FORMATION OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE IN STUDENTS WITH DIFFERENT COGNITIVE STYLES

Abstract

The article highlights theoretical approaches to classification of individual language learning styles as well as analyzes teaching strategies depending on students’ cognitive styles. According to M. O. Kholodna, cognitive styles are the ways of processing information in the form of individual differences in perception, analysis, categorization and assessment of reality. The author proposes such cognitive styles as coding of information, formulation and solution of problems, cognitive attitude to the world. As reported by D.Kolb, language learning has four phased loop that contains concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization and active experimentation. Accordingly, there are such learning styles as accommodating (feel and do), diverging (feel and watch), assimilating (think and watch) and converging (think and do). Modern psychologists classify ways of mastering foreign language knowledge according to the dominant channel of perception that enables us to distinguish visual, auditory and kinesthetic styles. Having defined students’ perception channel, it is recommended for teachers to adapt course material and types of tasks to meet their individual needs. It is pointed out that learning style also depends on the psychotype, temperament and student’s style of thinking. The author of the article provides a brief description of each learning style, according to the classification, and gives recommendations for teachers how to form foreign language communicative competence in students with different cognitive styles.