Developing Soft Skills through Group Work within the Framework of Teaching English at University
The article presents the results of the theoretical analysis of the conditions of soft skills development connected with the overcoming of the contradictions of the traditional system of education, which involves individual character of learning and dominance of frontal teaching, which impede the development of communicative competences. Top requested soft skills contributing to the professional success of the university graduate are reported. Amongst the most needed social competences there are such skills as communication, collaboration and creative thinking. Also, the article deals with the issue of incongruity between traditional education and needs and expectations of the modern generation of students and employers. The work reveals several distinctive features of two educational paradigms suggested by V. K. Dyachenko (collaborative learning) and A. A. Verbitsky (contextual learning). These paradigms are aimed at overcoming existing contradictions of traditional system of education. The author justifies the necessity to use group work as the most efficient tool for developing the most required soft skills. The advantages of this form of learning are described. These benefits enable teachers to recreate the situation of real-life communication, to create emotionally comfortable atmosphere, to make the shift from teacher-centered to student-centered learning, and to use alternative assessment aimed at increasing motivation and developing critical thinking. Various aspects and strategies of planning group work within the framework of teaching English to university students are highlighted.