IMPLEMENTATION OF ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES TEACHING IN THE CONTEXT OF COMPETENCY-BASED APPROACH

Methodology of foreign languages teaching (FLT) has been continually undergoing changes with the attempt to find the most appropriate approach or approaches satisfying a contemporary need for learning. A new stage in the development of foreign language education is associated primarily with the implementation of a qualified approach into the educational process. Its idea is to form an innovative personality who can flexibly adapt to global, socio-political and economic factors. The issue of competency-based learning (CBL) is being investigated by a number of scholars but its certain aspects still remain understudied. The paper aims to highlight the major approaches of alternative methods of teaching foreign languages in the framework of CBL methodology. The following research methods were used in the study: critical analysis of scientific literature, general scientific methods of analysis, synthesis, comparison, generalization, as well as the empirical ones, such as observation, testing, generalization of experience of lecturers, pedagogical experiment. Special attention in the paper is paid to understanding the productive trends of teaching foreign languages in the context of student-centered and activity-oriented technologies which are primarily associated with alternative (non-traditional) methods in the context of CBL. CBL of foreign languages gives students an opportunity to explore issues, observe, analyze, think critically, and choose their own methods of learning. The results of the carried out experiment show that the efficacy of competency-based approach in teaching foreign languages depends on teacher's understanding of the necessity to abandon authoritarian and scholastic methods, and use alternative and innovative ones instead.