Inna N. Kosheleva

The relevance of microlearning research is determined by the increasing level of digitalization of society, which leads to a change in the way people communicate, especially in the context of the popularity of social networks, the creation and obtaining information. All of this creates conditions for transforming learning formats and intensifying the trend of lifelong learning. The 2020 coronavirus pandemic also prompted the teaching community to revise teaching methods, as leading positions were given to online learning. In these conditions, the practice of teaching English in non-linguistic universities also underwent changes, making it relevant to use messengers, social networks, and applications in the learning process. In addition, the microlearning format meets the needs of modern Generation Z students, who have short attention span, and it also allows to reduce cognitive load for students in non-linguistic universities, where programs require the acquisition of a large volume of knowledge, skills and abilities in general English language and professional language. The purpose of this article is to describe the possibilities of integrating the principles of microlearning into the practice of teaching English in a non-linguistic university. The study is carried out within the framework of the leading learning theories: John Sweller's cognitive load theory, Richard Mayer's multimedia learning theory, and the connectivism theory of George Siemens and Stephen Downes. The study of the leading trends in the development of the concept of microlearning has allowed to formulate a number of principles of this format for English teaching: the use of a multimedia environment; presentation of the learning material as microcontent; formation of microskills through the setting of specific goals; a focus on collocations and chunks as one of the objects of study in the context of the development of lexical skills. The theoretical significance of the study is determined by the possibility of expanding scientific views on the internalization of bite-sized material in a short period of time. The practical significance of the article lies in the fact that the highlighted principles of microlearning allow us to diversify the teaching methods and streamline the learning process with the help of digital technologies.

The relevance of the problem under research is determined by the need to find effective methods of teaching English vocabulary in the context of a non-linguistic university. This is due to the fact that curricula often require mastering a substantial volume of vocabulary both in general English and in the language of the profession. Additionally, vocabulary is of practical importance for the overall development of communicative competence. Furthermore, over the past two decades, the rapid advancements in the fields of neuroscience and cognitive psychology have prompted researchers to shift their focus towards the empirical findings, leading to the establishment of an evidence-based approach to foreign language teaching. Consequently, it is pertinent to refer to the evidence base of scientific research for a deeper understanding of cognitive processes, techniques for long-term retention of material, and the characteristics of certain learning strategies for vocabulary acquisition. The aim of this article is to systematize the most effective methods of teaching vocabulary in the English language classroom at a non-linguistic university from the perspective of an evidence-based approach. The research is conducted within the framework of an evidence-based approach, relying on substantiated information. The following theories are also reflected in the work: the situated cognition theory, the cognitive-affective theory of learning with media, cognitive load theory, and the levels of processing theory. Monitoring of the leading trends in the teaching of foreign language vocabulary has allowed for formulating the key principles of vocabulary instruction: reorganizing information about lexical units within cognitive strategies; thematic vocabulary clustering; contextual learning; the level of cognitive load; cognitive depth of vocabulary processing. The theoretical significance of the research lies in the potential to enrich scientific understanding of the cognitive processes that govern foreign language vocabulary acquisition, taking into account the findings obtained from the empirical studies. The practical significance of the article is that the outlined principles of working on vocabulary can help educators expand their methodological toolkit. Additionally, the illustrated methods of interacting with vocabulary can be utilized by teachers in various educational contexts, adapted to suit the needs of the learners.

The relevance of the problem under study is dictated by the conditions of humanizing the educational sphere at the current stage of societal development. The professional career of foreign language teachers goes beyond the key competences in the fields of pedagogy and linguistics, prioritizing the comprehensive development of students' personalities and unleashing their potential. The humanistic orientation of the educational process reflects the close interaction in the "teacher-student" relationship, which implies mutual respect and creating a positive learning environment. Accordingly, empathy is one of the important teachers' professional qualities that contributes to the effectiveness of the learning process. The article aims to comprehensively outline the concept of teacher empathy, as well as the ways to implement it in teaching English at a non-linguistic university. The research draws on a humanistic approach to foreign language teaching which involves the development of human values in students, awareness of other people's needs and sensitivity to their emotions. Apart from that, the study has been carried out in line with Stephen Krashen's affective filter hypothesis which determines the influence of affective factors on the effectiveness of material acquisition. Furthermore, we consider the theory of social constructivism highlighting the social nature of cognitive development. Study of the theoretical aspects of empathy has allowed us to identify the nature of teacher empathy and define it as one of the components of a teacher's social-emotional competence. Thus, teacher empathy is defined as a complex structure consisting of cognitive (based on observation), affective (based on experience), and behavioral empathy (reflected in actions). The theoretical significance of the research lies in the possibility of expanding knowledge in the study of the concept of empathy in teaching career allowing for a deeper understanding of its essence. The practical significance of the work is that some strategies for demonstrating teacher empathy in teaching English at a non-linguistic university can be applied in teaching other disciplines. Additionally, the outlined theoretical aspects of empathy can form the basis for both professional development courses for faculty members and programs aimed at optimizing learning in the context of secondary and higher education taking into account the diverse students' needs.

The relevance of the topic under research is determined by the necessity of the students' exposure to authentic materials with restricted contact with a foreign language, namely the English language. Taking into account the rapid growth in information technology and also the influence of multimedia on the learning process, the English TV series serve as a good aid in foreign language teaching. In this way they provide students with the opportunity to immerse themselves in the language environment, familiarize themselves with the sociocultural context of the target language country. The article aims to comprehensively outline the work on the audio-visual material as exemplified by the TV series reboot of ''Saved by the bell'' of 2020 at a non-linguistic university. The research is based on the tenets of R. Mayer's multimedia learning theory positing that information processing system includes two channels – auditory and visual, each of them has limited capacity and an active learning process implies reliance on the existing knowledge. Apart from that, the work reflects R. Schmidt's noticing hypothesis according to which language input becomes intake as long as it is noticed. The hypothesis of affective filter plays a significant role showing how the affective filters exert influence on the learning materials intake. The study of the practical aspects and approaches to the work on TV series made it possible to formulate a number of principles of appropriateness of TV series use in the English teaching practice. Hence, these principles are reflected in the fact that the input has to be processed in large quantities, has to be comprehensible, engaging, familiar and contextualized. Based on the highlighted principles the algorithm of work on the TV series ''Saved by the bell'' is showcased. Theoretical implication of the research lies in the fact that a comprehensive consideration of the TV series use in English language teaching makes it possible to re-evaluate their learning potential and also deeper understand the cognitive processes involved in TV series watching by students. Practical implication of the article comes down to the fact that the outlined set of tasks can be taken into account in other TV series course design in different learning contexts, therefore, providing going beyond the usual methods of engagement with authentic audiovisual materials.

The relevance of the topic under research is determined by the fact that creative thinking is a forerunner of innovations necessary for the development of society. Creative thinking fosters generating complex ideas, decision making, personal growth, also adaptation to the modern world requirements in the context of globalization and competition with artificial intelligence among professionals. Moreover, the digital era shifts focus from the transfer of knowledge to students to application of this knowledge in problem-solving. Foreign language classes, English classes in particular, open up an opportunity to unleash students' creative potential. Thus, the article aims to outline factors affecting positively the formation and development of creative skills in students in the English language classroom at a non-linguistic university. The research draws on the humanistic approach to teaching which underpins students' self-actualization. Apart from that, the work takes the tenets of the cognitivism theory as a starting point considering learners to be active participants of cognitive activity. An important role in the research is played by Vygotsky's sociocultural theory positing the value of students' interaction for acquisition of knowledge and skills. The findings of this study revealed specific features of creative thinking, its multidimensionality is shown. Theoretical knowledge about the nature of the concept under study enables to identify a number of factors ensuring activating creative thinking skills in foreign language teaching: teacher's personality and behavior, an effective learning environment, principles underpinning learning tasks. Theoretical implication of the article is due to a complex description of creative thinking that allows to deeper understand its nature and on this basis properly integrate it in English language teaching. Practical implication of the article lies in the fact that factors of activating creative thinking skills identified in the study can be applied in syllabuses and curricula design depending on the learning context, aims and learners' needs. The described principles underpinning the creative tasks allow to expand teacher's methods and maintain students' interest and motivation for learning English.