The problem of goal-setting in a foreign language teaching in a diverse educational environment

About the authors:

Ekaterina V. Shadrova, Cand. Sci. (Ped.), Associate Professor at the Vologda State University, ekaterina-shadrova@yandex.ru
Ekaterina L. Tikhomirova, Cand. Sci. (Ped.), Associate Professor at the Vologda State University, ekaterinatichomirova@yandex.ru

Abstract:

The article deals with the problem of pedagogical goal-setting in teaching foreign languages in a diverse educational environment. The importance of this problem is connected with the processes of internationalization of national educational systems when the issues of teaching diverse students arise and the importance of developing their foreign communicative competence by means of English as a ‘global’ language of communication becomes one of the main objectives of mainstream teaching and language teaching methodology. The authors analyse different approaches to determining educational aims and compare various definitions of a concept “goal-setting” as well as define main subjects of “pedagogical goal-setting”. This paper highlights the problems of stating educational objectives at macro- and micro- levels in teaching diverse groups of learners. The examples of formulating purposes of a language course or/and a lesson from the positions of all subjects of an educational process are given. The article provides some recommendations on how to follow the goal-setting stages while implementing national standards in education. The authors come to the conclusion that in order to increase the efficiency of foreign language teaching it is necessary to set measurable and achievable aims which have to be accepted by language learners and which should take into account different learners’ educational needs.

References:

1. Balashova I. V., Tikhomirova E. L., Shadrova E. V. Issledovanie potrebnostej geterogennyh grupp obuchajushhihsja [Investigating the Educational Needs of Learners in Heterogeneous Classrooms]. Psikhologo-pedagogicheskii poisk [Psychological and Pedagogical Research]. 2014. No 4(32). Pp. 129-141. (In Russian)
2. Bashmakov M. I., Pozdniakov S. N., Reznik N. A. Planirovanie uchitelem svoej dejatel'nosti [Teachers’ Planning of Their Activities] // Shkol'nye tehnologii [School Technologies]. 2001. No 1. Pp. 133-140. (In Russian)
3. Zagviazinskii V. I. Strategija operezhajushhego proektirovanija razvitija rossijskogo obrazovanija [The Strategy of Leading Design Development of Russian Education] // Vestnik Tjumenskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta [Tyumen State University Herald]. 2012. No 9. Pp. 6-11. (In Russian)
4. Serova N. A. Tselepolaganie v usloviiakh lichnostno orientirovannogo obucheniia matematike v srednei shkole [Goal-setting in a Learner-centered Teaching of Maths at a Secondary School]: diss. kand. ped. nauk [Diss. Cand. Sci. (Ped.)]. N. Novgorod, 2004. (In Russian)
5. Khutorskoi A. V. Problemy i tehnologii obrazovatel'nogo celepolaganija [The Problems and Technologies of Educational Goal-setting] // Eidos [Eidos]. 2006. 22 August. http://www.eidos.ru/journal/2006/0822-1.htm (In Russian)
6. Bloom B. S. Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. The Classification of Goals. New York, 1971. 236 p.
7. Harmer J. The practice of English language teaching. Longman, 2001. 372 p.
8. Scrivener J. Learning Teaching: The Essential Guide to English Language Teaching. Macmillan, 2011. 416 p.
9. Woodward T. Planning lessons and courses: designing sequences of work for the anguage classroom. Cambridge: CUP, 2001. 250 p.