Peculiarities in Distance Learning of Foreign Language Using Moodle Platform

This article gives an overview of Moodle Learning Environment, what it involves, how it can benefit your teaching. The purpose is to clarify the appropriate way to reform education and to increase the learning effectiveness, create and introduce the advanced educational systems and technologies. Information and communication technologies have been adopted in education through online learning environments “platforms” and are used worldwide to offer complete courses, or even entire programmes in e-learning mode. Theoretical and methodological base of the research in distance learning is raising the level and quality of methodological, didactic and information-related support of organizing the educational process for students and teachers. Technically, e-Learning system is constructed on the basis of a wide range of software products. As a methodological basis during this study, a descriptive method is employed that permits to look at the issues and advantages of distance learning from different sides. Besides general scientific methods of study, comparison and generalization are utilized in the article. The results are the following. Nowadays, studying has essentially speeded the implementation of various forms and technologies of the e-learning, search for efficient methods of studying, has provoked the necessity for teachers to reinforce their level of mastering information and communication technologies, especially using the Moodle platform. Its main advantages are open, and free access, user-friendliness, tons of activity types aimed toward improving motivation and the interest of teachers, students. The article pays much attention to the peculiarities of using the platform also as offers several solutions for reported issues. Thus, it is concluded that distance learning allows solving a variety of primary problems, which modern society poses to studying, and meets the requirements, and opportunities of recent students. But, like all tools, distance learning has its own strengths and weaknesses.

Use of Active Games in Physical and Tactical Training of Young Handball Players at the Initial Stage

The purpose of the study is to increase the effectiveness of physical and technical training of young handball players aged 10-11 by means of moving games, game exercises and relays at the stage of initial training during the pedagogical experiment in 2020-2021. Methodology. The following methods were used in the study: theoretical analysis and generalization of scientific and methodological literature, control and pedagogical checking (tests), pedagogical observations, anthropometry. Statistical processing of experimental data was performed using the statistical processing package STATGRAPHICS Plus for Windows (according to standard methods). The study involved young handball players aged 10-11, the first and second year of training in sport school №3 in Kharkiv during a year. The technique was implemented for 9 months (74 lessons), 3 times a week, and lasting 20 minutes. Results. We claim that the physical fitness of handball players is closely related to various aspects of training. The selected tests fully characterize the physical development and functional state of the main life support systems of a body and allow determining the effectiveness of the proposed authors’ method. The specially selected combinations with the use of moving games, game exercises and relays help to increase the level of technical training of young handball players. Analysis of the final indicators in the experimental group revealed a significant increase corresponding to the 5% level of significance in terms of execution of free throws and movement in the protective rack of the handball player. The average group values of the accuracy of free throws increased by 49.5%, and the average speed of movement in the protective rack of a handball player after the experiment increased by 8.3%. The rate of transfer of the ball to the wall in the experimental group increased by 25.1%, which indicates a significant increase in the result at P <0,01. Conclusion. The results obtained during the experiment confirmed the effectiveness of our developed methods of training with the purposeful use of moving games, game exercises and relay races at the initial stage of training young handball players.

Cognitive Algorithms for Learning Foreign Languages: Psycholinguistics Approach

The relevance of the undertaken research consists in considering psycholinguistics an interdisciplinary field, which studies the interrelation between mind and language. It is important to perceive learning foreign language as an act of cognition, experience, and creativity in the psycholinguistic aspect of studying. Psycholinguistics concerns with the study of the cognitive process that supports the acquisition and use of language. The purpose of the paper is to reveal the importance of psycholinguistics approach and cognitive science for learning a foreign language in the context of psycholinguistic approach and cognitive methods for learning second language, based on achievements of the “Scientific School of A.V. Khutorsky”. Methodology is of an overview-analytical nature with an attempt to apply cognitive techniques to learning. Our observations on the psycholinguistic approach and the cognitive methods are based on the “Myth of Niels Bohr and the barometer question” by Alexander Calandra. Results. The analysis made it possible to determine how the logic of reflections has been explored from the lens of psycholinguistics and how the range of cognitive methods can be enlisted to learn a foreign language. It turns next to an overview of cognitive techniques used in psycholinguistics as applied to study. The verbal presentation of the idea is not only a form of compressed thought or interactive, creative cognition, but it also has a literary quality and makes use of a range of devices in a way. In the article, the solution formation reflects the features of transforming mental representations about the multidimensional space of life. Conclusions. According to the research, the paper concludes that cognitive methods are the ability to create judgments that are paradoxical in form and deep in content, perceived as deviating from the norm, and humor also presupposes the presence of the inverse ability to perceive such judgments in their entirety and depth and emotional brightness.

Impact of the Audio-Visual Learning Method on the Development of Foreign Language Communication Competence of Future Interpreters and Translator

This article purpose is to concern the importance of applying a communicative approach to learning a foreign language by future interpreters and translators. The communicative approach creates situations that are as close as possible to the peculiarities of the real process of communication. Therefore, the object of this study can be considered the didactic process of communicative competence formation of future interpreters and translators. This approach is aimed at paying more attention to the functions of language, lexical and grammatical units, which contributes to the development of communicatively oriented mastery of educational material by future interpreters and translators. The author has established the fact that thanks to a communicative approach, future interpreters and translators will be able to master foreign language communicative competence, which is necessary for orientation in the cultural aspect of a foreign language. There was used the methodology of interdisciplinary research such as analysis of scientific sources and educational materials. It confirmed that a foreign language communicative competence includes a system of knowledge and skills necessary for the effective use for a foreign language in professional and intercultural spheres. It is especially important for interpreters and translators, who must always know the language situation and know the cultural specifics of a foreign nation. Therefore, the result of this study can be considered as the following. The most effective way to achieve this goal is audiovisual reproduction of the linguistic and cultural situation, because standards of foreign language samples can come to our mind and can stay in long-term memory only with audio and visual perception. In addition, image and visual support is important not only for the semantic understanding of individual words or expressions, but also for the correct transmission of all content. Conclusion: the audiovisual method of learning a foreign language is one of the most effective for the foreign language communicative competence formation for future interpreters and translators.

Special Aspects of Professional Activity of Motor Transport Profile Teaching Engineers

The article characterizes the special features of the motor transport profile teaching engineers’ professional activity in vocational institutions (teacher of vocational training, master of vocational training), higher education institutions (engineering teacher) and in manufacturing. The purpose is to clarify the special aspects of motor transport profile teaching engineers’ professional training in higher education institutions of Ukraine. The following research methods are used observation, description through individual interviews, expert evaluation method and questionnaire. The results are the following. It is stated that engineering and pedagogical education involves the rational integration of psychological, pedagogical and engineering components of professional training. It is noted that the professional training of teaching engineers is aimed at the formation their professional engineering and professional pedagogical competencies. This integrated training includes two equivalent integrated components: engineering (technical and technological, manufacturing, special, industrial branch) and pedagogical (humanitarian and social). It is stated that successful professional activity of a teaching engineer of motor transport profile is connected with professional training in institutions of higher education and the content and organization of their self-education in the process of professional development. To ensure proper training of a teaching engineer for successful activities, it is necessary to keep a continuous connection between the engineering and technical awareness and pedagogical activities. Modern professional activity of a teaching engineer is characterized by their innovative activities, the specifics of them is caused by the peculiarities of professional-pedagogical education and conditions of engineering-pedagogical activities, which provide generation and transformation of new ideas into innovations and form the management system. The innovative activity of teaching engineer is the basis of creative approach to professional responsibilities. It is concluded that a teaching engineer of motor transport profile is a teacher with higher pedagogical and technical education, who performs educational-methodical, engineering-technical, scientific-innovative, communicative-psychological, organizational, managerial and legal activities.

The Peculiarities of Teaching Foreign Languages by Means of Information and Communication Technologies

The paper investigates the peculiarities of teaching foreign languages by means of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). In the course of a comprehensive study the most effective for the development of students’ linguistic and communicative competence, the following types of ICT were singled out and analysed: Internet-based project work, online correspondence by e-mail, chat, blogs, wikis and podcasts and training programs. The aim of the article is to identify the peculiarities of teaching foreign languages by means of ICT The theoretical, empirical and statistical methods have been used to reach the purpose. To check the effectiveness of applying ICT in teaching foreign languages empirical (diagnostic) methods such as testing, observation and discussion were used. The pedagogical experiment with the fourth-year students of Simon Kuznets Kharkiv National University of Economics was conducted. The pedagogical experiment showed the effectiveness of developing foreign language activity by means of ICT. The statistical methods helped to evaluate the results of the research. Using ICT is really helpful to increase students’ language competencies and, respectively, it provides the development of foreign language communicative competence in general. Conclusion: ICT creates a new environment and opportunities for foreign language acquisition; they have become an important educational tool successfully used in foreign language teaching.

Present-Day Challenges in Homeschooling Specialists’ Training in Canada

The article deals with the results of the recent scientific research concerning training of experts for homeschooling in general and its today’s challenges in particular. Canada has been chosen as a target country due to its specific attitude towards homeschooling and its significant experience in specialist and/or teacher training for homeschooling. The urgency of the problem has recently aggravated because of the present-day situation with covid-19 worldwide restrictions in education and subsequent increase in the number of homeschooling families that need expert advice from certified specialists. The purpose of the article is to highlight the actual state of homeschooling specialist training in Canada in order to decide on a possibility to apply the experience of Canada in those counties which face similar challenges. To conduct the scientific results such methods as a continuous sampling method and a data classification method were used. The present research resulted into revealing current challenges in the realm of teacher training for homeschooling in Canada along with possible ways of overcoming of all the revealed difficulties with the help of various institutions that provide pedagogical education or practical support within the process of specialist training for homeschooling. The article considers acquiring skills and knowledge necessary for organizing family (home) education from colleges, institutes, universities, teacher training courses, associations, homeschooling support groups, etc. Some relevant educational programs provided by these establishments are under consideration as well. Thus, the following conclusions were inferred from the results of the research: the system of Homeschooling Specialists’ Training in Canada is highly-developed and well-prepared to cope with the difficulties connected with the Present-day Challenges.

Critical Thinking Development of Primary School Pupils by Means of Inventive Problems

The purpose of the research is to determine the effective tools for the critical thinking development for primary school pupils. Methodology. The retrospective analysis of the primary education systems development in Ukraine and in highly developed countries was used, the primary school is determined to be the initial stage of the pupils’ critical thinking development. The material of the study is primary school educational programmes, branches of education, and existing academic subjects, it indicates the necessity to develop and implement the particular subject, and its aim is to develop critical thinking and the abilities to express one’s own opinion, assess risks and solve problems. According to the State Standard of Primary Education the key competencies require the following skills: creativity; initiative; the abilities to justify one’s position logically, to manage emotions constructively, to assess risks, to make decisions, to solve problems, to cooperate with others. Results. The article clarifies that critical thinking is a type of thinking aimed at solving problems, namely studying the argument line (hypotheses, criteria, definitions, arguments, facts, etc.), analyzing alternative solutions; forecasting and assessing consequences. It is proved in practice that inventive problems serve as an effective way to develop critical thinking. The basis of such problems is the theory of inventive problem solving (TIPS). It is determined that an inventive problem contains a cognitive contradiction, its solving promotes the pupils’ critical thinking development. The authors’ subject ‘Eureka’ for pupils of 2-4 classes is offered. Its aim is to develop pupils’ critical thinking, creative and inventive abilities, and also primary skills to carry out natural science researches. The results of the subject approbation are given. Conclusions. Primary school pupils’ critical thinking development can be achieved through the introduction of a range of new subjects at the initial stages of education. The aim of such subjects is to teach pupils to solve inventive problems.

Comparative Analysis of Distance Learning Systems in the United Arab Emirates and the United States of America

The article is devoted to the current problem of distance learning. In the theoretical field, various aspects of the functioning of distance education are considered on the example of the analysis of the works of leading scientists in this field. The main aims of this research are: to analyze some of the best educational systems in the world (including distance learning) – systems of the USA and the UAE; to describe the main features of distance education in the USA and the UAE; to make some proposals, based on the experience of these countries, to optimize the system of distance education in Ukraine; to analyze the opportunities of their implementation and adaptation in Ukrainian education institutions. The theoretical basis of the study was open sources of information and educational portals of leading higher education institutions in the UAE and the United States. The methodology is the following. The theoretical framework of the study presents the leading experience of implementing distance learning of students in the context of state and educational policy of the represented countries. A comparative analysis of educational systems in the UAE and the United States is done within the framework of the introduction of distance learning. The study presents the research results, they are the proposals for optimizing the process of distance learning in Ukraine based on the experience of the UAE and the United States. The main ones are: development of criteria, requirements and recommendations for distance learning based on the following indicators: a) the amount of educational material; b) course duration; c) duration of the lesson d) technical requirements (e.g., the availability of a headset, a stable Internet connection, etc.); providing students and pedagogical staff with the necessary material and technical resources and checking the compliance of material and technical support with the educational requirements; establishment of centers for quality control of the distance learning process. The conclusions present the prospects of the study: developing of future comparative studies of distance learning systems; finding the most effective ways to make distance learning process better; elaborating and reasoning new approaches of teaching in the conditions of distance learning; setting up new platforms, applications, videos and so on in order to provide the process of distance learning; finding perspective directions of developing distance education and so on.

The Use of Concept Maps in the Process of Independent Study of Educational Material in Higher Mathematics

The purpose of the article is to analyze the impact of concept mapping on the level and quality of assimilation of learning material in higher mathematics in the process of independent study. Methodology. Based on a review of the main provisions of modern theory of learning and generalization of research results presented in scientific papers on the scope of application of concept maps in the learning process, such a training experiment was conducted. For students of the two experimental groups on a certain topic of the discipline “Higher Mathematics” were offered to build conceptual maps in addition to the common teaching methods. It considered as an independent creative task. In the other two groups, which were under control, students had to study the same topic of the discipline, using traditional methods. Results. It was determined that the results of the colloquium composed of students of experimental groups were significantly higher than those of students of control groups who did not use mapping as a method of learning during independent work. The average score obtained by students of experimental groups for the colloquium was almost 80 points, while for students of control groups it was only 72 points. Using Student’s test, the significance of the difference between the values of the sample averages of these indicators proved. If we compare the average scores for different types of tasks, the most significant was the difference in the performance of heuristic tasks, which reflect the ability to apply the acquired knowledge to solve practical problems of economic content. Conclusions. The positive influence of the use of concept mapping in independent work of students established, which proves the thesis about the feasibility of using concept mapping as a learning tool. Further introduction of concept maps in the educational process should be based on the development of complex theoretical and practical, as well as competency-oriented tasks.