Aleksei Stepanov

Developed skills of foreign language communication are an integral part of the professional competence of modern specialists. Steady motivation for adult learners to learn a foreign language is formed with requirements of employers, on the one hand, and opportunities for career growth and financial stability, on the other. Large amount of theoretical studies alongside with insufficient practical development of the andragogical model of language training determines the relevance of the research undertaken. The purpose of the article is to describe one of the possible scenarios for the design of language courses for adult learners, taking into account the requirements of the andragogical training model. The paper describes the andragogical principles of training, that include: using professional experience of learners; individualizing training process; learners’ independence; practical orientation of adult learning process; learner-centered approach. The article presents a step-by-step description of the process of organizing and implementing language courses for adult learners, including requirements for training staff competencies. It is proved that training should be conducted in distance or mixed formats using information and communication technologies. The authors offer applying interactive teaching method as one of the most productive technique in adult learners’ language training / retraining. The example described is the interactive technique “Business game” used in distance learning with the usage of information and communication technologies. This method allows solving two important tasks of adult target audience training: to develop communication skills in a foreign language and to ensure the practical orientation of the learning process. The step-by-step course of the technology application is presented, the role of an adult educator at each stage is determined. The authors of the article come to the conclusion that other technologies of the interactive method can also be effectively used within the andragogical training model. Studies of this kind contribute to the development of new educational approaches aimed at adult learners’ language training/retraining. In addition, they make it possible to practically comprehend the possibility of applying the stated theoretical propositions.