INNOVATIVE TEACHING METHODS IN A CULTURE INTEGRATED ENGLISH LANGUAGE COURSE

Abstract

The relevance of the study is dictated by the demand of the state for training competitive specialists who are ready to maintain an intercultural dialogue in their professional field. The main goal of modern language education is the development of innovative integrated courses that enable students to enrich their subject knowledge and to master the ability to use this knowledge at the international level. This article considers Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) and English for Specific Purposes (ESP) to be promising ways of implementing the integrative approach into the education system. Many methodologists and linguists have proven the effectiveness of interconnected teaching foreign languages and cultures, resulting in the selection of a culture-based course designed in English as an object of the research. With a view to developing students’ professional foreign language competence and enriching subject knowledge, the educational process includes using digital tools provided by museums around the world (the State Hermitage Museum, the Louvre Museum, the British Museum, the Rijksmuseum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Uffizi Gallery, The Vatican Museums), as well as the tasks based on these authentic resources. The study reveals that digital archives, online art collections, ‘Virtual Visit’, audio and video resources are valuable sources of authentic materials that can be used in the process of professionally oriented English teaching.