Due to the increasing role and importance of foreign languages in the context of globalization, it is becoming more important to teach foreign languages for professional communication in different types of educational...Due to the increasing role and importance of foreign languages in the context of globalization, it is becoming more important to teach foreign languages for professional communication in different types of educational institutions including nonlinguistic colleges. In this regard, both the approaches to teaching foreign languages should be reconsidered, and also training programs that meet the requirements of future specialists should be created. One of the possible ways out is to use the competence-based approach, i.e., forming a set of special competences in future professionals to solve practical problems. For training a competitive IT-specialist, in teaching foreign languages it is necessary to form a number of language subcompetences in students that are on the basis of their professional competence. The proposed model can be used for teaching any foreign language, where the language component is invariable, and is filled with professional content.展开更多
This pilot study explored the linguistic gains of intermediate level Spanish learners who completed community-based learning at a Spanish-speaking seniors center. Leamers had the opportunity, rare in foreign-language ...This pilot study explored the linguistic gains of intermediate level Spanish learners who completed community-based learning at a Spanish-speaking seniors center. Leamers had the opportunity, rare in foreign-language instruction, to discuss topics from their textbook in authentic native/non-native dyads. The interactions also allowed the seniors to fulfill an identified community needed by socializing in Spanish. Analyses of a post-service survey revealed that learners assessed the experience positively, because they spoke Spanish creatively. Seniors were described as cooperative and fun interlocutors, suggesting that age difference minimally affected the interactions. Direct observation revealed that learners managed to produce L2 Spanish output in connected speech for an extended period of time. Likewise, the seniors enjoyed a moment of socialization and first language use while sharing their views on the topics of discussion with the young visitors. Seniors＇ active participation likely encouraged learners to cope with sudden switches of topics that required negotiating for meaning and pushing the still limited interlanguages. A new service leaming study proposes to investigate the use of native/non-native dyads in Spanish in fulfilling a dual function： socialization and first language maintenance for the seniors at the center and language learning for the students.展开更多
文摘Due to the increasing role and importance of foreign languages in the context of globalization, it is becoming more important to teach foreign languages for professional communication in different types of educational institutions including nonlinguistic colleges. In this regard, both the approaches to teaching foreign languages should be reconsidered, and also training programs that meet the requirements of future specialists should be created. One of the possible ways out is to use the competence-based approach, i.e., forming a set of special competences in future professionals to solve practical problems. For training a competitive IT-specialist, in teaching foreign languages it is necessary to form a number of language subcompetences in students that are on the basis of their professional competence. The proposed model can be used for teaching any foreign language, where the language component is invariable, and is filled with professional content.
文摘This pilot study explored the linguistic gains of intermediate level Spanish learners who completed community-based learning at a Spanish-speaking seniors center. Leamers had the opportunity, rare in foreign-language instruction, to discuss topics from their textbook in authentic native/non-native dyads. The interactions also allowed the seniors to fulfill an identified community needed by socializing in Spanish. Analyses of a post-service survey revealed that learners assessed the experience positively, because they spoke Spanish creatively. Seniors were described as cooperative and fun interlocutors, suggesting that age difference minimally affected the interactions. Direct observation revealed that learners managed to produce L2 Spanish output in connected speech for an extended period of time. Likewise, the seniors enjoyed a moment of socialization and first language use while sharing their views on the topics of discussion with the young visitors. Seniors＇ active participation likely encouraged learners to cope with sudden switches of topics that required negotiating for meaning and pushing the still limited interlanguages. A new service leaming study proposes to investigate the use of native/non-native dyads in Spanish in fulfilling a dual function： socialization and first language maintenance for the seniors at the center and language learning for the students.
