Frolova O.A.
PhD (Pedagogy), Associate Professor, the Department of Foreign Languages Moscow State Institute of Physical Culture, Sport and Tourism
named after Yu.A. Senkevich, c. Moscow
GAME METHOD IN TEACHING A FORIENG LANGUAGE AS A MEANS OF FORMING INTERCULTURAL TOLERANCE OF FUTURE SPECIALISTS IN THE FIELD OF TOURISM
Abstract
The article is devoted to the formation of intercultural tolerance as an integral component of the professionally determined structure of the future specialist in the field of tourism. The definition of intercultural tolerance, the main criteria and indicators of formation are presented. The use of game method in teaching a foreign language as a means of forming
intercultural tolerance of future specialists in the field of tourism is demonstrated.
Keywords: tolerance, intercultural communication, formation, role-playing game, tourism industry.
Ключевые слова: толерантность, межкультурная коммуникация, формирование, ролевая игра, туриндустрия.
Intercultural communication is an integral factor and a dominant of tourist activity. Specialists in the field of tourism have to deal constantly with the solution of the problems of communicative plan in both native and foreign languages. Intercultural tolerance is a component of intercultural communication, the basis for effective intercultural interaction. Intercultural tolerance should be viewed as an integral component of the professionally determined structure of future tourism specialist. [5] This is reflected in the Federal State Educational Standard of Higher Education in the direction of training «Tourism». Graduates should be able to «perceive the intercultural diversity of society in the socio-historical, ethical and philosophical contexts.» Intercultural tolerance is not an innate quality of a person. Therefore, the need for its formation along with other professional qualities in the process of training increases.
The lack of its formation may negatively affect intercultural communication, the nature of interaction and the level of mutual understanding. By intercultural tolerance we mean the complex of personal qualities and abilities of a person, allowing him to show respect and friendly attitude towards the representatives and phenomena of other ethnic cultures. [5]
It is characterized by a positive interaction with people of another culture, the presence of specific value orientations, a set of professional intercultural knowledge and skills aimed at achieving mutual understanding in the process of communication. The future specialist in the field of tourism industry must be a tolerant person, capable of constructive behavior when performing professional duties.
The criteria and indicators of the formation of intercultural tolerance are — language flexibility, emotional stability, lack of stereotypes and prejudices, flexibility of thinking, orientation in a situational context, adequate communication style, empathy, reflection.
The formation of such a professional — personal quality can be carried out successfully if a communicative — value approach is implemented in the process of teaching a foreign language in professional communication, ensuring that the values of intercultural communication are included in the content of teaching, the development of value orientations towards intercultural tolerance is based on the principles of the dialogue of cultures.
The problem character of training should be prioritized in the pedagogical instrumentation of the process of the formation of intercultural tolerance, since it provides mediated and non-mediated intercultural interaction and allows a student to actualize subjective position in the modeling of professional situations. [1] Communicative-value approach is associated with the formation of a certain set of communicative knowledge and skills, and accordingly a value relation to them, the combination of which allows future specialists in the field of tourism industry to carry out professional activities on a tolerant basis.
For the formation of intercultural tolerance, we used in our practice active learning methods imitating the natural forms of organization of human behavior and meeting the goals of vocational training. A special place was given to game methods, which consisted of modeling activities, role-playing, solving practical situational tasks from real life, which covered a range of problems with which students will come into contact in their future professional activities. The leading function of the game is the function of acculturation of the individual, because in the process of mastering a particular role, the learner finds himself in such conditions that ensure the assimilation of behavioral patterns characteristic of a particular situation of intercultural communication. [2]
Describing the role-playing possibilities in the formation of intercultural tolerance, it should be noted that the gaming environment allows to reproduce not only the speech, but also the socio-cultural situation. The game allows to simulate the situation of intercultural communication in the educational process, provides an opportunity to be in different roles and evaluate the situation from different positions, to realize the effectiveness and inefficiency of certain ways of intercourse in the situations of intercultural communication, to practice patterns of behavior. The played role sets the type of verbal and non-verbal behavior. In the course of role-playing games, students master a system of knowledge of norms, values, and patterns of socio-cultural behavior and implement them in communication. In addition to developing the skill of choosing acceptable verbal and non-verbal behavior, a role-playing game helps to establish acceptable interpersonal relationships, develops qualities and skills that are important in the situations of intercultural communication, such as interaction, collaboration. Role-playing also helps to create an educative situation that encourages trainees to reflect – which means the ability to take the place of another person, to see and play the situation from his point, to try to reconcile his likely decisions with your own actions.
In our experiment role-playing games had a character close to business games as a form of game simulation, i.e. specific model of interaction in the situation close to the conditions of future professional-business communication. Real presentations of tourism products, advertising of tour packages, awarding the hotel a certain category, business negotiations with partners and customers, resolving issues with complaints, etc. were imitated. During the preparatory stage, the rules and the course of the game were clearly explained, as well as the goal setting regarding the meaning of role-playing, introduction to the situation and the formation of an algorithm for professional speech behavior based on schemes and instructions, revising speech clichés needed to play a specific situation, and also roles were distributed among the participants. During the game stage there was a role-play in pairs or groups, the discussion of the decisions made in the game situation. At the final stage, the participants analyzed the course of the game, their behavior, evaluated the speech, the communicative behavior of the participants of the game, summarized, made conclusions, and analyzed the difficulties that had arisen. The analysis, diagnostics of problems and decision making developed students’ ability to work with people, the skills of effective tolerant interaction.
We judged the dynamics of the formation of intercultural tolerance by the results of qualitative indicators, reflecting the possibilities and needs for tolerant intercultural communication, the development of value orientations.
The data were obtained as a result of the analysis of diagnostic conversations, surveys, questionnaires, testing, monitoring, analysis of the results of student learning activities. The comparison of data in the experimental and control groups showed positive dynamics and the growth of criteria and indicators of the formation of intercultural tolerance among students in the experimental group, in which it was 42% compared to the control group, where the dynamics was not observed.
Thus, it can be stated that cultural value orientation role-playing games act as a way of teaching intercultural interaction, develop empathy and intercultural tolerance. With the use of gaming technology the necessary communication skills and abilities are developed in the context interpersonal interaction at a higher level. The use of gaming methods develops the ability to respect the opinion of communication partners, the ability to perceive another person adequately, which is the essence of intercultural communication and tolerant consciousness. [4]
Thus, the game method can be used as one of the means of an effective technology for the formation of intercultural tolerance.
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