Abstract:

Modern foreign language pedagogy is evolving towards becoming an interactive, flexible, and student-centered environment. Modeling rational speech behavior for international students of law requires a special approach that integrates legal knowledge and language skills. The authors of the article focus on the problems of the relevance and significance of the transition of modern linguistic didactics from the question of “what to do?” to “how to do it”, exploring a model of this process through the lens of forms and methods of teaching.

This model focuses not on studying a foreign language as a system with grammar, vocabulary and syntax, but on mastering the language as a tool for solving specific professional tasks in a specific legal and cultural context. It describes and analyzes such key principles of the model as contextuality, problem-based learning, integration of skills, speaking, listening, writing as well as the active role of the speaker.

The article proves the effectiveness of the synthesis of communicative methods: the information gap method, the problem-solving method, simulation, gamification, case studies.

The authors argue that task-based language learning is the pinnacle of the communicative approach, since the core of such learning is not merely grammatical rules or lexical units, but communicative tasks that law students need to solve using all the language resources available to them.

The methodology of the article is based on the practical results of A/B testing in control and experimental groups with an analysis of quantitative and qualitative parameters.

The study findings show that the teacher acts as the architect of the educational process, who models learning from the most efficient and important building blocks of language, which proves the effectiveness of the proposed teaching model where theory is inextricably linked to practice.

Instead of learning the language for general future use, students should master the skills of rational speech behavior in the process of solving problems that are as close as possible to their future profession. The problems there includes multiple levels, and the tasks should be as close to actual legal practice as possible. The main goal of the model is to transform knowledge of language elements into stable skills and flexible abilities that allow future lawyers to act effectively and rationally in an international speaking legal environment.

Keywords:

Speech behavior, communicative method, case study, task-oriented, legal discourse.