Interactive methods of teaching foreign languages to adults

Abstract

The article analyzes the scientific resources in Pedagogics of Ukrainian and foreign scholars who have carried out their research in the field of adult education; the meaning of “adult education”, “andragogy”, “adulthood” have been defined. Theoretical issues of teaching foreign languages to adults have been analyzed, the main factors that influence the effectiveness of foreign language acquisition have been clarified and the essential principles of teaching adults have been structured. The article singles out the distinctive characteristics of an adult learner, highlights some approaches to their classification and presents a few of them in more detail. In terms of adult learning organization the role of a teacher and his main objectives have been outlined. It is stated that the key role of a teacher is that of a facilitator and moderator. Apart from that the article represents the classification of teacher roles in the process of teaching foreign languages. Furthermore, the content, organization and conditions of interactive learning have been outlined and classification of interactive techniques which are appropriate to language learning have been described. The main attention is drawn to the principle of group collaboration that is defined by the authors as a favourable environment for successful language learning. The possible results of interactive studies are outlined and a few examples of its methods and forms are offered. The methods represented in the article contribute to the effective teaching and learning processes and possess a clear structure, functions and benefits. Such methods as case-study, role-plays and project have been researched. The role of modern technologies in education is depicted from other scholars’ perspectives. However, the part which they play, multimedia techniques in particular, to improve adults’ language skills is not diminished by the authors of the article.