The implementation of the interactive language teaching principles introduced by W.M. Rivers in language teaching of aviation school cadets

Civil aviation industry is constantly changing. The changes are associated not only with flight operations and air navigation services, but also with aviation personnel compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) language proficiency standards. Language proficiency requirements were sufficiently increased after the ICAO representatives had revealed a direct link between the aviation accidents and incidents and low proficiency in English of the participants of these events. Increased ICAO language proficiency requirements raised the issue of foreign language competence as an integral component of professional competence of aviation specialists. Thus, the development of foreign language competence, being a high-priority competence of an aviation specialist requires exploring educational technologies that will allow structuring English language training at aviation school and improving the quality of language training of pilots and air traffic controllers. The purpose of the article is to give the rationale for the implementation of W.M. Rivers’ interactive language teaching principles in teaching aviation school cadets a foreign language. The methods used are analysis of the regulatory documents of higher education and the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) legal documents regulating aviation safety and the method of deduction. The methods of interactive teaching, proposed by a professor of Harvard University W.M. Rivers were discussed. The author revealed the compliance of the interactive principles with the principles adopted by Russian pedagogical science. What is more, the uniqueness of the principles was specified. The comparison of teaching principles adopted by European education environment with the principles adopted by Russian scientific pedagogical environment was considered for the first time. The consistent implementation of the principles of interactive language teaching introduced by W.M. Rivers in foreign language teaching will allow the lecturers of higher education institutions to improve the quality of language training at non-language institutions of higher education.