In-class Work Research Articles

Analysis of different factors on dental students' perception of a flipped classroom model: A 6-year follow-up study.

To evaluate different factors affecting two different cohorts of dental students' perceptions with the flipped classroom (FC) model in a preclinical dental course over six years. In 2016 (cohort #1) and 2022 (cohort #2), second-year dental students participated in FC model in a preclinical dental course consisting of pre-class recorded videos and lectures along with classroom interactive exercises. Students then completed an anonymous pen-and-paper survey evaluating three factors influencing students' overall study experience with the FC model. Survey responses from cohort #1 and cohort #2 were compared to assess the effect of generation, student demographics and COVID-19 pandemic on students' perceptions. When asked to rate the FC experience out of 5, the mean ratings of cohort #1 and cohort #2 were 4.3 (±0.9) and 4.0 (±0.8), respectively. Cohort #2 preferred viewing slides and videos prior to class and had a higher agreement that pre-class course materials were beneficial to class preparation. Conversely, cohort #1 had a higher agreement that in-class discussion and exercises helped them to learn course content. From cohort #2, 88.6% of males and 71.6% of females preferred the FC approach over traditional lecture. Both cohorts reported positively with the FC model of teaching. Cohort #2 had higher positive reports with the pre-class work and cohort #1 had a higher positive report with in-class work. Course design should reflect the students' points of view and learning perspectives with careful consideration of the student population in the classroom.

Empowering competence: A program-wide active learning framework for a pharmacy program

ObjectiveThis study aimed to develop and implement a program-wide active learning framework to guide active learning and assessment efforts in an entry-to-practice competency-based Doctor of Pharmacy program. MethodsThe development of the framework involved 3 stages: creation of a framework aligned with the program’s guiding principles, provision of training and support to faculty and students, and evaluation of the students’ and academic staff satisfaction using an online survey over 2 academic years (2022–2023). Data from this survey were analyzed descriptively. ResultsAn active learning framework that was aligned with the program’s guiding principles while allowing flexibility for individual teaching styles was developed. It consisted of 4 stages: preclass preparation, in-class work, prelaboratory preparation, and in-laboratory activities (emphasizing knowledge acquisition and competency development). Academic staff surveys reported higher satisfaction of staff in year 2 than year 3 of the program, with indications of further training on specific modalities. Students’ satisfaction improved from year 2 to 3, particularly, in areas related to class objectives, learning environment, and feedback. ConclusionThe transformation of a curriculum that includes the evolution of the teaching and learning strategy is a complex, long-term project that deserves continuing attention. Having frameworks in place helps the management, instructors, and students to understand the global direction, stay focused, and support the implementation of competency-based education and student-centered learning.

Case-Based Collaborative Learning in Undergraduate Radiology Teaching—Are Essential Conditions for Group Discussions Met?

BackgroundDelivering case-based collaborative learning (cCBL) at scale using technology that both presents the clinical problem authentically and seeks to foster quality group discussion is a challenge, especially argumentation which is critical for effective learning. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of essential conditions to capitalise on a technology-enhanced cCBL scenario for teaching radiology and facilitating quality group discussion. MethodsA questionnaire was administered to 114 fourth-year medical students who completed a technology-enhanced cCBL scenario for teaching neuroradiology. It consisted of individual online pre-class work and face-to-face in-class work, where group discussion followed individual work at a workstation. Items from the ‚Heedful Interrelating in Collaborative Educational Settings‘ scale and ‚positive emotional engagement‘ questionnaire assessed the quality of social-cognitive processes and emotional engagement during the group discussions. Structured interviews were used to explore the teachers’ awareness of and engagement with the technology. ResultsThe mean scores of most,heedfulness’ items were below 3.5 (7-point scale), suggesting that participants did not enter the debriefing with a mindset conducive for argumentation. However, for the affective states 'interest' and 'enjoyment' the mean scores were above 5. Free text comments suggested participants enjoyed the superficial interactions, but did not necessarily engage in argumentation. Structured interviews revealed teachers were aware of the possibilities of the learning dashboard and used it as a common frame of reference, but didn't really succeed to use it as a springboard for discussion. ConclusionsA technology-enhanced cCBL scenario is useful for teaching radiology in undergraduate medical education, but the added value of acquiring in-depth knowledge will only be achieved when students are aware of the importance of an ‚heedful’ mind-set.

Effectiveness of flipped classroom format in quantitative and non-quantitative business courses – A meta-analysis

The current meta-analysis investigates two student outcomes of the flipped or inverted classroom format in quantitative and non-quantitative business courses: knowledge acquisition and student satisfaction. Data was collected through a search of nine databases, ResearchGate, and Google Scholar to identify empirical studies which compared student outcomes in flipped classrooms to lecture classrooms. A total of 38 studies were identified for inclusion in the study. Results show that flipped format had a positive effect on knowledge acquisition for both quantitative and non-quantitative courses as compared to lecture courses. The impact in non-quantitative courses on knowledge acquisition was larger than the effect in quantitative courses, but was not statistically significant. In contrast, student satisfaction in flipped classrooms as compared to lecture classes was higher in quantitative courses, but not statistically significant. The implications for business education is to not use flipped classroom approach as a universal format for instruction. As educators we need to balance knowledge acquisition and student satisfaction such that students can benefit from in-class learning experiences and perceive the increased workload as directly related to gains in learning. Students need to be engaged in both pre-work and in-class work in order to elicit the maximum benefit from flipped classes.

Sleepy Mice Case Study: Implementation and Assessment.

Case studies are a valuable teaching tool to engage students in course content using real-world scenarios. As part of the High-throughput Discovery Science & Inquiry-based Case Studies for Today's Students (HITS) Research Coordination Network (RCN), our team has created the Sleepy Mice Case Study for students to engage with RStudio and the Allen Institute for Brain Science's open access high-throughput sleep dataset on mice. Sleep is important for health, a familiar concern to college students, and was a basis for this case study. In this case, students completed an initial homework assignment, in-class work, and a final take-home application assignment. The case study was implemented in synchronous and asynchronous Introductory Neuroscience courses, a Biopsychology course, and a Human Anatomy and Physiology course, reflecting its versatility. The case can be used to teach course-specific learning objectives such as sleep-related content and/or science data processing skills. The case study was successful as shown by gains in student scores and confidence in achieving learning objectives. Most students reported enjoying learning about sleep deprivation course content using the case study. Best practices based on instructor experiences in implementation are also included to facilitate future use so that the Sleepy Mice Case Study can be used to teach content and/or research-related skills in various courses and modalities.

Student Perceptions of Hybrid Courses in Higher Education

Online open-ended and closed-ended surveys were conducted in 2014-2016 among 191 students at a small, private university located in South Florida. Our main goals were to evaluate student perceptions of in-class and out-of-class assignments in hybrid courses, determine what students value most about these modes of learning, and recommend ways to maximize advantages and minimize disadvantages of each. We discovered that students value instant feedback and interacting with their peers when they are in class as in-class assignments were rated significantly higher than out-of-class assignments (p < 0.05) and higher ratings were significantly associated with responses associated with student-student interaction (p <0.05). However, the time and place constraints of in-class work limits their ability to formulate their thoughts. Out-of-class assignments were appreciated for their flexibility of pace, time, and place, although students reported time-management problems as well. Like for in-class work, students valued the opportunity of reading their peers’ answers as higher assignment ratings for out-of-class assignments were significantly associated with students’ ability to read the responses of others. Although participants did not report an effect from specific learning differences, having to write for out-of-class work (as opposed to speaking in class) was reported as a hurdle. We discuss strategies for improving in-class and out-of-class assignments based on our study results.

SimBio

There are an abundance of online resources teachers can use to teach biological concepts. A newly revised version of SimBio has just hit the market, and it shows to be quite good. SimBio uses an installed app and provides three styles of interactive content: tutorial labs, interactive chapters, and workbook labs for eight content areas: Intro Bio, Ecology, Evolution, Env Science, Cell Biology, Genetics, Conservation Biology, and Physiology. Tutorial labs feature onscreen instructions and instant feedback questions throughout. Workbook labs include instructions and questions in a separate downloadable workbook. Interactive chapters are analogous to textbook chapters in coverage, but they are inquiry-driven and interactive, providing instant feedback to reinforce student understanding.The content of SimBio has been developed by scientists and science educators. The materials are visually engaging and include embedded graphing, data analysis, case studies, interactives, and simulations. Detailed module overviews and learning outcomes are provided for educators to preview and print before purchasing or assigning to students. The ease of use for educators and students makes complex concepts in a wide variety of disciplines accessible. Topics such as action potentials, cellular respiration, community dynamics, gene regulation, and global biogeochemical cycles are delivered to students through interactive simulations paired with readings and checks for understanding. The simulations are intuitive and easy for students to use. Readings provide background information and encourage deeper understanding. The checks for understanding provide immediate feedback and the results are visible to the instructor and the student.Each of the SimBio modules includes auto-scored quiz questions designed to be used as in-class work, homework, or a combination of the two. In the instructor portal, there are menus for adding course sections and instructors, assignments, performance, gradebook, and supplemental materials.There are a wide variety of content and delivery options. For example, Intro Bio includes tutorial labs titled How Diseases Spread, DNA Explored, Transcription & Translation Explored, Gene Regulation Explored, Understanding Experimental Design, Keystone Predator, Cellular Respiration, Darwinian Snails, Nutrient Pollution, Genetic Drift and Bottlenecked Ferrets, Isle Royale, Sickle-Cell Alleles, Mendelian Pigs, Meiosis Explored, Mitosis Explored, Action Potentials Explored, and Understanding Population and Growth Models. The workbook labs for Intro Bio are Keystone Predator, Darwinian Snails, Isle Royale, Sickle-Cell Alleles, Genetic Drift and Bottlenecked Ferrets, Flowers and Trees, Nutrient Pollution, Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis, Niche Wars, Evolutionary Evidence, Osmosis, and Diffusion. It is easy to see how these can be assigned in an instructional unit that builds in complexity.Once modules are ordered for a course, the instructor is directed to the SimUText System to assign the modules to students. The SimUText Instructor Portal guides you through all steps of set-up, including sharing course-specific subscription information with students. The SimUText Instructor Portal also includes tools to help monitor and assign points for student work, provides links to Supplemental Teaching Materials, a searchable manual, and access to the SimUText Application.The materials have been written with college students in mind and could be used with honors-level high school students. Whether in college or high school, SimBio can help educators support students in a variety of ways. The active learning and inquiry-based approach helps make content accessible to all learners. In the event of extended absence, simulations can replace, prepare for, or reinforce knowledge gained from lab exercises for individual students. These same materials can be used in a virtual setting to provide experiences analogous to those of in-person laboratory experiences.While there are multiple options for purchase, the price may be prohibitive to some, which can be a concern if you are in search of an equitable solution for all learners. Virtual labs can be purchased for $6 per lab per student, unlimited labs for $49 per student, interactive chapters for $10 per chapter per student, or unlimited chapters and labs for $89 per student. They do encourage anyone with special requirements or general questions to contact them through a linked form.

Early English Literacy Acquisition and Learners’ Perspectives in Rural Multicultural Families: A Case Study

This study explores the learning experiences of five Grade 3 multicultural elementary school students living in a rural area of Korea, as they received instruction in English decoding. Having identified a gap in research regarding the students’ own perceptions of their learning experiences, the author conducted a two-month exploratory intervention at a Multicultural Family Support Center (MFSC) in an agricultural town in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province. Data were collected from the students, parents, and the MFSC staff through a demographic questionnaire, tests, individual child interviews, in-class work and homework, self-evaluation sheets, online Zoom lesson recordings, teaching and learning materials, informal talks, and a researcher journal. The content analysis findings indicate acquisition challenges related to a lack of spoken vocabulary, low Hangeul reading proficiency, and homework incompletion. Academic progress evidenced by the participants was found to be driven by friendship, learner commitment and confidence-building, highlighting the positive effect of affect in their language learning. Suggestions for effective English decoding instruction for these particular learners are discussed.

An Undergraduate Agroecology Research Fellows Program Engages Co-learning Through Participatory Action Research

This paper addresses the role of an Undergraduate Agroecology Research Fellows Program (UARFP) toward a more critical and equity-oriented agroecology pedagogy. As a model rooted in action, Undergraduate Agroecology Research Fellows (UARF) become members of the Agroecology and Livelihoods Collaborative (ALC) Community of Practice (CoP), at the University of Vermont; a transdisciplinary research and education group that engages in community-based participatory action research (PAR). Through this model, UARFs support undergraduate student engagement in an advanced agroecology course, through which a PAR process centered on soil health takes place with regional farms. This triangulated learning format involves in-class and on-farm lab work, alongside the embedded UARF enrichment program, through which agroecological principles are examined via inter- and transdisciplinary educational lenses. Within this context, the objectives of the pedagogical research presented in this paper were: 1) To analyze the ALC-UARFP perceptions of transdisciplinary co-learning through PAR, and 2) extract key lessons learned for critical pedagogy, through this model in action. Our methodological results illustrate the strength of participatory inquiry to capture stakeholder perspectives, iteratively informing the program's direction, and providing key lessons learned. Parallel to this evaluative strength, the qualitative results suggest that authentic undergraduate engagement in PAR offers great potential for the development of increasingly transformative educational programs. Further, our UARFP model, grounded in reciprocal and transdisciplinary co-learning within an agroecological community of practice, pushes the praxis needle toward a more comprehensive and critical agroecology pedagogy.

Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research: Instruction on Plagiarism

Helping students understand where they should provide citations in research manuscripts is an essential aspect of training them in the responsible and ethical conduct of research. This Lesson comprises about 35 minutes of in-class work to help students learn how to avoid plagiarism. The Lesson is ideally integrated into a course in which a research report will be written. It introduces students to professional norms and explores the ethical &ldquo;gray areas&rdquo; surrounding the topic of citation. First, small student groups discuss case studies to reach a consensus on the question, &ldquo;Is this plagiarism?&rdquo; After a report-out to identify emergent themes, students then evaluate a paragraph from a published primary research manuscript and discuss why some sentences have citations and others do not. The choice of manuscript excerpt is flexible, based on teacher preferences and course subject area. This Lesson integrates critical instruction in research ethics that is applied to the science skill of communicating results. Student progress can be monitored using a summative homework-style assessment, in which students are tasked to determine which sentences in a paragraph should have citations and then to rank those sentences in order of how confident the group is that a citation is required. By the end of the Lesson, students have explored the definition of plagiarism and the ethical norms and processes for identifying when a citation is necessary. <em>Primary image:&nbsp;</em>Text Duplication. Copying the work of others is plagiarism unless a proper citation is provided (copyright Joseph Ross).

Virtual Classes in a Non-native Language during the Year of the Pandemic: Confidence and Critical Thinking as Basis of Academic Integrity

Introduction. This presentation will focus on teaching academic writing and research at the American College of Greece, using English as the language of instruction, to students whose native language is in the majority not English on challenges, during the time of the pandemic. The proposition is made that the move from physical classes to virtual ones might have enhanced challenges but also helped identify useful techniques that can inspire students to become more involved in their studies as well as to perceive academic integrity as valuable. For sure, for students, attendance at an institution that promises a degree in a non-native language grants a competitive edge in the job market as it stands for linguistic competence in addition to subject expertise – but it is exactly that which also places students under increased stress. This stress is particularly exacerbated when secondary education tends to promote rote learning and discourage critical thinking. High school students that enroll at a university with such a learning base often feel overwhelmed, even threatened, when asked to engage with complex concepts and express critical ideas; even more so to understand and express these ideas in a foreign language. Some students experience frustration which in turn leads them to give up – while some others, as a last resort, turn to a ghost writer for help so as not to fail. In the physical classroom, with students producing in-class work, a professor has the advantage of being familiar with a student’s language competencies and thus being able to identify uncharacteristic work, but now, in the virtual classroom, certainty of originality is more difficult. The presentation will describe a number of techniques that proved useful during this last year when all classes were virtual. As such, it can be considered a collection of observations transformed into a case study. Overall, what was observed was that while existing and well-known techniques to curb and identify breaches of academic integrity such as plagiarism continued to work, with more or less the same success as in the physical classroom, new techniques were needed to inspire critical engagement, participation and pride in own work, thereby steering students away from academic dishonesty in the form of contract cheating. Objective. This presentation aims to share these insights with others in the academic field and to encourage dialogue so to allow for the emergence of best practice strategies. It would be particularly of interest to hear from other instructors who teach in settings where the language of instruction is not the students’ native language, as to how students are encouraged to engage, participate and also to display academic honesty.

“Everyone is new to this”: Student reflections on different aspects of online learning

In 2020, many instructors and students at colleges and universities were thrust into an unprecedented situation as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic disruptions. Even though they typically engage in in-person teaching and learning in brick and mortar classrooms, remote instruction was the only possibility. Many instructors at our institution who had to switch from in-person to remote instruction without any notice earlier in the year worked extremely hard to design and teach online courses to support their students during the second half of 2020. Since different instructors chose different pedagogical approaches for remote instruction, students taking multiple remote classes simultaneously experienced a variety of instructional strategies. We present an analysis of students' perceptions of remote learning in their lecture-based, active learning, and lab physics classes at a large research university in the USA, focusing on positive and negative aspects including collaboration, communication, and assessment. Student reflections emphasized the importance of grade incentives for out-of-class and in-class work; frequent, low-stakes assessments; community-building activities; and opportunities to study with peers. Reflecting on the challenges and successes of different types of remote instructional approaches from students' perspective could provide useful insight to guide the design of future online courses as well as some aspects of in-person courses.

Seeking Coherence in the Multiplicative Conceptual Field: A Knowledge-in-Pieces Account

The present study is motivated by a significant body of research documenting teachers’ perennial difficulties with a critical swath of topics related to multiplication. In response, we track how Nina, a future middle grades mathematics teacher, made progress constructing explanations across topics by reasoning with measurement-based definitions of multiplication and of fractions and by coordinating symbolic representations with math drawings. The dataset spans 1 semester of Nina’s in-class work during a content course—explicitly designed to foster coherence within the multiplicative conceptual field—as well as her written assignments for the course and her moment-to-moment reasoning during three interviews conducted near the beginning, middle, and end of the semester. A main result is that constructs from coordination class theory, a strand of theory within the knowledge-in-pieces epistemological perspective, were particularly useful for tracking and explaining Nina’s piecemeal progress. The broad contribution of the article is two-fold—(a) a shift in focus from research on reasoning about one or two topics toward reasoning across a wider range of topics related to multiplication and (b) highlighting refinement and coordination of knowledge resources as basic processes by which future teachers can progress toward coherent understandings of critical school mathematics content.

TalkAbroad: A Relaxed Setting for Learning and More Fun than Cheating

For French Phonetics, in-class work stresses oral practice and feedback, whereas the online component includes lecture-based material, online low-stakes testing, links to , and other resources. Students then create a login and pay a fee for conversations in advance (but we had curriculum development grants for the initial Francophonie and Phonetics classes). Students are very motivated in that they each get to choose a conversation partner after reading partner profiles (in French) listing their job, hobbies, favorite books, music, movies, etc. Student reflections brought home the fact that the young Quebecers on TalkAbroad are indeed les enfants de la loi 101, the 1977 bill making French the official language of the provincial government and highlighted the importance of linguistic legislation to preserve the culture and language of Quebec.

PRACTICAL TRAINING ON “PATHOMORPHOLOGY” AS A WAY TO FORM FUTURE DOCTOR’S PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE

Abstract. The article presents a practical training’s analysis on the discipline “Pathomorphology” at the Department of Pathological Anatomy as a tool of forming the future doctor’s professional competence.&#x0D; The main purpose of practical training on “Pathomorphology” is the formation of skills and abilities of pathological processes and diseases morphological diagnostics by studying morphological pictures with the analysis of pathogenetic mechanisms and clinical symptoms of diseases.&#x0D; Practical training on “Pathomorphology” covers the analysis of incomprehensible and complex issues of the topic during the lecturer and students’ interview, recognition of pathological processes and diseases main manifestations, students’ independent in-class work with macro -, micro -preparations and electron diffraction patterns, solving typical situational clinical tasks with the analysis of mistakes made. The students have the opportunity to observe online autopsies in dissecting room. We created and constantly update archive videos, thematic autopsies.&#x0D; A multimedia presentation has been developed for each practical training topic of the discipline, which contains a practical training scenario according to the guidance papers for teachers. This presentation contains illustrated questions in the form of flowcharts, macro- and micro-preparations, which are proposed to recognise a pathological process or disease.&#x0D; The modern education main provision is to provide students with knowledge, skills and abilities that they should master, mainly in independent in-class work, managed and guided by a lecturer. For this stage of practical training developed an album with consideration to the peculiarities of teaching the discipline at various faculties. In the album, students draw micro-preparations, according to the chart, describe macro-preparations, micro-preparations and electron diffraction patterns.&#x0D; This comprehensive approach to the study of “Pathomorphology” allows to discuss divisive interpretations of complex mechanisms of pathological processes development, demonstrate modern research methods in pathological anatomy, as well as better prepare the student for the final controls, the unified state qualification exam and the exam on International fundamentals of medicine.&#x0D; The students’ educational process in the study of the basic medical discipline “Pathomorphology” is focused on the introduction of new techniques and innovative teaching technologies. In pathological anatomy, a significant place in the assessment of the phenomena studied is given to visual macro-, microscopic, and electron-microscopic analysis of pathology. At the same time, particular importance is attributed to the visibility of the educational process, including with the use of modern multimedia technologies, which is embodied by the faculty of the Department.&#x0D; Active forms of training used in a practical training on “Pathomorphology” allow students to form basic doctor’s professional competencies. The practical training system used on the Department of Pathological Anatomy makes it possible to, first of all, motivate the student to study such a complex discipline as “Pathomorphology”, to ensure the theoretical knowledge acquisition, development and harness skills in the pathological processes and diseases morphological diagnosis as well as to form personality, which is well-versed in the professional field and has competencies for further growth in professional and personal terms.

FACTORS OF ACADEMIC STRESS AMONG STUDENTS IN A PRIMARY SCHOOL IN KEPONG, KUALA LUMPUR: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

Academic stress has become the greatest health obstacle as it adversely impacts students’ physical and psychological health. This study explored the factors of academic stress among students in a primary school in Kepong, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A Focus group interview was conducted with 20 students to explore the factors of academic stress. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to interpret data from focus group interviews. The result revealed ten superordinate themes; (1) academic overload; (2) difficulty in-class work; (3) examinations anxiety; (4) poor relationship with friends; (5) bullying; (6) high expectations; (7) social comparison; (8) domestic violence; (9) physical and verbal abuse in school and (10) laissez-faire. The findings of this research to make a valuable contribution by gathering deeper understandings and help curb the impact of stress associated with primary school, especially in the Malaysian context.

Exploring Realistic Mathematics Education in a Flipped Classroom Context at the Tertiary Level

Flipped classroom (FC) pedagogical frameworks have recently gained considerable popularity, especially at secondary school levels. However, there are rich opportunities to explore FC at tertiary levels, but progress on the area requires instructors’ attention to well-designed tasks for students’ collaborative learning. Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) provides a foundation for the development of such tasks. This article advances research on the role of task design in a FC context by considering how RME heuristics may be developed to include the out-of-class phase, where students prepare for in-class work with videos. This adaption, named flipped RME classroom design, is explored through two realizations of such a design with a group of computer engineering students during their first year of studying compulsory mathematics. Thematic analysis of the classroom observations shows that students’ modelling activity in-class is supported by the design of an out-of-class component in combination with teacher guidance of students’ modelling activity.

Project-research activity in Russian language lessons for 5th-graders in studying lexis on the example of the topic “Homonyms”

The relevance of the research is justified by the necessity of developing methodical basis for project-research activity at the lessons of the Russian language at schools. The article is aimed at: 1) giving justification for introducing project-research activity into in-class work while studying the section “Lexis” in the 5th forms by approving the methods given by the author for studying the topic “Homonyms”; 2) evaluating the development of general learning skills (comparing, giving definitions for terms, giving arguments for a point) using the material of the topic ‘Homonyms”; 3) assessing the knowledge of Russian lexis of pupils from control and experimental classes, comparing the results; 4) specifying the term “project-research activity” in the aspect of the goals of Russian language learning in middle school. The theoretical relevance of the article is in providing justification for identifying project-research activity as a specific separate type of learning activity, specifying the term “projectresearch activity” in Russian language classes in the middle school, specifying general learning skills (comparing, giving definitions to terms, giving arguments for a point) necessary for conducting projectresearch activity in Russian language classes, providing description for the levels of their development on the example of studying the “Homonyms” topic in 5th grades. The practical relevance of the article is in giving developed and proven program that includes pupils’ work on researching project “Portrait of the word” in the 5th form during studying the section “Lexis”. This article discusses the possibilities of studying vocabulary at Russian language classes using project-research activity. Project-research activity in Russian language classes is understood as independent cognitive activities of the pupils, aimed at studying the Russian language, developing linguistic knowledge and skills and forming general studying capabilities. This type of activity is characterized by having a project idea, it is planned as a process of achieving the project idea through consequent research operations. The author proposes the program for studying the topic “Homonyms” within the framework of “Portrait of the word” project, and the results achieved during experimental education are discussed. The data obtained during experimental education allow making a conclusion that project-research activity can be effectively integrated into class-and-lesson system of studying vocabulary in Russian classes in the 5th form: it promotes forming knowledge and skills on the topic and general learning skills of comparing, giving definitions for terms and giving arguments for a point. The directions of future research are in developing methods of organizing project-research activity in Russian language classes both during lessons and in extracurricular activity on the material of topics ‘Morphology”, “Syntax”, “Phonetics”, etc.

ОРАТОРСЬКЕ МИСТЕЦТВО В СИСТЕМІ ПРОФЕСІЙНОЇ ПІДГОТОВКИ ВІЙСЬКОВОГО КЕРІВНИКА

Introduction. The high-speed development of informational society, Ukraine’s course for NATO demands from modern military leader not only high level of professional knowledges and skills, but also skills to communicate with every category of citizens, effecticly to influence on subordinates, to give orders, to agitate, to motivate and to lead. The public speech is an important part of professional activity of officer. It gives him an opportunity to speak beautifully and understandable, to defend the notion, to order, to inspire, to make a necessary decision, to win in polemics, to rule. But in order to use it right, one should study the art of rhetoric.Purpose is to define role and place of the course «The Basics of the art of rhetoric and rhetorical communication» in the system of professional training of military leader. Methods: analysis, synthesis, comparison and systematization of scientific sources, analysis of program support of educational process.Results. The meaning of the art of rhetoric in the officers’s activities is described, its role and place of educational course of «The Basics of the art of rhetoric and rhetorical communication» in the system of professional training of military leader is substantiated. The purpose and aims of course is defined and knowledges and skills, which student obtains resulting from study are also presented. The content of in-class work and independent work are described. The detailed characteristics is provided to lectures, group studies, practices and seminar classes of this course. Officers study four themes: theoretical basics of the art of rhetoric, officer’s rhetorical culture, proficiency of preparing and performing public speech, officer’s interview. The practical focus of this course is determined.Originality. The description of the auctorial course «The Basics of the art of rhetoric and rhetorical communication» is presented. The characteristics of every class reveals results, obtained by officers at the time of studying this course.Conclusion. Study of the course «The Basics of the art of rhetoric and rhetorical communication» gives an opportunity for military leader to gain rhetorical knowledges, which form a base for successful public performances, to develop basic rhetorical skills, to form rhetoric culture. Exercising practical tasks such as preparing and performing public speeches of different types, its analysis, work with audience will give an opportunity to develop culture of thinking and speaking, to form skills of public speaking, to understand and to be understandable for colleagues, to build an efficient cooperation with them, to lead the staff, unit effectively, to solve professional tasks, to hold meetings, to speak at conferences, to give interviews.

Experimental verification of the efficiency of the methodology of differentiated formation of english lexical competence in reading of future linguists

The article presents the results of the experimental verification of the effectiveness of the methodology of differentiated formation of English lexical competence in reading of future linguists, the planning, preparation and conduct of the experiment are described as well as the criteria and norms for evaluating lexical knowledge and receptive skills in reading; experimental verification of the effectiveness of author's methodology and developed methodological recommendations are also proved. The author's methodology is implemented in the model of the organization of the learning process, which covers the differentiation of learning objectives and expected results, teaching objects and subjects of training; learning elements; content, methods, forms of organization and control of students' educational activities. The micro-module is set as the minimum unit of the education organization. It comprises 6 hours of in-class work and 6 hours of independent work. It is thematic and covers about 100 new words, according to which the sentences, the phrasal unity, the texts are chosen, and the subsystem of exercises and tasks is organized. The model is synchronized: students perform the same type of work at the same time, but the content of the exercises and the nature of the tasks varies. It is found out that the effectiveness of the formation of English lexical competence in reading of future linguists is high, provided that differentiated groups are created according to the criterion of learning (low / sufficient / high); the objectives and expected learning outcomes for each differentiated group is given; provided that the content and nature of the exercises and tasks, the control over their implementation are monitored, and the adherence to the phases of the learning process is controlled. To assess students, the following criteria were taken: the correctness of understanding of the lexical unit, its denotative and connotative meaning in the speech; correctness of content communication establishing; degree of understanding of the implications and concepts in the text; extralinguistic information related to the lexical unit; degree of understanding of the content and meaning of the text; correctness and depth of search / analysis when solving lexicological tasks. We were able to trace the positive dynamics of the experimental group as a whole and each differentiated subgroup (depending on the initial level of learning) in particular. The reliability of the results of the experiment were proved by the Mann-Whitney method