development, storage, structuring text, hypertext and files, including multimedia Wiki makes attractive to work with students both in the classroom and are more independent. In addition, there is still Web Quest — is a site on the Internet with which students work, performing a particular learning task. There are two types of web quests: for short-term work with a view to enhancing knowledge and their further integration. Usually they are designed for one to three sessions. And for long-term work to deepen students' knowledge and transformation. Such web-quests are designed for a longer period — perhaps a semester or academic year. A feature of the educational web-quests is that part or all of the information for individual or group work of students is on the various websites. Web quests technology helps create and develop in students the following competences:
‒ Use of IT solutions for the professional tasks (including to search for the information you need, the results of the design in the form of computer presentations, websites, flash movies, databases and etc.);
‒ Self-learning and self-organization;
‒ Work in a team (planning, allocation of responsibilities, mutual aid and mutual control);
‒ The ability to find multiple ways to solve a problem situation, to determine the most rational option substantiation choice;
‒ Public speaking skills, because we need to publicly defend the project, answer questions or participate in discussions. [2. p 20]
It is important to note that the ESP teachers need regular support and guidance on the use of new technologies. Not surprisingly, young teachers are often better demonstrators of new technologies, so they can become excellent instructors for more age teachers who are trying to introduce these new technologies in their classrooms. To this end, the department of foreign languages should be carried out scientific and methodological seminars and master-classes, which allow demonstrating the achievements of engineering and technology in the learning process. Group discussions and project work are also effective forms of training in working with ESP students. Another modern trend in the teaching of English for professional purposes — is to conduct debates. Even at the stage of preparation for the debate students have to mobilize all their knowledge and ability of speaking in a foreign language, to use their critical thinking and develop lateral (unconventional) thinking. Thus, in the course of the debate, students have the opportunity to demonstrate how the linguistic and professional competence. All of these methods are useful for autonomous (self) education in order to prepare students for research activity, encouraging their motivation in a demonstration of the results and the acquisition of experience in the team. If the teacher is committed to succeed in their work with the group, he needed to find and adapt new technologies to engage in the generation of employment in traditional areas with the help of multimedia teaching aids and digital technology, online resources and mobile applications. ESP training mechanisms more and more rapidly evolving and it is absolutely clear that to reach all the modern trends is impossible in this article. Thus, despite the fact that the teaching of ESP focuses on professionally oriented practical application, as well as any other aspect of English language teaching, it is based on the knowledge of the nature of language, to the knowledge of the basic methods and forms of teaching and learning. A blend of traditional teaching methods and new technologies, including the use of a virtual environment to support the motivation of the students, is becoming one of the productive approaches in the field of ESP training. Critical understanding of the material studied by students contributes to the formation required for their skills and abilities, forms the linguistic, socio-cultural, communicative and professional competence.
References:
- Alyavdina N. G., Margaryan T. D., Innovative techniques of English language for specific purposes in technical colleges. Humanitarian journal 2013, №. 7.
- Basturkmen H. Ideas and options in English for specific purposes, — Taylor and Francis e-library, 2008.
- Teaching ESP: Best Practices / IBM PC CD — ROM: Published by «Repetitor Multi Media» for the English Language Office of the US Embassy. — Moscow, 2012. Ter-Minasova S. G., Language — only accompaniment to the specialty / Interview magazine, «The area of science». — Yaroslavl State University, 2012. — № 1.