DEVELOPMENT OF STUDENTS’ COGNITIVE AND INTELLECTUAL ABILITIES BY MEANS OF PODCASTING

Abstract

The article deals with the Canadian educators’ best experience in strategies and methods to develop skills of the 21-st century in a creative educational environment based on modern digital technologies and authentic audio resources. Higher education does not guarantee high competitiveness of graduates in the labour market. Today, the modern education system cannot be limited to traditional training. It focuses on the cognitive mechanisms of learning and acquisition of knowledge. Human activity is inextricably linked with the external (physical) and internal (mental) aspects (motivational, cognitive and regulatory). To achieve success in modern realities, the essential characteristic of the educational process should prioritize cognitive and intellectual development. The purpose of the study aims at comprehensive analysis of international advanced pedagogical experience in the area of implementation of innovative technologies and learning English. Cognitive mechanisms are described as higher brain functions and individual psychological abilities that require appropriate technologies and teaching methods. The development of critical and creative thinking is closely linked to the use of Bloom’s taxonomy, a hierarchical organization of cognitive skills through planning verbs. Based on the practice, teachers plan educational goals and objectives, project specific methodological steps and achieve high learning outcomes. The international experience is summarized on the example of a pilot project of the Canadian radio broadcasting corporation “Podcasts in the classroom”. It is emphasized that this teaching guide has clearly measurable goals, including resources of activities, such as a lesson plan, slide shows, audio for downloading, texts of episodes, visual aids for classes, bonus mini-episodes. Approbation of innovative resources and methods shows that the components of creative educational environment, modern digital tools, authentic audio resources contribute to the development of students’ cognitive and intellectual abilities, form modern key competences: abstract and critical thinking, creativity, self-reflection, personal growth, autonomy.