THE MODEL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE MONOLOGUE IN THE PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING TECHNOLOGY
THE MODEL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE MONOLOGUE IN THE PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING TECHNOLOGY
Abstract
The article contains the results of development work on the communicative competence of students in foreign language studies. The author created a model of formation of monologue skills, which is based on studies of the connection between reading and speaking as the basic types of speech activity in teaching a foreign language. The algorithm of teaching is presented on the basis of authentic foreign language texts with using problem-based situations on purpose to form and develop professional competences of future teachers. The theoretical analysis of the research problem is reflected in the experiment. Statistical tables and figures are presented, which confirm the hypothesis put forward by the author. The author's model has been tested in the system of professional foreign language education for two years. The results of the experiment confirm the author's model of development of skills of monological speech on the basis of the relationship of reading and speaking in the problem approach learning structure.
1. Introduction
Over the past few decades in the field of higher education, the leading paradigm has become the idea of developmental education on the principle of scientific research, taking into account personal aptitudes, abilities, interests, goals of students .
Such a system of organization of the educational process is implemented on the basis of the competence-activity approach, which is fixed in the Federal State Educational Standards as the leading principle of modern education. With the application of appropriate well-tested and proven training models, this system can ensure the successful formation of students' professional competencies.
As one of the areas that take into account the factors of simultaneously solving the problems of language learning and the development of students' abilities, problem learning is coming to the fore. The organization of learning a foreign language should be activity-oriented, since real communication is carried out through speech activity, with the help of which participants of communication seek to solve real and imaginary tasks .
As one of the areas that take into account the factors of simultaneously solving the problems of language learning and the formation of professional competencies of students, we chose one of the most important forms of communication – the monologue form of speech, which is formed at the junction of two types of speech activity – reading and speaking. We chose authentic texts as a mean of learning and problem method based on the creation and resolution of problem situations, when students are put in the position of researchers, will be a technique. The basis of the model of the learning monologue speech consists of peculiarities of the interrelated work with reading and speaking.
The main types of speech activity to be formed in the process of mastering a foreign language are activities aimed at generating speech (speech utterances) and speech perception activities, in other words – speech activity, which appears in two main aspects. In search of the possibility of combining two types of speech activity on the principles of their coordinated and simultaneous formation and development, we turned to a model that is not traditionally regarded as a model of interconnected learning.
2. Research methods and principles
We are considering a model of teaching a complex type of communicative-cognitive activity – the interpretation of authentic text and creative activity in connection with the read text , . The complexity of these types of communicative-cognitive activity and their complex nature are explained by the fact that they combine in their structure the actions of both perception and text generation. Oral (monologue utterance) and written (text) forms of speech activity constantly interact in the process of learning a foreign language.
Any activity, according to the point of view of I.A. Zimnaya , including speech, are characterized by a certain structural organization, in which, as well-known, there are three levels: incentive-motivational, analytical-synthetic and executive. These levels can directly correlate with the scheme of implementing the solution of a problem situation.
At the first level, the interaction of motives, needs, goals is implemented. When reading at this level, a setup is formed for a certain type of reading, and when speaking, the communicative intent is determined, as well as the intent of the utterance.
At the second level, in the process of reading, decoding of the semantic information of the text takes place with the help of such operations as choice, comparison, establishment of semantic connections and relations. In the process of speaking, the subjective sense is encoded into a verbally formed system of meanings with the help of the mechanism of the utterance internal formation. The main operations of this mechanism are the selection and compilation (unification, grouping) of elements according to the rules specified by the language norms and in accordance with the plan .
The third level in the process of reading is seemingly unexpressed and is determined by the perception and understanding of information. In the process of speaking, this level assumes external pronunciation, since it implements the external design of the utterance. Therefore, the actual articulation (pronunciation) and intonation takes place.
The commonality of reading and speaking in the process of perception and transformation of a literary text, thus, is expressed in the three-phase nature of the inner side of the activity – in each scheme there is a stimulating, formative, and realizing levels; the level of realization is determined as a result of inclusion in speech; motive has an initiative role .
Reading is of great importance in improving the cognitive creative activity of students. If we consider the subject structure of reading, text will be the subject of the activity; definite statement in connection with the perceived text will be the product.
In theory and practice of teaching foreign language speech activity, various types of «guides» are used. This may be a language category (grammatical phenomenon, lexical unit, language model), extralinguistic category (topic), psychological category (speech act or act), communicative category (situation), speech (text). In our opinion, the situation and the text allow to get the most tangible results when building an independent monologue utterance.
Read texts are often used to develop monologue speech in a foreign language class, as reading provides a topic for students’ independent statements. The text stimulates the skill to coherently express thoughts, because it is characterized by consistent presentation of the material. In addition, the text is able to carry the maximum possible amount of information, both linguistic and extralinguistic . For the fullest realization of the potential of the text, the students are not required, in the final analysis, to make a transformed reproduction of textual information, but an independent monologue statement in connection with authentic text, a statement of their thoughts about what they read. Not only exercises of a problematic nature will contribute to this.
We believe that in order for students to express their attitude in a monologue statement on the text, it is necessary to rely on an additional «guide» – the situation. In our opinion, only with such an organization of work the text will provide a real assistance in the development of independent oral monologue speech and will be an incentive for students to make the statements. However, in any authentic text there may be not one, but several situations. While agreeing with this traditional interpretation of the problem, we nevertheless strive to ensure that students find different solutions within the same situation. This is intended to contribute to the model of using authentic text as the basis for the independent construction of a monologue utterance, taking into account the implementation of problem-oriented exercises in the pre-text, text and post-text stages of working with text.
When organizing the methodological work on the formation of an independent monologue utterance of students, it is necessary to take into account the difference between the problematic educational and speech situations that we offer and the educational and speaking situations in general, which is based, we believe, on the work of different levels. The educational-speech situation is the totality of speech and non-speech conditions set by us to the student, necessary and accessible for the student to correctly perform the speech action in accordance with the communicative task we have planned . In relation to the educational and speech situation, certain restrictions are usually deliberately set, allowing students to choose the way of speech response that the teacher needs.
As a result, in educational and speech situations, the level of creativity is usually limited. In problematic educational and speech situations, the framework of creative activity is not limited to given parameters, they, on the contrary, imply unlimited imagination and fantasy . Since we are not able to predict the reaction of students to the problem situation presented, we do not set ourselves such a goal. On the contrary, problematic educational and speech situations, in our opinion, being imaginary, stimulate an active creative search leading to an independent original resolution of the problem (see Table 1).
Table 1 - Distinctive Characteristics of Educational and Speech Situation and Problematic Teaching and Speech Situation
Educational and speech situation | Problematic educational and speech situation |
involves finding new ways and means to solve the problem | students independently create ways of conveying content, logic, and emotional mood statements about the situation |
is not related to transformative activities | requires much transformative activity |
consists of a set of problems that students create and solve independently | contains one problem that is formulated in a finished form and that must be solved |
problem solving is based on the combined use of past experience and new ways to solve it | assumes only a small part of the use of past experience and the widespread use of newly acquired knowledge |
is based on the problem | the problem is inside the situation |
may request minimal teacher assistance | is solved independently without teacher’s help |
Problematic educational land speech situation (as any situation) consists, first of all, of the conditions of the situation (problem) and the speech reaction of students . Speech reaction is largely determined by the formulation and nature of the problem. A number of requirements can be presented to problems as to a specific type of assignment: problems should be of interest to students; take into account the life experience of students; reported in a very concise, compact form; consider language capabilities of students; be in the degree of difficulty in the «zone of proximal development» of students; contain a contradiction, a conflict between the knowledge already existing in students heads and the requirements that the situation presents to them; should be solved with maximum student activity , .
The type of monologue speech, indicated in the methodology of teaching foreign languages as a monologue, is capable of providing a solution to a problematic educational and speech situation. In the framework of this study, we will limit ourselves to the consideration of this kind of oral monologue utterance in connection with authentic text as a monologue-story with elements of argumentation and evaluation. The choice of this form of monologue is determined not so much by the topic of the text, but by the communicative task, the level of students' readiness for speaking in a foreign language, as well as the system of tasks oriented towards one or another kind of utterances. By a monologue-story with elements of argumentation and evaluation, we understand the speech work written by the students themselves in connection with the presented personality-oriented situation, which implies the presence of subjective-evaluative characteristics in the statement.
The degree of penetration into the content of the text determines the strategy of reading, which, in turn, affects the type of the generated speech work . The table below helps to visualize the possible range of monologue statements depending on the communicative task formulated in the text for reading (see Table 2).
Table 2 - Types of Reading as the Basis for the Development of a Monologue
Reading with full and accurate understanding | Reading with an understanding of the main content |
– expression of the opinion – formulating the main idea of the text – brief presentation of the main ideas of the text – saying about what was learned new and what was previously known
– formulation of questions to the text and answers to them to clarify the understanding of its content – the answers to the questions to the text, allowing to highlight the details, etc. – comments to the text – playing a dialogue – preparation of dialogue based on the model – characteristics of the main character – telling – inventing the continuation of the story – response to the letter – compiling a program / ad by analogy – coherent utterance on the problem of the text with the involvement of the student’s personal experience – discussion | – express your opinion – formulating the main idea of the text – brief presentation of the main ideas of the text – saying about what was learned new and what was previously known |
However, the communicative task is not always supported by the methods of work that take place after the text. In post-text tasks it is necessary to check the understanding of the text content.
If before reading the text, the students are given the task to express their assumptions about the development of the content of the text, then in the after-text tasks there should be a question whether their assumptions got confirmed or not. Only then students can proceed with tasks aimed at creating a certain utterance.
Therefore, it is possible to identify the following factors that must be considered to control the process of generating a monologue utterance based on the text:
1. Since reading is also communication, an important factor is the communicative task, performed before text reading and containing an indication of the depth of penetration into the text and an orientation to a possible monologue utterance.
2. All pre-text exercises should provide «entry» into the text, and sometimes remove difficulties and be built on previous experience.
3. Post-textual exercises should provide a check of the understanding of the text and further work to deepen the understanding of the text.
4. Exercises on the work on text with the interconnected teaching of reading and speaking should contain tasks that are aimed at producing their own utterance .
Authentic text is not only a concept that is based on originality, authenticity, but also takes into account a number of characteristics that allow such a text to be called authentic discourse and perform a variety of pedagogical tasks.
Based on text characteristics, features of interrelated learning to read and speak, and characteristics of problem-based learning, we defined text selection criteria as the basis for learning monologue speech based on reading using problem-based learning technology: the subject of the text (must correspond to curriculum requirements, real age interests and needs students, with the same tasks of education, education and personal development); suitability for the student of reading (student reading is most often used for the construction of a monologue utterance, therefore it is necessary to choose texts in accordance with the objectives of the reading) the presence of the problem (to build a monologue, reasoning on the problem); authenticity (the use of authentic materials in foreign language lessons allows you to more effectively carry out training, simulate immersion in the natural speech environment and form the ability of students to carry out the process of communication in accordance with the national and cultural specifics of the country of the language being studied). To build the most effective system for teaching monologue speech based on reading using the technology of problem-based learning, a model has been developed (see Table 3), which takes into account: the competencies of bachelors in the area of training Pedagogical education; components of these competencies that can be mastered in the classroom on the subject «Foreign Language»; stages of work on a problem situation; stages of work with the text; types of problem exercises aimed at mastering the components of competencies; requirements for monologue speech of students of orientation «Foreign Language».
Table 3 - Model of Learning Monologue Speech Based on Reading Using the Technology of Problem-Based Learning
Competences | Components | Stages of work on a problem situation | Stages of Work on the Text / Types of Problem-Oriented Exercises |
ability to communicate in oral and written forms in Russian and foreign languages for solving problems of interpersonal and intercultural interaction; | knowledge of linguacultural and cultural-historical realities of the countries of foreign languages studied; knowledge of ethics and culture of speech communication in the countries of the studied languages; | 1. Creation of a problem situation 2. Acceptance of a problem situation 3. Identification of the problem 4. Research 5. Independent search 6. Managing search activities 7. Reflection, introspection 8. Creation of a problem situation 9. Acceptance of a problem situation | Pretext stage / Exercises in working with the title of the text; exercises on mastering the structural and compositional features of texts of various functional styles.
Text phase / Exercises to determine the theme of the text; exercises on semantic text content prediction.
Post-text stage / exercises to control reading comprehension. |
ability to work in a team, tolerantly perceive social, cultural and personal differences; | knowledge of ways of choosing the means of solving communicative tasks taking into account criteria of their effectiveness knowledge of effective communication techniques within the team; experience in organizing interpersonal interaction, including in a multicultural environment; experience of building interaction based on the principle of tolerance; knowledge of effective means for solving communicative tasks; experience in assessing the quality of communication; | ||
ability and readiness to perceive, understand and analyze oral and written speech in the foreign languages being studied | knowledge of the language standards of the studied foreign languages (pronunciation, graphic, grammatical, lexical, stylistic); knowledge of a set of actions for analyzing and interpreting oral and written statements in the foreign languages being studied (including structuring, compression and decompression of the text); experience of lexical and grammatical analysis of texts in the foreign languages being studied; the experience of translating various types of texts from the native language into the studied foreign and from the foreign to the native; skills in working with various types of lexicographic sources; experience in extracting information from various lexicographical sources | ||
ability and willingness to use language means to achieve communicative goals in a particular communication situation in accordance with the socio-cultural characteristics of the foreign languages being studied | possession of a set of actions for a comparative analysis of the phenomena of linguistic Russian and the foreign languages being studied; Possession of the allocation of the essential characteristics of linguistic and speech phenomena and units; possession of the assessment scheme of oral and written statements in a foreign language; proficiency in the analysis and interpretation of grammatical forms and constructions in a foreign language (English) text; proficiency in the analysis of the lexical phenomena of the foreign languages studied; |
For each element, it is necessary to develop a system of problem-oriented exercises that will satisfy all the identified requirements for interconnected reading and speaking training using the technology of problem-based training , . In developing the classes, we relied on the stages of posing and solving a problem situation, which included a sequence of work with authentic text as the basis for an independent monologue utterance. Working with text contains the pretext, text and post-text steps.
3. Main results
The sequence of work is implemented on the basis of the proposed model: the students’ independent choice of topics from the suggested ones (selection of the texts of the topics in accordance with the age and interests of the students); performance of pretext tasks; reading the text on the selected topic; work with the text (execution of tasks in the text) in accordance with the stages of work on the problem situation; checking assignments; group discussion of the topic, their attitude to it, identification of the problem; discussion of requirements for a monologue utterance; preparation of monologue statements on the problem identified in the text; use of text materials and additional data; presentation of his monologue utterance; evaluation, reflection.
The results of the study confirm the effectiveness of the proposed learning model of monologue speech based on reading using the technology of problem-based learning (see Figure 1).
For statistical processing and confirmation of the reliability of the experimental results, an algorithm of calculations using the x2 criterion was used. Our value is Xemp2=2.86 which is less than the critical value X20.05 = 5.99. Therefore, the reliability of the compared values is 95%. This gives the right to conclude that the effect of change is due to the application of the teaching method.
Figure 1 - Histogram of the Level of Formation of Monologue Speech before and after Experimental Research
4. Conclusion
Comparing the results with the help of statistical data processing, we can conclude that the experimental test showed the effectiveness and expediency of using the identified learning model of monologue speech based on text using the technology of problem-based learning.
Problem-based learning technology, despite many years of experience in its use in the educational process, serves as a source for a variety of applications and interacts successfully with other methods and means of educational and speech activities organizing.