Abstract:

In modern education system, there is a necessity to create the environment and to use appropriate tools needed for the development of learners’ competences, which is an important precondition for their successful self-realization in the changing and diverse world of the 21st century. The most topical key competences include skills that make it possible to work in an inhomogeneous environment, to establish and maintain effective interpersonal relations, to work in a team that is impossible without language mediation. Multiculturalism and globalization determine the need for foreign language learning. For this reason, the formation of foreign language communicative competence and the identification of the methodological principles that develop it in a competency-based education system are of particular importance.

The study describes the successful implementation of a foreign language study programme – the Russian language for foreign students, which was delivered in Daugavpils, in summer, 2019. It efficiently used the existing resources and fully met the demands of modern education in Latvia and in the world: it promoted international cooperation, focused on the formation of learners’ communicative competence, developing language skills in the linguistic environment and broadening learners’ cultural experience.

Although the study programme developed all language skills, special attention was paid to the development of spoken language. It is one of the most important skills in interpersonal communication and also one that is difficult to be developed as it requires the combination of different skills (receptive and productive) and good strategic planning skills in order to effectively use a limited linguistic repertoire. The language environment of the city of Daugavpils creates favourable conditions for the development and active practice of the Russian oral speech.

In order to develop the learners’ oral speech both traditional, approved methods (dialogues, role-plays, discussions, projects and presentations), and methodological tools developed and tested during the implementation of the programme, the need for which resulted from the observation of the study programme, were used.

The results of the final test proved the effectiveness of the developed study programme and the suggested methodological tools: the learners increased their communicative competence of the Russian language in the process of oral speech development. The study of the progress made by each learner allows to draw conclusions about the factors contributing to language acquisition.

Keywords:

Communicative competence, oral speech, Russian as a foreign language.