Lecture 2 Aims, content, principles of flt. Methods, techniques and exercises in the teaching-learning process.

Objectives: SWBAT distinguish between aims of teaching foreign languages; describe and analyze components of the content of FLT; discuss principles of foreign language teaching and learning and .choose the most important of them.

Plan

1. Aims of FLT in a secondary school

2. Content of FLT in a secondary school

3. Principles of FLT in a secondary school

4. Methods and techniques in the teaching-learning process. Types of exercises.

1. Aims of flt in a secondary school

According to Rogova there are three aims which should be achieved in foreign language teaching: practical, educational, cultural.

Practical aims.

Students should acquire a language as a means of communication and be able to use it while listening, reading, speaking, writing. This is reflected in the syllabus in accordance with the stages of instruction.

Educational aims

Learning a second language is of great educational value. Since language is connected with thinking, through foreign language study students develop their intellect. Students have to memorize words, sentence patterns, idioms, structures; thus they develop their voluntary and involuntary memory. Through learning a foreign language students understand how words express thoughts, how the language functions; thus they come to the better understanding of their native language. Teaching a foreign language contributes to the linguistic education of the students; they extend their knowledge of phonic, graphic, structural and semantic aspects of language through contrastive analysis of language phenomena. Learning a second language also develops students’ imagination and willpower.

Cultural aims

Learning a foreign language students read books, magazines, watch films, study such materials as maps, photos, menus, pictures, posters. In this way they get acquainted with the life, customs and traditions of people whose language they study.

Practical, educational and cultural aims are related and form a unity. The leading role belongs to practical aims, because the others can only be achieved through the practical command of the foreign language.

2. Content of flt in a secondary school

The content of FLT or “what to teach” is laid down in the syllabus. The content of FLT includes three components:

1. psychological component It answers the question “what to teach” in psychological terminology- habits and skills. The syllabus determines the following 4 skills the students should acquire while learning a foreign language: speaking, reading, writing, listening. In the syllabus teachers can find directions as to the level of skills that should be reached in each particular form and their development from form to form.

2. linguistic component It includes language material such as sentence- patterns, utterance- patterns, pattern- dialogs, texts, topics It also includes linguistic material, such as phonology, grammar and vocabulary., which is carefully selected. A great deal of work has been done in compiling the minimum vocabulary and minimum grammar.

3. methodological component Students should be taught how to learn the foreign language. For example, how to memorize words and keep them in memory, how to perform drill exercises in a most effective way, how to perform creative exercises.