EXPERIENCE OF APPLYING A MODULAR APPROACH IN TEACHING CULTURE-ORIENTED LINGUISTICS TO AN AZERBAIJANI AUDIENCE

ABSTRACT

The article attempts to introduce a modular training system in the teaching of culture-oriented linguistics (using the example of Russian studies in an Azerbaijani audience). The main idea of ​​the modular system is that students must learn not only communication skills, but also become competitive specialists in their chosen specialty, knowing not only the language of the people they are studying, but also its culture, traditions and customs.

АННОТАЦИЯ

В статье предпринимается попытка экспликации внедрения модульной системы обучения в преподавании лингвострановедения (на примере Россиеведения в азербайджанской аудитории). Основная идея модульной системы сводится к тому, что обучающиеся должны усваивать не только коммуникативные навыки, но и стать в выбранной специальности конкурентоспособными специалистами, знающими не только язык изучаемого народа, но и его культуру, традиции и нравы.

Keywords: Bologna education system, modular system, culture-oriented linguistics, linguocultural competence, language and culture, Russian studies, Russian language, foreign language culture.

Ключевые слова: Болонская система обучения, модульная система, лингвострановедение, лингвокультурологическая компетенция, язык и культура, Россиеведение, русский язык, иноязычная культура.

In the article, the “Culture-oriented linguistics” course is defined by us as a subject that “is not an illusion or a fantasy in the teaching process of a foreign language, but rather a fully objective subject that realizes the potential of being a carrier of cultural elements” [4, p. 17] and represents one branch of the methodology of foreign language education. By the way, for example, culture-oriented linguistics in the American scientific and methodological sphere is defined as the “Cultural Literacy Concept” or “Culture-oriented linguistics”, in English – as “Linguacultural Studies”, in German – as “Kulturwissenschaften” / “Cultural Studies” and in Azerbaijan – as “Ölkəşünaslıq” / “Regional Studies” etc. We fully accept the thesis on the inseparability of foreign language learning from the culture of the country of the language being studied, its history, national-cultural traditions, the national landscape of the world, the characteristics of social structure, etc. [see: 1, pp. 95-98]. It is these core points that will define the main principles for the use of the modular approach in the methodology of teaching “Culture-oriented linguistics” to foreign citizens.

The relevance of applying the modular concept in the study of the subject “Culture-oriented linguistics” in the educational system is related to specific reasons. As is known, the “competency approach,” which was designed to consider the teacher's specific labor costs in the traditional education system, was previously applied. However, in recent decades, both in Europe and Russia, the introduction of the Bologna education system has led to a shift from labor costs to the use of credit units: in this concept, modules, as part of the Bologna education system's content and main concepts, have emerged as a stimulus for the maximum unification and transparency of the educational system.

It should be noted that the foundation of the Bologna credit system (“Bologna Credit-Transfer Teaching System – ECTS”) is based on the concept of modular content, which focuses on the volume of teaching load and the completion of credits by students. In other words, the Bologna education system is evaluated based on training blocks, which are mastered according to rating points (on a scale from 1 to 100) for various types of theoretical, practical, and independent work. The teaching load covers specific subjects based on modular blocks of teaching.

The concept of “modular teaching” was introduced into academic circles for the first time in the 1970s, and its founder is associated with the name C. Russell. By “module,” he understood “a teaching package that includes the conceptual unit of teaching material and activities designed for students” [cit. by: 5, p. 1]. Later, certain adjustments were made to this concept. For example, M. Goldschmidt argued that a “module is an autonomous, independent part of a planned series of educational activities that is clearly defined for the student and intended to help achieve specific objectives” [cit. by: 5, p. 1]. According to O.V. Belkin, “... a module is ultimately assessed with a certain number of credits awarded to the student, and is understood as a set of various forms and activities in the teaching work to monitor the development of relevant competencies” [2, p. 73].

Without delving into the terminological nuances of the analysis of the concept of a module in various studies, we can note the following: as the main component of modular teaching, the module (or modular block) is considered by many researchers as an independent part (block) of the curriculum that carries a certain teaching and functional load and acts as a kind of evaluator of students' knowledge and skills at the end of the teaching semester or year.

The main content of applying the modular approach in the teaching of the “Culture-oriented Linguistics” course to foreign students can be summarized as follows: the idea of modular teaching content involves the sequential, unified, and functional mastering of teaching modules, or in other words, the teaching blocks of culture-oriented linguistics material by students. At the same time, of course, the essential features of the module content – the unity and independence of the teaching module-blocks – are preserved. This technology is gradually transforming, proceeding step by step from one teaching module (for example, mastering linguistic theoretical knowledge) to another (acquiring regional knowledge), with a focus on sequential transfer (this is where the essence of the Bologna education system comes to the forefront). Therefore, academic debt appears not as a whole subject (course) but as modules that students have failed to complete during the teaching process. As a result, for them, academic debt will not be a whole subject but a specific module – accordingly, a particular part of a subject in the curriculum.

Now, let us consider an approximate model of the module on the topic "State Symbols" (of Azerbaijan and Russia) in the “Culture-oriented linguistics” course:

¶ Module name – “State Symbols” (Azerbaijan and Russia);

¶ Volume of classes for the module – 4 academic hours;

¶ Objective of the module – to provide regional information about the state symbols of Azerbaijan and the language of the studied people;

¶ Content of the module – historical and cultural information about the state symbols of both countries (visual materials can be sourced from Wikipedia but anyway information from Wikipedia should be checked because Wikipedia articles are available for editing not only to professionals, but also to many other users, including schoolchildren, and the edits themselves are provided to readers without indicating the author – it is better to use reliable historical reference books);

¶ Forms of realization for the module:

a) Text from the “Culture-oriented linguistics” textbook (the simpler and more accessible traditional method of presenting teaching material);

b) Multimedia and audiovisual teaching aids (requires the auditorium's equipment and technical facilities – language lab, computer room, etc.):

- Phonograms – listening to the text on the given topic by the students;

- Videograms – watching slides with explanations on the given topic using the PowerPoint computer program;

- Video-phonograms – simultaneous use of visual and auditory aids.

- Interactive face – the display of the text on a large screen (or board) allows students to constantly view the text in a large format;

- Case selection principle – a more modern type of language and teaching material presentation, where the essence is that topics are randomly selected by students from a "bag" ("portfolio") (this is rarely applied in practice);

- "Running stripe" – the text is presented on the interactive board as a continuously moving line (especially effective when dictations are written), allowing the text to be seen in a linear sequence.

¶ Requirements for the level of module mastery:

- Regional knowledge of the state symbols of both countries (minimum knowledge in this field);

- Analysis of texts – lexical and grammatical skills and knowledge (traditional lexical-grammatical issues and more modern multimedia issues);

¶ Methodological support for the module – traditional teaching-methodological aids (textbooks, manuals, dictionaries, and informational booklets) and innovative visual aids (audiovisual tools and electronic dictionaries and informational booklets, various electronic resources);

¶ Recommended literature for the module – additional literature recommended by the teacher (the literature list should separately cover both regional and purely linguistic topics);

¶ Independent work for the module – homework (lexico-grammatical tasks, tasks aimed at identifying students’ creative potential [monologues, essays, short stories], creating communicative situations [dialogues], compositions and presentations on the topic, etc.);

¶ Final testing of the module – assessment of the quality of mastering the covered topics (both in the regional studies aspect and the linguistic aspect).

Based on the established model for the “State Symbols” module, practical tasks using audiovisual visual aids can be presented in the following form (an approximate example is provided):

¶ Module 1: State Symbols of Azerbaijan and Russia.

¶ Micro-module 1: State Symbols of the Russian Federation:

¶ Content of the Micro-module:

a) regional aspect – Information about the state symbols of the Russian Federation.

b) linguistic (language) aspect – Grammar: Mastery of lexical and grammatical skills and knowledge (increasing students' lexical vocabulary, synonymy, distribution of secondary members of the sentence, infinitive forms of verbs).

¶ Forms of realization for the micro-modules:

Audiovisual teaching aids: Students simultaneously watch slides with images of the state symbols of Russia on the interactive board (or using a projector on a regular board) and listen to the provided text via a phonogram.

¶ Methodological support for the micro-module:

Phonogram and videogram, electronic dictionaries, and informational booklets.

¶ Technical support for the micro-module:

A language lab and technical equipment are required for the auditorium – headphones connected to the general listening system; computers; speakers; interactive board or equipment for projecting images.

¶ Levels of mastery for the micro-modules:

1. Regional knowledge level:

Task 1. After listening to the phonogram, repeat the text, paying attention to stress and intonation. Choose unfamiliar words from the text you listened to and write them down. Use a dictionary (or an electronic dictionary) to translate them into your language.

Task 2. Using the text of the phonogram you listened to, answer the questions (sample questions): "1. Назовите государственные символы России. 2. Кто написал слова гимна России? 3. Как интерпретируют символ орла на гербе России? 4. Что олицетворяют цвета на флаге России? 5. Сколько корон на российском гербе?" and others.

2. Linguistic (language) level:

Task 1. İnsert words in place of the dots, for example: “1. Современный государственный флаг Российской Федерации впервые был … в 1693 году.
2. Раньше русские торговые корабли … белый флаг с чёрным двуглавым …. 3. С 1987 г. … флаг начал использоваться национально-патриотическими организациями” and others.

Task 2. Expand the sentences using secondary members of the sentence, for example: “1. Появление государственного флага в истории России связано с возникновением флота. 2. Государственный флаг Российской Федерации состоит из трех полос. 3. Первым официальным флагом Российской империи стал чёрно-жёлто-белый флаг” and others.

Task 3: Create phrases using the following words (words are provided from the listening text).

¶ Independent work for the micro-module.

Homework:

- mastering teaching material for the study of the region: compare the state symbols of Russia with the relevant symbols of other Slavic countries. What similarities or differences did you learn?

- linguistic assimilation of language material:

a) Choose synonyms for the following words (words from the listening text are provided).

b) Write these verbs in the initial form from the listening text and create phrases with them (examples of verbs are provided).

¶ Final test of the micro-module.

The teacher evaluates students' skills and assigns grades (points) based on their knowledge level. At the end, to help students relieve stress and psychological pressure, it is advisable to provide some fun and interesting facts related to the topic (this mainly applies to those who scored low). For example, the following comment could be shared as a fun fact: «Древнерусские флаги раньше назывались “стяги”, так как под эти знамёна “стягивалась” дружина во время военного похода. Отсюда и древнерусское название флага – “стяг”».

Additional information: «В старые времена стяги были треугольными. На них изображались также образы святых (апостолов), различные надписи из святых книг, восьмиконечные звезды и кресты”».

The modeling of the second module, “State Symbols of Azerbaijan,” can be carried out in a similar manner.

It is important to note that students who study a specific subject based on the module content fulfill the minimum requirements for the module. For instance, if a student scores high in all the micro-modules related to the “Grammar” topic, they do not need to take the final exam in "Grammar" because they have already mastered that module. If the student has completed several language level modules within the “Grammar” module, there is no need to take the final exam. In other words, if the student has completed the grammar module's minimum requirements, but for example, failed the phonetics module, they will need to retake the phonetics module's minimum and pass the final test for that specific module (they must take the exam within that module). This is why the modular approach to language teaching in foreign language learning involves the step-by-step evaluation of the knowledge level.

Our initial research and the study of theoretical works in this area showed that the modular approach in the education system is characterized by some rational features in its application in teaching, among which we can particularly highlight the following:

1. The module enables the provision of a successful didactic teaching system and the rational application of modern innovative technologies and teaching materials in the classroom (these include both traditional audiovisual teaching aids and more modern multimedia tools, including interactive multimedia lessons aimed at acquiring practical skills and knowledge in foreign language learning);

2. The module envisages a fully functional-structural content of teaching material divided into module-blocks, which allows for the sequential (block-based) and clear presentation of theoretical and practical materials, as well as the proper assessment and monitoring of students' knowledge and skills;

3. The module creates conditions for students to independently adapt to the learning environment and allows the teacher to approach each student individually, taking into account their age-psychological characteristics and professional training (this is especially relevant in the teaching of Russian as a foreign language or in the preliminary courses of Russian language and regional studies for foreign nationals);

4. The specified characteristics of the module define its high and competent technological capability in structuring content, the sequential nature of teaching materials, and the ability to adapt according to the curriculum, which is previously determined in the teaching process [see 3, pp. 8-11].

The advantages of the modular approach are recognized by many European universities. The use of the modular approach creates an opportunity to align the content of the course being studied with the educational objectives based on independent knowledge blocks, which enables students to meet educational standards using the simple credit system. Therefore, in the modern educational system, the module is not only a part of the curriculum-based teaching plan but also a solid foundation for the formation of the latest and modernized curricula for both traditional linguistic and non-linguistic academic disciplines.

References:

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