JOINT ACTION THEORY IN DIDACTICS AND DEEP LEARNING STRATEGY AS TWO IMPORTANT INSTRUMENTS IN 21ST CENTURY EDUCATION

Abstract

To make learning effective in the area of higher education teachers are expected to use adequate strategies
to motivate learners and guarantee the attainment of the learning outomes, which serve as the best indicators of a
successful process of learning. This is not an easy task to do, due to the fact that interests and needs of learners
change constantly and are in strong correlation with the type and form of content that is being offered to them for
educational purposes. With the rise of digital technologies, pedagogies and methodologies in the teaching approach
had to be adapted to the new platforms for learning, taking into account all the specificities of the new learning
environments, as well as the indiosincracies of individual learners who are exposed to them. To cater the needs of
learners who might have different preknowledge on the subject matter, or different learning styles (audio/visual,
kinesthetic, auditory), and soft skills pertaining to the ability of communication is a challanging task for each and
every teacher who should dedicate a lot of time trying to overcome these discrepancies in the classroom. Therefore,
the aim of this paper is to put focus on two methodologies which can be useful for application in the digital learning
environments, with positive responsivenness, attention span and studying results in learners based on the findings
collected through studies conducted among ESP (English for Specific Purposes) students. The first method is a
Joint Action Theory in Didactics and the second one is Deep Learning Strategy, both of them relying havily on the
constructivist approach to teaching, which promotes learner autonomy and education through practical training for
achiving competence. The results of the studies indicate that the said methods can be suitable for ESP classes since
they provide a good basis for developing and expanding ESP skills such as listening comprehension, written and
spoken communication, as well as translation. At the same time, they can be used to promote IT skills, which is their
added value in terms of building-up learner competencies for the modern job market, which is especially significant
if the domain of the ESP language is related to science and technology, already presupposing reliance on computers
and the internet. The potential for triggering creative responses in learners should neither be disregarded in either of
these methods, bearing in mind that this can bring an element of excitement to the process of learning. Therefore,
based on all the advantages that these teaching approaches provide, the paper tends to advocate for these two
methods in order to draw attention of the ESP practitioners who need to find the firm grounds in order to manage
their ESP classes more effectively and with greater ease