Keyword: «microcontent»

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 article substantiates the need to use the microlearning method in teaching French to students – linguists of generation Z for the development of their communicative competence, since it is one of the rapidly developing directions in teaching foreign languages. Microlearning is becoming a format based on targeted and short-term cooperation of the teacher and students, mainly using electronic educational means. Despite the replication of this practice, the approaches to its definition remain diverse, and the concept itself is often interpreted with methodological uncertainty, which confirms the relevance of our research. This is especially true for microlearning the second foreign language by students – linguists of generation Z, in particular, for the development of communicative competence. The aim of the study was to describe the practice of implementing the method of microlearning French by students – linguists of generation Z for the development of their communicative competence. The research material was the theoretical and practical provisions of multimedia education, an idea of the essence of the design of microlearning foreign languages. The study involved observing the activities of teachers and students and analyzing the educational and methodological products prepared by the participants in the educational process. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that it summarizes the theory and practice of implementing the method of micro-teaching the French language to students – linguists for the development of communicative competence in special pedagogical conditions of higher education. The article offers an example of a microcourse of the French language using interconnected microcontent and a system of interactive tasks based on digital platforms, which is built taking into account the research methodology. The results of the study indicate the need to use the method of microlearning French by students – linguists of generation Z for the development of their communicative competence. The mechanism for introducing the method of micro-learning French by students – linguists of generation Z for the development of communicative competence is a phased system of organizational interconnected steps, each of which is aimed at ensuring the integrity and effectiveness of the educational process: setting goals; structuring microcourse and microcontent content; preparation of interactive tasks; selection of digital platforms and multimedia learning tools; selection of control and evaluation means; development of micro lessons in a second foreign language (French); development of a set of methodological techniques for organizing educational work. The results of the study expand the scientific understanding of the importance of the method of microlearning the second foreign language by students – linguists to intensify communicative competence. The theoretical significance of the work lies in the theoretical justification of the importance of the method of micro-learning French by students – linguists of generation Z for the development of communicative competence. The practical significance of the work consists in the implementation of the method of micro-teaching the French language to students – linguists of generation Z for the development of communicative competence.