Acquiring a foreign language argumentative discourse by students of an engineering and technological profile

Автор: Шоханова Тоқжан Асқарқызы

Алматы қаласы №39 мамандандырылған лицей, ағылшын тілі мұғалімі

«Acquiring a foreign language argumentative discourse by students of an engineering and technological profile»

Taking into account the vast opportunities of both students and future graduates of the engineering and technological profile, the practical use of English for professional and academic activities, it seems appropriate to choose a foreign-language argumentative discourse as the basis for teaching students in this area of ​​training. A foreign language argumentative discourse of an engineering and technological profile is understood as the oral and written speech activity of a specialist, which constitutes informational, argumentative, social-ritual types of communication, implying possession of a number of extra-linguistic skills: working with professional authentic literature, presenting the results of research, conducting a discussion on topics related to professional activities and jointly solve problems from the field of activity based on a professional foreign language vocabulary.

At the same time, it should be noted that in schools, the process of professional self-determination of students is not effective enough, students find it difficult to choose a training profile, make this choice randomly, without taking into account the requirements of the labor market. This, in turn, leads to an unmotivated choice of a profession, an educational institution of professional training, and, consequently, a lack of desire to work in the received specialty.

Argumentation, or rather argumentative discourse, has its own constant macrostructure. Its components are the thesis, arguments (grounds, arguments) and demonstration.

In the process of changing the argumentative situation, the object and the subject can change places. One of the features of argumentation is that the argumentator considers the recipient to be a subject who has the right to accept the statement in favor of which the argument is being made, or to reject it.

Therefore, the number of qualitative characteristics that will be included in the formation of a foreign-language argumentative discourse includes the following:

- the ability to adequately assess and extract the necessary information;

- ability to present the results of scientific activity in a reasoned manner;

- the ability to build the statements logically and consistently;

- ability to enter into contacts, maintain them or interrupt them;

- knowledge of methods and techniques of conducting discussions, discussing topics related to professional activities;

- the ability to listen to the interlocutor, to be tolerant of someone else's point of view.

Future engineering activities, for which students of specialized engineering and technology classes and corporate classes are preparing, with the acceleration of scientific and technological progress, increasingly require the ability not only to replenish knowledge throughout life, but also to participate in the process of creating knowledge. This ability to think outside the box is especially important to form from school age. Moreover, the youth policy system is simultaneously expanding the network of institutions where innovative ideas can be implemented.

The method of inventing knowledge brings to a logical conclusion the idea expressed by scientists and teachers-innovators about the importance of the transition from memorization to" obtaining " knowledge. Any system studied under any program is considered as the result of overcoming the contradictions in the predecessor system that prevent its further development.

The effectiveness of training competent specialists is largely determined by the presence of a professionally-oriented contingent of applicants.

With regard to the training of specialists in the field of engineering and technology, this is especially important, since the educational process is characterized by increased labor intensity, complexity of mastering educational programs, etc engineering education, practical work with students, experience of interaction with employers suggests that training students focused on reasoned engineering education who plan to seek employment in industrial enterprises of the country should the promotion of engineering education in the school environment, improving the quality of school readiness by strengthening scientific knowledge, increasing the preprofile and profile training of students, organization of effective pre-University training.

The analysis of the practice of mass introduction of specialized training in secondary schools indicates that the most important competencies of students are not sufficiently formed - the ability to independently learn, increase knowledge, skills and skills in natural science disciplines, as well as that the implementation of a number of new, career-oriented tasks ( related to the profiling of high school) is not systematic and is carried out by the school without taking into account complex and functional approaches. Students find it difficult to choose a training profile, to choose a profession. Therefore, universities organize pre-university training, which takes on functions not only educational, but also related to career guidance work in a specialized school.

It is advisable to take semantic fragments of a foreign language argumentative discourse as a discursive unit of learning, while the learning process is understood as the formation of the skills of understanding and creating semantic fragments of a professional foreign language discourse, the synergy of which is largely achieved through the use of the case study method, which gives a qualitatively new semantic effect. As a result, the basis of this technique is an algorithm for the formation of understanding skills and creation of semantic fragments of a foreign language argumentative discourse of engineering and technological profile.

This algorithm includes four stages:

1. introductory: performing exercises to form an understanding of semantic fragments of a professional foreign language discourse of applied mechanics;

2. standardizing: performing exercises to consolidate the skills of understanding and the formation of skills in creating semantic fragments of a professional foreign language discourse of applied mechanics;

3. varying: consolidating the skills of understanding and creating semantic fragments of a professional foreign language discourse of applied mechanics in situations of educational communication;

creative: the use of the skills of understanding and creating semantic fragments of a professional foreign language discourse of applied mechanics in situations simulated and adapted to real professional communication using the case study method at varying and creative stages.

Examples of the Exercises and tasks for 10^th grade students:

Exercise 1. Express your opinion about the following statements using the phrases below. Give reasons:

Every generation has the right to build its own world out of the materials of the past, cemented by the hopes of the future.

I recognize nothing that is not material. In physics, chemistry and biology I see only mechanics. The Universe is nothing but an infinite and complex mechanism. Its complexity is so great that it borders on willfulness, suddenness, and randomness; it gives the illusion of free will possessed by conscious beings.

The Titanic didn’t sink because it hit an iceberg; it sank because the steel was brittle and it cracked. If you know the structure of a material, you can figure out how to improve it.

Expressing Total / Partial Agreement:

That’s true.

That’s exactly how I see it.

I’m of the same opinion

It’s only partly true, that…

It’s not as simple as it seems.

Expressing Disagreement:

I’m sorry but I disagree with that.

I cannot agree with that.

I’m afraid I have my own thoughts about that.

Giving reasons:

The reason is that…

The point is…

The main thing is...

Exercise 2. Design your own company. Read the instructions below and make a plan of the company.

1. The reception area must be next to the entrance.

2. The restroom mustn’t be far from the reception.

3. The secretary’s office mustn’t be near the entrance or the reception.

4. The break room must be near the laboratory.

5. The laboratory mustn’t be near the manager’s office.

6. The manager’s office must be next to the meeting room.

Exercise 3. Passive: Inventors or Inventions? Put the words in the correct form.

How is paper produced?

Paper __________ (to make) from wood. The fibers of the wood ______ (blend) with water till they become soft, moist pulp, which _____ (drain). This way of making paper _______ (represent) in the second century BC in China. However, early written material is _______ (not make) of wood. In fact, the word paper comes from papyrus, which the ______ (utilize) the Egyptians to make paper in 3000 BC. When papermaking machines ________ (devise) in the 19th century, paper became readily available. However, one of the problems with the huge paper industry today is that a chemical called chlorine _______ (supplement) to make the paper white. Recycling is important because chlorine is ________ (not require) and less energy is ________ (use) for paper recycling.

References

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3. Verbitsky A.A. Active learning in higher school: contextual approach / Verbitsky A. A. - M.: Higher school, 1991. - 204 p.

4. Volf E.M. Functional semantics of evaluation. - M.: Nauka, 1985. - 228 p.