ИННОВАЦИОННЫЕ МЕТОДЫ ПРЕПОДАВАНИЯ ПРИ ОБУЧЕНИИ АНГЛИЙСКОМУ ЯЗЫКУ СТУДЕНТОВ БАКАЛАВРИАТА ЮРИДИЧЕСКОГО ФАКУЛЬТЕТА

ИННОВАЦИОННЫЕ МЕТОДЫ ПРЕПОДАВАНИЯ ПРИ ОБУЧЕНИИ АНГЛИЙСКОМУ ЯЗЫКУ СТУДЕНТОВ БАКАЛАВРИАТА ЮРИДИЧЕСКОГО ФАКУЛЬТЕТА

Научная статья

Эмирильясова С.С. *

Крымский филиал Российского государственного университета правосудия, кафедра иностранных языков, Симферополь, Россия

* Корреспондирующий автор (emirilyasova[at]mail.ru)

Аннотация В статье рассматривается определение «приемов обучения», инновационные методы преподавания английского языка, а также психологические особенности студентов бакалавриата в учебном процессе.

Особое внимание уделено специфике преподавания иностранного языка у студентов-юристов - разный уровень знаний по данной дисциплине, где главной задачей педагога является вызвать интерес к изучаемому предмету.  Большую помощь в решении данной задачи оказывают инновационные методики обучения, которые помогают не только свободно общаться на английском языке, а также раскрыть творческий потенциал студентов.

Цель статьи продемонстрировать современные методы обучения, а также психологию поведения студентов-бакалавров при изучении английского языка в неязыковом вузе.  Для выполнения данной цели в работе анализируется роль педагога в развитии способностей у студентов к инновационным приемам обучения с использованием технических средств.

Ключевые слова: методы преподавания, студенты бакалавриата, инновационные приемы обучения, английский язык. 

INNOVATIVE METHODS OF ENGLISH TEACHING  TO UNDERGRADUATE LAW STUDENTS

Research article

Emirilyasova S.S. *

Crimean branch of Russian State University of Justice, Department of Foreign Languages, Simferopol, Russia

* Corresponding author (emirilyasova[at]mail.ru)

Abstract The article deals with the definition of "teaching methods", innovative methods of English teaching as well as the psychological characteristics of undergraduate students in the educational process.

Particular attention is paid to the peculiarity of a foreign language teaching to law students which is a different level of knowledge in this discipline where the main task of an educator is to motivate learners. Innovative teaching methods are of great help in this issue which assist undergraduate law students to speak English fluently as well as reveal the creative potential of learners.

The purpose of the article is to demonstrate both the modern teaching methods and the psychology of undergraduate students in studying English in a non-linguistic university. For achieving this goal the role of an educator in the development of students' capacities for innovative technology-based teaching methods is analyzed.

Keywords: teaching methods, undergraduate students, innovative teaching methods, the English language. 

When it comes to talking about educational issues, a word combination “teaching method” is commonly used. The article aims to consider the definition of a teaching method and some innovative language learning tools that enable learners to sound confident and fluent when speaking English. A focus is also made on the explanation of the concept in the context of modern pedagogy. Besides, the emphasis is also put on the target audience, i.e. undergraduate law students, a specified group of learners who are known to have their peculiar both pedagogical and psychological traits in the area of second language learning.

Changing outdated ways of teaching prove to be less effective and encouraging compared to the newest ones. Forward-looking methods aim to better the academy grades of undergraduate law students. Consequently, innovative teaching methods within an English classroom are considered which tend to attract attention of most digital-oriented educators.

It is significant to regard two constituents of the word combination. “The act or process of imparting knowledge or skills to another” is called teaching [7], whereas method is “the means or procedure for doing something” [6]. These definitions are sure to enable one to distinguish this educational vocabulary from other terms.

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, defines a teaching method as a way that “comprises the principles and methods used by teachers to enable student learning. These strategies are determined partly on subject matter to be taught and partly by the nature of the learner. For a particular teaching method to be appropriate and efficient it has to be in relation with the characteristic of the learner and the type of learning it is supposed to bring about” [3].

The great number of innovative English language teaching methods has greatly enhanced in recent times. One of the most significant tools is network -based language teaching. According to Kern Rick, “although computer networks have been used for interpersonal communication since the 1960s, it was not until the 1980s that they began to serve language teaching” [5]. Due to the widespread implementation of digital devices sophisticated teaching strategies have become available. Technology is an effective must-have tool when it comes to advanced methods of English language teaching. Integrating advanced teaching tips into a classroom along with greatly enhanced technology is sure to expand learners’ English experience and their active participation in the learning process.

Michael Fullan, an outstanding modern author on educational issues, states that “teachers’ capacities to deal with change, learn from it, and help students learn from it will be critical for the future development of societies” [2]. So, a relevant choice of innovative teaching methods depends on a teacher. All educators are advised to be computer-literate to meet the ever-increasing requirements of educational environment. It is vital to emphasize that some teachers are still bad at computers. They do not strive to enhance their computer-literacy. Thus, they are unable to use ample 21st century technology-based opportunities for bettering their students’ language learning abilities. Dr Gary Motteram from the University of Manchester acknowledges that “we are now firmly embedded in a time when digital technologies are ‘normalized’ in daily life in many parts of the world, although not amongst all people as there are digital divisions everywhere, and still not always in the world of education” [8].

Rahma Al-Mahrooqi, PhD, the Director of Sultan Qaboos University's Humanities Research Center, considers that “the application of computer technologies in language instruction provides a student-centred learning environment. It enables course administrators and teachers to vary lesson presentation styles to motivate students of varying interests, provides learning opportunities outside the classroom (hence increasing learner interaction with the language), and is perceived to cater more for individual differences” [1].

For example, being the biggest video library ever, YouTube can easily become a must-have and valuable tool in an English classroom. No doubt, for language learning it is an advanced method of English language teaching to undergraduate law students. Educational establishments need to recommend their teaching staff to start attending teacher development courses to make their ‘knowledge-givers’ much more computer-literate. It is quite essential to utilize the efficient potential of YouTube concentrating on English language learning. Law students can’t help enjoying these tools especially in terms of legal topics. Being a free online resource, YouTube’s availability keeps encouraging students as well other people worldwide.

Implementing educational videos, for example from YouTube, and podcasts is one of the most efficient ways. It has been proved that the academic-related films and documentaries have amazingly bettered the participation levels of law students. Consequently, they enable language learners to get efficient valuable learning experience. Suitable videos and podcasts assist students to be much more attentive, motivated and concentrated on the target topic. Films and serials enable to perfect memory skills and deepen knowledge.

There is a wide range of benefits of implementing clips. A skillful teacher is perfectly aware of the difficulties his/her learners face in this type of activity and does the best to overcome them. Despite various challenges watching videos is still considered to be one of the most exciting and interesting language experiences. Visual content encourages motivation, expands linguistic knowledge and cultural outlook of law students.  English podcasts and clips aim at mastering the language skills and abilities. Video and audio materials are sure to be much more advantageous than printed information.

Famous researchers Yaverbaum, Kulkarni and Wood state that “integrating multimedia into the traditional learning environment not only enriches the styles of presentation, but also has the advantage of increasing language retention” [10].

In the modern complicated system of education, skilled and highly–qualified educators are known to be educational psychologists as they play a key role in achieving high academic grades. This also comprises “finding ways to identify students who may need extra help, developing programs aimed at helping students who are struggling and even creating new learning methods” [4].

Undergraduate law students are considered to be a special category of students that possess specific needs especially when it comes to learning an English language. There are many various aspects that affect the academic grades of undergraduate law students. Their performance greatly depends on relevant time-management skills, type of parenting, etc. Study held by Okolie U. C. and Inyiagu E. E shows that “social background remains one of the major sources of educational inequality. In other words, educational success depends largely on the socioeconomic status of one’s parents” [9]. The great number of law students spends too much time ‘hitting the books’ especially during their final exams which can easily lead to undue stress.

It is necessary to highlight that an experienced teacher’s goal is do the utmost to meet these needs. Reading online and offline instructive information is of great importance to get law students engaged into learning. Educators should strive to motivate students to perfect their knowledge in terms of English. The following top tips can be implemented by language teachers for better learning academic outcome:

1) Analyze learners’ requirements and interests;

2) Organize various challenging round talks;

3) Create significant linguistic activities;

4) Use innovative technology;

5) Enhance competitive atmosphere among students, etc.

Creating positive and exciting environment in a language classroom tends to turn learning into memorable experience. Undergraduate law students acquire essential psychological skills to think about themselves in a positive manner, their fellow students and the material they are getting acquainted with.

Increased level of interaction between teachers and law students guarantees further development of forward-looking ways of English language teaching. Although a teacher is a major element during a learning process, learner-oriented lessons are to prevail over teacher-oriented ones. Knowledge as well as educational philosophy must be turned over to students. An educator needs to be a creative thinking person to inspire students with the best and most up-to-date means.

To conclude it is necessary to summarize that differentiating educational terminology is crucial to get a reader involved into a specific area of investigation. A target audience needs to be regarded from different sides as learners as well as individuals. It is important for an educator to keep browsing the Internet to better both the teaching methods and computer skills. Consequently, all up-to-date English teaching procedures are needed to teach undergraduate law students to be highly-qualified legal specialists with a good knowledge of a foreign language. Developing competitive thinking capacities due to innovative teaching tools is of great demand nowadays. Teachers and undergraduate students as well as postgraduate ones represent an educational community that needs to strive for more and more up-to-date information in some specific sphere. Later everyone will undoubtedly reap the engaging benefits of their persistent hard work. A dedicated teacher will be satisfied with the best academic success of the students whereas a hard-working and diligent undergraduate learner will be pleased with a scientific research result.

Конфликт интересов Не указан.

Conflict of Interest None declared.

Список литературы / References

1. Al-Mahrooqi R. Using technology in foreign language teaching. Cambridge Scholars Publishing / Al-Mahrooqi R., Troudi S. (Eds. - 2014. - 320 p.
2. Fullan M. Change Forces: Probing the Depths of Educational Reform. London: Falmer Press / Fullan M.. - 1993. - 174 p.
3. [Electronic resource] URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teaching_method (accessed: 16.04.2020)
4. [Electronic resource] URL: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-educational-psychology-2795157 (accessed: 16.04.2020)
5. Kern R. Network‐Based Language Teaching./ Kern R., Ware P., Warschauer M. 1007/978-0-387-30424-3_105. - 2008.
6. Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, Electronic resource] URL: https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/method (accessed: 16.04.2020)
7. Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, Electronic resource] URL: https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/teaching (accessed: 16.04.2020)
8. Motteram G. (Ed.) Innovations in learning technologies for English language teaching. London: British Council. – 2013. - 201 p.
9. Okolie U. Effect of Home Background on Academic Performance of Technical College Students in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. / Okolie U., Inyiagu E., Elom E., Ndem J., Nwuzo A. // The International Journal of Humanities & Social Studies, 2(5).- 2014 – p.76-82.
10. Yaverbaum G. Multimedia Projection: An Exploratory Study of Student Perceptions Regarding Interest, Organization, and Clarity. / Yaverbaum G., Kulkarni M., Wood C // Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 6(2), Charlottesville, VA: AACE. -1997 – p. 139-153.