The autumn semester of this academic year at ZNU marked active work within the framework of the implementation of European of Erasmus + KA2 projects like the MultiEd / "Foreign Language Teacher Training Capacity Development as a Way to Ukraine’s Multilingual Education and European Integration". Within its action plan there has been done considerable amount of work so far, despite the unfavorable circumstances of the global coronavirus pandemic. Thus, in September-October, the interim results of the study of the state of multilingual education in ZNU were processed, which will soon be finalized in the report. The project partnership holds regular zoom meetings, where they discuss important issues of procuring the equipment, organizing study meetings and seminars, planning work for 2021.
On October 27, under the umbrella of the Erasmus + KA2 MultiEd project there was held the first dissemination seminar “Foreign language online” for schoolteachers and professors of the Faculty of Foreign Philology. The worshop was held at the Faculty of Foreign Philology, Zaporizhzhia National University. Organizers were Moroshkina Halyna, Dean of the Faculty of Foreign Philology of Zaporizhzhia National University, Kanibolotska Olha, PhD, associate professor, Faculty of Foreign Philology, ZNU, Svitlana Zapolskykh, PhD, associate professor, Faculty of Foreign, ZNU) in cooperation with Methodological Center of the Department of Education and Science of Zaporizhzhia City Council.
The main purpose of the meeting is to improve language, communication and information and digital competencies. Classes were held in the format of Zoom-conferences for teachers of English and German. The participants of the seminar were involved in classes conducted by the teachers of the Faculty of Foreign Languages. The sections were as follows:
- Online tools for learning English as a foreign language: interactive boards, survey, evaluation and feedback tools. English language teaching using interactive boards and popular feedback systems were discussed. Participants received skills of remote work to optimize classes (moderators - Svitlana Zapolskykh, Maryna Zaluzhna, Ph.D., associate professors);
- CLIL classes: practical activities to guide language comprehension and focus. The central subject of discussion was the question of the organic combination of professional knowledge, subject-language and common language competencies. This is the purpose of CLIL methodology (Content and Language Integrated Learning) - subject-language integrated learning. The master class was aimed at helping teachers to balance the work on these types of competencies in the classroom (moderator - Natalia Nadtochiy, Ph.D., associate professor);
- introduction of CLIL methodology in the process of teaching theoretical disciplines. The speaker presented her own experience in the introduction and application of CLIL elements in the process of teaching the course “Introduction to Linguistics” to the students of the Faculty of Foreign Philology (moderator - Irina Andreieva, Ph.D., Associate Professor);
- development of lexical skills with the help of digital tools. The problem of modern creative approach to learning foreign languages was discussed. The use of a variety of digital media will help make online learning more diverse and facilitate the teacher’s work. Programs that promote the development of lexical competence were considered (moderator - Olga Richter, lecturer).
Discussions of such issues are very relevant in the period of quarantine restrictions. Therefore, the participants of the event (more than 120 foreign language teachers from Zaporizhzhia) thanked the organizers and wished to continue to hold such methodological conferences and actively share experience of European Erasmus+ KA2 MultiEd Project in online and offline formats.