The scheduled meeting of the students’ scientific club "Philology" under the leadership of the Candidate of Philological Sciences, Assistant Professor of the Department of Germanic Philology and Translation of the Poltava Polytechnic Anna Pavelieva, the participants devoted to methodical strategies for developing students' communication skills during preparation for the IELTS exam, based on the use of interactive web resources. In particular, the two-week online course "Improve Your IELTS Speaking Score" from the University of Macquarie based on the "FutureLearn" educational platform.
"The integration of interactive educational resources into the system of English language training in institutions of higher education is a productive method of developing students' communication skills, which becomes especially relevant in the conditions of martial law, as passing the IELTS exam remains an important condition for admission to any foreign university and a kind of "pass" to the successful employment of graduates, which necessitates thorough preparation for the test," – says the head of the club, Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Germanic Philology and Translation Anna Pavelieva.
According to the scientist, the usage of English as a lingua franca encourages teachers of higher education institutions to pay special attention to teaching English in universities, integrating various educational sources to achieve the maximum result. The IELTS exam (International English Language Testing System) is recognized by the majority of universities in the English-speaking countries of the world and, therefore, is a priority for students in deepening integration processes. IELTS is designed by the world's leading experts to assess language skills and consists of four modules: reading, writing, listening and speaking.
The Speaking module is a key component of IELTS, which must be conducted in the form of an individual interview with the examiner. Methodical strategies for developing communication skills during preparation for the IELTS exam involve the active involvement of interactive online resources and e-learning platforms. For example, the online platform "FutureLearn" offers a diverse selection of courses from the world's leading universities, and the "FutureLearn" methodology is based on the principles of storytelling and discussion, which greatly facilitate the learning process. The principle of storytelling is implemented through the use of high-quality videos and articles, and the discussion approach involves discussing course materials with other participants in real time. In this way, learning becomes an immersive social experience. All courses on the platform are self-paced, participants can independently determine the pace, intensity and duration of their studies.
In particular, students can take the 2-week "Improve Your IELTS Speaking Score" course from Macquarie University in Australia to improve their speaking skills to successfully pass IELTS. The course material is divided into 2 weeks covering 23 and 18 chapters respectively. Each chapter focuses on a specific type of errors related to speaking skills. An integrative approach to presenting the material makes the course really highly effective. After learning the material, course participants pass various tests: they need to record 3-7 audio files with answers to the proposed oral topics and discuss the presented recommendations with other course participants online. Topics range from phrasal verbs and idiomatic expressions to complex sentences (using correct phrases, regular expressions, inserted constructions and complex structures); the most common grammatical errors ("Choosing the correct word forms"; "Selecting the correct vocabulary") and correct intonation in English sentences. At the end of the course, students are asked to listen to samples of other candidates’ answers during the exam and give a critical assessment based on the material studied (Tests: "Can this answer be considered coherent?"; "Detection of typical grammatical errors"), etc.
In addition to the mentioned online course, the platform offers many other programs aimed at preparing for IELTS. Teachers, students and all those who want to participate in international academic mobility projects can find a significant number of useful resources in courses such as:
- "Understanding IELTS: Listening" (British Council);
- "Understanding IELTS: Writing" (British Council);
- "Understanding IELTS: Reading" (British Council);
- "Understanding IELTS: Speaking" (British Council).
The "FutureLearn" platform is an effective form of blended learning and a productive tool for diversifying the educational process, and the language courses contained on the platform can be used in formal and non-formal education. The integration of educational and methodological materials of the online course "Improve Your IELTS Speaking Score" into the educational system of educational institutions is a productive method of developing students' communication skills, which becomes especially relevant in the conditions of martial law.
It should be recalled that sittings of the students’ scientific club "Philology" take place at the Faculty of Philology, Psychology and Pedagogy of the Poltava Polytechnic at least once a month during the academic year (September-June).
The next sitting of the group will be held in September 2022. Students, schoolchildren of the city of Poltava and the region who are interested in the problems of linguistics, language studies and translation studies are invited to participate.
For detailed information on the time and place of the scientific club, contact the Department of Germanic Philology and Translation (room 310-C) or directly to the head of the Club – Anna Kostiantynivna Pavelieva by phone: +38(095) 91-08-192.
Previously, the participants of the club investigated the chronotopic coordinates of Mykola Gogol's tale "May Night, or the Drowned Maiden", presented translation studies of tokens for food in the writer's creative heritage, conducted a study of the work of the author of the poem "Mazepa", considered translations of phraseological units in Mykola Gogol's story "The Evening on the Eve of Ivan Kupala ", studied the life and creative path of William Somerset Maugham, explored modern educational technologies, presented translation studies of the work of the "father" of the classic detective and author of adventure novels, studied the creative heritage of Lake poets, exchanged life hacks for translating advertising slogans from global brands, studied the satirical novel of Mykhailo Bulgakov and discussed the creative heritage of the Polish fiction writer, the work of the mystical writer and analyzed the works of modern Nobel laureate writers, explored the origins of the popularity of British writers of the 20th century, discussed gender stereotypes imposed by advertising and mass media as well vas held translation workshops for students of Scientific Lyceum No. 3.
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