Development of communication skills of future dentists using interactive methods

The article contains the results of the research on the issue of communication skills development in future dentists at English classes through interactive teaching methods. The article characterizes the ideas about the nature of communication skills of future dentists which are considered as the ability to enter, maintain contact with patients, their relatives, take history, conduct examinations, provide recommendations, manage the treatment process. It was defined the types of communication skills that future dentists should master in order to perform their professional activities effectively. These types of communication skills include understanding the patient's requests in interpersonal communication; free speech in state and foreign languages; communicative interaction according to the «doctor-patient» model. It was presented the views of researchers regarding the development of communication skills of future doctors, including future dentists. They suppose modeling of communication in close to reality conditions of professional activity; application of a person-oriented approach to education; the use of interactive methods in educational and extracurricular activities (role-playing, business games, case method, project method, work in groups, discussions, master classes, problem-based method, participation with reports in conferences, speaking clubs, volunteer, charity events). It was clarified the content of interactive learning methods as ways, methods of organizing the educational process, based on multilateral communication, knowledge construction, application of feedback, activity, principles of subject-subject relations, has been clarified. It was highlighted the classification of interactive learning methods in the following way: cooperative learning methods; methods of collective and group training; methods of situational modeling; methods of processing debatable issues. The article provides examples of the use of interactive teaching methods (the «take a position» method, a situational game, the «carousel» method) at English classes with university dental students. It was defined the peculiarities of interactive teaching methods impact on the development of future dentists' communication skills at English classes