Lecture 1 Methods of Foreign LanguageTeaching as a Science

The Principle of Durability stands somewhat apart from the other didactic principles in so far as it determines the nature not of the teaching, but of the assimilation of the instruction.
To be exact, it (durability) means the ability of a pupil to keep in his memory linguistic and language material he learns of ready access, i.e. the pupil can use units of language semantic-patterns whenever he needs them for oral or written communication. The durability is ensured:

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  by vivid presentation of the material,when pupils are involved in the act of presentation,their thinking and senses are atwork;
  
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  by constant revision or drill pupils reproduce the material,and review it throughout the course, their auditory, visual, kinesthetic and motor analyzers are at work;
  
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  by the use of the material on the part of the learners for communicative needs: pupils and read texts with various assignments to get information through hearing and reading, they carry on conversation within the topics and material covered;
  
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  by systematic control;
  
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  by constant supervision of pupils’ habits and skills on the part of the teacher. Under these conditions pupils keep the material in their memory because it is constantly reviewed by them and revised by the teacher. Modern methodology pays much attention to this principle. The idea of intensive work of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic analyzers has been made real because of the use of various teaching aids and teaching materials.
  

The Principle of Conscious approach.
Consciousness as a principle of didactics, or in one of the two main senses of this word, is knowledge, and understanding by the learner (pupils) of what he or she is doing. Pupils understand both the form and the content of the material they are to learn, and they are aware of how they should treat the material while performing various exercises which aim at developing habits and skills in using it. Such an approach to language learning usually contrasts with “mechanical”learning through repetitive drill.
In teaching a foreign language therefore, it is reasonable to help pupils in assimilating language rules which function in this language by introducing the rules, rather than to wait until the learners deduce these rules through speech activity.