The importance of interactive teaching methods

Это статья о важности интерактивных методов обучения английского языка. Здесь говорится о методах и технологиях, которые помогают студентам изучать английский язык.

The main strategy of modern education should focus on the student's independent activity, the organization of self-learning environments and experimental and practical training, where students have a choice of actions and can use initiative — as well as flexible training programs where students can work in a comfortable rhythm. Today, we should talk about the use of interactive methods of training, which encourage interest in the profession; promote the efficient acquisition of training material; form patterns of conduct; provide high motivation, strength, knowledge, team spirit and freedom of expression; and most importantly, contribute to the complex competences of future specialists. We will give an overview of the modern teaching methods that are most widespread in the scientific and methodological literature and have the potential to form the competences of future professionals.

Whereas students often lose interest during lecture-style teaching, interactive teaching styles promote an atmosphere of attention and participation. Make it interesting. Make it exciting. Make it fun. Telling is not teaching and listening is not learning.

The first thing to realize about interactive teaching is that it is NOT something new or mysterious. If you are a teacher and you ask questions in class, assign and check homework, or hold class or group discussions, then you already teach interactively. Basically then, interactive teaching is just giving students something to do, getting back what they have done, and then assimilating it yourself, so that you can decide what would be best to do next. Over the last twenty years, the field of cognitive science has taught us a lot about how people learn. A central principle that has been generally accepted is that everything we learn, we «construct» for ourselves. That is, any outside agent is essentially powerless to have a direct effect on what we learn. If our brain does not do it itself, — that is, take in information, look for connections, interpret and make sense of it, — no outside force will have any effect. This does not mean that the effort has to be expressly voluntary and conscious on our parts. Our brains take-in information and operate continuously on many kinds of levels, only some of which are consciously directed. But, conscious or not, the important thing to understand is that it is our brains that are doing the learning, and that this process is only indirectly related to the teacher and the teaching.

In the late 1800s and most of the 1900s, language teaching was usually conceived in terms of method. In seeking to improve teaching practices, teachers and researchers would typically try to find out which method was the most effective. However, method is an ambiguous concept in language teaching, and has been used in many different ways. According to Bell, this variety in use «offers a challenge for anyone wishing to enter into the analysis or deconstruction of methods» [1].

A method is a plan for presenting the language material to be learned and should be based upon a selected approach. In order for an approach to be translated into a method, an instructional system must be designed considering the objectives of the teaching/learning, how the content is to be selected and organized, the types of tasks to be performed, the roles of students and the roles of teachers. A technique is a very specific, concrete stratagem or trick designed to accomplish an immediate objective. Such are derived from the controlling method, and less-directly, with the approach. A wide variety of foreign language teaching methods developed in the 20th century. This fact strongly influenced the process of second language teaching and learning. Teachers choose the method that seems to them the most convenient and appropriate. However, it is a quite subjective and individual process. Basic teaching methods can be classified into the following categories:

1. structural methods: the grammar-translation and the audio-lingual method;
2. functional methods: situational language teaching;
3. interactive methods (communicative language teaching, direct method, language immersion, natural approach, proprioceptive language learning method, silent way, storytelling, teaching proficiency through reading, total physical response etc.) [2].

Kevin Yee, the author of interactive techniques, considers interactive methods to be the most effective ones. They involve a collection of more than 100 teaching strategies that aim to engage students in studying process. Most of them encourage the natural acquisition of language, not learning. There is an important distinction between language acquisition and language learning.

Children acquire language through a subconscious process during which they do not study grammatical rules. The same as they acquire their first language. Acquiring language, the learner needs a source of natural communication. Language learning, on the other hand, is not communicative. In language learning, students have just knowledge of the language and can operate it. Research has shown, however, that knowledge of grammar rules does not necessarily result in good speaking or writing. A student who understands the rules of the language may be able to succeed in a standardized test of English language but may not be able to speak or write.

Interactive brainstorming is typically performed in group sessions. The process is useful for generating creative thoughts and ideas. Brainstorming helps students learn to pull together. Types of interactive brainstorming include:

− Structured and unstructured;

− Nominal group relationships;

− Online interaction such as chat, forums and email;

− Team-idea mapping;

− Group passing;

− Individual brainstorming.

The main thing about them is to create favourable conditions to use them skillfully during the lesson because they make any lesson more interesting and fruitful.

These technologies have been developed and perfected during the years that is why they can be used in all types of lesson. We can see an example of usage of some of these technologies during the discussion of ecological problems connecting it with the topic «My native town» After reading and translating the text students are given a table of the kind given below, in which they write the existing problems, explain their reasons and try to find ways of their solving.

Table 1

This technology helps the students not only to discuss the texts or a definite topic, but they try to express their own opinions and put forward another suggestions of solving problems. We must not only teach a language, but teach them to work creatively, not to be afraid of newness and new ideas. Thus the students try to analyze the situation, the reasons causing such problems.

Another technology is the technology called «Questionnaire». We can see it on the example of the lesson where the topic «Famous people of Uzbekistan and England» is discussed. This questionnaire is given to make a resume of the lesson or to check the students’ knowledge.

The students must click the right answer and define whom the statement belongs to. As a result they check their knowledge, ability to memorize the facts and simply to fix the information in their minds.

During the lessons we try to choose a motto to each lesson and direct students to work according to this motto. Make the students to find motto for the lesson themselves. The motto must correspond to the theme of the lesson. Such methods and technologies brighten and quicken the reaction of the students to act. The variety of delivering of lessons encourages the students to reveal their abilities, which were hidden before. The lesson becomes fruitful, diverse and challenging. The students will be able to put forward new ideas, new projects which may bring good results.

References:

1. Richards Jack C., Theodore S. Rodgers. Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching. Cambridge UK, 2001.
2. http://www.studymode.com/essays/Interactive-Methods-Of-Teaching-English-Through-215214.html
3. Kevin Yee. Language Teaching Methods, 2000.