The Role of Warm-Up Activities in Foreign Language Classes in Higher Educational Establishments

The article is devoted to the problem of using warm-up activities in foreign language classes in higher educational establishments. It has been determined that warm-up activities are a necessary initial stage of a foreign language class, which is usually short-term, that helps students relax and feel positive about further work. It is found that warm-up activities help create a beneficial atmosphere in the classroom and form positive relationships between the teacher and the students, help the teacher direct students’ attention in the right direction and involve them in educational activities and further perception of educational material. It was found that warm-up activities can help students maintain previously acquired knowledge and skills, as well as begin to think in the language being studied. Among others, the following advantages of warm-up activities are highlighted: they set the tone for a foreign language class; they provide a smooth transition from one topic to another; they give the teacher the opportunity to assess personal characteristics and abilities of each student. The principles, according to which warm-up activities should be developed, are given in the article, namely: they must take place at the beginning of the foreign language class; they should be interesting for students to motivate them; warm-up activities should be short, as they are a preparatory stage of a foreign language class; warm-up activities should be directly related to the general topic of the class. The opposite view on the last principle of warm-up activities is also presented in the article. Special attention of the scientific research is paid to such a function of warm-up activities as the establishment of positive relations between the teacher and the students. Several warm-up activities that can be used during foreign language classes in higher educational establishments are suggested. In general, a view on warm-up activities as a phenomenon that can stimulate the brain activity of higher education seekers, support students’ interest in learning, improve their success in mastering a foreign language, facilitate understanding of new educational material is formulated in the article.