Keyword: «listening skills»

This work considers some problems of teaching non-linguistic higher school students listening comprehension. Interrelation and interdependence of listening with other language skills in post listening activities is noted. The need for authentic materials use at all levels of a foreign language teaching is justified. The main factors to be considered in using appropriate authentic materials are characterized. Some examples of tasks aimed at development of effective listening skills are given.

The article is devoted to considering listening comprehension as a type of speech activity and selected aspects of teaching foreign students listening skills. It addresses the teaching objectives with regard to listening comprehension, provides a basic nomenclature of listening skills, elicits the groups of learning difficulties connected with formation of the listening skills and suggests some ways of overcoming these difficulties by means of the consistent system of tasks aimed at improving both all kinds of listening skills and compensatory skills.

The article describes the history and definition of such a phenomenon as "podcasting", its components and types, and the possibility of using podcasts in educational process. This article represents the methodology and steps for working with podcasts to improve the listening skills of students. The study reveals the educational potential of using podcasts as audio-visual technologies in learning.

The relevance of the current study is determined by the importance of further research and development of English language teaching methods employing videopodcasts on the base of LMS Moodle. The rapid growth of modern information and communication technology, including Internet, allows to employ it as an effective ELT tool. Meanwhile we have to accept a fundamental contradiction between the critical necessity for informatization of ELT process and traditional teaching technologies currently employed in non-linguistic higher educational institutions. The purpose of the article is to make the analysis of the last two years ELT experience of the use of podcasting as on-line language teaching and learning tool and to invent the methodological algorithm for creating ELT material on the base of videopodcasts. The technical potential of the Learning Management System (LMS) Moodle in terms of utilizing its resources for integrating videopodcasts in the ELT process is considered. The analysis of native and foreign studies shows that recent decades have seen a welcome surge of practical and academic interest in the discussed topic. However, the lack of large fundamental studies (doctoral papers, monographs, teacher’s books) should be noted. In the course of the study the authors use the following research methods: the method of the analysis of relevant scientific literature; the generalization method; the observation method; the empirical methods of survey and quantitative analysis. The authors present the reliable algorithm of creating and using the podcast-based teaching materials for on-line/off-line classes. The mentioned algorithm was developed and tested by the instructors of the Chair of foreign languages at the Civil Defence Academy (EMERCOM of Russia). The analysis of the students’ survey shows that they consider videopodcasts to be really effective and motivating language learning technology able to assist in the development of language skills of listening, speaking, and writing. The authors conclude that podcasting technology has a number of methodological advantages and is capable to contribute to more effective foreign language teaching and learning. Podcasting technology also allows learners’ flexibility and personalized learning. The results of the research contribute to language didactics and to the improvement of teaching methods by advancing the application of modern technologies in ELT classrooms.