Problem of teaching foreign languages in the framework of globalization and integration

The complexity and dynamics of development and functioning of the sphere of modern language education in the context of globalization and integration makes all its individuals new requirements. The necessity of forming ability to adequate cross-cultural communication became the burning issue to have a sufficient level of foreign language communicative competence in any sphere.

Studying the problem of training cross-cultural communication in theory and practice at higher school, we came to a conclusion that this process requires single-minded efforts to optimize it.

We are supposed to find ways and means to optimize the preparation of cross-cultural communication in interpersonal and professional fields. Based on this point, we set a goal to create a reflective model to optimize the process of training cross-cultural communication. The choice of theoretical and methodological approaches is a determining mechanism in solving this problem.

The main problems that should be solved during the study, namely:

• •    terminology classification;

• •    investigating the nature of the learning object;

• •    eliciting unsolved issues and finding ways to solve them.

Methodology of systems, axiological, intercultural and reflective approaches is used in the research. As long as the main concept of the axiological approach is value, it allows the authors to identify a set of priority values in education, upbringing and self-development. Intercultural approach is closely connected with reflection which is the basic element of constructing understanding between people of different cultures and languages. The authors come to the conclusion that reflection should be put into the core of the intercultural communication and that it is necessary to study the application of the approaches mentioned.

The basic concept of axiological approach is value. Nowadays the term turned out to be interdisciplinary phenomenon, integrating knowledge about society development and requiring attracting different sciences to its study.

The value of axiological approach to construct a reflective model of preparation for cross-cultural communication is to determine the nature of global values, their origin, the mechanism of formation of personal values according to the norms of the world culture. To implement axiological approach for realizing the reflective model to prepare for intercultural communication allows us to identify a set of priority values in education, upbringing and self-development.

For the last decades English has become a very essential language all over the world. In Russia it is currently the most frequently taught foreign language nowadays and when we speak about its importance, we should think how to help learners to achieve foreign language communicative competence. Linguistic creativity much depends on how language is used by the speakers in relation to local contextual purposes and especially for interpersonal interaction. One of the main difficulties is whether a non-native speaker uses appropriate words and expressions in the given context or if he tries to translate them from his native language into English. It confuses a listener due to the lack of the common ground between their cultures. There is nothing wrong in it, but somehow native speakers know that they would not express themselves in quite that way.

Culture and language are means of collective co-existence and social practice kept in the memory of the society that is created by the people during the centuries. Cultural awareness helps people to become more understanding and tolerant of behaviors, which are different from their own.

Difference between cultures causes some misunderstandings in the interactive communication between a foreigner and a native-speaker. Globalization made people closer, narrowed boarders between countries, men started collaborating in different spheres of their life and they all need to communicate in some way. They need to acquire not only linguistic competence but cultural awareness as well. Cross-cultural investigations can provide materials that assist language learners to deal with the problems of unknown environments. The native speaker puts in language his world vision, mentality, and the relation to other people in cross-cultural dialogue, and the non-native speaker receives that vision. It is clear that there is a difference between the native and the non-native speakers' focus when they evaluate an oral discourse. The former focuses on the vocabulary related to the cultural and social factors. On the other hand, the latter lacks the ability to consider such factors. This is one of the major problems of the non-native speakers at both production and comprehension. Language and culture exist in each individual. That individual is a thinker, a creator, a transmitter of the culture, he is the part of the society, and he uses the language for communication with other members of this society where he is supposed to be understood as they belong to the same community. However, the indispensable condition of realization of any communication is that a speaker and a listener should have a mutual knowledge of realities or the background knowledge as a basis of a language interaction to understand each other.

New socio-cultural environment shifted teaching English as a grammatical structure to a cultural awareness. There are numerous works of foreign scientists, who developed the idea of intercultural approach as well as investigations of researchers devoted to teaching foreign language in the framework of cross-cultural or intercultural approach. They consider the dominant of intercultural approach is its ability to analyze and compare the features of different cultures. Being logical continuation of cultural studies approaches, intercultural approach has the main idea to prepare for adequate intercultural communication. In this case language becomes an instrument of cross-cultural dialogue, an effective tool for implementing professional communicative intentions of specialists associated with interaction of other culture, country, and society.

It becomes obvious that intercultural approach closely linked with the reflection. Each time when non-native speaker compares his culture with strange to him, he reflects his behavior, manners, style of speech.

Reflective practice is important to the development of a person; it enables him to learn from his own life experience further. Many courses nowadays ask students to reflect their learning, though not all of them understand what this really means, why it is useful and how to do it.

The term reflection came into the Russian language from English (reflection – an idea or opinion or statement resulting from deep and careful thought). Today we can say for sure that the concept and the term reflection has already become one of the most popular and frequent in many scientific publications, directly or indirectly related to the development of educational system as a whole and its individual subsystems.

The reason of a great attention to reflection is in the modern society changes, which have occurred due to the integration and globalization. These changes have a huge impact on the mentality, understanding of the priority tasks of human development and hence on the model of men's general education and vocational training. In this context reflexive thinking comes to the first place and its formation and development becomes integral tasks at any level of education as a whole.