PSYCHOLINGUISTIC PERSPECTIVES ON ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING

Abstract

The article is devoted to the problem of designing a learning process in the English language classroom taking into consideration psycholinguistic perspectives of the English language teaching. To solve this problem the teachers need a clear idea of how people think when learn language. The main purpose of the article is to dwell on psycholinguistic peculiarities of the English language teaching and systematize the requirements to the printed language materials exploited in the language classroom. Educators propose the following phases of pupils’ development in terms of language knowledge and skills: ignorance, exposure, noticing, understanding, practice, active use. According to Stephen Krashen’s input hypothesis the process of learning is impossible without comprehensible input. It is defined as the spoken or written language learners are exposed to. The scientists (J. Scrivener, S. Thornbury) differentiate between restricted and authentic exposure to language. The examples of authentic exposure may be observed when the learners read articles, product labels, notices, posters, menus; listen to small talks; watch films in the original. When the learning texts are especially devised to be applicable to learners and tend to draw pupils attention to particular bits of information we deal with restricted exposure. To sum it up, among the described principles applicable to developing printed materials exploited by the teachers in the English language classroom the most essential ones are as follows: materials should have a noticeable effect on learners, stimulate their curiosity, interest and attention; materials should take into account that learners differ in learning styles; materials should take into account that learners have different motives, emotions and attitudes to the process of learning. The prospects for further research in this field are to develop new means and techniques aimed at activating learners’ language competence considering the psychological basis of this process.