The Application of Podcasts in Teaching English at Universities

Abstract

Pedagogical science and practice are solving the problem of improving the methods and forms of teaching a foreign language, aimed at solving the problems of modernizing education, improving the quality and efficiency of foreign language professional training. The research purpose is to explore the possibilities of using podcasts as one of the innovative means of teaching English. The research task is to theoretically substantiate and experimentally test the didactic capabilities of podcasts in teaching English. History. Using podcasts in teaching English has been studied by scientists since 2005 and a rich didactic experience has been accumulated. Research methods are analysis and synthesis of scientific literature on the research problem, observation, testing, pedagogical experiment.The analysis of the scientific literature on the research problem allowed defining the term “podcast”; highlighting the factors that determine the popularity of podcasts; revealing the didactic potential of podcasts: authenticity, multifunctionality, media competence, multichannel perception, interactivity, motivation, compliance with individual characteristics. The author’s experiment proved the effectiveness of using podcasts in teaching English. Podcasts are an innovative means of teaching English at the university, as they form language skills and speech skills in various types of speech activities (listening, reading, writing, and speaking).