Professional Competence of a Foreign Language Teacher

group 
work
, which is the most effective way to maintain 
cooperation 
and 
communication
. 
Group 
is not a random assemblage of independent individuals, but it is composed of 
individuals who interact verbally and nonverbally, who occupy certain roles with respect 
to one another, and who cooperate to accomplish a definite goal.
Different researchers in the field agree that 
group work 
is very important for 
organization of an interactive lesson and acquisition of communicative competence giving 
students greater opportunities to speak; developing their collaborative skills; giving 
students a feeling of security. Such 
mode of interaction 
promotes learner responsibility 
and autonomy, and contributes to individualized instruction.
The cooperative classroom where group work is actively used promotes 
social skills 
training, 
such as making sure everyone has a turn to speak, giving encouragement, being 
polite to other students, and listening when other group members are saying. Teacher 
should help students develop the abilities for social interaction, which are needed for 
effective collaboration. The abilities to coordinate work, make decisions, communicate 
and solve different problems are indispensable for long-standing group cooperation.
One more important advantage offered by group work is the 
security of a smaller 
group
. As it is stated by psychologists, the main need of a human being is the need to feel 
safety. One of the most important ways of gaining safety is to join other people, to be part 
of a group, where each individual is not so starkly on public display. In small groups 
reticent students quite often become vocal participants in the process. The small group 
becomes a community of learners cooperating with each other in pursuit of common goals.
Working in small groups (2-4 people) places responsibility for action and progress of the 
whole group upon each of its members. It is difficult to "hide" in a small group. P. Johnson 
and M. Johnson speak about the principle of