Implementation of Thomas Gordon’s Communicative Pedagogy in Ukrainian Educational Realities

Abstract

The article analyses the possibilities of using the communicative pedagogy of the American scientist Thomas Gordon in the Ukrainian educational space in the medium of English language. The communicative pedagogy emphasises the need for special pedagogical approaches that allow teachers to interact tolerantly with students in the atmosphere of acceptance and trust. The goal of our research was to verify the hypothesis that CLIL approach while studying Thomas Gordon's heritage in English, using authentic materials, provides students with the opportunity of deeper understanding his ideas and values. The experiment participants, future teachers, were pre-and post-assessed for the levels of English language and awareness of Thomas Gordon's approach. Moreover, the efficiency of the language and pedagogy connection was proved by practice supervisors who observed students performance during their practical studying at schools. Due to the application of authentic materials, reading manuscripts in original, listening to Thomas Gordon's speeches and lectures, students were fully immerged into the researcher heritage and demonstrated a better understanding of his ideas. As practice supervisors claimed, such students demonstrated a higher level of conflict prevention skills, class management skills, tolerant communication with children and created the atmosphere of trust and acceptance.

Transforming Stress To Happiness: Implementation of the I-Message Technique for Establishing Positive Communication Patterns in the Family

“…In a simpler explanation, in 1962, Gordon became interested in studying the training given to parents in order to live a harmonious household life. That is why in 1975, he found the i-message, which was later acknowledged to help form a positive communication process within the family [21].…”