The world is becoming closer and more compact, we have begun to communicate more with people of different nationalities. Nowadays, knowledge of a foreign language is becoming necessary both in professional activities and in private life. It opens up unfamiliar culture and customs to us, and eases tension in communication during travels around the world.
The best way to master a foreign language is to take language courses. In live communication, it is much easier to consolidate the necessary skills. To choose a good language school, you need to focus primarily on the professionalism of the teachers and good reviews from its graduates. Finding such information is quite simple; a foreign language school in St. Petersburg, Moscow or Saratov on the pages of its website will offer to get acquainted with the issues that interest you.
The methods used by the teachers of a given foreign language school also play an important role. Today, three main teaching methods are distinguished: direct, comparative and mixed.
The direct method is based on establishing direct associations between an object and a word in the foreign language, bypassing the native language. Followers of this method assign the main role to practical mastery of foreign speech skills (primarily oral), with repeated repetition of material and use of visual aids. There are also variations of the direct method – audiolingual and audiovisual. The first attaches particular importance to the selection of typical structures and phonetics of a particular language, which should become an analogy in forming other sentences. The second brings vocabulary selection to the fore.
With the comparative method, on the contrary, learning is based on comparing the foreign language with the native one. Proponents of this method believe that all types of speech activity (speaking, reading, writing) should be studied together, as this gradually reinforces the skills acquired, and the language is perceived in different situations and combinations. An important role is also given to didactic principles, such as the principle of consciousness.
The mixed method gets its name from the combination, to varying degrees, of the principles of the two previous modern methods of teaching foreign languages.
Furthermore, scientific research in this area does not stand still. Prospects for improving existing teaching methods and adjusting the techniques included in them are constantly being sought. The focus is primarily on finding ways to activate students' inner reserves and create conditions to overcome the psychological barrier of fear of making mistakes, as well as strengthening motivation.