Specifics of teaching professional english in maritime institutions of higher education

Abstract

Current trends in Ukraine’s development, its desire to integrate into the world educational and information space, the rapid growth of the international contacts determine the training of highly qualified specialists who would be not only the professionals in their field, but also have foreign language communication skills. Therefore, Professional English (Maritime English) has a significant impact on the formation of a modern maritime transport specialist. Today, it is one of the most important means of the professional communication for seafarers, as the vast majority of ships have multilingual international crews. The article reveals the purpose of the work program and the specifics of teaching the educational component Professional English in maritime institutions of higher education in Ukraine, in particular at the Azov Maritime Institute of the National University “Odessa Maritime Academy”. The author emphasizes the special significance of Model Course 3.17. Maritime English which was developed by the experts from the International Maritime Organization. Its influence on the teaching of maritime English in domestic higher education institutions is revealed. Examples of the innovative (debates, discussions, projects, presentations, debates, video lectures) and interactive teaching methods (role-playing games, business games, interactive games, simulation, group work), which are used during Professional English practical classes are given. At the same time, the applicant of higher education is at the centre of the educational process, and the teacher is the initiator and coordinator of this process. In the article, the author emphasizes the role of the Internet as an educational environment in teaching Professional English. The study highlights the role of the international communication, which is important for the safe and efficient operation of the maritime transport