Technology of Competence-Oriented Foreign Language Communication Training of Students in General Secondary Education Institutions by Means of Speech Situations

Abstract

The author defines and interprets the didactic and methodological essence of the technology of competence-based foreign language training of students in general secondary school. The content and functions of this phenomenon are thoroughly analyzed and outlined. A system of didactic tools that contribute to the achievement of the pre-defined goals is elaborated and specified. According to the author formation of relevant mechanisms is to be implemented by exposing students to various speech situations. They serve as a means that can ensure students' capability to acquire not only thematic linguistic material within the range of predefined situational tasks, but also promote their acquisition of relevant interaction strategies i.e., students’ ability to comply with appropriate communicative behaviors when generating own utterances and shape relevant competencies.
The article discusses the peculiarities of learners' situational activity, defines, substantiates and models their learning activities that they should perform in the process of competence-based foreign language acquisition.
The functions of speech situations are specified and thoroughly described. This assists the teacher in predicting and organizing students' competence-based communicative activities in the classroom so that learners can generate their own utterances in foreign language more effectively.
The author proposes and characterizes a model which is based on a fragment of the overall process of foreign language acquisition. This model can be used as a framework for teachers to organize students’ communicative activities aimed at shaping their key and intercultural competencies through speech situations.
The main concepts of the proposed technology have been tested in educational practice. The obtained results of empirical research can be applicable to constructing the content of school foreign language textbooks. Positive results prove efficiency of the suggested technology as well as the model.