dvantages of using mental maps in teaching a foreign language

Abstract

The use of information and communication technologies in the process of teaching a foreign language is becoming a widespread practice both at school and at the university. Digital resources, including electronic dictionaries and library systems, online courses, foreign-language websites of news agencies, video materials and podcasts, are in the public domain and provide great opportunities for their use for educational purposes. These new realities determine the relevance of the research, the problem of which is to reveal the potential of using Internet resources, namely the effectiveness of mental maps, when learning a foreign language.
The purpose of the research is to study the method of mental maps and identify advantages of their use in teaching a foreign language. The following scientific methods were used: analysis and synthesis, comparison and generalization; they made it possible to study different approaches of scientists to the definition of the concept of «communicative competence», the possibility of using mind maps for educational purposes, to analyze the available digital resources for compiling such diagrams, and also draw a conclusion about their significant role in language learning. The following results have been obtained: mental maps contribute to the development of basic skills and abilities, formation of communicative competence; digital resources make working with mind maps not only more productive, but also more interesting, which increases the motivation of students to master a foreign language. The advantages of using mental maps in teaching a foreign language has been proved. The article is of theoretical and practical significance, as it provides a detailed analysis of the theoretical material and demonstrates the results of its application in practice.