The Principle of Conscious approach

Consciousness as a principle of didactics, or in one of the two main senses of this word, (сознательность, сознание) 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 tan to wait until the learners deduce these rules through speech activity. V.A. Artemov a prominent psychologist, B.V. Belyaev and others whose contribution to foreign language teaching is considerable insist, on a similar conscious approach to foreign language teaching.

Only language practice supported by the theory can develop language habits and skills in a desirable direction and lead to mastering of a foreign language.

A conscious approach to foreign language teaching implies the use of the learner’snative language (mother tongue).Comparison contributes to the thorough understanding of the material studied, since it causes the learner to observe and analyze the linguistic phenomena. These may be compared with other phenomena of the mother tongue, or with their counterparts in the foreign language.

When a pupil begins to learn a foreign language the words of this language are often associated with the words of the mother tongue first.

However, thanks to constant practice the intermediate link –native language –fades, and foreign language words come into the pupils consciousness directly in connection with the concepts they express. Mastery of the language means formulating one’s thoughts within the foreign language. We should use mother tongue as a means of teaching whenever it helps pupils in acquiring knowledge necessary for developing habits and skills. In teaching and learning, the foreign language and the mother tongue are closely connected and influence each other. The pupil can transfer language skills acquired in the native language to those in the target language.

Historical comments on linguistic phenomena also contribute to the consciousassimilation of the language. For instance, information on the origin of the articles helps to understand their meaning, and this is true especially of the indefinite article.

However, comparison with the mother tongue, and historical comments made in the mother-tongue, should not take up more than a very small part of the time allotted to the teaching of the foreign language. The pupil’s mother tongue often interferes with the target language, i.e., the formation of new habits in hindered by habits already acquired. For instance, pronunciation habits in the mother tongue hinder the development of pronunciation habits in a foreign language. Habits and skills of connect speech, from grammar viewpoint, lead to constant mistakes in the foreign language as the pupils try to transfer the structure of one language to that of the other. In the studying English or French Kazakh-speaking pupils often make mistakes in word- order. We believe that the best way to overcome interference is, on the one band, some comparison of language phenomena in both languages clearly showing the peculiarities of the foreign language its distinctive features, its characteristics, and, on the hand, constant practice in the foreign language that helps to overcome interference in developing pupils’ habits and skills language it is necessary to cope with the mother tongue of pupils.

This means that teaching a foreign language, for example, English to Russian, Kazakh, Bashkir, Arabic-speaking pupils should differ in the arrangement of language material and in the techniques of its presentation and retention. We cannot ignore pupils’ native tongue in teaching a foreign language when searching for the shortest and most sound ways to the desired end. Indeed, Karakalpak-speaking pupils and Georgian speaking pupils have different troubles in learning English.

Internal of English-English comparison, also, should as a rule be preferred to external or English-Russian, or English- Kazakh. For example, the pupils will profit more if in explaining the words hand and arm, both of which correspond to the one Russian word рука,кора word кол,the teacher does not only speak Russian or Kazakh, proceeding form the two meaning of the Russian word, but having first used direct demonstration.(This is my hand, this is my arm), further says, we takethings with our hands; a mother carries her baby in her arms; gloves are for the hands; the sleeves of a shirt or of a coat are for the arms; little children sometimes walk hand in hand; grown up people sometimes walk arm in arm;

Conscious approach in the foreign language teaching implies that the pupil should understand the material they are to learn to be able to transform it and apply in communication in the target language. Transformation is connected with pupils’ abilities to make the material fit new situations, new tasks.

Conscious approach in foreign language teaching implies pupils’ comprehension of the material they study. For example, they can single out topical sentences while reading a text, main ideas while listening to a text; pupils can the material for practical needs.

Consciousness also implies the development of independent work in pupils at the target language, which in its turn ensures favorable conditions for extending their knowledge and perfecting habits and skills.