Lecture 1 Methods of Foreign LanguageTeaching as a Science

LECTURE 1
Methods of Foreign LanguageTeaching as a Science

The word “method” primarily means way or manner of doing something. It is a word of international currency, borrowed into all European languages thorough the Latin “Methodus” from the Greek “Methodos”. Methods of foreign language teaching is understood as a body of scientifically tested theory concerning the teaching of foreign languages in schools and other educational institutions. Methods of foreign language teaching is the science of methods teaching foreign languages. It covers three (sometimes four) mainproblems:

1) Aims of teaching a foreign language - why to teach a foreign language
2) Content of teaching - what to teach to attain the aims.
3) Methods and techniques of teaching- how to teach a foreign language to attain the aims in most effective way to meet modern requirements.
4) Whom to teach.
5) When to teach
We must distinguish between General methods and Special methods.
By General methods we mean the methods dealing with general problems of foreign language teaching irrespective of the language taught (whether it is English, German or French).
By Special Methods we mean methods ofteaching of a particular foreign language i.e. the teaching of a definite foreign language is treated.
In pedagogical process the term “methods” is used in three meanings.In its first meaning it means the subject of instruction, for example (Tomorrow we have methods according to the timetable), the second meaning is the total sum of all ways (methodological) of instruction (I like our teacher’s methods), in the third meaning it means the theory of instruction and a special subject.


Connection of Methods of Foreign Language Teaching to Other
Sciences.

Methods of foreign language teaching are closely related (connected) to other sciences such as pedagogy, psychology, physiology, linguistics, and some others.