THE ROLE OF THE MEDIA IN TEACHING FRENCH AT NON-LANGUAGE FACILITIES DURING THE PANDEMIC PERIOD- DISTANCE LEARNING

 

Irina Meshkova¹, Olga Sheremetieva², Larissa Spynu³

¹Assoc. Prof. PhD., Peoples‘ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University), Russia, meshiran1@gmail.com

²Senior Lecturer, Peoples‘ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University), Russia, oasher@mail.ru

³Assoc. Prof. PhD., Peoples‘ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University), Russia, lorance@rambler.ru

 

Abstract

Language as a special type of social informational connections is both a way of expressing accumulated knowledge and a basis for the formation of the new ones. With the help of language, in the process of active cognitive activity, the informational picture of the world changes. Modern society is also constantly changing. The language follows these changes which are best reflected in mass media language. Mass media plays an important role, highlights the most relevant events, which became especially important during the pandemic. The mass media are viewed as a special socially-orientated information system that performs an important communicative function in the process of teaching a foreign language. With the help of media materials, an act of communication between people is carried out, based on mutual understanding, which involves the formation of communicative and social competencies.

The use of authentic media materials, such as the print press, audio and video sites, in the process of teaching a foreign language brings students as close as possible to the real information situation. For example, the use of authentic French media texts in foreign language classes, depending on the level of proficiency in the language of the learners, makes it possible to better understand and explain the socio-political and cultural factors in the life of French society. Mass media materials have a number of advantages in teaching a foreign language, contribute to the study of current and significant events in the countries of the target language, offering interesting and relevant country-specific material. The use of video and audio materials in the classroom helps to teach the perception and understanding of speech by ear, and visualization of the perception of information in the study of a foreign language acts as an effective auxiliary tool. The language of the media is considered as a special language associated with the described events, which is additional didactic material for completing written and oral assignments from retelling an article to holding debates on important issues of our time, forming intercultural associations. Various types of media texts contribute to the achievement of communicative competence, develop four language competencies such as comprehension and generation of written and spoken language, and form critical thinking. Using printed, audio and video texts in foreign language classes, the teacher must analyse the material and formulate pedagogical goals based on the topic, type of text and its lexical and grammatical content.

From a didactic point of view, the media makes it possible to use video teaching methods, developing media and information competence in trainees. For example, the French-language press implicitly conveys certain cultural features, gives a real idea of ​​society, thereby helping the study of French as a foreign language. During classes with students, we work with media texts sequentially (step by step), offering exercises and tasks for understanding, assimilation and further use in practice of the studied features of the use of lexical and grammatical structures in the language of the press, information data, starting from the definition of the main topic of the document to the creation of an oral or written statement on the topic under study, using a step-by-step method. Students should learn how to perform tasks such as answering open and closed questions, choosing one of the proposed answer options (multiple choice), tasks for recreating text, analysis and synthèse. In the classroom, we actively use online documents from newspapers and information sites Monde, Figaro, Euronws, RFISavoirs, TV5Monde, giving preference to the most relevant texts. For example, when working with documents from the TV5 Monde website, we invite students to do the exercises from this website in a group and at home individually.

Thus, the use of various media materials, thanks to computer communication technologies, makes it possible to make it more modern, to improve the process of teaching foreign languages, to implement in a new way methods that activate the creative activity of students, develops the ability to participate in virtual discussions on various educational sites and thematic forums, helps carry out joint creative projects..

Keywords: Media texts, teaching a foreign language, French-language press, a communicative function,the process of active cognitive activity.