PANEL DISCUSSION AS A METHOD OF FORMATION OF COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCES IN THE CONDITIONS OF DEVELOPMENT OF CRITICAL THINKING IN STUDENTS OF NON-LANGUAGE UNIVERSITIES

The need to develop universal competencies of critical thinking and communication in accordance with the Federal State Standard of Higher Education (+++) in students of all specialties of Russian universities has led to the search for effective methods that ensure positive results. The article presents the research data on the application of the panel discussion method in English, which allows developing communicative competences in the conditions of professional discourse. Key concepts due to the theoretical review of scientific and pedagogical literature are considered. The data of the interuniversity student survey are given, on the basis of which it was concluded that it is necessary for students of non-language universities to study a foreign language. The authors begin with a theoretical rationale, conducting an in-depth analysis of key concepts–‘communicative competence’ and ‘critical thinking’–through the prism of the works of domestic and foreign scholars (I.Yu. Tarkhanova, O.V. Ishaeva, D. Dewey, J. Piaget, E.V. Ershova, and others). This allows us to substantiate not only the independent value of each competence, but also their fundamental interconnection: critical thinking is the basis for constructing logical, reasoned speech, and effective communication, in turn, serves as a platform for testing and developing critical abilities. The central element of the study is the empirical part, in which the authors describe in detail the three-stage implementation of the panel discussion method at the Russian University of Transport (RUT (MIIT)). The study involved 86 first-year students from six institutes of the university, studying 20 different transport specialties (from engineering and IT to economics and law). The topic of the discussion, “Should transport sector specialists study foreign languages?”, was chosen as professionally relevant and controversial, which stimulated active participation. The structure of the discussion included preparation by senior speakers, moderation To confirm the relevance of the topic and identify students' initial attitudes, the authors conducted an inter-university survey covering 277 respondents from four leading Russian universities (including technical, social, and medical universities). The survey results clearly demonstrate a contradiction: although the vast majority of students have been studying English for more than five years, their level of proficiency is most often at a basic level (A2-B1). At the same time, 88.9% of respondents would like to improve their speaking skills first and foremost, which highlights the acute need to develop communicative rather than simply linguistic competence. The survey also revealed that more than half of students associate knowledge of a foreign language with successful career growth, but many doubt its practical applicability in their future profession.by teachers, posing of problematic questions (e.g., about the role of machine translation or the influence of language on career growth), and organized discussion with the audience, which ensured high engagement and the development of argumentation skills. Based on theoretical analysis and practical experimentation, the authors draw important conclusions. Thus, the article serves as a valuable methodological and theoretical guide for foreign language teachers at technical and vocational universities. It offers a specific, proven lesson model that meets the challenges of modern education and helps prepare students for successful professional activity in the context of globalization. The work is of high practical importance and can be adapted for various non-language specialties and academic disciplines.