AD ALTA
JOURNAL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH
With the implementation of information and communication
tools as a part of the learning material in the system of blended
learning, the mentioned roles become increasingly important.
Indeed, the use of authentic content requires an increase in time
spent in preparation for classes and relevant content design for
both classwork and homework. It means that the language
teacher should not only design tasks but also calculate the time
to complete tasks, set up a material monitoring system to control
four skills of language learning (listening, speaking, reading, and
writing). All these will promote the development of
communication competencies in the field of ergotherapy.
Therefore, these features of activity in the information and
communication paradigm require the skills of the organizer and
manager within the educational process.
A. Engel et al. consider that “never before in the history of
developed societies has it been possible for children and
adolescents to participate in so many and such a variety of
activity contexts that offer opportunities and resources for
learning. However, the possibility of participation is not the
same for all young people. On the one hand, the activity contexts
that are available to them and in which they may take part differ
not only in number but also, and especially, in terms of the
richness and variety of learning opportunities and resources.
Furthermore, not all young people have achieved, or have had
the chance to acquire and develop, the competencies required to
take advantage of these opportunities and resources, especially
as regards the use of ICT tools and devices”. (10)
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary the term
“innovative” means characterized by, tending to, or introducing
innovations that in turn indicate (i) new ideas, methods, or
devices; (ii) something new. (11)
Thus, following Yu. Tryus, we understand innovative
information and communication technologies of education as
new, original technologies (methods, tools, ways) to develop,
transmit and preserve educational materials and other
information resources for educational purposes, as well as
technologies for organizing and supporting the educational
process (traditional, electronic, distance, mobile) with the use of
telecommunications and computer networks, with the
technologies in question purposefully, systematically and
consistently introduced into educational practice. (12)
Using e-learning as a case in point, we will study the process of
mastering English by ergotherapists in Ukrainian higher
education establishments. A.-P. Pavela et al. mention that “e-
learning is the use of electronic media, educational technology
ICT in education. E-learning includes numerous types of media
that deliver text, audio, images, animation, and streaming video,
and includes technology applications and processes such as
audio or videotape, satellite TV, CD-ROM, and computer-based
learning, as well as local intranet/extranet and web-based
learning”. (13)
Furthermore, the researchers state that “there are several benefits
of e-learning, such as saves time and costs or the possibility of
learning 24/7, anywhere. For many students, e-learning is the
most convenient way to pursue a degree in higher education. A
lot of these students are attracted to a flexible, self-paced method
of education to attain their degree. Moreover, in asynchronous e-
learning classes, students are free to log on and complete their
assignments at the times they wish, whether it be early in the
morning or late at night. However, many teachers have a harder
time keeping their students engaged in an e-learning class. One
reason for this is the lack of face-to-face contact between
students and teachers, being difficult for teachers in this way to
read their students’ non-verbal cues, boredom, or frustration”.
(13)
Besides, O. Ryzhov adds that one should also take into account
the availability of basic computer skills and Internet access with
the ability to use it, e-mail tools for contacting faculty members,
and other participants of the educational process, as well as
individual psychological characteristics of students. (14)
Regarding the ICT competence of future medical professionals,
N. Ivankova considers it as “the ability to navigate the
information space, to use ICTs based on educational needs and
requirements of modern high-tech society”. (15) Furthermore, 1
st
and 2
nd
academic year students, who are currently studying, will
have to work in new conditions once graduated, which will
require them to have modern information and communication
skills with a high level of proficiency. (15)
Active involvement of ICTs never changes the most
communicative-oriented paradigm of foreign language teaching
in higher education and its focus on training a specialist in the
relevant field of knowledge. That is why the implementation of
content and language integrated learning (CLIL) is growing
when learning a foreign language.
Finnish researcher D. Marsh considers that this approach focuses
not only on language learning but also on the formation of
intercultural knowledge, internationalization of education and
improvement of the educational paradigm due to the needs of the
global labour market. (16)
Thus, today L. Gajo’s findings dedicated to the problem are
highly relevant. Swiss researcher regards it as an umbrella term
to denote a bilingual situation in the educational environment.
(17)
Medical education, in particular in the field of ergotherapy, takes
place within language polyphony, where English is a modern
lingua franca, used for communication between domestic and
foreign students both in daily and academic forms. The
implementation of CLIL methodology in the process of teaching
foreign languages can not only be a tool to improve students’
language and speech skills but also provides opportunities and
expands a teacher’s functionality to immerse students in
professional communication, using a foreign language. Besides,
it takes into account their cognitive skills that go beyond a stable
framework of traditional acquisition of foreign language
material. (18)
A. Frumkina et al. state that the application of CLIL helps during
the formation of various student competencies, namely
psychological and pedagogical competence (which can be also
regarded as professional one), foreign language competence (i.e.
speech), and linguistic and methodological competence (within
its case there are professional and linguistic ones). (19) That is
why the CLIL approach, its elements, is a current practice within
teaching foreign languages in higher education.
When designing tasks and teaching materials in the context of
the CLIL approach, one should systematize it according to its
belonging to different communicative-conditioned situations –
techniques that develop basic interpersonal communication skills
(BICS) and cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP).
(20)
According to K. Bentley, during CLIL classes the language
material should be divided into the following groups due to
communicative goals, objectives, and register:
everyday language material (lexical and grammatical
structures used during each foreign language lesson);
general and scientific language material (terminological
and lexical-grammatical layer, which is used in scientific
communication in various fields of knowledge, but is not
applied in everyday communication);
subject-specific language material (lexical and grammatical
structures that are specific to a particular professional field
or field of knowledge). (20)
To develop a series of classes with ICTs during the quarantine
activities related to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have tried to
find materials focused on the lexical and terminological field,
which meets the professional needs of the future ergotherapists,
will be able to interest them and will available for self-study.
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