Developing foreign language communicative and cognitive competence of students majoring in "Fine Arts"

Abstract

The necessity of discovering new ways to develop higher school students’ foreign language communicative and cognitive competence makes the research topical. The aim is to develop foreign language communicative and cognitive competence of the students majoring in “Fine Arts”. The research methods were as follows: study and analysis of pedagogical, methodological and linguistic literature on the topic under focus and modelling the process of developing foreign language communicative and cognitive competence of the students majoring in "Fine Arts". The existing definitions given by Ukrainian and foreign scholars concerning such concepts as “communicative and cognitive competence” and “foreign language communicative and cognitive competence” are analysed. The specifics of the concept “foreign language communicative and cognitive competence of students majoring in Fine Arts” is defined. The stages of developing foreign language communicative and cognitive competence of the students majoring in Fine Arts are determined. The definite methodological actions for the development of students' mental abilities and foreign language communicative skills are offered at every stage. The methods of work at the first – linguistic and cognitive – stage were as follows: making up mental maps, visualization of images, associations based on memorable or funny situations, mnemonics, using prompts to understand the meaning of sentences, underlining keywords, self-controlling. The methods of work at the second – training and communicative – stage were as follows: structuring the semantic whole unit from a series of statements, singling out the most important part of statements, adding ideas to partner's opinion, clarifying unclear circumstances, determining the communicative tactics of an interlocutor, modelling the communicative situations, summarizing the ideas, using cognitive strategies of the background connection. The methods of work at the third – communicative and cognitive – stage were as follows: introduction of projects, making speeches, organizing creative activities, pair interviews, mini-conferences, presentations, problem solving. During the study, foreign language communicative skills were formed comprehensively and integratively in connection with the development of students' mental abilities.

Keywords

• communicative and cognitive competence
• intellectual abilities of students
• english language proficiency
• complex of methodological activities
• fine arts.