Professional foreign language training of ecologists: method of case-study

Abstract

The article is devoted to the use of the case method for the purpose of developing professional communication in the process of foreign language training of future ecologists. The work presents the possibilities of this interactive method, the stages of working with the case-study method and practical recommendations are presented. The article provides examples of cases for use in English language classes with students majoring in ecology: Pollution of water bodies and its consequences; Impact of climate change on forest ecosystems; Restoration of destroyed ecosystems; Impact of plastic waste on the marine environment; The impact of the growing urban populations on ecosystems; The role of ecosystems in providing food. The problem of the active use of the case method in classes in institutions of higher education is relevant nowadays, this is due to the fact that the modern educational process aims at the formation of basic competences, among which important places are occupied by professional and communicative skills and mental activity skills, the development of abilities to process a large amount of information. This argument in favor of establishing the case method stems from the requirements for professionalism of any environmental specialist, who must master optimal behavior in various professional and everyday situations that arise in real life. In the article, we proved that in the process of using the case method under the direct guidance of the teacher, the student becomes an active subject of the educational process, which positively affects the formation of foreign language professional communication. In the process of working on the case, one learns new terminology, gets acquainted with new vocabulary, and uses speech clichés. During the presentation of the adopted decision, the correct use of grammatical forms and syntactic constructions is important. Students' speech must comply with all orthographic norms and be stylistically appropriate. The case material should provide the future specialist with opportunities to acquire professional knowledge. Professional knowledge and confidence in the ability to solve tasks are an incentive for the formation of abilities and skills of the English vocational communication. So, we can say that in the context of scientific research, the expediency of using the case method for the purpose of forming the professional and communicative competences of future specialists in ecology during their studies in higher education institutions was substantiated.