Abstract:

The global trend for internationalisation in higher education has set high standards in teaching foreign languages, therefore the problem of appropriate qualifications and training for university staff engaged in delivering courses in a foreign language for specific purposes (LSP) has appeared significant. The National Research Tomsk State University (TSU) at present offers in-house retraining provision for university teachers who deliver the discipline “Foreign language”, demonstrate high proficiency in a foreign language both for academic and specific purposes.

The retraining programme “Theory and practice in foreign languages” sees its goal in building strong teaching competence of university staff involved in teaching foreign languages but who received their degrees in various majors but not in either languages or education. Upon the successful completion of the course the retraining programme participants obtain a new qualification which enables them to teach foreign languages for specific purposes in higher educational institutions.

The paper discusses the retraining programme design, the specifics of its curriculum and delivery. The organisation of the retraining programme provision starts with a needs analysis and finishes with feedback and monitoring efficiency of the programme. The process of building methodological skills comprises the implementation of modern approaches to the training provision based on context-based teaching, case-study and individual teaching experience analysis, class observation and self-reflection. The analysis of the survey data of the programme participants conducted at the beginning and at the end of training is given. The authors also define the prospects of further work on the programme, some options for its modernisation and development in response to the needs of the programme teachers and participants. This paper is based on the results of the theoretical analysis, questionnaire, teaching and learning materials analysis, final qualification paper material analysis.

Keywords:

Methodical competence of the teacher, training provision in a foreign language, pedagogical interaction, questionnaire method.