Computer programmes as a mean of teaching

      Using the demonstrational computer, the teacher uses an automatic mode: the pictures of the natural phenomena appear on the screen: снег-snow, ливень-shower, гроза-thunderstorm,   пасмурно-humidity, изморозь-drizzle, ясно-clear, солнечно-sunny, холодно-cold, облачно-cloudy, град-hail, etc.

      Then go the phrases:

          . What a beautiful day! - Какой прекрасный день!

          . What awful weather! - Какая ужасная погода!

          . Is it usually as hot as this? - Здесь всегда так жарко?

          . What's the forecast for tomorrow? - Какой прогноз погоды на завтра?

          . It's windy! - Дует сильный ветер!

          . It's raining - Идёт дождь.

      The students are watching and listening to. Approximate time - 2-3 minutes.

      The second stage is pronunciation exercise and vocabulary practice. The teacher or student switches the mode from auto to manual, and then clicks the proper word or phrase.

      The students repeat announcer´s speech all together. Provided that there are enough computers in the classroom, the students work individually using the earphones and microphone. Approximate time - 5-10 minutes. It depends on the amount of words in the given topic.

      The third stage is the control of the studied vocabulary. The students choose the task, which may contain 10, 20 or 30 questions on topic. After finishing the exam the table with the results counted in percent appears on the screen. It goes without saying that every student tries to do his or her best.

      In the case of having only one computer in the classroom, it will be used as demonstrational while introducing and practicing vocabulary. Control can be implemented then individually with the help of training hand-out (cards with the tasks). The tasks given in the cards can be similar to the tasks of the computer program. For example:

      - Choose the right variant of translation of the word “snow” - tennis, shower,  snow,   umbrella,   thunderstorm,   boxing.

      - Which word is unnecessary: winter, February, cool, December, November, January, etc.

      b) Speaking:

      There are a lot of educational computer programs that involve working with the microphone, while learning dialogic speech

      The example of the work with dialogues is taken from the “Triple Play Plus in English”. We are to choose one of twelve dialogues (“In the cafe”, for example).

      Some pictures appear on the screen - the scenes of the given dialogue.

      The first stage is the acquaintance with the dialogue. 

          . Good morning!

         . Good morning!

          . What would you like?

          . I'd like some coffee, please.

          . Do you want milk in your coffee?

          . Yes, please. Hey, this coffee is too cold.

          . I'm sorry, here is some hot coffee.

          . Thank you.

          . How is it now?

          . It's just right.

          . Would you like some more coffee?

          . No, thanks. How much is it?

          . Ninety - five cents, please.

          . Thank you. Have a nice day.

          . Good bye. 

      At the second stage the students are to learn the dialogue by heart.

      Students work in pairs. They repeat the phrases after the announcers. Then graphic presentation of the sounds of the announcer and of the student appears on the screen. Comparing them, the student can see all the errors. Thus, the student tries to achieve graphic presentation as much similar to the sample as possible.

      The students of junior grades can complete the tasks on making up sentences out of the offered group of words. For example: like, lyke, what, you, wood,  your,  yu,  would.  The student clicks the proper words in order to make up the right sentence “What would you like?” and the others. The number of right sentences is shown on the screen.

      The third stage is the dialogue´s staging.

      Firstly, the students reproduce the dialogue with the help of the pictures, and then recite it without any hints.

      The next stage is the control of the dialogic speech. Such control is conducted after learning all (12) dialogues. The students choose the card with the task (the teacher is to prepare the cards with the descriptions of different situations) and make up their own dialogue, using the vocabulary of the given program and their own imagination. 

      d) Writing:

      This kind of work involves two tasks simultaneously: right spelling of the English words and keyboard mastering. The teaching computer program “Bridge to English” helps to solve these tasks. Almost every task in this program involves typing of the English words and sentences.

      e) Reading + grammar phenomena exercise:

      All the teaching computer programs anyway involve work with different texts and dialogues, concerning certain topic and grammar phenomena. For  example, “L.Romanov. English Grammar” consists of 25 lessons, and each lesson contains one text and exercises some grammar phenomena: affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences, ejectives degrees of comparison, passive voice, some/any pronouns, there is/there are structures, prepositions, etc. There is also a multiple choice test after each text that aimed at control of understanding of the information given in the text.

      “English Gold” computer program contains 144 micro dialogues, and each of them involves exercising the certain grammar structure, especially grammar tenses.

      2.2 The approbation and its interpretation

      

     This part of work contains scenarios of three lessons that were conducted with the students of the tenth grade and the interpretation of their results. The aim of the approbation is to find out the effectiveness of the application if information technologies to educational process on praxis. All the lessons were carried out in a school's special computer class. While elaborating the plans of the lessons, we took into consideration the classification of the forms of work with educational computer programs given in the previous part.

     Topic of the first lesson is “Australia”.

     The objectives of the lesson:

     1) To demonstrate the practical use of computer while learning English;

     2) To activate the topic vocabulary in students´ speech;

     3) To develop reading and speaking skills with the help of topic text.

       Software:

     1) Developing games:

     a) Hangman;

     b) School mom;

     c) Parole.

     2) Computer-integrated grammar textbook “Big Ben”

     Plan of the lesson:

     1) Organizational moment;

     2) “Auction” quiz;

     3) Phonetic exercise of the words;

     4) Activation of topic vocabulary in students´ speech;

     5) Home work check;

     6) Work with topic “Australia”;

     7) The results of the lesson.

     Course of the lesson:

     1) The teacher of English begins the lesson with the greeting and explaining of the tasks of the lesson. Then comes the introductory speech of Computer Science teacher. The speech is about close interaction between English and Informatics subjects. Successful work with computer depends in many aspects on the knowledge of the English language.

     2) Computer Science teacher suggests the “Auction” game. He reminds that in most cases computer languages use English words. Thus, the last to mention an English word connected with computer operation or computer programs will get an excellent mark. Students remember the words they use, while working with computer.

     3) The teacher of English conducts phonetic exercise of computer terms. Students repeat and translate the words. Simultaneously, Computer Science teacher asks what action takes place by clicking this word.

     4) The teacher of English reminds the topic of the lesson (Australia) and suggests remembering geographical names with the help of “Hangman” computer game (Guessing game, where computer thinks of a word and the students try to guess it by suggesting letters. The word to guess is represented by a row of dashes, giving the number of letters. If the guessing student suggests a letter which occurs in the word, the computer writes it in all its correct positions. If the suggested letter does not occur in the word, the computer draws one element of the hangman diagram as a tally mark).

     5) Then the teacher of English tries to activate topic vocabulary by asking such questions as:

     - What is the English (Russian) for...?

     - Guess what it is?

     - Choose the right word.

     6) The teacher of English says that there is a computer game, which will help the students to remember the words connected with the topic “Geography”. This game is called “Parole”. The first and the last letters of the English word appear on the monitor screen together with its Russian equivalent. The students suggest the letters, trying to guess the word. Only three mistakes are allowed.  

     7) Then the teacher of English checks the homework for the lesson (Reading of the text “Australia”). Students are to complete the multiple choice tests with the questions to the text: 

      

     1. Australia is situated in the...

           a) Northern Hemisphere

           b) Southern Hemisphere

           c) Western Hemisphere

           d) Eastern Hemisphere

     2. Australia occupies the...

           a) Whole continent

           b) Part of the continent

           c) The island

           d) The Southern peninsula

     3. Australia is washed by...

           a) Stone Sea

           b) Silver Sea

           c) Pearl Sea

           d) Coral Sea

     4. The capital of the country is...

           a) Sydney

           b) Darwin

           c) Canberra

           d) Lithgow

     5. The number of the Australian states is...

           a) 50

           b) 6

           c) 10

           d) 23

     6. Australian population is...

           a) 18, 3 mln

           b) 28, 8 mln

           c) 140 mln

           d) 45, 3 mln

         7. The longest river in Australia is...

           a)  The Murray

           b) The Darling

           c) The Russel

           d) The Kolan

     8. The largest island of Australia is...

           a) Cocoas Islands

           b) Kangaroo Island

           c) Tasmania

           d) Pine Island

     9. The native animal of Australia is...

           a) A bear

           b) A turtle

           c) A koala

           d) A cow

     10. Australia is the member of...

          a) G8

           b) G12

           c) G20

           d) G50

     11. The official language of the country is...

           a) Australian

           b) English

           c) Spanish

           d) German

     12. The formal head of the state is...

           a) The prime – minister

           b) The Queen of the UK

           c) The president of the USA

           d) The Prince of Wales

     13. What sport does The Ashes connected with…

           a) Basketball

           b) Cricket

           c) Rugby

           d) Netball

     14. The group of stars one can see on the Australian flag is...