Keyword: «key competences»

In the article the importance of development of senior pupils' key competences is underlined. It is noted that senior pupils should develop key competences in the process of self-preparation for the Unified State Examination. The author offers parts of the list of self-estimation, questionnaires, tests from the curriculum and instructional materials “Preparation for the Unified State Examination in Humanities” which enable to diagnose senior pupils' readiness for the self-preparation for the Unified State Examination.

The article discusses the issues of using a language portfolio with Education majors in foreign languages, accentuates the importance of such a technology in teacher training and forming students' key competences. The author highlights basic portfolio functions and types, and language portfolio advantages and provides possible language portfolio techniques and tasks.

The article discusses the issues of using projects with students in schools with in-depth study of foreign languages, accentuates the importance of project -based learning in forming students' key competences. The authors highlight basic project functions, types, and advantages, analyze students’ problem areas in creating projects, provide possible project techniques and describe some students’ project samples.

The article discusses the problem and sums up the author’s personal experience of arranging English Education majors’ (BSED) independent and self-directed learning by means of interactive techniques - pair and group work. Possible ways of creating pair and group work, interactive tasks and speech situations samples are highlighted.

The article presents the assignment that highlights discussing the topic "Travelling around the United States and beyond". It includes three country-study texts, stating the peculiarities of travelling by different modes of transportation around America, and text related activities demanding the information search and discussion travelling around Russia and Great Britain. Vocabulary and facts from the texts are mastered through target culture related speech situations of different types on the basis of the content of the suggested texts and intercultural comparison. Provided materials can be used with English language high school students and junior language and humanities university students.