THE ROLE OF A COMMUNICATIVE TASK IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF 21ST CENTURY SKILLS AT THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSES

Abstract

Introduction. Modern higher education is aimed at the formation of students’ soft skills, giving them the opportunity to work successfully in a competitive environment and market instability of 21st century. The purpose of this study is to determine the role of a communicative task and reveal psychological and pedagogical conditions for the formation of the concept “4C” including such key competences as communication, creativity, critical thinking and cooperation.
 Research methods. The research was carried out by the analysis of scientific, educational and methodological literature and pedagogical experience in the formation of professional competences for undergraduates.
 Results. The article shows that during the process of dialogic foreign language speech the students get favorable conditions for the development of soft skills. Under this educational process foreign language speech-thinking activity is successfully realized through generation of ideas and arguments aimed at the joint communicative task solution. The obtained results contribute to the methodology and technology of modern professional education, expanding the understanding of the role of a communicative task in the formation of key competences. On the basis of theoretical analysis, the author has developed psychological and pedagogical conditions for the formation of soft skills at the process of foreign language teaching. These conditions are the formulation of a communicative task as a problem and a speech communication situation, teaching students the rules of cooperation and the establishment of trust relations between them. The communicative task plays the main role in the creation of conditions for the soft skills formation.
 Practical implications. The results of the study can be obtained in the practice of foreign language teaching in the university.
 Conclusion. It was revealed that the solution of a problem during the professional communication is the main condition of conscious study of the foreign language and leads to the development of soft skills.