SCHOOL MATTERS
Bilingual lessons as a form of active learning
Sometime everyone on the Earth used to have the
same language and the same words. Leaving east they
had found the Shinar’s earth valley and settled there.
And they said : Let us build our own town and a tower
which will be as high as the sky. And Yahweh said : «Let
us mix up their language that they won’t understand
each other.» People were scattered around the World,
the constructing had been stopped. People didn’t
understand each other.
Anyone remembers this ancient legend about the
tower of Babel, which explains the variety of languages
in the World.
Nowadays we can see globalization of economy,
integration of political, cultural and agricultural life.
It leads people to connection between countries in
different realms.
If you want to become a high-skilled specialist you’d
better have to own not only professional knowledge
but some foreign languages and that’s why it’s almost
impossible to have an opportunity to apply for a
prestigious job or to have a chance to move up the
career ladder. So foreign languages are very popular
among pupils.
English teachers in Russia have already had an
experience of schooling. Students often study French,
German and Spanish languages. Following professor E.
I. Solovtsova’s recomendations , using new pedagogic
technologies in my work, I help my students to improve
their critical thinking , cross-cultural literacy and solve
different social problems.
I think, that making a favorable psychological
atmosphere for studying is important so I’m trying to
make various fascinating and attractive lessons. That
helps to study Spanish.
I wrote an article for this topic and it was published
in 2007 , in magazine «Foreign languages».
Pupils are interested in bilingual lessons because
both of languages are useful. This type of lessons is
better. A bilingual lesson might be observed as a kind
of active education so it gives a lot of positive emotions
for students , they also feel new duties responsibility.
This type of lessons is an opportunity to improve your
creative abilities and personal qualities, to estimate
a role of knowledge and to note the importance of
interrelation of science . That’s an absolutely different
attitude to your work.
There’re typical mature purposes which help to solve
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these problems :
-communicative - the formation of cross-cultural
competence
- educational - expansion of horizons
- educative- moral upbringing
- developing- intellectual activity
The goals of Bilingual lessons are similar , and the
variety of their forms makes reaching the goal easier.
Types of lessons might be different :
- social-role game
- round table: changing of views
- travel lessons (imaginary)
- teleconference lessons
Themes of this classes I choose according to pupils’
age , opportunities , level of second language skills of
my students. Using various computerized programs ,
working with the internet , interactive students books
are the adornments of this lessons.
I conducted a survey.
Questions.
1. The second language student needs massive
amounts of comprehensible, interesting reading
material, enough so that he can read for pleasure and/
or interest for an hour an evening, if he wants to, for
several months. Can the first language help you to
reach success?
2.
Will you be interested in studying English if you
use a second foreign language in the classroom?
3. Will you be interested in studying English if you
use authentic versions?
The survey showed that students express optimism.
They like studying a second foreign language and
using various forms of educational activities. I had 89%
of positive replies.
Changes in the social, political and economic
life have a significant impact on the development of
education, the role and place of foreign languages in
school. In particular, at present the social order reveals
new trends in the field of teaching foreign languages.
Our society wants students to know two or three
foreign languages.