Department of the English Language and Primary ELT Methodology

Department of the English Language and Primary ELT Methodology of The Educational and Research Institute of Pedagogy was founded in 2012. The Chair is headed by I. V. Samoylyukevych, the Candidate of Sciences (Education), Associated Professor.

Department members:

  • I. V. Samoylyukevych, the Candidate of Sciences (Education), Professor, the Head of the Chair;
  • Gumankova O. S. — the Candidate of Sciences (Education), Associated Professor;
  • Mykhailova O. S. — the Candidate of Sciences (Education), Associated Professor;
  • Karpenko Ye. M. the Candidate of Sciences (Education), the senior lecturer;
  • Mazko O. P. the Candidate of Sciences (Education), the senior lecturer;
  • Lytnyova I. F., a lecturer;
  • Zimovets O. A., a lecturer.

Research areas of the Department:

  • Foreign Language Teacher Education in American and British Universities in the Information Age (Associated Professor Samoylyukevych I. V.);
  • Preparing future teachers of the Humanities to implement a differentiated approach in teaching students of secondary schools (Associated Professor Humankova O. S.);
  • Sociocultural Education of Prospective Teachers in the Process of Learning the Humanities (Associated Professor Mykhailova O. S.);
  • Organizational and pedagogical prerequisites of monitoring prospective language teachers’ (Lytnyova I. F.);
  • Using Information and Communication Technologies in the system of professional training of teachers of the Humanities (Zymovets O. A.);
  • Pedagogical prerequisites of the formation of information and analytical skills of prospective foreign language teachers (Karpenko Ye. M.);
  • The formation of pedagogical interaction culture of foreign language teachers’ (Mazko O. P.).

The team of the Chair sees the methodological research work as their strategic priority. The teachers of the Chair are currently working on the research and implementation of the innovated techniques for teaching English to pre-school and primary school learners.

The complex research topic of the Chair is «The Foreign Language Teachers’ Continuing Professional Development in Ukraine and Abroad».

The disciplines taught by the Chair members:

  • English;
  • The Practical Course of Oral and Written English;
  • English for Specific Purposes;
  • Primary School ELT Methodology;
  • Pre-school ELT Methodology;
  • Innovative Techniques for Teaching English to Young Learners;
  • Innovated Techniques for Teaching English to Very Young Learners;
  • World Literature for Very Young Learners;
  • World Literature for primary school pupils;
  • Innovative Techniques for Learning English;
  • The extra curricular work in teaching English to Young Learners.

On the Regional level, the Chair cooperates with:

  • Zhytomyr City Gymnasium #3;
  • Specialized School # 12;
  • Zhytomyr City School #21;
  • Zhytomyr Elementary School # 11;
  • Zhytomyr Elementary School # 25;
  • Zhytomyr Elementary School # 65 («Rodyna») with Laboratory of Teaching English.

On the National level, the Chair cooperates with:

  • The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine;
  • The National Academy of Pedagogical Sciences.

On the International level, the Chair cooperates with:

  • The British Council in Ukraine;
  • The US Peace Corps in Ukraine.

The Chair involves the students of the Institute of Pedagogy in research work in the area of the Primary ELT Methodology. There are three student research societies:

  1. the Special Interest Group «Innovated Techniques for Teaching English to Very Young Learners» (supervisor — Gumankova O. S., the Candidate of Sciences (Education), Assistant Professor;
  2. the student research society «Steps to Success» (supervisor — I. V. Samoylyukevych, the Candidate of Sciences (Education), Associated Professor, the Head of the Chair);
  3. the student research society «Learning Language and Culture» (supervisor — Mykhailova O. S., the Candidate of Sciences (Education), Assistant Professor.

All the team members of the chair are involved in the on-line courses of the British Council:

  • Primary Essential;
  • Learning Technologies for the EFL Classroom.

Since January 2013 the Chair has has been implementing the Programme for Continuing Professional Development for pre-school and primary teachers of English working in partnership schools in Zhytomyr. The Programme pursues the following goals:

  • The organization of Professional Development Days;
  • ICT Integration in early foreign language teaching and learning;
  • The Development and implementation of innovative techniques for teaching English to young learners;
  • Teachers’ Action Research supervision and counselling.

The timeline of the PDD held:

  • 31.01.2013 — Professional Development Day One professional development (involving Eve Smith, consultant on teaching foreign languages, The USA Embassy in Ukraine);
  • 27.02.2013 — Professional Development Day Two (with the participation of the US peace Corps Officer in Ukraine Valentina Sidorenko (Ukraine) and the Peace Corps Volunteer Kristine Defnall (USA));
  • 17.04.2013 — Professional Development Day Three (presenter — a Peace Corps volunteer in Ukraine Kristine Defnall; facilitator — Zymovets O. A.);
  • 10.08.2013 — Professional Development Day Four (facilitators — Zymovets O. A., Karpenko Ye. M.);
  • 19.11.2013 — Professional Development Day Five (facilitators — Karpenko Ye. M., Postgraduate student of the chair of Methods of teaching foreign languages of Kyiv National Linguistic University Mokina A. G.);
  • 04.02.1024 — Professional Development Day Six (facilitators — Mazko O. P., Its S. V.).

Recent publications:

  • «ABC Land: research book of teaching reading to young learners» (authors — Gumankova O. S., Mykhailova O. S.);
  • «Didactic guidelines for the development of information and analytical skills of Prospective Foreign Language Teachers» (author — Karpenko Ye. M.);
  • «Interactive technologies for the formation Prospective Foreign Language Teachers of pedagogical interaction culture» (author — Mazko O. P.);
  • English for Grade 3 (coauthor — I. V. Samoylyukevych);
  • English for Grade 5 (coauthor — I. V. Samoylyukevych).

The Head of the Chair I. V. Samoylyukevych coauthored the State Standard for Language Education in Ukraine, the National Curriculum for Secondary and Specialized Schools (1-4 grades), the Curriculumn in Countrystudy for Specialized School and the series of coursebooks for Primary, Secondary and Specialized Schools.

Since March 2013 the head of the chair has been involved in the international project «New generation School Teacher» supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the British Council in Ukraine, pre-service foreign language teacher education in Ukraine. Among the activities of the project are:

  1. Seminars and meetings of the working group of the project to develop state standards and the new curriculum in Methods of Foreign Language Teaching:
    • March 2013, Kyiv;
    • June 2013, Chornomorske;
    • November 2013, Kyiv;
    • February 2014, Kyiv;
    • April 2014, Kyiv.
  2. International Study visits to universities abroad:
    • June 2013 (Tashkent, Uzbekistan);
    • December 2013 (Tashkent, Uzbekistan);
    • March 2014 (Norwich, UK).
  3. Professional development school of the British Council:
    • July 2014.