THE METHODOLOGICAL BASIS OF THE USE OF MEDIATEXTS IN AN ONLINE BUSINESS ENGLISH COURSE FOR ADULT LEARNERS

Abstract

At the time of globalization and development of business relationships among international companies, English language skills are becoming a requirement for many current and potential employees. An opportunity to learn business English empowers them to stay connected to the recent developments in their field of work, to participate in discussions on the matter, to exchange valuable experience with their international colleagues and to work with authentic sources of information a foreign language. The business press is one of the most important authentic sources of content in the English language. The article examines the linguistic and didactic potential of the media text in teaching business English. The relevance of the selected educational material is confirmed by a survey of adults conducted in order to find out their interest in working with media texts. Special attention is paid to the format of distance learning which presents adult learners with an optimal setting for receiving additional education in general and for working with media articles in particular, as the online space enables to emulate the modern working environment in which the learner will be utilizing their business English skills. The authors consider Padlet as a prime platform for organizing business English language training. It offers the teacher and the learner many learning tools, including the online-blackboard where they can exchange text files, images, and video files, as well as their notes and commentaries. This helps to develop not only the learners’ reception but also production, mediation, and interaction skills.