CONSTRUCTING CREATIVE ENVIRONMENT FOR TEACHING ENGLISH TO HISTORY STUDENTS
Lomonosov Moscow State University (RUSSIAN FEDERATION)
About this paper:
Conference name: 9th annual International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation
Dates: 14-16 November, 2016
Location: Seville, Spain
Abstract:
Teaching professionally developed English course to history students in creative environment facilitates the development of essential competences. Today a professionally developed course for students of various specializations is the most appropriate in the language teaching/ learning process. A professionally developed course for teaching English to history students provides them with the essential study material. History students need English to be able to read, write, speak and listen to in their subject speciality. In learning English history students should be trained to develop basic competences concurrently to make the teaching/learning process more effective. Discoveries made in the field of ideasthesia can be applied to teaching professionally oriented modern languages. The content of manuals of English for history students is specified by their linguistic and professional needs. But before selecting texts for manuals of English for history students it is necessary to carry analysis of historical discourse. In the manual history students are offered two categories of tasks based on the text – traditional and interactive. Among interactive tasks history students prefer power point presentations, professionally oriented discussions and professionally oriented games. They are welcome to refer not only to real historical facts but creat their own alternative history. Due to such tasks creative environment is constructed in class stimulating the teaching/learning process. Performing interactive tasks requires serious preparation that can not only bring history students closer together but develop their research skills.
Due to power point presentations that require creativity and fluent English, history students learn to share their thoughts with the rest of the class in a concise and clear way so that the audience can understand them and express their ideas on the acquired information or develop some recommendations.
During professionally oriented discussions the class should be divided into pro and con teams. This task teaches history students not only learn to discuss in English but to deal positively with disagreements concerning the disputes issues on historical personalities and events. The participants in their strive to justify their position should learn to control feelings and be tolerant to diversity of views. Professionally oriented games played by history students in English language class when they pose themselves as different historical personalities, motivate them to make speeches, solve problems and make decisions.
Power point presentations, class discussions, games are benefits for education as they construct creative environment in language class, that motivate history students not only to learn English, but expand the boundaries of their mental space and provide them with essential English language patterns that can be used in their professional activity. The activity of history students in language class can be recorded by them and used for a podcast, the future of education. Posting on-line language class activity is stimulating learning English and is followed by evaluation and further on-line discussion. By constructing creative environment history students improve their knowledge of English, History and communication and develop their creative abilities and critical thinking.Keywords:
Creative environment, history students, English language class, power point presentations, professionally oriented discussions, podcasting, develop competences.