Foreign language as a school subject, its features and contents. Psychological and pedagogical features of teaching foreign languages

Learning a second language is a long and complex undertaking. Your whole person is affected as you struggle to reach beyond the confines of your first language and into a new language, a new culture, a new way of thinking, feeling, and acting. Total commitment, total involvement, a total physical, intellectual, and emotional response are necessary to successfully send and receive messages in a second language. Many variables are involved in the acquisition process. Language learning is not a set of easy steps that can be programmed in a quick do-it-yourself kit. So much is at stake that courses in foreign languages are often inadequate training grounds, in and of themselves, for the successful learning of a second lan­guage. Few if any people achieve fluency in a foreign language solely within the confines of the classroom.

Specificity of foreign language as an educational subject is determined by the fact that it being characterized by the features inherent to the language as sign system, at the same time is denoted by different from native languages peculiarities of possession and acquisition. At the same time, on a number of characteristics foreign language significantly differs from any other educational subject. This educational peculiarity of foreign language as educational subject is intuitively felt by students and understood by teachers. It can serve as a base for folding bias and attitude to the subject.

Foreign language as any language system is socially-historical product, in which nation’s history, culture, system of social relationships, traditions are reflected.

Language lives and develops in social conscious and in nation’s conscious speaking on this language.

According to V. Gumbold language – is nation’s soul in which all its “national character” reflects. Being socially-historical product language links different generations speaking one language.

One more significant characteristic of language is that it is the form of conscious’ existence.

All mentioned characteristics of language fully can be classified to the foreign language. From the methodological point of view these characteristics elicit public, socially-historical nature of language and suggest the necessity of greater attention of foreign language teacher to the meaningful and conceptual part of studied language.

Here it will be appropriate to remember B.V. Beljaev and his words about the necessity to develop students’ meaningful, notional thinking in FLT.

Despite the fact that we paid a lot of attention to the methodological views on language we must not forget that for the foreign language teacher language is first of all a way of expressing thoughts.

Thought is connection of at least two concepts and embodied in proposition.

In consideration of foreign languages peculiarities we will talk about it through the analysis of particularities of acquisition of foreign language in comparison with native language. Foreign language acquisition differs from native language in following items:

1) according to the direction of language acquisition by L.S. Vigotskij;

2) according to the density of communication;

3) according to the existence of language in subjective-communicative activity;

4) according to the collection of functions realized by language;

5) according to the coincidence of foreign language acquisition with sensitive period of speech development.

Now we are going to consider foreign language acquisition particularities according to the following items in details.

L.S. Vygotsky was the first scientist who characterized different ways or direction of foreign language acquisition and native language acquisition. He defined this way to the native language as “from bottom to top” and to the foreign language inversely “from top to bottom”. “We can say that foreign language acquisition goes by the way opposite to the native language acquisition. A child posses native language unconsciously and without any purpose, but foreign language starting with purpose and setting goals. Because of it we can say that native language acquisition goes by the direction “from bottom to top” and foreign language acquisition “from top to bottom”. The concept about different direction of language acquisition must be first of all taken into account in foreign language teaching in school education. But awareness among students learning foreign languages ways of formulating thoughts in foreign language must be mandatory component does not mean, that they always must exist before using language. The major question is what place in FLT process does awareness of linguistic recourses lead. In the process of communication in foreign languages only plan of speech content, i.e. what and in what order to say, is controlled by consciousness. Form of thought expression is realized on level of background mechanisms, automatically it is almost incognizable. The need for awareness of language means not contrary to the assertion in the process of the foreign language communication consciousness is controlled by only plan for content, that is, what and in what order to say.

The second important issue in differences between acquisition of foreign and native language is that density of communication differs a lot. Density of child’s communication with adults and other in native language, which can be measured by the number of speech contacts and volume of expression in native speech incomparably higher than in foreign language in terms of school education. It must be taken into account during comparative analysis of ways of language acquisition. Herewith in terms of foreign language communication scope of communication narrows, decreases number of partners. Under the conditions of communication in a foreign language also narrowed the scope of communication is reduced (often to one person - a teacher of foreign languages), the number of partners, communication is recorded enough free overlay their thoughts and understanding of the stranger, in connection with a small number have already learned, are updated linguistic resources (lexical, grammatical, phonetic), and stiffness, by insufficient methods of forming and formulating ideas for using these funds.

Reduction in the density of communication depends on few hours per week given to the FLT in high school and prolixity of educational material in educational process. Foreign languages cannot be “learned” in one hour per week even if we study it 7-8 years. It means that child is not provided by the most important condition of FLT - density of communication in foreign language.

No less important distinguishing feature of mastery and possession of a foreign language is its unilateral "inclusion" only in a communicative, rather than subject-communicative activities. Being born child, as emphasized by Elkonin D.B., "enter into relations of two systems: the child-an object, a thing", "child-adult." Both these systems are implemented links to them in their native language. In the process of mastering a foreign language in school child only communicates with the language, instead of using it in its immediate objective activity. This, as shown by research of Kasparova and Kopteva, leads to the fact that, for example, the word of a foreign language lives in linguistic consciousness of the child as if only in their abstract, logical, conceptual side, outside the sensory component. Denoted by the word of a foreign language subjects are deprived of the characteristics of smell, color, shapes, size. This can be one of the reasons for the instability of the conservation of foreign words into the memory of his difficulty updating.

The foregoing corresponds with such a feature as the possibility of implementing a foreign language the entire set of functions that implements the native language. "Learning the native language is a spontaneous process by which a man possessed, not because it deliberately wants to know the language, but by the spontaneous process of mental development in ontogenesis''. Mother tongue, speaking in the unity of the functions of communication and synthesis, first is the primary means of "assigning" a child of social experience, and only then, and together with the implementation of this function - a means of expression, creation and formulation of his own thoughts. ''By acquisition of native language, people "assign" an instrument of knowledge of reality. In this process, naturally met and formed his specific human (cognition, consequently, communicative and other social) needs.''

Foreign language in school can no longer be the same extent as a native, to serve as a means of "appropriation" of social experience, an instrument of cognition of reality. Mastering a foreign language is most often determined by the 'satisfaction of learning and cognitive needs, or needs of understanding expressions of his own thought.'' As noted by L. Sherba, "Observation of the tongue are the observations of thinking..." and "does this premise, compelling a person to stop the flow of his speech, and, therefore, thinking, making the penis it apart to try to understand the relation these parts and compare them with each other and deepen their understanding of it.". And further assertion that learning a foreign language is a means of "development of dialectical thinking", which correlates with the intrinsic human need analysis form of expression, speaking as a tool for reflection.

Conditionally it is possible to allocate at least three groups of characteristics of the "language" (broadly defined), providing: social, intellectual and personality functions of man. The first group comprises the characteristics of language as means:

- communication (a form of social interaction);

- entry into the linguistic community, identification

- assignment of socio-historical, social experience, i.e., the socialization of the developing person;

- admission of the individual to the cultural and historical values (comprehensive function of language).

"This group of characteristics of the language refers to the actual social functions of person. Included in it the characteristics of language form two major subgroups. The first and second characteristics define language as a means of social interaction, social communication. The third and fourth language features define it as a means of social development of our personality in the process of communication that is based on a fundamental premise: the language - an essential means of human communication."

"The second large group of characteristics includes such language characteristics which determine it as a form of intelligence, language awareness of a person. Modern psychology and linguistics notes the active role that language plays in knowledge, when talking about "a kind of linguistic apperception", i.e. about linguistic conditioning.

This group includes the characteristics of language as means of:

- correlating the individual with the objective reality, through its nomination, indication, designation of the objects and phenomena of the world by words;

-generalization in the formation of the person’s conceptual apparatus;

- expansion, differentiation, clarification of concepts and categorical system;

- mediation of person’s higher mental functions;

- development of cognitive interest;

- satisfaction of the communication needs (expressing thoughts, feelings, volition), and cognitive needs (this includes interpretation of language in the narrow sense as a means of forming and articulating ideas);

The third group consists of characteristics of language as means of:

- awareness of one's own ego;

- reflection, and then, the expression itself (of self-expression) and self-regulation.

Reflection as a reflection of one’s self, one’s interests, motives, states includes the reflection of one’s own actions. This process includes and is based on verbalization. Taking this function, language, in the broadest sense, as a sign system, is the only form of emergence, development and existence of personal reflection.

It is also important that these last two characteristics of language are related to the formation of self-identity, which is perhaps the most important place the formation of "I-image" and reflection as a mechanism for the treatment of consciousness to itself, reflect on their mental consciousness. However, considering this image as a sophisticated installation system which means "as a system of cognitive, emotional and behavioral characteristics", the researchers did not emphasize here that language serves as a means of forming the I-image and I as ego.

We must also pay attention to the characterization of language as a means of satisfaction of the communication needs of expressing thoughts, feelings and will. The native and foreign language act in this capacity. However, the native language first becomes a biological, natural form of awareness of the existence and symbolization of person’s emotional – motivational sphere. Any other language (not native), surviving, do not replace even displace native language in this function. This is reflected in the fact that the most intimate, involuntary things, people who know several languages, express only the native language.

The essential distinguishing feature of foreign language acquiring in school from native language is that this process takes place not in sensitive period (period sensitive to language acquisition (learning)) of speech development. It is commonly known that this period lasts from 1.5 year till 5 year. It is a period of awareness of language rules, formation of total net of everyday concepts, situationally detailed statements. Some psychologists when talking about the most favorable period for foreign language acquisition say that this process must be started at a very young ages, because by this we can take into consideration particularities of child’s age development. But, on the other hand many scientists point out that the process of foreign language acquisition must be started on the bases of already formed knowledge of native language, i.e. at 5-6 years. One more point, is that the process of foreign language acquisition started at young ages must be consistently continue in school.

This is the main particularities of foreign language as linguistic phenomenon. Now we are going to analyze specific points of foreign language as a school subject.

Foreign language, unlike other subjects studied at school, is both a goal and learning tool. The difficulty lies in the accuracy of the transition from what is now the goal, but tomorrow will be the means of achieving the other, more complex goals. It means for teachers and textbook authors need to distribute educational material (linguistic resources, the alleged actions of students learning to solve educational problems) over time based on "objective-means", i.e. the sequence of the inclusion of linguistic phenomena. Then the problems of taking into account language difficulties, the interference of native language use and so on must be solved.

Let us dwell on the consideration of three very significant features of specific language: "irrelevance", "infinity", "heterogeneity." As has been repeatedly stressed, an essential feature of a foreign language as a subject in comparison with other subjects is that its absorption does not give a person immediate knowledge of reality (as opposed to mathematics, history, geography, biology, chemistry and etc.) For example, the story provides knowledge about the development of human society and its laws, physics - the laws of existence and motion of matter, etc. Language is a means of forming and then the form of thought’s existence and expression about the objective reality, properties and regularities which are the subject of other disciplines. "The person feels and knows that the language for him is just a mean, that outside the language there is an invisible world in which people seek to settle only with its help". The language in this sense as an academic discipline - is pointless. It is only the carrier of information, the form of its existence in the individual and social consciousness. In the process of teaching foreign language a teacher faces the problem to initial determination of a specific, satisfying the students’ need in foreign language acquisition, the subject of training activities. As such a subject may be taken, for example, information about the history, culture and traditions of the people who speak foreign language, or social, everyday, scientific problems which must be solved. It is significant that Strevens, English linguist and a Methodist, points out that: "A further consequence of the fact that the language – is a skill is the fact that the fullness and richness of content, in comparison with other school subjects low". In other words, in the Teaching of Foreign Languages there is a special problem of definition of what (of culture, ethics, history, art, etc.) to teach by means of foreign language, for the study of linguistic resources (vocabulary, grammar, phonetics), for the sake of these funds does not meet the actual cognitive and communicative needs. Here arises another problem - the organization of the object of speech activity, i.e. its semantic content on this basis.

Specificity of a foreign language as a subject is also in its immensity. Indeed, if we compare the language with any other academic subject, in each of them (history, literature, chemistry, biology, etc.) there are separate themed sections, after mastering which students feel satisfaction. So, one can say that he knows only the "history of ancient Rome" as part of history. In this case, all as a positive feature observed individual personality orientation of student persistence and depth of his interests. When learning a foreign language in school, when the task of mastering foreign language is communication, this situation is impossible. Learning the language, people can not only know the vocabulary, not knowing grammar, or the section "gerund", not knowing the time of partition, etc. One should know all the grammar, all the vocabulary needed for the required by program conditions of communication. But all this is, for example, in the lexical and stylistic plans in language has no practical limits. In this sense, language as a subject is limitless.

An essential feature of the phenomenon of foreign language as an academic subject is its heterogeneity. Language, in its broadest sense, encompasses a number of other phenomena, such as "language system", "language ability", etc.

Considering the three aspects of linguistic phenomena, L. Sherba pointed out a very important for foreign language teaching position. According to the author, language system and language material are just different aspects of this unique experience in speech activities". In other words, L. Sherba, revealing the heterogeneity of "linguistic phenomena, identified a source that lies at their core - namely, person’s speech activity

Along with the heterogeneity, foreign language in comparison with other academic disciplines is characterized by specific correlation of knowledge and skills. On this basis a foreign language takes an intermediate position between the humanities, social and political disciplines (e.g., history, geography, literature), natural sciences, representing the exact sciences (e.g. mathematics, physics, chemistry) and aesthetic disciplines, professional practical work, athletic training (e.g., music, typing, gymnastics). For example, a foreign language in the process of mastering them requires a large, as well as "practical" disciplines (sports, crafts, etc.), the proportion of the formation of language skills. At the same time, this process involves no less than for the exact sciences, the amount of linguistic knowledge in the form of rules, laws, programs, making a variety of communicative tasks.

A specific feature of language as a school subject is also formed negative, subjective attitude of people to foreign language as a very difficult, almost impossible to master in a school training. "Learning foreign languages is often characterized as the most pointless exercise, absorbing... a man more time and effort than any other". Foreign Language, indeed, requires daily and systematic work. It requires work, which is motivated. The student must know why he learns, and have clearly defined purpose of studying foreign language. The purpose may be – to learn the language so to read Shakespeare in the original, or be able to directly communicate with British friends, etc. But this purpose must be clear and understandable for students. Otherwise, the acquisition of language will not happen.

The experience of many schools in our country shows that this assimilation can be no less effective than any other academic subject. However, the foreign language teacher and the whole school team must solve a serious psychological problem to change students’ negative stereotypes for this academic discipline.

Concluding the consideration of the specifics of a foreign language as a school subject, we note again that it refers primarily to the connection of foreign language and native language and only then comparison with other subjects: 1) the purpose - a means, 2) objectivity, 3) limit 4) homogeneity, and 5) a combination of knowledge and linguistic activity.