MODERN APPROACHES TO THE METHODOLOGY OF TEACHING THE UKRAINIAN LANGUAGE TO CHILDREN WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES

Abstract

The article examines the methodology of teaching the Ukrainian language to children with intellectual disabilities in the context of implementing the concept of the New Ukrainian School and updating the special education system. The essence, structure and content of the teaching methodology as a system of pedagogical influences aimed at the formation of speech, communicative, cognitive and social competencies in schoolchildren with intellectual disabilities are revealed.It is emphasized that the problem of teaching Ukrainian to children with intellectual disabilities is one of the key ones in modern special pedagogy, since language is not only a means of communication, but also a tool for thinking, cognition of the world, and a means of correctional and developmental influence. Given the specifics of the cognitive activity of such students (limited vocabulary, difficulties with sound pronunciation, violations of the grammatical structure of speech), traditional methods require adaptation and supplementation with special pedagogical technologies.The article analyzes the main approaches on which the modern methodology of teaching the Ukrainian language to children with intellectual disabilities is based: competency-based approach, communicative-activity approach, personality-oriented approach, and integrative approach. The author outlines the main principles of teaching the Ukrainian language to children with intellectual disabilities, including: accessibility and feasibility of educational material, systematicity, clarity, correctional focus, repetition, emotional support, and individualization of learning. The leading teaching methods are highlighted: verbal, visual, practical, game and interactive methods that ensure the child’s active participation in the learning process and stimulate his speech activity. Considerable attention is paid to the application of teaching techniques, including: working with reference schemes and symbols, using mnemonic techniques, didactic and plot-based role-playing games, exercises for the development of phonemic hearing, articulatory motor skills, grammatical structuring of statements, and modeling of speech situations. Separately, the use of information and communication technologies (multimedia presentations, interactive exercises, electronic dictionaries, Wordwall platforms, LearningApps) that contribute to the visualization of educational material, increase motivation for learning, and compensate for students’ cognitive difficulties is considered.The work emphasizes that the effectiveness of teaching the Ukrainian language to children with intellectual disabilities is ensured by a comprehensive approach that combines educational, correctional and developmental, upbringing, and socializing directions. The use of speech therapy and psychocorrectional exercises in combination with a communicative and activity approach allows achieving positive results in the formation of language competence.It was concluded that the modern methodology for teaching the Ukrainian language to children with intellectual disabilities should be flexible, variable, emotionally rich, built on the principles of humanism, support, respect for the student’s personality, and aimed at developing speech as a tool of thinking, communication, and social adaptation.