Volume 71

Special Issue "Pedagogical Approaches for Teaching Foreign Languages in a Digital Environment"

June 2021

Guest Editor-in-Chief:
Assoc. prof. Ivaylo Peev, Ph.D.
Preface for the Special Issue
DOI: 10.47978/TUS.2021.71.02

Table of Contents

 
EFFECTIVE APPLICATION OF BLENDED LEARNING IN ESP COURSES
Maria Momchilova
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TOWARDS SOME ASPECTS OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE BLENDED TEACHING
Vesela Slavova
PDF
DIGITAL REALITY AND E-TRANSFORMATIONS IN THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS
Ivaylo Peev
PDF
HELPING ENGINEERING STUDENTS MASTER THE USE OF SPECIALIZED VOCABULARY WHEN DESIGNING AND DELIVERING PRESENTATIONS WITHIN THE DOMAIN OF THEIR SPECIALIZATION
Bistra Vassileva
 
PDF
LINGUISTIC THEORY AND PRACTICE: SUFFIXATION AND TERMINOLOGY
Milena Purvanova
PDF
CREATING MULTIMEDIA MODULES FOR INTEGRATED LANGUAGE LEARNING
Marin Tsv. Marinov, Todor G. Todorov
PDF
 

EFFECTIVE APPLICATION OF BLENDED LEARNING IN ESP COURSES
Maria Momchilova

Abstract
The real challenge for education worldwide comes from the velocity, scope and impact of technological innovation, and more specifically the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The unprecedented technological development introduced new forms of multiple communication and cross-action spaces. AI and ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) have had quite an impact on teaching methods and learning experiences, and have changed the way learning environments are perceived and organized. To start with, there has been a shift of focus from knowledge recall to competencies and skills for lifelong learning. In addition, the implementation of blended learning which supports sustainable motivation and encourages the mastering of skills has created positive learning environments through personalization and differentiation of the learning process. The present paper discusses some theoretical issues relating to blended learning and its application in teaching English for specific purposes (ESP). The research methodology is based on qualitative methods including a brief terminological overview, critical review of secondary data, comparative analysis of empirical data, and discussion of topic-specific findings.

Keywords
integrated learning experience, key competencies, lifelong learning skills.

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DOI: 10.47978/TUS.2021.71.02.001

 

TOWARDS SOME ASPECTS OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE BLENDED TEACHING
Vesela Slavova

Abstract
The study is focused on aspects of the effectiveness of blended foreign language teaching as a pedagogical model related to the widespread implementation of distance learning during the 2020 pandemic. Blended foreign language teaching is therefore the most preferable educational context. Many aspects of its effectiveness have been discussed in the light of modern foreign language teaching methodologies. Blended learning, which is a mixture of different learning environments and methods, has given learners and teachers a potential and nowadays necessary basis for more effective learning and teaching. Considering the implementation of blended learning in foreign language teaching some important aspects are essential to examine in order to determine its effectiveness. It is obvious that different environments and teaching methods should complement efficiently each other in order to achieve learning objectives. The discrepancy between them can lead to confusion and dissatisfaction for both learners and teachers, who must try to put the individual components together in order to achieve a learner-centered conception and an effective learning experience.

Keywords
blended, foreign language, educational model, learning environments

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DOI: 10.47978/TUS.2021.71.02.002
 

DIGITAL REALITY AND E-TRANSFORMATIONS IN THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS
Ivaylo Peev

Abstract
The article focuses on the transformations that occur during the learning process in a digital environment. The advantages and disadvantages of teaching and learning in an electronic environment are noted, which are illustrated with examples from our practice in online Bulgarian as foreign language lessons. Classical pedagogical and methodological issues in a new reality are brought up, such as the network. The emphasis is placed on the opportunities offered by the digital sphere and how these opportunities can be implemented in foreign language teaching for achieving good results in language mastering.

Keywords
foreign language learning, digital environment, advantages and disadvantages of online learning in an e-environment

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DOI: 10.47978/TUS.2021.71.02.003

 

HELPING ENGINEERING STUDENTS MASTER THE USE OF SPECIALIZED VOCABULARY WHEN DESIGNING AND DELIVERING PRESENTATIONS WITHIN THE DOMAIN OF THEIR SPECIALIZATION
Bistra Vassileva

Abstract
The ability to deliver effective presentations in one’s professional field is becoming a necessary requirement in many job positions related to the world of technologies and business. Future professionals will need to communicate arguments convincingly and spark genuine interest in audiences in order to achieve their goals. For these reasons, they have to master their communicative skills and constantly improve their linguistic resources, especially if they work in multinational companies. The aim of the article is to discuss the difficulties engineering students experience when they have to design and deliver presentations in English in the technical sphere. Through the methods of observation, data collection and analysis, it was established that students have problems when they need to use specialized vocabulary items and terminology in their talks. A possible solution to the problem is seen in the suggestion to implement tasks systematically oriented towards the content of the discipline, which can lead to an enhanced acquisition of specialized concepts by the students.

Keywords
communicative competences,  presentation skills, linguistic resources,  specialized vocabulary

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DOI: 10.47978/TUS.2021.71.02.004

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LINGUISTIC THEORY AND PRACTICE: SUFFIXATION AND TERMINOLOGY
Milena Purvanova

Abstract
The article is in the area of applied linguistics. It offers a brief outlook on suffixation as a word-formative method from the point of view of the theory of linguistics. Definitions of suffixes are given. The structural and semantic approaches in the classification of the constituent elements of a word are applied. Suffixes are discussed in terms of their distribution in the word and are specified as obligatorily stem-final elements but not necessarily word-final elements. The origin of suffixes is touched on as well. The function of suffixes within the derivands is also discussed. Semantic issues of suffixation are focused on, including grammatical and lexical meaning, as well as the stylistic components. The overall grammatical or lexical semantics of suffixes is manifested in their common (categorial) or special (classifying) meaning within the respective framework of meaning. Other theoretical issues covered are five criteria of description and classification of suffixes. Examples are given of the productivity of a specific suffix (-ER) in general English and in English for special purposes. The focus is on two semantic components in the overall semantic structure of the suffix manifested in a total of 67 corpus entries. The applicability of such knowledge in distance learning is discussed.


Keywords
foreign language teaching (FLT), semantics, suffixation, terminology, word-formation

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DOI: 10.47978/TUS.2021.71.02.005

 

CREATING MULTIMEDIA MODULES FOR INTEGRATED LANGUAGE LEARNING
Marin Tsv. Marinov, Todor G. Todorov

Abstract
Information and communication technologies have become an essential part of our contemporary educational context. They offer an impressive number of innovative tools for maximising students’ involvement in the process of acquiring a foreign language and increasing the level of assimilation of information by synthesising various forms of its representation. Acknowledging the significance of this phenomenon, the authors of the article aim to present some ways and methods used to enhance the didactic potential and functionalities in FLT through creating multimedia resources  by processing and integrating limited sources (for example, only text or only sound) and transforming them into multimedia modules. In other words, this is a process of transition from 2D to 3D models. The result is creating an exceptionally stimulating student-centered and flexible learning environment involving a high level of interactivity, autonomy and independence and effectively suited to all kinds of learners, especially those who acquire the language through kinaesthetic, visual and other non-text-based methods.

Keywords
foreign language teaching, multimedia modules, subtitles, text-to-speech synthesis, voice recognition

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DOI: 10.47978/TUS.2021.71.02.006

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