Principles of FLT

Aims, content, principles of teaching foreign language

Aims of teaching a foreign language

There are three aims which should be achieved in FL teaching: practical, educational, cultural.

A) The practical aim: the acquisition of a FL as a means of communication. Practical aims cover habits and skills which pupils acquire in using a foreign language.

A habit is an automatic response to specific situations, acquired normally as a result of repetition and learning.

A skill is a combination of useful habits serving a definite purpose and requiring application of certain knowledge.

B) The educational aim: through FL study we can develop the pupil’s intellect. Teaching a FL helps the teacher to develop the pupils’ voluntary and involuntary memory, his imaginative abilities and will power.

C ) Cultural aims: learning a FL makes the pupil acquainted with the life, customs and traditions of the people whose language he studies through visual material and reading material; with the countries where the target language is spoken.

What is a content and principles of Methods of Teaching Foreign Languages

Content of FLT

The first component is habits and skills which pupils should acquire, that is (listening comprehension, speaking, reading and writing).

The second component is a linguistic one. It includes:

Language material (sentence-patterns, pattern-dialogues, texts)

Linguistic material, i.e. phonology, grammar and vocabulary

The third component is a methodological component, i.e. the techniques which pupils should acquire to learn the FL in a most effective way. The content of teaching is laid down in the syllabus and realized in teaching materials and in the teacher’s own speech.

Principles of FLT

MFLT are based on the fundamental principles of didactics:

scientific approach in teaching school subjects, accessibility, durability, conscious approach and activity, visualization and individual approach to language institutions.
Scientific approach implies careful determination of what and how to teach to achieve the aims set by the syllabus. It means pupils should be involved in oral and written communications throughout the whole course of learning the FL. Pupils are taught a FL as a means of communication.

The next principle is closely connected with the selection of the material and its arrangement to provide accessibility for language learning on the part of the pupils.

The principle of durability implies the ability of a pupil to keep in his memory linguistic and language material. The durability is ensured by vivid presentation of the material, by constant revision of drill, by the use of the material for communicative needs, by systematic control.

The principle of conscious approach to language learning implies comprehension of a linguistic phenomenon of language material by the pupil. Pupils are supposed to understand both the form and the content of the material and to be aware of how they should treat the material while performing various examples.

The principle of activity. In teaching a FL it is necessary to stimulate pupils’ activity by involving them in the act of communication in the target language, either in its oral (listening, speaking) or written (reading, writing) form. One needs a lot of practice in the use of the language to master it.

The principle of visualization. Visualization may be defined as specially organized demonstration of linguistic material and language behavior characteristic of the target language with the purpose of helping the pupil in understanding, assimilating and utilizing this in connection with the task set. Visualization implies an extensive use of audio-visual aids and audio-visual materials throughout the whole course of FLT. The principle of individualization. The teacher should assess the progress of each individual in the class and find the way how to manage the classroom activity so that the slowest learners are not depressed by being left behind and the fastest and most able learners are not frustrated by being held back.