Integrated foreign languages teaching: a concept of the English language textbook for engineering majors

Abstract

Since 2017 new state educational standards for higher education have been introduced and contain the fourth universal competence (UC-4) which refers to the notion “business communication”. In this relation, the paper considers the issue of creating an up-to-date English language textbook for engineering majors in compliance with the requirements of the new state educational standards according to the methodology of the integrated teaching of foreign languages. The author presents such concept emphasizing the fact that engineering majors – and automobile engineering majors in particular – lack modern professionally oriented textbooks of English. Research methods include: analysis of the requirements of the state educational standards, scientific sources on integrated foreign languages and professional disciplines teaching; modelling a concept of the English language textbook. The purpose of the present paper is to introduce a concept of the textbook according to the model of integrated foreign languages teaching as part of the methodology of integrated foreign languages and professional disciplines teaching. In this relation, the author clarifies the difference between the Russian methodology of integrated foreign languages and professional disciplines teaching and the European technology of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). The author describes features of three models of integrated teaching in Russia and gives grounds for choosing the “golden mean” – integrated foreign language teaching as the basis for creating professionally oriented textbooks of English. The research results include also the author’s introducing the notion of zones of near and further integration which are characterized by a different degree of content and competence integration into students’ learning professional disciplines and acquiring professional competences. The zones of integration help to differentiate the textbook for teaching professionally oriented General English and the textbook for teaching courses of professional English. The concept contributes to disclosing the previously proposed idea of the developing of the integrated foreign language professional communicative competence because it introduces principles for creating English language textbooks and their key components. Although the concept is worked out for creating textbooks of English for students of automobile engineering, but it may as well be applied for all engineering majors. The concept will be detailed as the textbooks are being created and piloted at the same time.